By Sam P.K. Collins WI Staff Writer
With a few hours left in the Labor Day holiday weekend, dozens upon dozens of family, friends, neighbors and police officers gathered in honor of Wayne David, the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) investigator who recently died in the line of duty.
The prayer vigil and balloon release
DAVID Page 42
By Sam P.K. Collins WI Staff Writer
For years, Thurgood Marshall Academy Public Charter School student Calique Barnes spoke before the D.C. State Board of Education (DCSBOE) and reached out to its representatives about school safety, vocational training, and mental health.
Now, as a newly minted student representative, he will get to shape policy suggestions around those, and other issues of concern.
On Thursday, Calique took an oath of office at Thurgood Marshall Academy PCS library as members of his family and more than 70 of his classmates watched in awe.
Moments later, Calique, dressed to the nines in a fitted burgundy suit, took the podium and reflected on how his community prepared him for the next level of student leadership. He did so with DCSBOE Representatives Eboni-Rose Thompson (Ward 7), Dr. Carlene Reid (Ward 8), Dr. Jacque Patterson (At large) and DCSBOE executive director Bernice Butler within earshot.
“I was nervous…but I’m here to rep y’all, especially within Ward 8,” Calique, 16, told his classmates. “To make sure our voices as young
By Sam P.K. Collins WI Staff Writer
As D.C. Councilmember Trayon White endures the legal and political consequences of a federal bribery charge, prayers and well wishes continue to pour in from those who recognize and respect the Ward 8 council member’s love for community.
Beyond that, many residents are seeking some assurance that, with the Ward 8 council member’s office in a quasi-operational state, their quality of life won’t worsen.
WARD 8 Page 46
5Ryane B. Nickens, founder and president of The TraRon Center discusses working to curb gun violence by going after gun manufacturers and stores at a press conference on Sept. 3. (Robert R.
By Sam P.K. Collins WI Staff Writer
D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb recently joined Maryland Attorney General Anthony G. Brown and Erich Tirschwell of Everytown Law to announce a civil suit aimed at three D.C. area gun stores that are accused of facilitating the ille-
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BY STACY M. BROWN, WI SENIOR WRITER; LINDIWE VILAKAZI, WI HEALTH REPORTER
Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic nominee for president, made a strategic decision to sit down for her first major interview since President Joe Biden withdrew from the race, selecting CNN despite the network's heavily criticized moderation of the controversial June debate between Biden and former President Donald Trump.
After the debate, CNN anchors were widely condemned for allowing Trump to spread untruths and disinformation unchecked. On Thursday, Aug. 29, a week after officially accepting the Democratic presidential nomination, Harris used that same network to set the record straight and present her vision for America alongside her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz.
The interview in Georgia during their ongoing bus tour marked a critical moment for Harris, who has lit
a fire under a once stagnant Democratic Party and galvanized donors as she's taken the lead in almost every national poll.
Dana Bash, who conducted the interview, opened by questioning Harris about her priorities if she were to win the presidency. Harris, clear and direct, outlined her immediate goals: “On day one, we’re going to bring down the cost of everyday goods, support small businesses, and invest in American families. We’re not going back—we’re moving forward.” Her response was a sharp contrast to Trump, who vowed that he'd be a dictator on day one.
Walz, seated beside Harris, praised the proposed agenda, highlighting its practical success in Minnesota.
WI
Read more on washingtoninformer.com.
An updated analysis from Insider Monkey reveals that African Americans’ internal migration patterns have significantly contributed to the rise of “Black-majority cities” across the United States. These urban centers, where African Americans comprise a substantial portion of the population, have become focal points for opportunity, culture, and influence, reshaping the nation’s demographic and economic landscape.
While African Americans have seen only a 1.5% increase in their overall share since 1970, their strategic relocation to key cities has amplified their economic and political clout.
The District stands out as a prime example, ranking as the top city where Black Americans thrive financially, according to the most recent Lending Tree report. The nation’s capital leads in narrowing the
financial gap for Black Americans, with a thriving business environment and a substantial Black middle class. Despite this progress, the report emphasizes that the path toward economic equity remains fraught with challenges.
Experts predict that by 2045, the United States will transition into a minority-white country, driven largely by the growth of racial minorities, including African Americans, Hispanics, and Asians, who are expected to become the primary economic drivers. A projected 74% increase in the population of racial minorities between 2018 and 2060, along with a decline in the white population due to aging, underpins this demographic shift. Jackson, Mississippi, recognized as the “Blackest city” in America, epitomizes this demographic transformation, with African Americans constituting over 80% of its population. WI
Read more on washingtoninformer.com.
A new report from the Pew Research Center, as part of the Pew-Knight Initiative, has revealed how Americans perceive and consume local crime news, highlighting significant racial, ethnic, and political disparities.
The study found that 71% of U.S. adults often or sometimes receive news about local crime from friends, family, and neighbors, while a nearly identical share (70%) gets this news from local news outlets.
While 26% of U.S. adults first turn to local news outlets, others rely heavily on social media, search engines, or personal networks for updates on crime. These diverse sources influence how crime news is perceived, with notable differences based on where people get information. For example, those who consume crime news from social media or locally focused apps like Next-door and Ring are more likely to believe these sources exaggerate crime levels in their communities.
In contrast, those who rely on official sources, such as local law enforcement or politicians, think these sources underplay the amount of crime.
The report also highlights that Black Americans are particularly likely to perceive local crime news as biased, especially in terms of racial and ethnic fairness. This perception aligns with previous Pew Research findings that have shown Black Americans to be more attuned to racial bias in both policing and news coverage.
Black Americans are also more engaged with local crime news, with 45% reporting that they often get news about local crime—a higher rate than that of Hispanic, white, or Asian Americans. Additionally, nearly half of Black respondents (48%) reported seeing news about violent crime at least weekly, which is significantly
RESEARCH Page 5
By Stacy M. Brown WI Senior Writer
Attorney General Brian Schwalb announced today that four title companies—Allied Title & Escrow, LLC (Allied), KVS Title, LLC (KVS), Modern Settlements, LLC (Modern), and Union Settlements, LLC (Union)—will pay a combined $3.29 million to settle allegations of illegal kickback schemes uncovered by the Office of the Attorney General (OAG). The investigation revealed that the companies offered real estate agent’s lucrative financial incentives in exchange for business referrals, distorting the District’s title insurance market and limiting homebuyers’ options.
Earlier this year, the Biden Administration announced it would consider a controversial pilot program to waive title insurance requirements for certain qualified homeowners. The proposal, part of the president’s broader initiative to improve access to affordable housing, has sparked debate among housing advocates who fear that it could disproportionately harm communities of color.
Experts view title insurance as a crucial yet often misunderstood product. It provides comprehensive protection for homeowners’ property rights and lenders’ financial interests. Unlike other insurance products, it involves a one-time fee, and title professionals conduct extensive upfront work to identify and resolve any title issues before a property sale is finalized.
Critics argue that waiving these requirements could lead to signif-
RESEARCH from Page 4
higher than other racial and ethnic groups.
Political affiliation also plays a significant role in shaping how Americans perceive and react to crime news. Republicans are more likely than Democrats to view violent crime as an important national issue, though both groups consume local crime news at similar rates. Interestingly, while both parties rely on many of the same news sources, Democrats are more likely to be-
icant risks, particularly for African Americans, Latinos, and other vulnerable communities.
“District residents are entitled to make fully informed decisions about how to spend their hardearned money, especially when it comes to making the high stakes purchase of a home,” said Attorney General Schwalb. “These four companies violated the most fundamental principles of a free and fair marketplace: they hid information from consumers, limited their choices, and hurt other businesses that play by the rules. Today, we’re exposing and putting an end to these elaborate, secretive, and illegal kickback schemes.”
The OAG’s investigation found that Allied, KVS, Modern, and Union used shell companies and other mechanisms to offer real estate agents exclusive investment opportunities in exchange for referrals. Officials said the kickbacks, including profit-sharing and extravagant yacht parties, incentivized agents to steer homebuyers toward these companies, reducing competition and harming law-abiding competitors.
Critics of the Biden Administration’s title insurance waiver proposal point out that when homeowners refinance their loans, title issues such as undisclosed liens or other encumbrances can still arise. If title insurance were waived, government-sponsored enterprises like Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac could be forced to bear the risk, essentially turning them into de facto title insurers. Advocates argue this could lead to unintended consequences, particularly in communities of color,
lieve that crime news exaggerates the problem and is biased against certain racial or ethnic groups.
“Like we find with several local news topics, relatively few Americans are highly satisfied with the local crime news they get,” researchers concluded. “Among those who get local crime news, one-third say they are extremely or very satisfied with the quality of this news. About half (48%) say they are somewhat satisfied, and 18% say they are not too or not at all satisfied.”
WI
where property rights and financial stability are already under threat.
Under the settlement, Allied will pay the District $1.9 million, while the city will receive $1 million from KVS, $325,000 from Union, and $65,000 from Modern.
The District plans to allocate up to $1.75 million from these settlements toward restitution for affected consumers; the OAG will provide additional details to homeowners in the coming months.
All four companies have agreed to cease offering real estate agents any consideration for referring title insurance business and will either end their title insurance operations in the District or divest real estate agents from their ownership interests in the shell companies.
Schwalb praised KVS for its immediate cooperation and cessation of the illegal practices. He said Modern and Union also cooperated with the investigation, and all four com-
panies agreed to end these practices before the investigation concluded.
“Homeownership is one of the most significant investments a person can make, and title insurance is a critical safeguard in protecting that investment,” Schwalb emphasized.
“Waiving these protections could have far-reaching consequences, especially for communities already facing challenges in securing their financial futures.”
WI @StacyBrownMedia
SEPT. 5
1947 – Rock musician Buddy Miles, a former bandmate of Jimi Hendrix, is born in Omaha, Nebraska. 1959 – "Our Nig: Sketches from the Life of a Free Black" by Harriet Wilson, widely considered the first novel written by a Black woman, is published. 1960 – Leopold Sedar Senghor is elected as the first-ever president of Senegal.
SEPT. 6
1988 – Lee Roy Young becomes the first Black mem ber of the Texas Ranger Division.
SEPT. 7
1930 – Legendary jazz saxophonist born in New York City.
1986 – Nobel Peace Prize winner and anti-apart heid activist Desmond Tutu becomes the first Black Archbishop of Cape Town, South Africa.
SEPT. 8
1957 – Tennis great Althea Gibson the first African American to win the U.S. National Championships, now known as the U.S. Open.
1986 – "The Oprah Winfrey Show" nationwide, making its namesake host the first Black woman with a nationally syndicated talk show.
SEPT. 9
1925 – Ossian Sweet, a Black Detroit physician, and a handful of armed family and friends defend
SEPT. 5 - 11 , 2024
SOURCE: BLACK AMERICA WEB
his newly purchased home in a white neighborhood against a mob trying to force him out. He and his family and friends were ultimately acquitted of murder by an all-white jury in what came to be known as the Sweet Trials.
1934 – Renowned African American poet Sonia Sanis born in Birmingham, Alabama.
1941 – Soul music legend Otis Redding is born in Dawson, Georgia.
1968 – Arthur Ashe wins the first U.S. Open of the open era, becoming the first Black man to win the title.
SEPT. 10
1961 – Jomo Kenyatta, Kenya's first president, returns from exile to lead the country
1976 – Mordecai Johnson, the first Black president of Howard University, dies in Washington, D.C.
SEPT. 11
1942 – Singer and actress Lola Falana is born in Camden, New Jersey.
1970 – Actress and Howard University alumna Taraji P. Henson, best known for the hit TV show "Empire," is born in Washington, D.C.
1977 – "Roots," the television miniseries based on Alex Haley's 1976 novel, wins nine awards at the 19th annual Emmys.
1987 – Reggae great Peter Tosh is murdered in Kingston, Jamaica, during a home invasion. WI
BY SARAFINA WRIGHT
The Supreme Court recently ruled that it would not lift the pause on President Biden’s student loan forgiveness plan, which was introduced in 2023 to provide debt relief to millions of borrowers. Despite the setback, the Biden Administration contends that they will keep pushing for lower repayment options for borrowers. What are your thoughts?
PORTIA BROWN / NORFOLK, VA.
JAYME HOWELL / SAN DIEGO, CALIF.
I love how some people think that those who took out student loans don’t benefit them. Be sure to tell that to the teacher who’s educating your kids, or the nurses or doctors who nurse you or your family back to health, and better yet, the banker who went into college to be able to properly invest and reconcile your money when you deposit it into your bank account.
I hate when people say, “He didn’t do what he said he was going to do.” People don’t understand how the government works. Biden’s plans can’t go anywhere when the Supreme Court is full of Republicans.
JONATHAN ANDERSON / UNION, N.J.
Another failed policy idea by Biden. I know the truth upsets people. We have horrible choices to make in November. Trump or Harris. I say it’s time to negotiate. I want the migrants gone and for America to stop funding Israel. I want something done that benefits the Black community. If you can’t offer that, you can’t get my vote. I might have to sit this one out after voting 40 years as a Democrat.
This is why Kamala has to win and get control of the House and Senate. That way, she’ll be able to expand the Supreme Court with three Democrats.
CYNTHIA TROTTY / WASHINGTON, D.C.
The Supreme Court is majority Republican. We need to get them out – if Trump wins, it will forever be blocked.
Our staff is made up of writers, just like you. We are dedicated to making publishing dreams come true. Trusted by authors for nearly 100 years, Dorrance has made countless authors’ dreams come true.
By Stacy M. Brown WI Senior Writer
While in Washington, D.C. this week, family members of NBA superstar LeBron James highlighted the extraordinary impact of the LeBron James Family Foundation (LJFF) and its ongoing mission to uplift and empower communities. The organization’s efforts, which began in Akron, Ohio, where the foundation’s namesake was raised, have become a national model for athletes, entertainers, and politicians alike.
Gloria James, the celebrated athlete’s mother, expressed immense pride in her son’s accomplishments both on and off the court.
“I’m very honored to be LeBron’s mother. He has done so much for our community and for people across the world. He’s so unselfish,” Gloria said, emphasizing that LeBron’s greatness extends beyond his athletic achievements. “He’s not only the GOAT (greatest of all time) on the court, but off the court. He’s a humanitarian, a great father and husband, and a great advocate for his community, people of color, and the underdog.”
The LJFF, through its flagship “I PROMISE” program, serves over 1,400 students in the Akron area, offering comprehensive support that extends far beyond academics. The foundation’s work, as Gloria James described, is about more
than just raising graduation rates; it’s about redefining the concepts of family and community.
“What we learned was that you can’t just help one person in the family and expect it to be of great significance,” she explained. “Even when it comes to housing or food, we address those issues as well. We know that a lot of our families can’t provide meals for themselves for a full family throughout the entire month, so we have pantries.”
The holistic approach to community support has become the cornerstone of the LJFF’s mission.
“Unfortunately, some kids don’t have that in their lives,” Gloria James noted, referring to the love, compassion, and support she said true family offers. “They deserve that, and that way it’ll also help them as they grow into adulthood. Family, we take that very seriously.”
Curtis James, the NBA and Olympics champion's uncle and an assistant at the foundation, highlighted the foundation’s recent projects, including a documentary.
“We just launched a documentary, and my job is to inspire people through my podcast. We want people to do the right thing. It’s not just through our music. Family
keeps me in the community, and Akron will always need inspiration, so I try to be a model for people to do better and be better,” Curtis James shared.
The LJFF’s influence has extended to the University of Akron, where the LeBron James Family Foundation School of Education operates with selective admission criteria to nurture future educators who will continue the foundation’s legacy of community upliftment.
“What I’ve learned through our foundation is that helping your community is probably one of the most important jobs you can have,” said Gloria James, who works as a third-grade teacher’s aide at the I PROMISE school. “Especially if you’re on a platform that allows you to help, not just talk about it, but be about it. Put your money up. Our city has been so responsive positively that it makes us want to do even more.”
The family’s commitment to Akron and its residents is unwavering. As Gloria James noted, they are not just making a difference but setting a precedent for others to follow.
“We also have blueprints for
By Ed Hill and Skylar Nelson WI Contributing Writer and WI Intern
Fight For Children sponsored its Second Annual Youth Sports Day this past Saturday at the fields at RFK Campus in Northeast, D.C., and it proved to be a big hit.
Youth Sports Day is a free, funfilled community event that showcases sports-based youth development organizations and informs families about affordable after school programs that focus on mental and physical health, educational achievements, and mentoring.
It is sponsored by Fight For Children, an organization founded in 1990 by the late Joseph E. Robert with a mission of improving the lives of underserved children in the nation’s capital.
Organizers were hopeful that 1,500 would participate, a significant increase from the 300 who attended last year's event. Much to their delight, the event exceeded their expectations.
“Today’s been a great day already. We have close to 2,000 family members coming through," said Fight For Children President and Chief Program Officer Dr. James Kallusky.
Being able to equip so many families with resources is significant to Kallusky for a number of reasons.
"There’s two main purposes to the day. One is let’s get kids ready to get back to school on Monday. So we have free haircuts, free wellness checks, physicals, eye exams, we have backpacks
from Under Armour, we have school supply kits from the Commanders so families can leave here knowing that their kids are ready walking in the door Monday morning. But at the same time, we have nearly 40 non-profit organizations that are super high-quality using sports to help kids get better at life.”
For Kallusky, the event goes beyond sports, or the first day of school; it’s about connecting families with tools and programming to tap into yearlong.
“The idea is, let’s get kids ready for school but at the same time, let’s make sure that they are ready for the school year and families can engage and enroll in these non-profit organizations,” he said.
Participants got a chance to visit 40 various booths and learn about specific sports. There were also instructions and tutorials for sports, including: football, baseball, soccer and rowing.
Both parents and children were able to learn a lot during the day.
Kallusky said that the two most asked questions from parents are about where programs are located and how they are able to circumvent the high costs associated with enrolling children in sports.
He also said Fight for Children is pitching in to help children get back and forth from the programming.
"One of the major challenges that we face in getting kids enrolled in quality after school programs, such as those
Jazz Underground reading the latest edition of The Washington Informer at the 2024 DC JazzFest. (Ja’Mon Jackson/The Washington Informer)
https://www
“There is never time in the future in which we will work out our salvation. The challenge is in the moment; the time is always now.”
– James Baldwin
as a Culture Capital
Noochie Talks His ‘Front Porch Series,’ Emphasizes Importance of Networking
By Micha Green WI Contributing Writer
While some people might know the nation’s capital for the White House, Capitol Hill and monuments, Mayor Muriel Bowser and the D.C. Office of Cable, Television, Film, Music and Entertainment (OCTFME) are highlighting the creative community that boosts the District’s economy and culture and is shared throughout the country and world.
“We are proud to be an arts city, and it’s true: 202 creates,” said Bowser in a statement in July about nominations for the Sept. 24 Mayor’s Arts Awards. “Our creative community brings us so much joy and helps us tell the story of the real D.C.”
Before honorees are awarded at the end of September at the 39th annual Mayor's Arts Awards at the Lincoln Theatre in Northwest, D.C., the District is celebrating creativity in a major way through 202Creates month. The month kicked off on Aug. 29 with a celebratory event at the DC Water headquarters in Navy Yard.
OCTFME Director LaToya Foster said the District’s creative community is critical to the economy.
“The creative community contributes $13.8 billion to our city's economy. Let me say that number again, $13.8 billion comes from the creative communities across our city. That means it's our theaters, it's our musicians, our performers, our dancers… culinary [arts], hairstyling, barbering, graphics, artists, painters,” Foster told The Informer on WIN-TV.
She said the mayor has a longstanding commitment to celebrating District arts and realizes the value their work brings to the District overall.
“Mayor Bowser took a look at that and sat back in 2016 and said, ‘You know what? We've got to do a little bit more with our creative community. We've got to let them know that we see them, that they're given proper platforms to get their messages out,” Foster explained. “So that's where 202Creates came from.”
5Excel Academy performs at the 2024 202Creates Kickoff at the DC Water headquarters in Navy Yard on Aug. 29. District Mayor Muriel Bowser and the D.C. Office of Cable, Television, Film, Music and Entertainment are highlighting the local creative community through 202Creates. (Robert R. Roberts/The Washington Informer)
The Aug. 29 kickoff for 202Creates at DC Water showcased the diverse ingenuity in the District’s creative community and featured artists including Antwon Vincent, better known as “Noochie,” of “Noochie’s Live From The Front Porch.”
Audiences were treated to the roots of the “Front Porch” series when Noochie took the stage.
“We’ve got all these guests now, but the ‘Front Porch’ started with just me on the mic freestyling, and then I brought my band, and the rest is history. So we’re just going to give you a little reminder why all these artists are coming over here,” Noochie told The Informer.
Noochie said he was excited to bring the “Front Porch” to the DC Water headquarters in Navy Yard for the 202Creates celebration and talked about the value of the citywide programming.
“202Creates provides so many opportunities throughout the season that we all get to be a part of the artist community and the artistic community comes together,” he said.
Foster listed some of the many activities Washingtonians and visitors alike can tap into as the city celebrates the arts and artists.
“You have the DC JazzFest taking place at The Wharf (Aug. 28-Sept. 1). You have the H street Festival coming
up (Sept. 21). You have Art All Night (Sept. 27-28), where there are events focusing, once again, on arts and culture in the city, but it's an all night affair that goes on across all eight wards of the city. There is Fiesta DC (Sept. 28-29), there's theater week (Sept. 26Oct. 13), and at the end of the month, Mayor Bowser closes it out with the Mayor's Arts Awards (Sept. 24),” Foster said. “This will be the 39th annual Mayor's Arts Awards. That's going to be a big deal— getting us ready for the big number 40 next year– so you don't want to miss that as well.”
Noochie told The Informer that it’s important for local creatives to tap into 202Creates and similar programming in order to connect with the District’s creative community at-large.
“It's not just musicians. There's art, there's behind the scenes players that the musicians need to know, because this is a music business, at the end of the day,” he said.
While he said he is still continuing to build and grow, Noochie offered words of wisdom for all creatives and all dreamers.
“It’s just making a name for yourself and building the network. When you actually put more work in, the net starts working. That's the point.”
For more information about 202Creates visit 202creates.com.
WI
By Richard Elliott WI Contributing Reporter
COUNCILMEMBER MEL FRANKLIN FOUND GUILTY, CAMPAIGNING BEGINS FOR DISTRICT FIVE SEAT
Former Prince George’s County Councilmember Mel Franklin pled guilty on Aug. 26 to two charges for using over $130,000 in campaign funds for personal expenses, 10 days after Council Chair Jolene Ivey (D-District 5) was officially declared the Democratic nominee for the seat he previously held.
Franklin was said to use the funds for international vacations and cosmetic surgery, along with
falsifying campaign finance records.
Franklin now owes $133,000 in restitution to his campaign fund, which will be donated to charity, and he agreed to a sentence of one year in prison. He will be officially sentenced on Nov. 13.
“Elected officials should be held accountable if they violate the public trust and exploit the Maryland electoral process for personal financial gain,” said Maryland State Prosecutor Charlton T. Howard, III. “I’m proud of our office’s hard work in uncovering this extensive fraud.”
Ivey received 29,578 votes, roughly 47.5% of the vote, in the special election held on Aug. 6 to replace Franklin. She is widely expected to win the general election, given the strong Democratic lean of Prince George’s voters.
The roughly 63,000 votes in the special election exceeded the roughly 54,000 votes in May’s presidential primary.
Michael Riker, a retired police officer from Cheltenham, received nearly half the vote in the
Republican primary for the atlarge seat and will be on the special general election ballot.
The special general election will be held on Nov. 5, the same day as the general election for the presidential, congressional, and Board of Education races. WI
Now, moves are being made and candidates are expressing interest in running for Ivey’s soonto-be vacant seat.
The race for District 5 has drawn several candidates and serious endorsements, despite the race not having a known election date as of yet. Assuming the same 45 day timeline as the first special election, the election date would likely be in late December or early January.
Ryan Middleton, who was elected to serve as a delegate to the Democratic National Convention (DNC), was among the first candidates to announce.
He has begun doorknocking in the Glenn Dale area of the district and received endorsements from Prince George’s County Executive Angela Alsobrooks, State Senators Joanne Benson (D- District 24) and Ron Watson (DDistrict 23), and County Councilmembers Calvin Hawkins (D- At Large) and Wanika Fisher (D- District 2).
Alsobrooks cited Middleton as “having the vision and ability to move [Prince George’s] County forward.”
Delegate Jazz Lewis, (D- District 24), who also served as a DNC delegate, is another politician to have expressed support for Middleton.
“I have known Ryan for years, and in that time, he has shown his dedication to our county and his ability to get work done on behalf of every resident who calls Prince George's County their home,” Lewis said in his endorsement. “Throughout his career, he has shown unwavering commitment to the issues that matter most. From public safety, to education and economic growth, he is ready to make the change that we need to see and to make county government more effective and help Prince George's County reach its full potential.”
Another candidate, Cheverly Mayor Kayce Munyeneh, has been endorsed by Capitol Heights Mayor Linda Monroe, Upper Marlboro Commissioner Charles Colbert, and Riverdale Park Councilmember Ifiok Inyang.
“Mayor Kayce has delivered on her promises, strengthened our tax base, and protected our environment,” said Natalie Pierre-Louis, a Cheverly resident, in a video to gather petition support for Munyeneh.
Some other people who have expressed interest in the District 5 seat include former County Council staffer Kendal Gray, small business owner LaTasha Ward, and Maryland Longitudinal Data System Center appointee Rudy D. Anthony.
WI
By Richard Elliott WI Contributing Reporter
BurnBox owner and co-founder Ryan Whitfield recently held a back to school night on Aug. 26 at both his Largo and Waldorf locations, distributing free pizza slices and engaging with the community. He is planning a future holiday giveaway between Halloween and Christmas.
While he is proud to give back to the community that has given so much to him, he acknowledges some of the challenges as a small business owner who has to compete with corporate juggernauts.
“As the owner of a Black-owned restaurant, I’ve had the privilege of serving the vibrant communities of Prince George’s and Charles County. Yet, with this privilege comes a set of challenges that are often overlooked by those outside of our industry. The reality for Black-owned businesses, particularly in the restaurant sector, is that we are held to an exceptionally high standard—one that often leaves little room for growth, improvement, or the kind of loyalty that other businesses enjoy,” Whitfield told The Informer.
For Whitfield, investing in the community is key.
“Supporting a community institution like BurnBox Pizza means investing in your neighbors and your neighborhood. Unlike big chain restaurants, we are deeply rooted in the communities we serve. Every dollar spent with us circulates back into the local economy, supporting local jobs, local schools, and local initiatives. Our 'Everyone Deserves to Eat' initiative is a testament to our commitment to giving back. We've donated nearly 10,000 pizzas to those in need since we opened, and we're just getting started,” he said.
The entrepreneur emphasized that customers who support BurnBox are also giving back.
“When you choose to eat at BurnBox, you’re not just satisfying your hunger—you’re contributing to a movement that’s about more than just food. It’s about fostering a sense of community, taking care of those who are less fortunate, and building a future where everyone has a place at the table. In times like these, where many are struggling, that sense of community and support is more important than ever,” Whitfield told The Informer.
Whitfield has become so invested in the communities, he noted the difference in the two Maryland sites.
“In Prince George’s, there's a vibrant energy that comes from its urban environment, where residents value convenience and variety. On the other hand, Charles County offers a more suburban feel, where families are looking for quality and consistency,” he said, before sharing the lessons he’s learned. “Navigating these different dynamics has taught us the importance of being adaptable while staying true to our core mission—ensuring that everyone eats. It's this mission that has helped us connect deeply with our communities, understanding that we’re not just feeding people; we’re feeding the future of our neighborhoods.”
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FOR GRANTS TO COVER
The Greater Washington Community Foundation has selected 17 small businesses operating along the Blue and Purple line transit corridors to receive over $330,000 in grants, coaching, and technical assistance.
The grants were made possible by the PNC Foundation, and this is just one of several programs that have been implemented in the past
two years to support small business owners.
Prince George’s County is now a state leader in small business openings.
“Ninety-five percent of all businesses in Prince George’s County are small businesses and they contribute nearly half of all jobs in the county,” said Greater Washington Community Foundation President and CEO Tonia Wellons. “We are proud to work with the PNC Foundation to enhance small business infrastructure and connect business capital to the region’s economic anchors to help individuals and families in Prince George’s County build wealth and set a new paradigm for economic development in the county.”
While the Blue and Purple Line transit corridors are expected to bring more people and businesses to the area, the grant will help during the interim time of construction.
“Although the transportation improvements will positively impact this corridor in the long term, the disruption during construction will temporarily delay progress. This much-needed capital and technical support will serve as a bridge,” said Jermaine Johnson, PNC regional president for Greater Washington.
Chapina Bakery, a Guatemalan-influence bakery that has been in business for two decades, plans
to use the grants to support operations and repair bakery equipment.
Pediatric dentistry practice Oral Health Guardians will use the grant to hire additional staff and cover operating expenses, and licensed childcare center.
Perfect Harmony II will use the grant to cover the costs of rent and new computer equipment.
“PNC is excited to partner with the Greater Washington Community Foundation to provide capital and technical assistance to small businesses in Prince George's County,” said Johnson. “The grants will advance economic opportunity for small business owners, their employees and the surrounding community.”
The full list of program participants includes:
• Brighter Beginnings 4 Kids
• Chapina Bakery
• Cocineros
• Cynthia Cephas Photography
• Enterprise Dental Care
• Flavors
• Gina S Duncan Insurance Agency dba LiveScan \ MD
• Fingerprinting Services
• Infinity Mental Health
• IROK Consulting
• Junction Catering and Jerk Center
• MMC Consulting
• Oral Health Guardians dba Camp Springs Pediatric Dentistry
• Perfect Harmony II
• Sidnae Global Enterprises
• TANTV
• WEFIX
• Xcellent Meals
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By James Wright / WI Staff Writer
The District is rebounding from the negative economic effects of the coronavirus pandemic due to the major events of international interest that are part of the offerings for residents and tourists, according to officials with Destination DC, the official destination marketing organization of the city.
The findings of the rebound were released by Destination DC officials on Aug. 27 at its annual Marketing Outlook Meeting at the Washington Hilton Hotel in Northwest. Officials unveiled strategies for the first year of its “Only One DC” campaign and leverage events such as the upcoming 2025 presidential inauguration and WorldPride 2025.
Reflow: D.C. Mayor Muriel
Bowser, local officials and leaders in the District’s tourism and hospitality industry, attended the event.
“D.C.’s comeback is about bringing more people to D.C., because more people in our city means more jobs for our residents, more revenue for our services and programs, and more opportunities for our city,” said Bowser. “And that’s why tourism is so important. I’m grateful for the people and teams who helped us hit a new tourism record in 2023. With everything we have coming up –from inauguration to WorldPride – we’re ready to welcome even more visitors and show the world why there's only one D.C.”
Destination DC officials said a record-breaking 25.95 million total visitors came to the city in 2023, up 17% from 2022 and surpassing the pre-pandemic record
set in 2019. The new benchmark resulted in a record $10.2 billion in visitor spending, $2.065 billion in tax revenue and supported a record 102,366 local jobs according to MMGY Travel Intelligence, S&P Global Market Intelligence, the National Travel & Tourism Office and the U.S. Department of Commerce.
Elliott L. Ferguson II, president and CEO of Destination DC, said 2023 showed the importance of tourism to the city’s economy.
“We thank our local officials who understand the importance of our industry as we invest in marketing our destination through the lens of our successful ‘Only One DC’ campaign,” said Ferguson. “New hotels, attractions and restaurants provide even more reasons for potential travelers to stay longer and spend more.”
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) is celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Housing
By James Wright WI Staff Writer
Kelvin Brown is known throughout the District as a Ward 7 advisory neighborhood commissioner and a past candidate for the Democratic nomination for his ward’s council seat.
What many don’t know is that Brown is intensely interested in the real estate field and aspires to become a real estate developer. Thus, it was with anticipation that Brown attended a seminar on Aug. 28, “Expanding Opportunities for Developers of Color,” sponsored by The Urban Institute--a think tank based in Southwest, D.C.-- to listen and get a sense of the profession.
“I work in the housing market,” Brown, 42, said. “I have dealt in real estate for 13 years and I am looking for more opportunities.”
Brown was joined by 60 people at the seminar as the Institute released a report “Diversifying
MultiFamily Housing Development” that talks about the racial/ ethnic gap that exists in real estate development.
The report noted an affordable housing crisis exists throughout the U.S., and that boosting the country’s housing production is critical.
The think tank’s research examined the representation of people of color and women in the housing development market in cities across the country, including the District. The research revealed, among for-profit and nonprofit developers of multifamily housing, there are significant inequities in leadership by race/ethnicity and gender.
In addition to the District, the report targeted Chicago, Los Angeles, Seattle, San Antonio, Boston, Nashville, Miami, Phoenix and Dallas from 2019-2023, fo -
cusing on ownership of 10-unit projects.
Based on the data and the requirements, it was reported that 1,385 minority and female developers were active in the 10 cities. Those developers were working on or completed 388,843 housing units worth $87 billion according to property valuation estimates.
Los Angeles, followed by Seattle and the District are the cities with the most development activity in terms of built or permitted units.
The report said in all the cities studied, multifamily housing developers of color are underrepresented compared with their shares of the adult population and conversely, white-led development entities are overrepresented.
Black developers were underrepresented in all cities compared with their share of the
BUSINESS Page 15
and Community Development (HCD) Act of 1974, which created several programs–including the Housing Choice Voucher program, the Project Based Rental Assistance program and Community Block Development Grant program—to provide access to quality, safe, affordable homes for all.
Collectively, these programs ensure families have access to affordable housing. Acting HUD Secretary Adrianne Todman said the programs are in the spirit of the Biden-Harris administration.
“Like President Biden and Vice President Harris, I believe there is nothing Americans can’t do when we do it together,” said Todman. “The groundbreaking programs we are celebrating today have provided affordable housing to countless Americans in urban, suburban, and rural communities. These programs demonstrate that when we act boldly, we meaningfully improve people’s daily lives.”
Todman also said there’s more work to do.
“We also know there is more to be done and that is why this administration has proposed ambitious new housing invest -
ments and we call on Congress to act to help people with current high housing costs,” she said.
On August 22, 1974, the HCD Act was signed into law, to provide the foundations for better housing for all Americans and boost the long-range prospects of a robust domestic housing market. The legislation helped build the nation’s largest housing programs to meet the needs of lower income households.
The legislation also authorized the creation of a nationwide performance-based building code for manufactured housing, which simultaneously improved the safety of new manufactured housing, improved efficiency of mass production and reduced construction costs.
Today, the Manufactured Home Construction and Safety Standards, commonly known as the “HUD Code,” remains the preemptive federal standard for ensuring that manufactured housing – which houses more than 20 million Americans – remains safe, durable, and affordable.
WI @JamesWrightJr10
adult population. However, the report said in cities such as the District, Boston and Chicago, vibrant ecosystems of African American developers meant relatively better representation compared with the other cities.
Women were also underrepresented in all cities as leaders of large multifamily housing development entities.
tifamily housing units and represent only 5% of large multifamily total property valuations.
@JamesWrightJr10 BUSINESS from Page 14
In the District, minority and female developers are underrepresented due to structural barriers such as access to industry networks and capital, stifling their potential to contribute to the housing stock and create wealth for themselves and their communities, according to the report.
The report revealed although 39% of the District’s adult population is African American, Black-led development entities only produce 6% of large mul -
Lori Chatman, who serves as the Capital Division president for Enterprise Community Partners is on a mission.
Chatman advocates for “changing the complexion of real estate.”
She said developers of color are needed because many mainstream developers and development companies are reluctant to build housing in low income and economically depressed areas.
“We have to look beyond who we typically look for developers in developing struggling economic communities,” she said.
Chatman emphasized anyone interested in pursuing a career
in real estate development would need to be proactive.
“If you don’t come from a real estate family, the best thing is to learn the business by working for a business,” she said. “I would also advise people to get a college degree. You must have an education, and it is not best to learn the business in the street.”
After attending the seminar, Brown left filled with a newfound knowledge and goal for the development field.
“We need more Black faces in the room,” Brown told The Informer. “Working at Fannie Mae, I understand what this stuff is about.”
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4Kelvin Brown is a Ward 7 advisory neighborhood commissioner and an aspiring real estate developer. (Courtesy Photo/Kelvin Brown Linkedin)
From home renovations to dream vacations, a Home Equity Line of Credit (HELOC) from United Bank can help make it happen. Discover your home’s untapped potential and take advantage of your home’s equity!
By Stacy M. Brown WI Senior Writer
Devore Taylor doesn’t hold back why she’s fighting for her daughter’s freedom.
The opening words on a fundraiser page started four years ago remains harrowing: “Hello, I am the mother of, Chrystul Kizer, who was a minor at the time of her incarceration and is currently facing charges in Kenosha, WI, because she defended herself from a known sex trafficker,” Taylor wrote.
There’s been a lot of efforts to free Kizer. However, the fundraiser, which has raised more than $67,000 to date, a Facebook page urging authorities to “Free Chrystul,” and a Wisconsin law that seemed to side with Kizer wasn’t enough to stop a judge from sentencing the now 24-year-old to more than a decade in prison for killing the man who allegedly sex trafficked her.
A Kenosha County judge added five years of extended supervision to Kizer’s sentence in the 2018 death of Randall Volar, 34. She was given credit for 570 days, about one and a half years, of time served.
According to the Wisconsin State Public Defender’s office, the court denied Kizer eligibility to engage in any early release programs at the Department of Corrections; she should be freed in 2033.
Kizer, who is Black, pled guilty in May to second-degree reckless murder in Volar’s killing, avoiding a trial and a possible life sentence.
Prosecutors said Kizer shot Volar at his Kenosha home in 2018, when she was 17, and that she then burned his house down and stole his BMW. Kizer was charged with multiple counts, including first-degree intentional homicide, arson, car theft and being a felon in possession of a firearm.
Incidentally, Kenosha is the same city where Kyle Rittenhouse was acquitted after killing two men at a Black Lives Matter Rally.
Kizer told police she encountered Volar on a sex trafficking website. She said that for the year before his death, he had been mistreating her and marketing her as a prostitute. She said she shot him as he tried to touch her.
Her attorneys argued that Kizer could not be held criminally accountable for any of it because of a 2008 state statute that exempts sex trafficking victims from “any offense committed as a direct result” of being trafficked. Over the last decade, most states have approved similar legislation that provides sex trafficking victims with some amount of criminal protection.
Arguing in court pleadings that victims of trafficking feel imprisoned and occasionally feel as though they had to take matters into their own hands, anti-violence organizations swarmed to Kizer’s defense. In 2022 the state Supreme Court decided Kizer could raise the defense during trial.
However, prosecutors argued that it was impossible for Wisconsin lawmakers to have meant for safeguards to include homicide.
“I think about all of the people who harmed Chrystul who are walking free today. There are individual men in southeastern Wis-
consin who paid to sexually abuse Chrystul. They’re walking free. Only Chrystul is being held responsible,” Claudine O’Leary, an independent consultant for survivors of human trafficking with Rethink Resources who worked with Kizer’s defense team, said on the NPR show, “Wisconsin Today.”
NAVIGATED LIFE’S CHALLENGES, TRAUMAS
Many observed that the case mirrors that of Cyntoia Brown, which played out over a 15year span in Tennessee. In 2006, Brown, also Black, was convicted of aggravated robbery and first-degree murder for killing 43-yearold real estate agent Johnny Allen, whom she went home with after he picked her up for sex at a Sonic Drive-In in Nashville. Fearing that Allen was reaching for a gun, she claimed she took a revolver from her handbag and killed him. She then escaped with Allen’s firearms and cash. She drove off
in his pickup vehicle. Brown, who was convicted and sentenced to life in prison for the homicide, was freed from prison in 2019 after serving 15 years.
Author of “No Visible Bruises: What We Don’t Know About Domestic Violence Can Kill Us,”
Rachel Louise Snyder, a New York Times contributing opinion writer, described the justice system’s history of betraying Black women and girls like Kizer.
“In this world, Black girls, especially, are routinely over-sexualized by law enforcement and the judiciary,” she wrote. “The lead investigator in the case against Volar wrote of one of Valor’s victims that she was ‘prostituting herself out.’
He was writing about a 15-yearold.”
Snyder noted that Kizer was trying, “in the best way she knew, to help her family.”
“She posted the ad on backpage. com so she could buy food and school supplies,” Snyder determined. “Kizer didn’t know that under federal law, it is illegal to solicit someone under the age of 18 for prostitution. What she did know were the layers of systemic racism embedded into her life – poverty, homelessness, abuse, hunger.”
After the Wisconsin Supreme Court ruling, Snyder noted that Kizer had a choice.
She said Kizer could go to trial and risk getting a life sentence or take a plea.
“Her life for his, if you didn’t count how he’d already hijacked hers — or take a plea deal and some lesser time to serve. She faced up to 30 years on the plea. But 30 years wasn’t life, at least.” She took the plea, Snyder continued.
Snyder considered how Kizer would have felt going into a trial after all she had been through.
“She could have risked a trial, of course. But consider what the world had taught her by then: a poor Black girl with men’s violence and control all around her, with a law-enforcement system that prioritized her abuser’s freedom at the cost of her trauma, a world that said sometimes you were hungry and sometimes you needed school supplies, but no good comes from wanting,” Snyder concluded. “For six years her case was in and out of court, all the way to the Wisconsin Supreme Court, and what did that get her? An impossible gamble. What were the odds she’d prevail; in this world we’ve made for her?” WI
@StacyBrownMedia
By Stacy M. Brown WI Senior Writer
Newly unearthed research notes and letters from William Bradford Huie, the journalist whose reporting on the 1955 lynching of Emmett Till helped shape the public’s understanding of the crime, reveal that Huie deliberately concealed vital details that could have implicated additional participants in the murder.
The documents, recently released by the descendants of one of the lawyers involved in the case, suggest that Huie prioritized his financial interests and the protection of his sources over the pursuit of truth and justice.
The cache of documents, now housed in the Florida State University Digital Repository, includes a 33-page set of Huie’s
research notes and a series of letters exchanged between Huie and John Whitten, one of the defense attorneys for J.W. Milam and Roy Bryant, the two men acquitted of Till’s murder. The content of these letters and notes reveals a complex and troubling relationship between the journalist and the defense team, raising serious questions about the integrity of Huie’s reporting.
Huie’s notes indicate that he was aware of other individuals involved in the kidnapping and murder of Emmett Till but chose not to report this information.
In a letter dated December 10, 1955, Huie confessed his doubts about the story Milam and Bryant were telling him: “I began doubting myself... and one night I was on the point of coming back to Mississippi and ‘pistol-whipping’
Milam for telling me a fabric of lies.”
Despite these doubts, Huie went ahead with his article in “Look” magazine, presenting Milam and Bryant’s version of events as the complete truth.
The letters between Huie and Whitten also reveal the extent to which Huie was willing to collaborate with the defense attorneys to craft a narrative that would serve their mutual interests.
In a letter dated November 16, 1955, Huie assured Whitten that he was carefully considering the “most effective presentation” of the story, stating: “We have been sort of marking time... and in due time and with great care, I’ll be in touch with you.” This close coordination suggests that Huie’s reporting was
EMMETT TILL Page 18
EMMET TILL from Page 17
influenced not only by his desire to protect his sources but also by a shared goal of controlling how the public would receive the story.
Huie’s financial motivations are laid bare in another letter from Whitten, dated November 22, 1955 in which the attorney thanked Huie for a gift—a fine Cavanaugh hat—and expressed confidence that the criminal case would not proceed further despite any additional publicity.
“My wife was so complimentary of the hat... that I finally had to tell her something about where it came from,” Whitten wrote, before adding, “Nevertheless, I think that we should not throw caution to the winds.”
Beyond these troubling collaborations, Huie’s notes reveal that he was aware of a “third man” involved in the kidnapping of Emmett Till, identified by Elizabeth Wright, Till’s great-aunt, as Milam’s brother-in-law from Minter City, Melvin Campbell. However,
this information was not included in Huie’s published article, which instead presented a version of events that Huie himself doubted.
The letters also highlight Huie’s strategic manipulation of the narrative to ensure the story’s maximum impact.
In a December 20, 1955, letter, Huie boasted to Whitten about his ability to control the story, writing: “I dealt with a magazine with which I could exercise this control.
You see, John, I’m very old in this propaganda business. I know how to fight smart… so smart that my ‘enemies’ don’t realize just what is being done to them at times.”
Huie’s cynical approach extended to his portrayal of Til.
In the same letter, he explained that including a detail about Till having a picture of a White girl in his wallet would “pinpoint the hypocrisy” of white liberals and make them “very uncomfortable.”
These remarks starkly contrast Huie’s public reputation as a journalist sympathetic to the Civil Rights Movement.
Huie’s reporting had an immediate and profound impact when it was published. His article in Look magazine led to a backlash against Milam and Bryant, even among white Mississippians who had previously supported them.
U.S. Rep. Charles Diggs (D-Mich.) read the story into the congressional record, and it was hailed as “spectacular” by Black newspapers. However, Huie’s decision to omit critical details effectively ended efforts by Black journalists and the FBI to pursue additional suspects in the case.
The release of these documents exposes the uncomfortable truth that Huie’s reporting, while instrumental in bringing the horror of Emmett Till’s murder to national attention, was deeply compromised.
The documents suggest that his decisions to prioritize financial gain and protect his sources over full transparency contributed to a narrative that left justice incomplete and the full story untold.
@StacyBrownMedia WI
By Stacy M. Brown WI Senior Writer
The stage is set for a showdown on Sept. 10, when Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris and Republican nominee former President Donald Trump will face off in their first—and possibly only—debate of the 2024 presidential campaign. ABC News will host the debate at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia, and it could be a turning point as both candidates present their cases to the American public.
There are strict rules for the event, outlined by ABC News, including no live audience, no written notes, and muted microphones when candidates aren't speaking.
The guidelines, nearly identical to those from the June debate between Trump and President Joe Biden, have already sparked controversy. Harris’ campaign pushed for live microphones throughout the debate, arguing that it would allow for more meaningful exchanges.
“It’s interesting that Trump’s handlers keep insisting on muting him, despite the candidate himself saying the opposite,” said Ian Sams, a
spokesman for Harris. “Why won’t they just do what the candidate wants?”
Opening remarks and notes will not be allowed at the lecterns during the high-stakes, 90-minute debate that David Muir and Linsey Davis will moderate. Despite the tight format, the question remains: Will Trump show up?
Texas U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D), Harris’ newly named national co-chair, is skeptical.
“But if he does show up, he is about to get his butt handed to him,” Crockett boldly stated on MSNBC. “I’m here for it either way: He can go and cower in a corner, or he can show up and be lit on fire. Either way, I’m good.”
Crockett has quickly become a rising star in the Democratic Party, following her passionate speech at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago. Drawing a sharp contrast between Harris and Trump, she asked: “America, looking at the two choices before you, who would you hire: Donald Trump or Kamala Harris? Kamala Harris has a resume. Donald Trump has a rap sheet.”
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@StacyBrownMedia
By Keith Boykin Word in Black
“Black Vote, Black Power,” a collaboration between Keith Boykin and Word In Black, examines the issues, the candidates, and what’s at stake for Black America in the 2024 presidential election. This article was originally published online with Word In Black, a collaboration of the nation's leading Black news publishers (of which the Informer is a member).
Certain Black people on the internet keep raising two questions about Kamala Harris. What is her Black agenda? And why didn’t she do it during the last four years?
First, if you want to know Kamala Harris’s Black agenda, look at what she’s already done. As vice president, Kamala Harris helped to pass the Emmett Till Anti-Lynching Act, provided a record $16 billion in funding to HBCUs, $2.8 billion for Pell grants and need-based assistance, $2 billion to Black farmers, $2 billion to clean up pollution in communities of color, doubled the number of Black businesses in America, and brought us the lowest Black unemployment rate and the lowest Black poverty rate in history.
The Biden-Harris administration also expanded the child tax credit, which cut the Black child poverty rate in half, capped the cost of insulin at $35 for seniors, which is especially important for Black people who are disproportionately affected by diabetes, signed up 5 million more people for Obamacare, canceled $168.5 billion in student loan debt for 4.8 million people, pardoned thousands of marijuana charges, and on top of all that, even signed a law creating the first new Black-related federal holiday in forty years — Juneteenth.
At the same time, they appoint-
ed more Black judges than any administration in history, and gave us the first Black woman on the Supreme Court and the first Black vice president. And those federal judges have lifetime tenure, so they’ll be on the bench for decades to come.
Trump was president for four years and he didn’t do any of those things. In fact, he was the first president since Richard Nixon 50 years ago to appoint no Black judges to the U.S. Courts of Appeals. And the judges he did appoint are the very ones striking down the laws and policies that help Black people.
Now, the second question. Why hasn’t Kamala Harris done whatever thing you think she should have done in the last four years? The answer: she’s not the president. She’s the vice president, and that person’s job is to help the president. But even if she were president, people need to have realistic expectations about what a president can and cannot do.
The president leads one of our three co-equal branches of government. For those who missed “Schoolhouse Rock,” the three branches are legislative, executive, and judicial. Congress, the legislature, makes the laws. The president, the executive, enforces the laws. And the judiciary, through the Supreme Court and lower courts, interprets the laws.
In the U.K., the executive and legislature are combined in Parliament. The prime minister comes from the legislature and has the power to enact their own agenda. It makes it easier to get things done, but we don’t have that system in the U.S.
Currently, we have a divided Congress, with a Republican House of Representatives and a Democratic Senate. The House is gerrymandered, giving members no incentive to work with a presi-
dent from the other party. And the Senate is constitutionally unrepresentative of the country.
That’s why the 1.6 million people in the mostly white and rural Dakotas get four U.S. senators, while the nearly 40 million people in the racially diverse state of California get only two U.S. senators. That means the people of South Dakota have 50 times more power than the people in California in the Senate. The legislature is rigged against us.
And, unfortunately, so are the courts. Because of the antiquated electoral college system for picking presidents, we have an unrepresentative Supreme Court with six of the nine justices appointed by Republican presidents, despite the fact that Democrats have won the popular vote in seven of the last eight presidential elections.
So, even if Bernie Sanders, Jill Stein, Cornel West — or any imaginary candidate you think might be more radical or more pro-Black than Kamala Harris — was elected president, there’s very little that any president can do in our system of government that won’t be blocked by Republicans in Congress or overruled by the Republican-appointed judges on the federal courts.
That’s why we can’t just vote once every four years in a pres-
idential election and complain when things don’t work out. We have to vote in every election, every year, in primaries, runoffs, and general elections, up and down the ballot, for city council, mayor, judge, school board member, county commissioner, state representative, governor, senator, vice president, and president.
But the choice is clear. If you want a president who has spent his life attacking Black people, from the Central Park Five to Barack Obama to Colin Kaepernick, Trump is your guy. If you want a president who won’t be able to accomplish everything we want but will move us in the right direction and has a record to prove it, Kamala Harris is the one.
And if you want a king or queen to be your leader, move to London.
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Keith Boykin is a New York Times–bestselling author, TV and film producer, and former CNN political commentator. A graduate of Dartmouth College and Harvard Law School, Boykin served in the White House, cofounded the National Black Justice Coalition, cohosted the BET talk show “My Two Cents,” and taught at the Institute for Research in African-American Studies at Columbia University in New York. He’s a Lambda Literary Award-winning author and editor of seven books. He lives in Los Angeles.
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OSWALD T. BROWN,
CONTRIBUTING WRITER
Cameroon President Paul Biya is reportedly set to run for an eighth term in the 2025 presidential election.
This was confirmed by the founder of the Foreign Press Association Africa, Kennedy Wandera, on Thursday, who cited a report from News media, The EastAfrican.
The report read, “Cameroon is due to hold its next presidential election in 2025, longtime President Paul Biya will be 93. He has confirmed that he will contest.”
At 91 years old, Biya is one of the world’s oldest and longest-serving leaders, having held the presidency since 1982.
Before ascending to the highest office, Biya served as the country’s Prime Minister for seven years, from 1975 to 1982, under then-President Ahmadou Ahidjo.
In a controversial move, Biya recently postponed the country’s Parliamentary and Municipal elections until 2026, citing security concerns in the Anglophone regions, where a separatist conflict has been raging since 2016.
The conflict, which began as protests against perceived marginalization by the Francophone-dominated government, has since escalated into a full-blown insurgency, with armed groups calling for the independence of the English-speaking North West and South West regions.
Biya’s time in power has been marked by a combination of political stability and growing discontent, with his administration often criticized for authoritarian practices, including the suppression of opposition parties, restrictions on press freedom, and the use of security forces to maintain control. Despite these challenges, Biya has managed to maintain a tight grip on power, winning a series of elections that critics argue were marred by fraud and irregularities.
A native of Cameroon's south, Biya rose rapidly as a bureaucrat under President Ahmadou Ahidjo in the 1960s, as secretary-general of the presidency from 1968 to 1975 and then as prime minister. He succeeded Ahidjo after the former president’s surprise resignation in 1982, and consolidated power in a 1983–1984 staged attempted coup, in
Jamaica’s Ministry of Labour and Social Security is partnering with the Government of the United Kingdom, through its Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) and the World Food Programme (WFP), to provide critical cash grant assistance to Jamaicans most affected by Hurricane Beryl.
This collaboration was formalized with the recent signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) at the Ministry in downtown Kingston.
The partnership will see the U.K. Government committing £160,000 (US$200,000) towards cash transfer interventions in Jamaica.
This initiative supports the Ministry's ongoing efforts to provide immediate financial aid to approximately 2,000 individuals whose lives were severely impacted by the hurricane.
Speaking during the signing ceremony, Portfolio Minister Pearnel Charles Jr., said, “outside of the infrastructure, comes the basic need for just cash for medicine, to buy food, etc.”
He offered words of encouragement as Jamaica works to rebuild.
“We don't want to just build back; it's about building back better. It's about putting those who are most vulnerable into situations that recognize their value,” he stated.
Cash grants will be distributed to affected households, prioritizing those where homes were destroyed or significantly damaged, with special attention being given to those with children, people with disabilities, and the elderly.
In her remarks, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry Colette Roberts Risden said: “This gathering reflects the longstanding cooperation and efforts among the Government of Jamaica, the Government of the United Kingdom and the World Food Programme.
Risden offered hope for the future.
“As we move forward together, we will continue to provide to those affected by the disaster and enable them to recover and emerge from this challenge stronger,” she added.
Submitted by AmeriHealth Caritas District of Columbia (DC)
September is Suicide Prevention Month, an important time to raise awareness about mental health issues and provide support to those who may be struggling. Suicide is a leading cause of death and affects people of all ages.1 For certain communities, accessing mental health resources can be challenging. However, there are several tips and resources available that can make a significant difference.
Suicide prevention addresses issues that affect individuals, their families, and communities. In 2022, 49,476 people in the United States died by suicide.2 Suicide Prevention Month aims to educate the public about the warning signs of suicide and share resources to support those in need. Effective suicide prevention saves lives, reduces the emotional and economic burden on families, and can help create more understanding communities where people feel valued.
DISPARITIES IN SUICIDE PREVENTION
Suicide and suicidal behavior can be influenced by negative conditions in which people live, play, work, and learn, also known as the social determinants of health. The pressures of economic hardships and lack of access to quality healthcare can worsen mental health issues. Communities experiencing suicide health disparities can have higher rates of suicide or suicide attempts. These groups include people of color, middle-aged adults, and veterans.3
It's important to recognize the warning signs of suicide before it’s too late. These signs can include:4
• Talking about wanting to die or expressing feelings of hopelessness
• Increased use of alcohol or drugs
• Withdrawal from friends, family, and activities
• Extreme mood swings and • Giving away prized possessions
If you or someone you know begin to show these signs, it's crucial to seek help immediately.
Prioritizing mental wellness can be a key factor in preventing suicide and suicidal thoughts. There are several practical steps you can take to support your mental health.
• Stay connected. Building and maintaining strong relationships with friends and family can provide emotional support and reduce feelings of isolation.
• Exercise regularly. Physical activity can help improve mental health. Even a short daily walk can help ease feelings of depression and anxiety.
• Eat a healthy diet. A balanced diet rich in fruits, vegetables, lean proteins, and whole grains can improve your mood and energy levels.
• Don’t be afraid to seek professional help. If you are struggling mentally, do not hesitate to talk to a mental health counselor. Therapy and counseling can provide strategies to cope with difficult emotions and situations.
Prioritizing suicide prevention not only saves lives, but also helps address this major health issue that affects everyone. By increasing awareness and making resources more accessible, we can help make sure that people feel seen, supported, and valued.
As the fall season approaches, it is essential to highlight how important behavioral health is to maintaining overall mental wellness. With shorter days and the beginning of seasonal
changes, you or someone you know may experience heightened stress, anxiety, or depression.
Behavioral Health services are available in Washington, D.C., that offer support and help individuals manage their mental health through counseling, therapy, and community resources.
• Department of Behavioral Health (DBH). The DBH provides mental health services to D.C. residents, including crisis intervention, counseling, and substance use treatment. They offer a 24/7 Access HelpLine at 1-888-793-4357.
• 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. The 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline provides free, 24/7 confidential support for people in crisis. You can get connected with trained counselors across
the United States. You do not have to be suicidal or in crisis to call the lifeline.
• Emotional support telehealth services. AmeriHealth Caritas DC enrollees can receive emotional support for life challenges such as anxiety, depression, or trouble sleeping with the
Headspace Care and MindRight apps at no cost.
Managing your mental health can be a daily challenge, but it is important to take steps toward improving your well-being and navigating the difficulties that seasonal changes may bring.
If you are grieving, remember you are not alone. Losing a child during pregnancy or after birth is a traumatic experience
As an AmeriHealth Caritas District of Columbia (DC) enrollee, you have access to services to support your mental health including:
• Behavioral healthcare providers
• 24/7 emotional support and mental health coaching via text through Headspace Care or MindRight
• Addiction and recovery support
For more information, visit www.amerihealthcaritasdc.com or contact AmeriHealth Caritas DC Enrollee Services at 1-800-408-7511, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. We are here when you need us.
By Lindiwe Vilakazi WI Health Reporter
The District of Columbia Department of Employment Services (DOES), with the D.C. Health Alliance Network, commemorated International Overdose Awareness Day, observed on Aug. 31 every year, with a community event to connect with District youth. The event offered resources, tools, and warnings against the risks of drug abuse and destructive life choices. Held on the Minnesota Avenue corridor in the DOES building, the International Overdose Awareness Day program presented a group of community leaders who shared their insight and mentorship with attendees. They stressed the importance of making viable
decisions as youth navigate life and societal pressures that often lead to substance abuse disorders in the District.
Keynote speakers Chris Thomas from Million Man Vote, and Prince Hamm from Making A Difference (M.A.D) organizations opened the event to educate youth on the fanger opioid addiction and how surrounding influences can heavily impact their decisions.
Likewise, Dr. Michael W. Nettles, a licensed counselor and national certified addiction counselor, discussed the challenges urban youth face within the District. He highlighted the prevalence of risk factors that often influence the negative outcomes for local youth.
“Living in a… city like D.C., with risk factors all over the place,
that's the biggest thing these kids have to deal with,” said Nebbett. “There’s a lot of stuff these urban kids [are exposed to]. Liquor stores within the block, dope dealers behind the house, shootings everywhere. All of those things are factors.”
One of the most profound highlights of the program was the student debate, as District youth members of the Children’s Legacy Theater Inc (CLT) passionately ar-
gued their perspectives on the local opioid crisis, particularly as it pertains to the impact that poverty and the government play in the tumultuous issue.
Jackie Carter, founder and executive director of CLT, shared the students research and learning process prior to the big event.
“One of the things that we've been doing is researching the history of opioids and fentanyl and how it was used historically,” Jack Carter shared with Ambrose Lane on the To The East radio program. “[Also], debating the choices we make and how it gets into the community. So, we've been examining, is it caused by poverty, government or choice?”
During 2023, the opioid epidemic ravished underserved communities throughout the city. The Chief Medical Examiner’s report, detailing the city’s opioid-related fatal overdoses, reported 518 opioid-related deaths in the District, a 12% increase in fatalities from 2022.
While fentanyl has become a deadly agent penetrating the openair drug market across the District, xylazine, a veterinary tranquilizer that has been increasingly found in various illicit drug supplies, was also found in 15 of the 518 opioid-related deaths last year.
Local advocates and community organizations fear that without
proper intervention and access to viable health resources, overdose numbers can continue to soar into higher records as the year progresses.
Carter, having lost two of her neighbors due to opioid overdoses, has witnessed the harmful effects when losing community members due to the harrowing crisis.
“It's absolutely, positively devastating…. We try as best we can to get the appropriate support for them from within the community,” said Carter. “That's one wonderful thing I want to say about Ward 8. There are a lot of branches that offer our young people support. We are a family, and so the young people have that support and outlet that helps them cope with what they're going through.”
Ambrose Lane Jr., chair and founder of D.C.’s Health Alliance Network, has been a long-standing advocate against the opioid crisis across the District, touting for resources and support to combat the fatal crisis largely affecting underserved communities across the city. He told The Informer he was encouraged by the youth engagement at the event.
“It was a really great program. We had more enthusiasm from the youth this year than during the event the year before,” said Lane.
WI
By Stacy M. Brown WI Senior Writer
Dr. Tshaka Cunningham, a pioneering molecular biologist, has made an extraordinary journey from the Shaw neighborhood of Washington, D.C. to the cutting edge of precision medicine and genomics.
Returning to his roots for an interview on the PBS show “The Chavis Chronicles,” Cunningham shared insights into his career, the importance of diversity in science, and his commitment to advancing genomics for the betterment of all communities.
Raised in D.C.’s historic Shaw area, Dr. Cunningham’s early exposure to science came from a deeply personal source—his grandmother, a cancer researcher who played a pivotal role in sparking his lifelong passion for molecular biology.
“I was exposed to science at an early age from my grandmother, a cancer researcher,” Cunningham said before his 30-minute discussion with National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA) President and CEO Dr. Benja-
min F. Chavis Jr., the host of “The Chavis Chronicles.” “She sparked in me that intellectual curiosity of what caused a cancer cell to be a cancer cell. It’s fascinating to me.”
This fascination led Cunningham to pursue a career in molecular biology, a field that explores the fundamental building blocks of life.
“The reason I became a molecular biologist is because the sum total of the organism that we are is a collection of molecules that know how to beautifully orchestrate the symphony that is life,” he explained.
A relentless curiosity and a desire to comprehend life at its most fundamental level led him from Princeton University, where he received his bachelor's degree, to Rockefeller University for his PhD, and postdoctoral training at the Pasteur Institute in Paris and the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda.
But Cunningham’s journey was not just about academic achievements; it was also about overcoming the social challenges of being a “cool nerd” in a community where academic excellence wasn’t always
celebrated.
“I liked playing sports and chasing girls,” Cunningham admits with a smile. “But I remember growing up here in D.C., it wasn’t cool to be smart back in the day, so I used to have to lie about my grades. But we have to make it cool to be a nerd and get good grades.”
Significant contributions to science and society have been a hallmark of his career.
At the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), Cunningham played a critical role in overseeing national research programs in aging and neurodegenerative diseases. He also spearheaded initiatives to ensure minority veterans were well-represented in the VA’s Million Veteran Program, emphasizing the importance of diversity in
genomic research.
Motivated by a commitment to making precision medicine more inclusive, Cunningham co-founded the Faith-Based Genetic Research Institute, a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving lives through genomics.
His belief in the potential of science to benefit all communities is unwavering.
“More of our people should be involved in science,” he said. “It takes a level of curiosity, tenacity, and resourcefulness to be a scientist. They call it research for a
By James Wright WI Staff Writer
Adventist HealthCare and Howard University announced on Aug. 26 that Dr. Roger A. Mitchell, Jr., M.D., will serve as the next president of the Howard University Hospital, as part of the management service agreement between the two organizations as they continue discussions for longterm partnerships.
“Dr. Mitchell’s extensive medical and public health experience, as well as his understanding of the needs of the D.C. community, will inform his leadership so that Howard University Hospital continues to advance initiatives to support the best health outcomes,” said Howard University President Ben Vinson III. “His deep connections to Howard University as an alumnus, professor and executive leader will inform how our students can
best participate in ground-breaking clinical and research work with significant influence and impact.”
Mitchell, 50, will begin his leadership of the hospital after its President Anita Jenkins steps away from that position on Sept. 13. As a result of his selection, Mitchell will resign from his current position as the Chief Medical Officer (CMO) for the Howard University Faculty Practice Plan.
He will also take a leave of absence from his tenured position as professor of pathology at the Howard University College of Medicine.
John Sackett, president and CEO of Adventist HealthCare, said Mitchell will fit in well as the hospital’s leader.
“Dr. Mitchell will provide the guidance needed to provide high-quality care for the D.C. community, attract the best physicians in the nation to support
comprehensive healing and ensure a superior learning environment for medical students and residents,” Sackett said.
Mitchell’s appointment comes as Adventist and Howard University are undergoing a reassessment period on buying the hospital as a part of a management services agreement. The agreement between the two was done in 2019.
Mitchell holds a Bachelor of Science in Biology from Howard University and a Doctor of Medicine from UMDNJ New Jersey Medical School. He completed a fellowship at New York University/NY OCME and a residency at George Washington University in Northwest.
Before becoming CMO, Mitchell previously served as the chair of
Engage with thought leaders, advocate for policies, and amplify Black voices at this
Mitchell also serves as the university’s director for the Center for Excellence for Trauma and Violence Prevention, leading outreach efforts to decrease gun violence in the District. Plus, he serves as the chair of the Performance Improvement Committee for the hospital.
In addition, Mitchell led a university advisory group on dealing with the coronavirus pandemic.
He is a leader of the Howard University Center for Excellence program, the ENGAGE Saturday Academy, which is designed to help young District residents deal with trauma.
Mitchell is also the president-elect of the National Medical Association, the oldest and largest organization for Black physicians in the country.
Prior to his service at Howard University, Mitchell worked in
the District government for seven years, including as the chief medical examiner, interim director of the Department of Forensic Sciences and interim deputy mayor for Public Safety & Justice.
D.C. Council member Vincent C. Gray praised Mitchell’s selection on X on Aug. 27.
“I proudly appointed [Mitchell] to be our chief medical examiner,” said Gray, 81, who served as the District mayor from 2011-2015. “Subsequently, he served District residents through two different mayoral administrations.”
D.C Mayor Muriel Bowser also spoke highly of Mitchell and thanked him for his years of service.
“Congratulations to Dr. Roger Mitchell, Jr., on being appointed the next Howard University President!” Bowser, 52, wrote on X on Aug. 26. “From [the D.C. government] to D.C. universities, thank you for your longstanding commitment and service to the District.” WI @JamesWrightJr10
DIRECTOR CHARON P.W. HINES
Dear Seniors,
Happy Healthy Aging Month! September is the perfect time to embrace new tasks and goals as the busy summer comes to an end. This month is designed to encourage everyone to rejuvenate and take positive steps toward physical, social, financial, and mental wellness—drawing on that familiar "back to school" energy we’ve all felt since childhood.
At DACL, my team and I are committed to making sure aging well is a top priority for DC seniors. Here are some tips to help kickstart Healthy Aging Month:
• Stay Active: Engage in regular physical activities like walking, yoga, or swimming to maintain strength, flexibility,
and balance. I also encourage you to visit any of our senior wellness centers, open Monday through Friday, where you can join in on a variety of physical activities. Here is a list of our Senior Wellness Centers:
WARD 1
Bernice Fonteneau Senior Wellness Center 3531 Georgia Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20011
WARDS 2 AND 3
Around Town Satellite Wellness Program 4125 Albemarle Street, NW Washington, DC 20016
WARD 4
Hattie Holmes Senior Wellness Center 324 Kennedy Street, NW \Washington, DC 20011
WARD 5
Model Cities Senior Wellness Center 1901 Evarts Street, NE Washington, DC 20018
WARD 6
Hayes Senior Wellness Center 500 K Street, NE Washington, DC 20002
WARD 7
Washington Seniors Wellness Center 3001 Alabama Avenue, SE Washington, DC 20020
WARD 8
Congress Heights Senior
Wellness Center
3500 Martin Luther King, Jr. Avenue, SE Washington, DC 20032
• Eat a Balanced Diet: Focus on nutrition by including plenty of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and lean proteins in your meals.
• Stay Connected: Check on your neighbors and maintain social connections with family, friends, and community groups to foster a sense of belonging and emotional well-being.
• Get Regular Check-Ups: Visit your healthcare provider regularly to monitor your health and catch any issues early.
• Manage Stress: Practice relaxation techniques like meditation, deep breathing, or engaging in hobbies you enjoy to reduce stress.
• Plan for the Future: Manage your finances and ensure your long-term needs are met.
• Keep Your Mind Sharp: Challenge your brain with puzzles, reading, or learning new skills to stay mentally engaged. In addition to adopting healthy
habits, this month is also a time to celebrate the many triumphs of aging. On September 18th, we will honor the District’s oldest residents—those aged 100 and over—at Mayor Bowser’s 38th Annual Centenarian Salute. This momentous occasion gives us the opportunity to celebrate the life accomplishments of DC Centenarians. Even if you’re not a centenarian (yet!), I invite you to join the celebration by checking in on a centenarian in your community. You never know what lessons—or even secrets to reaching 100—you might learn.
Continuing our recognition of Healthy Aging Month, seniors across the District will compete in the 7th Annual Brain Games. This citywide trivia-style game will feature teams from all eight wards competing for the title. We invite you to join in the fun! The Annual Brain Games will take place at Martin Luther King, Jr., Library on Wednesday, September 25, 2024, at 10:00 AM.
As we move forward in celebrating Healthy Aging Month I want
46 Department of Parks and Recreation hosted a “Senior DRIP” – It featured music, dancing and water fun and was exclusively for DACL residents 55 years of age or older.
you to remember that aging is a journey and it is never too late to start making positive changes. Whether it's staying active, eating well, or staying connected with your community, every step you take brings you closer to a healthier, happier life. Thank you for being a part of our vibrant community and for your continued commitment to Living Boldly. We are here to support you every step of the way. If you have any questions or need assistance, please don't hesitate to reach out to DACL at (202) 724-5626, www.dacl. dc.gov, or download the DACL app. Let's make this Healthy Aging Month one to remember!
Charon P.W. Hines Director, Department of Aging and Community Living
By Eden Harris WI Contributing Writer
The Chesapeake Climate Action Network (CCAN) condemned Washington Gas in a statement on Tuesday, Aug. 27 for failing to fix cancer-causing gas leaks that have affected people and their animals. They also assert that the gas company is mismanaging its funds to meet the District of Columbia's climate goals.
"Residents shouldn't have to worry about safety in their homes or be on the hook for higher utility bills simply because Washington Gas is spending recklessly on its over-budget and ineffective pipeline replacement program," Anne Havemann, the deputy director and general counsel of the Chesapeake Climate Action Network and the CCAN Action Fund said.
District resident Fox, who only wants to be identified by her last name, said she experienced up to 10 gas leaks in 2022 that made her
and her dog Vinnie sick.
"My dog started getting really sick, and then that's when I started going to the doctors because I was having all these lower back pains, abdominal pains,” Fox said. “I was nauseous, my dog wasn't eating, but nobody could figure out what was going on.”
Later, Fox added she found out it was a gas leak and called Washington Gas for assistance, only to learn homeowners are responsible for repairing pipes, not the company. She added that she received limited help from Washington Gas, which solely consisted of a line test to detect leaks.
According to Fox, the line test conducted by a contractor on behalf of Washington Gas did not indicate the presence of harmful chemicals. However, the plumber she hired to perform the test uncovered a deadly substance.
Fox recalled her plumber’s chilling words: “‘You should be dead. This is carbon monoxide. This is
impact asthma and other respiratory ailments in housing. The Chesapeake Climate Action Network condemned Washington Gas in a statement on Aug. 27, for failing to fix cancer-causing gas leaks that have affected people and their animals.
Black soot. And the fact that the gas company didn't just see this and notice it was a real lack of training on their part.'"
Chesapeake Climate Action Network is on a mission to continue to advocate for individuals like Fox, who said she nearly died due to what she describes as "negligence" by the Washington Gas company.
The network also raised concerns that gas stoves emit harmful chemicals like benzene. This chemical, the organization highlighted, is linked to leukemia and poses a threat to "the health of vulnerable residents like children and seniors at risk."
According to a study by Stanford University, lighting gas stoves
in households introduces a chemical known to be linked to a higher incidence of leukemia and other blood cell cancers. Additionally, the report indicated that gas and propane burners and ovens emitted benzene levels that were 10 to 50 times higher than those of electric stoves.
In response to the allegations of environmental harm caused by gas in homes and exorbitant billing, among other issues CCAN raised against Washington Gas, director of strategic communications Andre Francis did not dispute the claims. However, he emphasized the company's commitment to environmental sustainability and cleaner fuels.
"Washington Gas supports the District of Columbia's goal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and believes residents will be best served by a fuel-neutral approach to future decarbonization efforts that leverages our infrastructure to deliver lower to no carbon fuels of the future," he said.
The District of Columbia's Department of Energy and Environment (DDOE), set climate goals to reduce emissions by 60% by 2030 and reach net-zero emissions by 2045. In compliance, Washington Gas filed its climate business plan program application on Aug. 5.
Still, CCAN argues that residents should not be burdened
with safety concerns and that the company is putting off the costs to customers to meet its goals, particularly with Washingtonians facing other challenges.
They added: "Many D.C. residents are already struggling to afford basic needs like housing and groceries."
According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), even at low levels, nitrogen dioxide, a cancer-causing chemical, can affect individuals with asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The agency also confirms that nitrogen dioxide can come from gas stoves.
As for Fox's desired outcome from her story, she hopes that the gas company will demonstrate consistency in its responsiveness, ability to diagnose leaks and establish a cohesive system where contractors and full-time employees are aligned in understanding their responsibilities.
The Washington Gas company is actively developing plans to support District residents through environmentally conscious efforts, according to its statement.
But despite the utility company's pledge to work toward D.C.'s climate goals, Chesapeake Climate Action Network still asserts: "There's no way around it: Washington Gas is a bad neighbor."
WI
By Richard Elliott WI Contributing Reporter
Maryland and the DMV as a whole have been hit with record precipitation in recent years, leaving much of Maryland potentially susceptible to flooding. Following Tropical Storm Debby, streets in South Baltimore and along the pier in Annapolis were flooded.
Maryland Democratic Senators Ben Cardin and Chris Van Hollen have proactively worked to improve Maryland’s flood resiliency and water infrastructure. This has included a $500,000 allocation for flood forecasting technology for the Prince George’s County government, over $100 million for the restoration of the Chesapeake Bay, and billions of dollars invested into renewable energy research and implementation.
“From our shipping channels to stormwater drainage – water infrastructure comes in many forms – but across Maryland our communities rely on it to prevent flooding, maintain commerce, and more,” said Sen. Van Hollen following the Aug. 9 announcement of funding for Maryland priorities. “These federal funds
will support a wide array of Maryland water infrastructure priorities that are vital to our economy and our environment.”
The Senate team, in partnership with U.S. Glenn Ivey (DMd.) and Prince George’s County Executive Angela Alsobrooks (D), previously secured nearly $1.5 million for flood control in the Port Towns region and over $25 million to transition Prince George’s County buses to zero-emissions by 2040.
“Updating our water infrastructure is critical as we adapt to a changing climate, work to make our water cleaner and build more resilient communities. This bill makes federal investments to help address the worst effects of climate change and ensure access to healthy, safe water including in flood mitigation, dredging for safer waterways, wastewater treatment, renewable energy and so much more,” said Cardin. “This federal funding represents Team Maryland’s ongoing commitment to investing in community-led programs that bring greater resources to every corner of the state and improve the quality of life for all Marylanders.”
WI
“This time, it’s different.” TREATMENT WORKS. RECOVERY IS POSSIBLE.
Free substance use disorder treatment available 7 days a week
Three medications to help
Better coordinated treatment services
Peer counselors who have been there
Transportation, recovery housing, and more
Instead
During a Field Trip Why She Was Tired, A Judge Handcuffs and Detains Her
By Aiziah Siid Word in Black
This article was originally published online with Word In Black, a collaboration of the nation's leading Black news publishers (of which the Informer is a member).
What was supposed to be a routine field trip to the courthouse turned into a nightmare for 15-yearold Eva Goodman, a Detroit teenager, who found herself handcuffed, forced into jail clothes, and detained for hours — all under the orders of Michigan’s 36th District Court Judge Kenneth King.
The dehumanization and mistreatment of the teen during the Aug. 13 incident sent shockwaves through Detroit, and people across social media asked why the child was treated so poorly, and speculated on if Eva had not been a young Black girl, would she have been treated the same
The questions highlight the broader issue of the adultification of Black children — how they are often perceived as older and less innocent than their white peers, leading to harsher treatment.
Given that the teen is homeless, the incident also put the plight of Black students who are housing insecure in the spotlight.
Research shows that due to racial bias, people simply don’t assume the best of Black children, and are apt to criminalize them. Whether they’re in school or on a field trip, because of
this bias, Black children are expected to behave like adults, and they’re deprived of the care, concern, grace, and empathy given to their white peers. They are adultified.
“When people see Black children, if they don’t see them as people, they definitely don’t see them as children,” Amir Gilmore, assistant professor of cultural studies and social thought in education at Washington State University, explained to Word In Black last year.
Indeed, people may fall asleep in court due to medication, a medical condition, the temperature in the courtroom, or not understanding the court proceedings. But instead of assuming Eva was tired for a good reason, King assumed she had fallen asleep to disrespect him.
“It wasn’t so much, in fact, that she had fallen asleep because I have attorneys that fall asleep sometimes, so that’s not too big of a deal. It was her whole attitude and her whole disposition that disturbed me,” King told 7 News Detroit in an Aug. 14 interview. “I wanted to get through to her, show how serious this is and how you are to conduct yourself inside of a courtroom.”
Eva and her mother say the judge took an unnecessarily harsh approach to the teen. As a result, Eva — along with her mother Latoreya Hill — is suing Judge King, alleging that he violated her Fourth Amendment rights. The lawsuit states that King’s actions were his own version of “Scared Straight,” a misguided attempt to “teach a lesson” that left Eva traumatized and humiliated. In the wake of the lawsuit, Judge King has been temporarily removed from the docket and is expected to undergo
(pictured), never asked why the girl was so tired, however, her mother later revealed the family is homeless. (Courtesy Photo)
additional training.
“It’s been pretty devastating. Eva doesn’t want to come outside … It’s hard for her to sleep at night. She’s asking me, ‘Why did the judge do me like this out of all the kids?’ Like she’s really not understanding [them] or the whole thing of the system or what happened or was going on,” Hill said at a news conference after the incident.
The judge was so busy disciplining Eva he failed to learn she and her family are unhoused. Till told NBC News that they have no permanent
What was supposed to be a routine field trip to the courthouse turned into a nightmare for 15-year-old Eva Goodman, a Detroit teenager, who found herself handcuffed, forced into jail clothes, and detained for hours — all under the orders of Michigan’s 36th District Court Judge Kenneth King.
housing at the moment, and actually arrived late where they were staying the night before the field trip.
A recent analysis of students in Detroit found that “Black students were at a greater risk of homelessness than their peers of other races at 86% of students who were homeless compared to 83% of students overall.” At a national level, an analysis of federal data found that “Black high school students are 2.25 times more likely to experience homelessness.”
Given their lack of housing, Eva’s mom expressed her outrage over what King said to her daughter to Detroit’s WXYZ-TV.
“The fact that he was talking about ‘You go home and get in your bed,’ how do you know my baby got
a home? How do you know my baby got a bed, her own bed she could sleep in? She [doesn't] have that right now, so she was tired,” Till said. King defended his decision to have the teen treated like a criminal, stating he did not like the child’s attitude. He told WXYZ-TV he hadn’t been disrespected like that in a long time.
The negative effect on Eva, however, could last for the rest of the teen’s life.
“I wish I could have brought my daughter here for today, but she doesn’t want to be in front of the camera,” her mom said. “She doesn’t want to talk. She’s embarrassed, humiliated, and I can’t blame her.” WI
By Richard Elliott WI Contributing Reporter
Maryland political leaders, justice advocates, educators and more flocked to Bowie State University on Aug. 27 for the Martin Luther King Jr. Center, a new 192,000 square-foot building that will serve as the home base for the school’s communications and humanities students, as well as for the historically Black college’s military science program. The celebration did not only serve as an introduction to the building, but a moment to honor an important part of Bowie State’s history and legacy.
The new center also has a two-story tall likeness of the late 1st Lt. Richard Collins, a Bowie State University student who was murdered in a hate crime at the University of Maryland, College Park in May 2017.
“We are thrilled that the university continues to remember our son. What happened to him seven years ago is something no parent should ever have to endure,”
said Dawn Collins, the mother of the fallen lieutenant. “My son was ready to give his life for this country, and to have his life taken away from him because someone viewed him as ‘other’ is despicable. It’s momentous that the university would do this, and it’s so befitting that it’s in the MLK center.”
The center will house the Communications, History and Government, Language, Literature and Cultural Studies, and Military Sciences departments.
The facility includes 18 general classrooms, a 1,500-seat auditorium, two lecture halls, two TV studios and radio station studios, an ROTC plaza, do-it-yourself recording studios, and a screening room.
Bowie State University President Aminta Breaux, University System of Maryland Chancellor Jay A. Perman, Maryland Lieutenant Governor Aruna Miller (D), Comptroller Brooke Lierman (D), Democratic District 23 Delegates Marvin Holmes and Kym Taylor, and Bowie Mayor Tim Adams were all on hand for the ribbon cutting.
“Every student receiving a BSU education will pass through this building at some point in their curriculum,” said Breaux in a statement. “The cutting-edge tools and resources found here will elevate instruction of the liberal arts
and enable students to find their own voice and develop
skills to navigate real-world challenges in their future careers.” WI
A proposed aspect of Maryland’s
new literacy plan that holds third graders back who aren’t testing in accordance with state standards for proficient reading is under review after some criticism.
Nick Greer, a State Board of Education Baltimore parent representative, and School Board Member Joan Mele-McCarthy held criticism of the potential implementation of this policy, in regards to parents agreeing to additional support for the students outside of schools including summer school programs or before or after-school tutoring.
Greer said he wanted the term ‘waiver’ to be changed to ‘informed consent’ in the policy, likening it to a recommendation from a medical professional, while Mele-McCarthy said that instructional support during the school day would be more accessible for students and recommended athletic and team activities as alternatives to.
Board of Education Vice President Monica Goldson, who formerly led the Prince George’s County Public Schools (PGCPS) system, said she believes the proposed changes would lead to longterm results and improvements.
The board’s leadership has emphasized that improving literacy is a core issue for their membership.
"This focus on literacy is a topline priority for us as we look to truly transform educational expe-
riences for all children in Maryland," said State Board of Education President Joshua Michael. "This is urgent work. We're going to be deliberate in how we proceed."
The Board of Education received feedback from nearly 1,000 commenters in response to their proposed literacy plan, which they aim to finalize and bring forward in September and be implemented the following school year. The retention policy would not be implemented until the 2026-2027 school year.
“We’ve gotten [a lot of feedback], not just through the website, but we’ve received personal emails, written letters,” explained Deann Collins, deputy state superintendent in the department’s Office of Teaching and Learning. “The time that folks have taken to say thank you is remarkable. We just wanted to make sure people know that we are listening. We will continue to listen.”
New State Superintendent Carey Wright has included this policy as a measure to improve student achievement and literacy. In her time reforming education in Mississippi, the state made massive improvements in literacy.
Last school year, 48.1% of Maryland students achieved proficiency scores in English language arts, an increase over the year pri-
UPDATES from Page 30
or, but with Prince George’s students at 36.1% proficiency.
Wright called the slight improvements “disappointing.”
“Those gains don’t happen overnight. They take time. It takes time to train teachers to get it moving with fidelity in schools,” said Rachel McCusker, a Board of Education member and a public school teacher in Carroll County. “It just makes a mindset to understand that changes in education don’t just happen.”
The Washington Informer has previously covered the proposed plans of State Superintendent Wright and the State Board of Education; read more here.
WI
The football field at Lanham’s Duval High School has been shut down for repairs after glass, rocks, and other hazards were found in the newly renovated topsoil.
Longtime DuVal Softball Coach Laurie Hunt took to social media and former softball coach Ken Hunt was featured on NBC4 to raise awareness about the debris.
Maryland State Senator Alonzo Washington (D- District 22) listened and reacted to concerns from staff and students.
“There was glass throughout the field, and the soil that they provided here, there was large rocks.
There was feces of birds and dogs that were in this field,” said Washington.
The state senator said funding has been secured to fix the field.
Sam Stefanelli, the director of Building Services for PGCPS, said that the second load of soil that was laid by a contracting company didn’t have staff supervision and had “quite a bit of material” that contaminated the field, including gravel and glass.
A message left with the school’s athletic director has not been returned at the time of the print deadline.
WI
Maryland’s Blueprint for Education, a nearly $4 billion investment including pledges to expand pre-K, adjust school curriculums, and improve the state’s teacher workforce, is potentially facing cutbacks due to budgetary concerns.
Gov. Wes Moore (D) announced these concerns at the Maryland Association of Counties meeting in Ocean City, but provided few details about what could be cut or altered.
Former Republican Gov. Larry Hogan vetoed this plan, but the veto was overridden by the legislature in 2021.
“I believe in the tenants of the Blueprint, I believe that we need to make sure we have a world class education system. I believe we need to have an education system that does start earlier,” said Moore during an interview on FOX45 News. “I believe we need to have an education system that focuses on career technical education and creating more pathways into the workforce for our students.”
During a televised segment with Maryland Public Television, Moore defended the Blueprint and its goals of addressing educational disparities and additional academic support for students.
Earlier this year, Moore announced $150 million in cuts from the budget to cover higher-than-expected childcare and healthcare costs.
Both Moore and Maryland State Sen. President Bill Ferguson (D-District 46) were opposed to tax increases last year, but that may change this year as the state budget is facing increasing shortfalls each upcoming year for the foreseeable future.
House Appropriations Chair Vanessa Atterbeary (D- District 13) and Speaker Adrienne Jones (D- District 10) have both been more supportive of tax increases to fund state priorities. WI
On Wednesday, August 28, 1963, the National Park Service estimated that 250,000 Americans gathered on the National Mall to hear the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. deliver his “I Have a Dream” speech.
On that hot summer day, 61 years ago last week, Black and White Americans, young and old alike, from all walks of life, heeded the calls of King and other civil rights leaders and traveled to the nation’s capital to protest an end to segregation, employment discrimination, and other discriminatory practices in civil rights. In addition, the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom sought to establish voting rights, fair wages, and economic justice.
More than just a gathering, the 1963 march was a catalyst for change. It sowed the seeds for the passage of the landmark Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965, which reshaped the landscape of civil rights in America.
For those alive who were in attendance or younger Americans who had not yet been born but learned about the march in their history books, what stood out from that Wednesday afternoon was the soaring oratory of Dr. King, who shared his “dream.”
In his famous, “I Have a Dream” speech, King pictured a just America without racism: “where my four little children will one day live in a country where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their conscience.”
Despite the racial equity goals apparent throughout the march, women were not as prominent in the forefront of the historic day. However, what is much less known is women's role in planning and executing the March on Washington. And the behind-the-scenes – and front - -sexism and male chauvinism that surrounded the planning and execution of the gathering.
For example, Dr. Dorothy Height, who served as president of the National Council of Negro Women (NCNW), was not permitted to speak, despite being a key event organizer.
Height, who died in April 2010, was only allowed to sit on the stage with other women leaders. This was despite her contributions to the march, which included organizing thousands of women volunteers, arranging transportation, and sharing her expertise on topics like suffrage and segregation.
One woman who participated in the march without speaking was the renowned Gospel singer
Mahalia Jackson, who sang the National Anthem. After Dr. King’s address, singer Marian Anderson sang, “He’s Got the Whole World in His Hands.”
Composer, poet, and singer Eva Jesse was a steady accompaniment throughout the day. Odetta, dubbed by Dr. King “The Queen of American Folk Music,” sang, as did Joan Baez, who, at age 22, offered a stirring rendition of “We Shall Overcome.”
Actress Lena Horne stepped to the podium and shouted one word: “Freedom!” Ruby Dee also had a brief speaking role.
As march organizers worked backstage to tone down the fiery speech that the young Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) leader, John Lewis, wanted to deliver, singer and civil rights activist Josephine Baker was invited to the podium to deliver brief remarks.
The recently widowed Myrlie Evers, whose husband, Mississippi Field Secretary of the NAACP Medgar Evers, had recently been assassinated on June 11, missed her opportunity to address the crowd because she was delayed due to traffic from the airport.
Instead, Daisy Bates, NAACP Chapter President in Little Rock, Arkansas, spoke to the as -
Sports fans and diehard Americans have yet to relinquish the euphoria experienced during the recent 2024 Olympic Games, held in one of the world’s most beautiful and historic cities, Paris, France.
Here in the DMV, many people continue to celebrate local gold medalists’ victories including Kevin Durant, Katie Ledecky, Torri Huske, Noah Lyles and–both from Bullis High School in Potomac, Maryland–Masai Russell and the 16-year-old track and field sensation, Quincy Wilson.
However, if you’d like more opportunities to root for local athletes, have no fear. The Paralympic Games have begun, again in Paris, bringing together more than 4,000 athletes on the grounds of the Champs-Élysées through Sunday, Sept. 8.
And while they will compete in many of the same sports, 22 to be exact, that we witnessed just a few weeks ago, this crop of athletes will be men and women who have overcome a host of disabilities while refusing to ever think of themselves as “disabled.”
Imagine participating in track and field events as an amputee, swimming the breaststroke and being visually impaired, playing basketball in a wheelchair because of spinal injuries, displaying one’s prowess as an equestrian despite being intellectually disabled, or challenging your opponent in archery while living with cerebral palsy. These are just a few of the sports in which athletes who are differently abled will compete, giving their very best and representing their countries, while inspiring the world to think differently about people with disabilities.
sembled crowd, saying:
“Mr. Randolph, friends, the women of the country, our pledge to you, to Martin Luther King, Roy Wilkins, and all of you fighting for civil liberties – that we will join hands with you as women of this country…. All the women pledge that we will join hands with you. We will kneel in and sit in until we can eat in every corner of the United States. We will walk until we are free, until we can walk to any school and take our children to any school in the United States. And we will sit in, and we will kneel in, and we will lie in until every Ne-
gro in America can vote. This we pledge to the women of America.”
Today, as we pause to remember the anniversary of the March on Washington, let us be mindful that Vice President Kamala Harris is standing on the shoulders of sheroes like Height, Bates, Evers, Shirley Chisholm, Fannie Lou Hamer, and countless others in her bid to become the next United States president.
Or, as Hamer was fond of saying, “If I fall, I’ll fall 5-feet-4 inches forward in the fight for freedom. I’m not backing off.” WI
Some of the athletes we’ll see were born with physical or intellectual impairments. Others, either because of illnesses or accidents, now face life with a variety of disabilities. But like anyone else, they all have dreams, they all face and seek to overcome obstacles, and they all experience human emotions.
Today, you may not recognize names like Howard University alum Sydney Satchell, an NCAA Division 1 lacrosse player who graduated in 2014 and was left as an amputee after a car accident. But as a member of the Women’s National Sitting Volleyball Team, she’ll be in Paris, where she hopes to help her teammates become three-time gold medalists.
And there are other athletes from the DMV to look out for: Noah Hanssen (fencing), Trevon Jenifer
It was great to read about the Rev. Jesse Jackson in last week’s Informer and his reflections on his contribution to American politics. He’s lived quite a life, and I look forward to seeing his life story on screen one day.
Morris Walker Washington, D.C.
FedEx Field had quite a run! As silly as it is, I’m sad to see the name go. It’s been a strong part of the Commander’s identity for over two decades. Interested to see what the new name will be!
Harold Yancey Upper Marlboro, Md.
(basketball), Nick Mayhugh (track and field), Lawrence Sapp (swimming) and Calahan Young (goalball). Each of them have overcome formidable odds to get to Paris – so they’re already winners.
Anyone can have a disability and a disability can occur at any point in a person’s life. In fact, using 2016 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System data, CDC scientists, looking to improve health care access for adults, found that 1-in-4 adults in the U.S. (61 million people) have at least one of the following disabilities: hearing, vision, cognition, mobility, self-care or independent living.
During his conversation with NPR’s Michel Martin at the 2024 National Book Festival, held in the District on Saturday, Aug. 24, the
award-winning novelist James Mc Bride talked about his newest book, “The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store.” Set in a small town in Pennsylvania, the story centers around a young boy, living with cerebral palsy, who officials want to send to an institution. But members of his mostly Black and Jewish community band together on his behalf.
As McBride, who once worked with children with cerebral palsy, said, “don’t assume that just because someone is disabled means that they are any less capable than those without impairments. They’re just ‘enabled’ in different ways.”
As ministers in the Black Church often say upon hearing something profound, “that’ll preach.”
So, let the games begin! WI
Governor Abbott's recent announcement about the removal of almost 1 million voters since 2021 is reminiscent of our nation's darkest times. This is Jim Crow 2.0, plain and simple — a modern-day attempt to suppress the voices of Texans who are already marginalized. As a state representative and a proud member
of Alpha Phi Alpha, the same fraternity as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., I am outraged that we are still fighting the same battles Dr. King and many others fought decades ago. They marched, protested, and sacrificed so that every American could vote. Yet here we are, in 2024, still struggling to protect this fundamental right.
Governor Abbott's actions go beyond what he claims is "safeguarding" our elections. Let's be clear: federal and state laws require regular maintenance of voter rolls
to ensure accuracy. He is using the pretense of safeguarding against illegal voting as a rationale for a widespread purge that will unfairly impact communities of color, seniors, and low-income Texans. These are the same people who have historically faced barriers to voting, and now they are being targeted once again. This is voter suppression at its finest, and it is a direct attack on democracy.
The impact of these purges is far-reaching. When nearly a million people are removed from the
voter rolls, the result is not just a more streamlined list — it's a list that is disproportionately whiter, wealthier, and more likely to support the current administration. This is not a coincidence but a deliberate move to disenfranchise those less likely to vote for Governor Abbott and his allies. By framing this as a crackdown on illegal voting, the governor attempts to undermine trust in our elections. The truth is, this isn't about illegal voting. It's about power — maintaining it, consolidating it,
liberty, will live more splendid in expectation, and will be prouder to be American because of the act that you have passed that I will sign today."
"As long as some among us are oppressed — and we are part of that oppression — it must blunt our faith and sap the strength of our high purpose. Thus, this is a victory for the freedom of the American Negro. But it is also a victory for the freedom of the American Nation. And every family across this great, entire, searching land will live stronger in
— President Lyndon B. Johnson, on signing the Voting Rights Act of 1965
Last week in Chicago, the National Urban League joined with the Brennan Center and Democracy SENTRY for a conversation on voting rights.
"One of the first things I want to do, should we have the pres-
During the crack epidemic of the '80s and '90s, children exposed to crack cocaine before birth were often referred to as "crack babies."
Crack babies sometimes became boarder babies — babies abandoned at the hospital by parents who could not care for them. For months, hospital nurseries became temporary homes for many babies born to crack
users. At the time, some babies would live in hospitals for as long as three years. A federal study found that about 22,000 babies were left in 1991 by parents unwilling or unable to care for them; Washington, D.C., had the third-highest number of any U.S. city.
"We called it a crisis because the space was just filling up in the nursery," said Linda Ivey Lewis, who, as an administrator at D.C. General Hospital, was instrumental in opening the boarder baby nursery, where volunteers could come in to hold the infants. "Worst case for me was
idency and keep the majority, is change the rules and enact both the Freedom to Vote Act and the John Lewis Act," the keynote speaker, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, said.
He later told reporters, "This is vital to democracy. This is not just another extraneous issue. This is the wellspring of it all."
The sentiment was echoed by Vice President Harris in her acceptance speech for the Democratic presidential nomination, when she noted that among the "funda-
mental freedoms" at stake in the election is "the freedom that unlocks all the others: the freedom to vote."
When the Supreme Court stripped the preclearance provision from the Voting Rights Act, Chief Justice John Roberts argued that "the conditions that originally justified these measures no longer characterize voting in the covered jurisdictions."
Within hours, lawmakers in Texas and Alabama proved how wrong he was, announcing they
and keeping it out of the hands of those who dare to challenge the status quo.
Texans cannot let this stand. We cannot allow our state to be dragged back to a time when voting was a privilege reserved for a select few. We must fight back against this anti-democratic agenda with everything we have. The first step is to ensure that you, your family, and your friends are registered to vote. Double-check
REYNOLDS Page 61
would move forward with restrictive voting laws that had been blocked under the preclearance provision.
The John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act would update the preclearance formula that Roberts called "outdated," reinvigorating the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and strengthening legal protections against racially motivated voter suppression.
for them to not be humanized," Ivey Lewis said.
As we look back, one can easily make the connection between a drug-addicted mother and her abandoned child. Fast forward to 2024, what role will current abortion bans play in driving parents to abandon their babies?
In Harris County, Texas, which includes the Houston area, there were six instances of child abandonment since the beginning of June of this year. In two cases, the child died. Texas and other states that have near-to-
tal abortion bans are now faced with more parents abandoning their children for reasons such as desperation and a lack of information.
In one instance, a baby was left in an apartment complex dumpster. In another, it was a dumpster outside a restaurant. While investigators are calling it an epidemic, the rise in abandonment in the Houston area illustrates the complexities around the issue of abortion and the mental state of a parent before and after the birth of an unwanted child. It highlights the intense and overwhelming
responsibility that goes with caring for a newborn baby, a responsibility many mothers and fathers are mentally, emotionally, and financially unprepared to meet.
To see any parent treat their child as if it were a piece of trash to be thrown into a dumpster is inhumane. During the crack epidemic, hospital officials were initially unprepared, with delivery wards filled with unwanted babies. Are we faced with a situation where the banning of abortion is the
On 61st Anniversary of My Uncle's March on Washington, This Is My Song, With a
As we remember the 61st anniversary of the iconic I Have a Dream speech, I am grateful for the powerful legacy left by my uncle, Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. If he were here with us today, he would undoubtedly remind us that we are one blood, one human race. He would call upon us to learn to live together as brothers and sis-
ters, rather than perish together as fools. His message of unity, justice, and love is as relevant now as it was when he stood on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in 1963.
Uncle M.L. was a patriot, deeply committed to the ideals of the American dream — a dream that is alive today, despite the challenges we face.
He envisioned a world where people are judged not by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character. My uncle also un-
As summer draws to a close, we are also nearing the end of an extraordinary milestone — the 60th anniversary of the civil rights movement's Freedom Summer. As a brand new Yale Law School graduate in 1963, I was fortunate enough to receive one of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund's (LDF) first two fellowships to help young attorneys seeking to
practice in the South. After a year of intensive preparation at LDF's New York City headquarters under the tutelage of an extraordinarily gifted and committed band of attorneys, I opened a law office in Jackson, Mississippi. God was headed south to Mississippi and Alabama and Georgia and I went along for the scariest, most exhilarating, most rewarding, and most challenging years any human being could hope for. I moved to Mississippi at an extraordinary moment — just in time to witness firsthand and assist the unfolding of
derstood that the unique nature of our very skin tone was a testament to God's creativity and the rich tapestry of humanity.
On this 61st anniversary, as we honor King's dream and the dreamer, it is crucial that we remind every generation, in every decade, on every platform, of the resilience of faith, hope and love. This message is the heartbeat of my new song, "In Atlanta."
A few years ago, we recorded the anthem "Let Freedom Ring,"
working with award-winning producer Rahni Song, featuring the powerful vocals of Vernessa Mitchell. Written originally in 1974, my lyrics and melody reflect my gratitude for the dream that my uncle held so dearly.
This year, with "In Atlanta" also produced by the incredible Rahni Song, a legacy resonates, reminding us all that the dream is still very much alive.
"In Atlanta" is my original poem set to music, and produced
with Rahni's celebrated talent and genius. In some ways, it's part two of "Let Freedom Ring." "In Atlanta" serves as a love letter to the city of my birth. The Dreamer of The Dream was born in Atlanta and the song is a testament of trials and triumphs of generations of accomplishments.
The inspiration came to me late one night, as I lay awake reflecting on the many songs dedicated KING Page 62
the 1964 Mississippi Freedom Summer Project.
The Mississippi Freedom Summer Project engaged college students from around the country to work together with local Black community members to open up Mississippi's closed society and demand basic human and civil rights for all Mississippians. Hundreds of white middle-class students brought visibility to the too long invisible and incredibly courageous struggles of Mississippi's Black citizens for simple justice and the right to vote. While attending
one of the training sessions at Western College for Women in Oxford, Ohio, designed to prepare the white students for Mississippi's harsh realities, the horrible news reached us of the disappearance of James Chaney, Andrew Goodman and Michael Schwerner, who had left the Ohio training to return to Mississippi to investigate the burning of Mount Zion Methodist Church in Neshoba County. A huge pall and fear swept over all of us after hearing they were missing. Bob Moses urged everyone to think hard about the grave dangers
involved in the summer project and whether they still wanted to participate. A very few went home. Most determined to continue in the movement that over the next few months laid the groundwork for transforming Mississippi and ultimately our nation.
One of the highlights of the summer project was the creation of freedom schools. Freedom schools were designed to keep Black children and youths out of harm's way and give
Our Transition to the Green Economy Does Not Need to be Slow to Be Just
"What good is a dollar an hour more in wages if your neighborhood is burning down? What good is another week's vacation if the lake you used to go to is polluted and you can't swim in it and the kids can't play in it?"
Those were questions posed by legendary labor leader Walter Reuther. Reuther was the president
of the United Auto Workers union (UAW) during the first Earth Day in 1970. UAW not only wrote the first check in support of Earth Day, it also contributed mightily to the national organizing effort for the inaugural holiday we still celebrate today.
On Earth Day 1993, I gave my first major speech, on behalf of the Student Environmental Action Coalition (SEAC). It was at rally opposing the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). The experience taught me firsthand how
the movements to protect our planet and the rights of working people are tightly linked.
We just celebrated Labor Day in what is projected to be the hottest year on record. It is a great time to celebrate the relationship between labor and the environmental movement. And a time to remember we have the tools to make sure the transition to a clean energy economy does not leave workers behind.
A just transition means creating good green jobs and protecting workers' rights. It means ensuring
workers have a center seat at the table when discussing climate policy. It means providing workers the training and support they need to ensure they are ready to work in emerging green industries and making sure they are taken care of in the meantime. And it means investing in the communities directly impacted by the transition.
Last year, Michigan provided the nation with a template for how to get this done. The state's Clean Energy and Jobs Package is a bold effort to aggressively reduce greenhouse
gas emissions and support a rapid transition to clean energy by making sure workers in the automobile, energy, and other sectors benefit. In our many overlapping movements for progress and justice, it almost always comes down to a battle between organized people and organized money. And organized money has been trying to break up the important friendship between labor and environmentalists for a long time.
WASHINGTON INFORMER WEEKEND CHECKLIST
WASHINGTON INFORMER'S
By Jada Ingleton WI Comcast Digital Equity Fellow
From democratic escape games to Persian festivals and the annual Takoma Park Folk Festival, keep your outlook vibrant with a handful of the many events happening in the DMV this weekend.
Intersect art and alleviation with The Healing Project exhibit, or party like it’s Y2K before enjoying a theatrical homage at Sunday’s Go The Way Your Blood Beats: Young Artists Honor James Baldwin.
Enjoy comedic performances and NextNOW Fest’s local talent, plus more merriment, and most importantly, don’t forget to check out the Washington Informer Calendar to keep up with all the fun.
THURSDAY, SEPT. 5
The Healing Project Exhibit 11 a.m. | Free Kennedy Center, 2700 F St NW, Washington, D.C. 20566
The Healing Project is an arts organization based in New York City, originally conceived as a project in 2014 by composer, multidisciplinary artist, and activist Samora Abayomi
Pinderhughes. The project creates artistic works, collective healing spaces, and advocacy initiatives in partnership with individuals impacted by structural violence to build a world based around healing rather than punishment.
This is the last day that The Healing Project Exhibit will showcase at the Hall of States and Welcome Pavilion.
Washington DC National Mall: Outdoor Escape Game
4 p.m. | $9.99+
Columbus Circle Northeast, Near Northeast, Washington, D.C., 20002
‘Dinner and a movie’ might be traditional, but if you’re looking for a new and exciting way of spending time with your loved ones, join a real-world adventure in a democracy city game that will take you through the grounds of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C.
Take on the challenge and learn about the symbol of America’s democratic government and legislature, while encountering architectural and art masterpieces.
The route you’re going to follow in the city is sprinkled with charming and picturesque places, fun clues and
challenges, and unique stories of past and present. The experience will play out like you’re the main characters of a movie, only that you’re experiencing everything in first person!
Fun dialogue, intrigue, and unexpected interactions are guaranteed.
FRIDAY, SEPT. 6
Like A G6 - 2010’s Bangers Nite 10:30 p.m. | $25.00 Union Stage, 740 Water Street SW, Washington, D.C., 20024
Rock your leopard-print tights, T-Mobile Sidekick, and your tallest furry boots as Harder Better Faster Stronger presents the 2000 - 2010 club banger vibes in an epic throwback celebration.
Dance to the sounds of your favorite hits and artists from the Y2K era, including Katy Perry, Pharrell, Akon, Lady Gaga, Rihanna, Calvin Harris, LMFAO, David Guetta, Beyoncé, Chainsmokers, and more!
NextNOW Fest: Chase on Aux 10:30 p.m. - Midnight | Free The Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center, 8270 Alumni Drive #3800, College Park, MD 20742
Enjoy five days of live music, comedy, visual arts, workshops and more with Clarice Presents annual NextNOW Fest, a signature event in University of Maryland's Arts for All initiative.
Catch Chase on Aux, DJ and producer from Prince George's County, Maryland as he shows off his unique approach to local sound and remixes DMV classics with mainstream beats. The NextNOW Fest concludes
Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024.
SATURDAY, SEPT. 7
Go The Way Your Blood Beats:
Young Artists Honor James Baldwin 1 p.m. | Free with registration The Mansion at Strathmore, 10701 Rockville Pike, North Bethesda, MD 20852
In continuation of leading cultural institution Strathmore’s two-month celebration of James Baldiwn’s centennial, Howard University's Department of Theatre Arts students will perform select scenes from Baldwin’s dramatic works: “The Amen Corner” (1955) and “Blues for Mister Charlie” (1964).
Directed by Dr. Khalid Y. Long, an associate professor of Theatre Arts at Howard University, the presentation will also include a scholarly overview of Baldwin’s contributions to African American Theatre.
Additionally, The Youth Poets of DIALECT of Prince George’s County celebrates the 100th birthday of one of America’s most influential voices with a series of events for youth poets – documentary screenings, book readings, and panel discussions, culminating in a live multimedia showcase with poetry, music, and visual art by the poets.
Rickey Smiley
8 p.m. | $25.00+
The Theater at MGM National Harbor, 101 MGM National Avenue, Oxon Hill, MD 20745
Don’t miss the legendary comedian, television host, and radio host of the award-winning, top-rated, nationally syndicated show, The Rickey Smi-
ley Morning Show at The Theater at MGM National Harbor.
SUNDAY, SEPT. 8
Takoma Park Folk Festival 10:30 a.m. - 6 p.m. | Free Takoma Park Middle School, 7611 Piney Branch Road, Takoma Park, MD 20912
The free, all-day 45th annual Takoma Park Folk Festival is here, and will feature a great line-up of musicians and selection of artists in a juried craft show. The event, which is held rain or shine, presents six stages of music, international food, community nonprofit tables, and children’s games and activities.
Sounds from old-time fiddle, bluegrass, folk-rock and Afro-Latin fusion fill the air as dozens of artists perform. Participants can also shop for handcrafted items such as jewelry, quilts and soap.
6 p.m. - 11 p.m. | $25.00+ Shipgarten, 7581 Colshire Drive, Tysons, VA 22102
Welcome to the ultimate celebration of all things Persian. Get ready for a day filled with delicious food, vibrant music, and exciting cultural performances.
Join Shipgarten for a memorable, in-person event where you can immerse yourself in the beauty of Persian traditions.
Whether you're a fan of Persian cuisine, music, or art, there's something for everyone at PERSIAPALOOZA.
WI
By Jada Ingleton WI Comcast Digital Equity Fellow
Once upon a time, an enchanting affair coupled with magic carpets and masqued princesses in gold sequin gowns and princes in tuxedos and suits brought Cinderella, Prince Charming and a plethora of mythical characters together for a foggy night under the stars in Northwest, D.C.
On Thursday, Aug. 22, the rooftop of the MLK Library transformed into a mystical castle filled with bright shimmer and color, as the Portland Trail Blazers' Jerami Grant and the Hour Generation Foundation hosted the inaugural Dream Gala, a story-
book-themed event where philanthropy and fashion collided in advocacy of youth literacy.
“One of the things that the foundation does is just makes dreams come true for children, for youth and for the communities in which they live,” said Sherida Turner, treasurer of the Hour Generation Foundation.
“Jerami has a passion for [the youth].
That's his dream, and that's his mission, so we're just here to support that on his behalf.”
The Dream Gala welcomed hundreds of literary advocates, culture shifters and philanthropists in an effort to raise funds and awareness for local literacy initiatives.
Inspired by the foundation’s Hour
Story Time program, which uses first hand engagement to promote reading and education, the event was topped with live music, jazz performances and notable co-hosts and appearances including musician IDK and esteemed authors like Jason Reynolds, Christina Wilds, and more.
“It's so important for me to be a part of an event like this because when the pandemic hit, the children’s literacy, literacy in general, just declined. So to have someone and to partner with someone, and to be aligned with someone who loves literature and who wants to continue to push that forward, and the message of just making sure that our families, especially Black families, are literate. I couldn't deny being here,” Wilds told The Informer.
Grant founded the Hour Generation Foundation with a goal to empower underserved youth with the tools and services to reach their full potential and explore their talents. Originally created with a centered focus on reading and education, the collective has expanded to include wellness initiatives, tutoring programs, food distribution, and an aviation program.
The Portland Trail Blazers forward, who graduated from DeMatha Catholic High School in Hyattsville, Maryland, said he was raised with the values of community service instilled in him, and recalled “going to soup kitchens” and “dropping off clothes at Goodwill” as some of his preliminary practices of serving others.
“I was very aware of what I wanted to do if I ever made it, and [I’ve] just been extremely blessed to be in a position to give back,” he said. “I think it’s huge, especially growing up in the area and understanding that this is the community that I’ve been involved in, that’s helped to raise me. It opens a lot of eyes for other people that grew up in the community, and they see an example where they can give back as well.”
He said the Aug. 22 gala goes back to the foundation’s roots of providing opportunities for youth through education and books.
“Our mission goal is to help to empower our youth through education. It's a heavy focus on literacy, books, reading for kids, understanding where the information and where the knowledge and the empowerment comes from, and it comes from the books,” he emphasized. “It comes from figuring out how to get your information, and I think that's what we're doing here tonight, and I think it aligns perfectly.”
With plans to drive the future of literacy and development in underserved communities, the Hour Generation Foundation will continue to advocate for the youth through education-based efforts, such as The
Dream Gala’s silent auction. Donations from the auction will be used to increase resources and advance some of the nonprofit’s youth initiatives.
Beverly Grant-Holston, vice president of Hour Generation Foundation, told The Informer partnerships like the MLK Library and others create a “village” of support and connectivity that will ensure success, not just for the foundation, but for the next generation of readers.
“Sometimes people say, ‘You guys have so much going on. Why is there so much?’ But there's a need from all over,” Grant-Holston said. “We just try to, even if it's just one kid at a time, just try to make a difference.” WI
4After a family member made a viral TikTok about the restaurant’s struggles, Keith Lee visited Dukem Ethiopian Restaurant on U Street NW and crowned it “the best food we’ve had in D.C,” noting its “robust sauce” and “earthy taste” in food. Lee gifted $1000 worth of food for customers, plus $500 in individual tips to the restaurant owners.
(Courtesy Photo)
By Jada Ingleton WI Digital Equity Fellow
Is it safe to say that the District’s food scene earned a D or C grade level from popular food critic, Keith Lee?
In a video posted to his TikTok on Aug. 26, Lee, known on social media for highlighting small businesses and providing honest food reviews, opened up about his latest experience visiting numerous recommended restaurants in the DMV [District, Maryland, Virginia] area.
Despite recommendations and prior research, the content creator and his family were left unimpressed, particularly in the nation’s capital.
“I know we only posted about three spots from Washington, but we went to about 12,” he confessed to his 16.5 million followers. “We made a decision as a family and as a team, and also a personal decision, to not post most of them.”
The TikTok star explained that a lot of the videos were “not constructive at all” and opted to limit exposure “out of privacy” and protection of the restaurant owners.
He instead offered a montage of photos and clips from some of the unnamed restaurants, including a few he felt he was “obviously not the target audience for.” The montage revealed a few of the negatives Lee and his team discussed while dining, including unprofessional customer service and poor food preparation.
Nonetheless, the DMV did not disappoint entirely. Okonomi Asian Grille in Fairfax, Virginia rated a 8.5/10; Hong Kong Carryout in Southeast, D.C. received a 8.6; and Dukem, a classic Ethiopian restaurant on U Street was crowned “the best food we’ve had in D.C.” in his Aug. 24 review.
At Hong Kong Carryout on Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue in Southeast, D.C., Lee paid for neighbors to eat free.
He offered Okonomi $2,000 to pay for free food for customers, in addition to $1,000 to help the restaurant recover from recent fake DoorDash scams.
Dukem Ethiopian restaurant on U Street NW, Lee crowned “the best food we’ve had in D.C,” noting its “robust sauce” and “earthy taste” in food.
Lee gifted $1000 worth of food for following customers, plus $500 in individual tips to the restaurant owners.
The former MMA fighter remained committed to giving back to the DMV’s restaurant community. In a culmination of food orders, generous tips and community donations, Lee and his team were able to “sow $30,000 to various restaurants around the DMV,” according to the Aug. 26 TikTok post.
In his now viral video, he also criticized media outlets for minimizing the positive impact of his DMV tour.
“A lot of media outlets picked up on the fact that I said restaurants out here, in my opinion, tend to lean towards promoting alcohol more than promoting food. That’s the headlines more than us being in the actual city and being blessed enough to touch the people that we’ve touched,” he said.
As social media reacted to Lee’s transparent take on Washington’s food scene, some agreed with his thoughts, while others questioned his recommendation sources as a whole.
One user on X (formerly known as Twitter) voiced that Lee’s experience would be different if he, himself, was not so restricted.
“Two things can [be] true,” read the tweet. “Yes, the D.C. food scene isn’t all that it’s cracked out to be. However, Keith Lee’s palate is a bit limited and how he chooses to eat the food, takeout in the car, makes it challenging to fully experience some restaurants.”
As the Detroit, Michigan native made his way to Baltimore, according to Axios, there’s speculation of a positive review for the Jamaican food chain Jerk at Nite, which has several locations in the nation’s capital. Based on an Instagram post from the local food chain, Lee visited and offered “a kind-hearted donation” earlier last week that prompted the eatery to give out 200 free meals at the Langdon location on Aug. 27.
“[Ten] years ago, we were selling food out of our dorm [at Howard University] and now we’re here,” read the caption. “[Lee] heard about us being a Howard University and D.C. community staple so we made sure he tasted our perseverance and passion on every plate. We hope we made D.C. proud!” WI
— Betty B., Hillcrest
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2024, 1-6 PM
FAIRWOOD COMMUNITY PARK 12390 FAIRWOOD PARKWAY, BOWIE
Music, food, clothing, art, and demonstrations showcasing the rich cultures of the African continent!
This FREE family festival acknowledges the contributions of the African community to Prince George’s County and the greater DMV.
PERFORMERS INCLUDE:
DJ Kweks, Master of Ceremonies
Ni Dembaya African Drum Ensemble
For more information scan QR code below or visit pgparks.com/event_list/celebrate-africa
By Jada Ingleton WI Digital Equity Fellow
In celebration of James Baldwin’s 100th birthday, Strathmore has launched a two-month educational and creative series, featuring theatric homages and literary discussions, to honor the life and legacy of the historic writer and civil rights activist.
Beginning Aug. 2, Baldwin’s birthday, the District and some cities in Maryland began hosting sporadic events offering audiences a deep dive into the various realms of the celebrated novelist, notably his impact in theater arts, literature and social justice.
“James Baldwin’s ideas have proven to be prophetic and resonate deeply with the challenges of our current time. His voice is so present today – it feels incredibly important to shine a light on that,” said Lauren Campbell, Strathmore’s vice president of education and community engagement.
The centennial series welcomes a list of inclusive events, including a documentary screening, youth poetry reading, and Grammy-winning artist Meshell Ndegeocello concluding the celebration on Oct. 5 with a performance of her newest album, “No More Water: The Gospel of James Baldwin.”
Strathmore aims to not only expand attendees’ knowledge of Baldwin, but encourage them to learn and adopt some of his own critical techniques, both in writing and film.
Thought-provoking sessions, such as author and literary activist E. Ethelbert Miller’s reexamination of Baldwin’s “The Devil Finds Work” on Sept. 26, introduces the analytical aspect of his creativity and teaches the value of applying some of his viewpoints to later works.
For Miller, “The Devil Finds Work,” a book-length essay critiquing the racial politics of American
cinema, is one of many crucial aspects of connecting modern society with Baldwin.
“I felt that one can learn a lot by how Baldwin critiques some of these movies. When you see [old] movies through the eyes of Baldwin, you realize that this person has real skill and intellect in terms of breaking down things that you may not see. You may have to go see the movie two or three times before you see what Baldwin sees,” he said.
Miller recalls being introduced to Baldwin during his time at Howard University, and resonated deeply with his essays and dissection of the Civil Rights Movement.
He cited Baldwin’s continuous grasp with the concept of love and “what was happening to us as people” that distinguished him from other activists of his time.
Miller also noted Baldwin’s transparency in navigating masculinity and love as a Black gay writer, providing a gateway for communities to find representation and acceptance in an era where social issues like The LGBTQ Movement were unheard of.
“Baldwin has a wider reception today of acceptance. I think that now that there is a gay movement, people can go back and say, ‘Here is a person who was dealing with these issues before anybody was really talking about it,’” Miller explained. “If you're a Black, gay man [and] you know Baldwin, to see [him] celebrated reaffirms that your life has a meaning too.”
Similarly, Dr. Khalid Y. Long, associate professor of Theatre Arts at Howard University, admires Baldwin’s ability to intersect communal issues with the center stage. While STRATHMORE Page 52
Join us as we celebrate Workforce Development Month!
This event provides District residents with access and opportunities to meet, network, and connect with employers and community-based organizations around the DMV.
WEDNESDAY WEDNESDAY
SEPT. 18TH SEPT. 18TH
2 - 6 pm
OLD CONGRESS HEIGHTS CAMPUS
3100 MARTIN LUTHER KING JR., SE WASHINGTON, DC 20032
EMPLOYERS PARTICIPATING:
BRIDGEPOINT HEALTHCARE
DAVIS CONSTRUCTION
PEPCO
NELSON LEARNING
COMMUNITY-BASED
ORGANIZATIONS PARTICIPATING:
AMERIGROUP DC
US DEPT OF HOUSING & URBAN
DEVELOPMENT
PEPCO
DC DEPARTMENT OF EMPLOYMENT
SERVICES
FREE ADMISSION
VISA Gift Cards for first 50 Attendees
Over 25 employment & community resource organizations
Meet & connect with top employers and explore job opportunities in the Healthcare, IT, Construction, Early Childhood Education, and Hospitality career fields
Meet & connect with DC Community-based organizations to learn about various support and resources for District residents such as: housing, home ownership, food assistance, utility, internet and job training
Meet and connect with UDC degree programs and resource representatives from across the university
ceremony, which took place at townhomes near 18th Street and Bryant Street in Northeast, allowed family members to eulogize David, 51, an MPD veteran known to go above and beyond through his acts of kindness for family and neighbors.
“My father dedicated his life to protecting and serving,” said Davon David, the MPD investigator’s son and one of several people who spoke on the night of Sept. 2.
from Page 1 in a caravan composed of officers on foot and riding motorcycles. They, along with members of Bryant Street Townhomes Condominium Homeowners Association, Woodridge Homeowners Association, and McKinley Technology High School Alumni Association, community members from Brentwood and Montana Avenue, and a representative of Ward 5 Councilmember Zachary Parker’s office, paid their respects to David’s family.
The younger of Investigator David’s two children, Davon David led other family members in the release of white and black balloons not far from where a photo of his late father was posted. The large crowd later lit candles and turned on smartphone lights while singing “This Little Light of Mine.”
Throughout the evening, the younger David struggled to gather himself, but later reflected on his father’s legacy. He would later tell The Informer more about how the late Investigator David inspired him to do his best.
“I learned leadership,” David said. “The biggest thing he ever taught me was how to stand up and be independent. His legacy was protecting the community. We can stop the violence [in his memory], keep the guns off of the streets, love one another and be one with the community.”
On the evening of Aug. 28, MPD Investigator David participated in an investigation after an individual, according to a report circulated by MPD, tossed a firearm into a storm drain on Interstate 295 while running away from members of MPD’s Robbery Suppression Unit.
As explained in the report, David, as he would often do in his line of work, attempted to retrieve the firearm when it discharged and a bullet struck him. Despite colleagues’ best efforts to provide care and transport him to a local hospital via helicopter, David later succumbed to his injuries.
MPD, FBI, and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms have since issued a $50,000 reward for information leading to capture of the individual connected to the firearm. Metropolitan Police Chief Pamela A. Smith told The Informer that tips have been pouring in the days since David’s death.
On the evening of Sept. 2, Smith and other MPD officers flooded 18th Street and Bryant Street in Northeast
gal sale of handguns.
For Ryane B. Nickens, this multijurisdictional lawsuit, in part, represents the fulfillment of a vision that she articulated to Schwalb when he was a candidate for the office he currently holds.
After opening prayer from Robert Vinson Brannum, Ward 5 Democrats chairman emeritus, and short remarks from Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner Harry Thomas, Jr., the organizer of the vigil, Metropolitan Police Chief Smith said a few words in recognition of David’s religious faith and community presence.
“Wayne showed true excellence in policing,” Smith later told The Informer. “When he saw someone in need, he helped when it was necessary. He was a kind, gentle spirit. You don’t find a lot of folks like that. He grew up in D.C. and served his community with honor, integrity, love and compassion. We can take something away from the comments that people shared about who Investigator Wayne David is and was.”
Kalihah Barber, the late David’s fiance, also spoke to her loved one’s dedication to the job. Just days before his death, David went straight to church upon their return from a Mexican vacation, Barber told The Informer.
“Wayne’s life revolved around the community, his job and the Lord,” Barber said. “He gave his life protecting this community. He sacrificed to protect everyone and gave unselfishly. He was a believer in the Lord.”
Thomas, a longtime political figure and childhood friend of David, said he could often depend on David for information that helped him better serve as a commissioner in Single-Member District 5C06.
“I’m going to miss him… keeping me abreast of the issues,” Thomas said.
“He was the voice I knew I could call. He was a people mover. He knew how to get things done. He showed us that we need to stay connected as a community [because] no one lives alone.”
WI
Read more on washingtoninformer.com.
“We talked about solutions to curb gun violence, then I said ‘When are we going to go after the gun manufacturers and gun stores,’” Nickens, the founder and president of The TraRon Center, said at the George Gordon Meade Memorial Statue on Constitution Avenue in Northwest as she recounted her engagement with Schwalb in 2022.
“It’s the whole system,” Nickens said. “The person who owns the store [should be] held accountable for their actions. It takes all of our efforts to make our communities safer.”
In 2017, Nickens, a lifelong Southeast resident, launched The TraRon Center to help young people heal from the trauma of gun violence through the arts. By that time, Nickens knew all too well how gun violence affects families and entire communities.
In 1989, someone killed Nickens’ uncle in a case of mistaken identity as he left her grandmother’s Southeast home. In the early 1990s, Nickens’ sister, then nine months pregnant, also succumbed to gun violence when she and another person got into an argument.
Decades later, in her work to combat intergenerational trauma, Nickens once again found herself in the middle of gun violence. In 2018, she had to console a young person after gunfire broke out at Woodland Terrace, where The TraRon Center was hosting summer programming.
Throughout much of her adolescence, Nickens, like some of the young people under her purview, lost friends and family members to illegal guns. She said each incident pushed her further along a path to tackle gun violence at the root. That’s why, long before she met Schwalb, Nickens served as a member of Do Not Stand Idly By and the Washington Interfaith Network, through which she became focused on the part that negligent gun manufacturers play in the proliferation of illegal guns.
“There are multiple people behind that trigger before that person pulls that trigger,” Nickens said in support of Schwalb’s collaborative efforts with Brown and Everytown Law. “When a person purchases a
gun, brings it back to the community and sells it to a 14 year old, now they’re carrying it for a reason, whether it's for their protection. That’s the neighborhood norm, so [this lawsuit] is about not wanting kids to repeat the cycle.”
Data from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms shows that 95% of firearms purchased in the District originate from Maryland and Virginia.
A significant portion of those firearms, prosecutors said, often happens through straw purchases -- a process by which a person buys a large amount of firearms from a licensed gun seller to sell to people who can’t legally own firearms.
The criminal complaint filed by Schwalb, Brown, and Everytown Law targets three federally licensed gun stores in Rockville, Maryland -- Engage Armament, LLC; United Gun Shop; and Atlantic Guns, Inc. --- that allegedly engaged in straw purchases with Demetrius Minor.
Throughout 2021, Minor obtained 34 semiautomatic weapons from Engage, United Gun, and Atlantic over seven months. In the criminal complaint, prosecutors allege that the gun sellers violated federal, D.C. and Maryland law when they overlooked the patterns of a straw purchase, including bulk purchasing and repetitive buys within a short time period.
“Strawman gun sales are illegal and gun shop owners have a responsibility to enforce the law,” Brown said. “These stores contributed to illegal gun trafficking and guns ended up in the hands of people who aren’t allowed to have them. They played a
part in supplying firearms for crimes in our region.”
Law enforcement officials have since discovered at least nine of these firearms at crime scenes throughout the D.C. metropolitan area. In 2022, Hyattsville Police Department recovered a gun from the residence of a stabbing suspect. Later that year, Montgomery County Police Department recovered another weapon from the Adelphi, Maryland home of a criminal defendant. A couple months later, the Metropolitan Police Department searching a hotel room found a Prince George’s County man in possession of a gun connected to Minor, as well as an illegally obtained high-capacity magazine.
While Minor has been convicted of crimes related to the illegal distribution of those firearms, Engage, United Gun, and Atlantic haven’t faced any legal consequences. In their lawsuit, Brown, Schwalb, and Tirschwell are seeking monetary damages for the harm done to District residents, in addition to an injunction that forces Engage, United Gun and Atlantic to curb the illegal sale of guns. This counts as part of the work that Everytown Law, the litigation arm of Everytown for Gun Safety Support Fund, does on behalf of families and communities that have suffered from gun violence.
“The defendants repeatedly sold numerous similar handguns to straw purchasers,” Tirschwell said. “Sometimes multiple guns on the same day. Mr. Willis and the straw purchaser were prosecuted and sent to prison, but that’s not enough. That’s why we’re here.”
WI
Read more on washingtoninformer.com.
Submitted by United Bank
At United Bank, we understand the excitement and apprehension that comes with buying a home. The process can be overwhelming, especially when it comes to the financial aspects. One of the most significant hurdles of homeownership is saving for a down payment. However, you might be relieved to know there are several down payment assistance (DPA) and grant programs available in our area that can make your dream of homeownership more attainable.
Down payment assistance programs are designed to help first-time, and sometimes repeat, homebuyers cover some of the costs associated with purchasing a home. These programs can come in the form of grants, low- or no-interest loans, deferred payment loans, or forgivable loans. While each program has its own set of eligibility requirements, they all share the common goal of reducing the financial burden for eligible homebuyers.
These programs offer financial assistance to first-time homebuyers for down payments and closing costs, making it easier for buyers to purchase their first home. It focuses on supporting buyers in specific areas, enhancing accessibility to homeownership and aims to reduce the initial financial burden of homeownership. Eligible borrowers could receive up to $10,000 in Grant Assistance.
This program provides down payment assistance and affordable mortgage options to first-time and repeat homebuyers in Washington, DC. It aims to make homeownership more accessible by offering financial support and competitive loan products.
HPAP (Home Purchase Assistance Program) -
This program provides substantial financial assistance for down payments and closing costs to eligible first-time homebuyers in Washington, DC. It aims to make home-
ownership more accessible by offering deferred payment loans.
Targeted at District of Columbia government employees, EAHP offers financial support for down payments and closing costs. The program provides matching funds and additional assistance to help eligible DC government employees buy their first homes.
This initiative in Prince George’s County, Maryland, provides down payment and closing cost assistance to first-time homebuyers. The program is designed to help buyers overcome financial barriers and achieve homeownership in the county. Eligible borrowers may receive up to $25,000 in assistance.
The MMP offers a variety of mortgage products to make homeownership more accessible for residents of Maryland. It provides competitive interest rates, down payment assistance, and flexible financing options tailored to first-time homebuyers and those purchasing in targeted areas. What makes MMP unique is the range of associated financial incentives and other assistance that, for many homebuyers, means the difference between being able to purchase and continuing to rent.
The FHLB of Atlanta offers several down payment assistance programs aimed at making homeownership more accessible for low- to moderate-income individuals and families. These programs provide grants through member financial institutions, offering up to $15,000 for eligible homebuyers. The funds can be used to cover down payment and closing costs, reducing the financial barriers to purchasing a home. By partnering with local lenders, like United Bank, FHLB Atlanta ensures more prospective homebuyers have the support they need to achieve their dream of homeownership.
Work with a reputable Loan Officer: I am familiar with the programs
available in the area and their criteria. I can help you determine the best program for your situation and guide you every step of the way.
Assess Your Eligibility: Review the eligibility criteria for each program. Factors like your income, credit score, location, and employment status will determine which programs you qualify for.
Attend Workshops: Many programs require the completion of homebuyer education courses. These workshops provide valuable information on the home-buying process and financial management.
Gather Documentation: Prepare necessary documents, such as proof of income, tax returns, bank statements, and employment verification.
Apply for Assistance: Submit your application along with the required documentation. Be prepared for a review process, which may include additional financial counseling or interviews.
Securing a down payment can be one of the most challenging aspects of buying a home, but you don’t have to go through it alone. As a mortgage loan officer, I'm here to assist you every step of the way. Let's explore all the options together and take the first step toward making your homeownership dream a reality.
If you have any questions or are ready to get started, feel free to reach out. Your journey to homeownership starts here!
Stephen A. Morris
SVP, Director Community Lending NMLS ID 459546 www.bankwithunited.com/stephen-morris
DISCLAIMER
United Bank | NMLS ID 522399 (www. nmlsconsumeraccess.org) | Member FDIC | Equal Housing Lender | BankWithUnited.com
United Bank is not endorsed by or affiliated with any government agency or program.
United Bank is an Equal Housing Lender. As prohibited by federal law, we do not engage in business practices that discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, marital status, age (provided you have the capacity to enter
into a binding contract), because all or part of your income may be derived from any public assistance program, or because you have, in good faith, exercised any right under the Consumer Credit Protection Act. The federal agency that administers our compliance with these federal laws is the Federal Reserve, Federal Reserve Consumer Help, PO Box 1200, Minneapolis, MN 55480.
This is not a commitment to lend. Mortgage products and services are offered through United Bank. All loan applications are subject to credit and property approval and must meet loan program requirements to qualify. Annual Percentage Rate (APR), programs, rates, fees, closing costs, terms and conditions are subject to change without notice and may vary depending upon credit history and transaction specifics. Other closing costs may be necessary. Flood and/or property hazard insurance may be required. Speak with a Mortgage Loan Officer for more specific information.
Welcome Home Grant: Subject to Credit Approval. Not all applicants are eligible. Welcome Home Grant is a Lender Grant and is only available in select market areas. No cash back for the Grant funds allowed. The loan must be for purchase or eligible refinance of primary residence. For Purchase transactions, Grant is capped at $10,000, with up to 3% of sales price or appraised value (whichever is less) applied towards down payment first and then any remaining funds applied to closing costs. For eligible Refinance transactions, up to 3% of appraised value, with a maximum of $10,000 will be applied towards closing costs. Property type and location limitations apply. Loan terms and conditions
apply, including but not limited to, maximum loan-to-value of 97%, maximum loan amount, minimum credit score, and maximum income limits. Homebuyer education may be required. Grant program may be considered taxable income. 1099-MISC may be issued. You should consult with your tax advisor. Program rates, terms, and conditions are subject to change without notice.
Journey Home Grant: Subject to Credit Approval. Not all applicants are eligible. Journey Home Grant is a Lender Grant and is only available in select market areas. Grant is capped at $10,000, with up to 3% of sales price or appraised value (whichever is less) applied towards down payment first and then any remaining funds applied to closing costs. No cash back for the Grant funds allowed. The loan must be for purchase or eligible refinance of primary residence. Property type and location limitations apply. Loan terms and conditions apply, including but not limited to, maximum loan-to-value of 97%, maximum loan amount, minimum credit score, and maximum income limits. Homebuyer education may be required. In addition to Journey Home Grant requirements, borrowers must meet Fannie Mae HomeReady program eligibility requirements. HomeReady® is a registered trademark of Fannie Mae. Mortgage Insurance is required for properties with over 80% loan-to-value. Grant program may be considered taxable income. 1099-MISC may be issued. You should consult with your tax advisor. Program rates, terms, and conditions are subject to change without notice.
people are heard, I will continue to be there for you. Even if I’m not being anything. I’m ready and I give all honor, glory and praise to God.”
Calique, a lifelong Ward 8 resident, follows in the footsteps of Tatiana Robinson, a Ballou Senior High School alumna who served as a state board student representative between 2017 and 2019.
When DCSBOE meets on Sept. 4, he will be joined by three other state board student representatives: Anna Mayer of School Without Walls in Northwest; Ryan Zhi Rei Ting of BASIS DC in Northwest; and Mengting Lin of Roosevelt High School, also in Northwest.
Their swearing in ceremonies will take place after Calique’s, in the days leading up to the DCSBOE meeting.
Throughout the 2023-2024 school year, Calique, Anna, Ryan, and Mengting will meet monthly with the Student Advisory Committee, a body of more than 50 District public and public charter school students, as they weigh in on policy issues that come before the state board.
The Student Advisory Committee will also compile an annual report chock full of recommendations on education policy. In years past, the committee recommended diversifying and increasing student state board representatives from two to four, allocating extra resources to
help students navigate post-secondary options, and further exploring the causes of low teacher retention.
This year, Calique will fulfill his role as a state board student representative while serving as senior class president at Thurgood Marshall Academy Public Charter School (PCS). In years past, Calique represented his class as a junior and, in the absence of a student government association, organized his peers around issues of significance, including public safety.
Those efforts included a tour of the community surrounding Thurgood Marshall Academy PCS that Calique and a couple of his classmates took elected officials on, so as to give a firsthand account of what students encounter on their daily commutes.
As a student ambassador, Calique has also given prospective students an inside look at his school. Earlier this year, he represented Thurgood Marshall Academy PCS, and Ward 8, once again when he gave the keynote address at the annual prayer breakfast honoring the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr at Matthews Memorial Baptist Church in Southeast, D.C.
Raymond Weeden, Thurgood Marshall Academy PCS’ executive director, told The Informer that Calique has shown a knack for leadership since his freshman year when he sought out, and gave his opinions about school policy, to administrators.
Calique’s ascension to DCSBOE, Weeden said, puts Ward 8 in a positive light.
“It’s just another reminder that Calique is not an anomaly,” said
Weeden, who’s in his sixth year as Thurgood Marshall PCS’ executive director. “There are more than 70 seniors here who will be accepted to college. Let’s keep getting these stories out here. Calique does a great job of making sure he’s talking about his entire community. That’s important.”
DCSBOE Representative Dr. Carlene Reid (Ward 8) echoed those sentiments, telling The Informer about what she called Calique’s vigilance. Reid counted an instance, earlier this year, when Calique advocated for the higher prioritization of vocational education.
That experience, Reid said, counts among the several she’s had with Calique, who she calls a young man ready to work for the people.
“He will do a good job of representing east of the Anacostia River,” Reid said. “He’s not a leader just in his school, but in the community. He’s pressed for us to move key initiatives for safety and education. He’s a model citizen so he’ll be a model leader who thinks beyond himself.”
Calique told The Informer that he counts his mother, Camille Barnes, his pastor, Timothy Proctor of Prayer and Praise Ministries in Oxon Hill, Maryland, and D.C. Councilmember Trayon White (D-Ward 8) among his role models. His dream schools are Morehouse College and Clark Atlanta University, both located in Atlanta, what he calls an epicenter of Black excellence.
As far as his goals, Calique sees leadership within the government as the most viable means to effect change. DCSBOE, he said, will take him along that trajectory.
“I’m simply ready to be that voice for the youth…who feel that they don’t have a voice,” Calique said. “I can bridge that gap between students and adults. We grew up in an environment filled with negativity so the [school] building should be the safest [place]. I could get feedback from younger people to see what they need from different perspectives.”
At least two Thurgood Marshall
Academy PCS students said they can attest to Calique’s love for his peers. They stood alongside Calique after the swearing-in ceremony on Thursday, basking in the festive atmosphere.
Esther Jolayemi, a 17-year-old senior, told The Informer that, for as long as she’s known Calique, he has exhibited confidence that becomes contagious.
“Everyone loves Calique because he gets to know people on a personal level and he’s always trying to find a solution to move his community,” Esther said. “He showed us to put God first. I struggled with my relationship with God, and Calique told me he will pray for me. Those prayers pushed me through hard times.”
For Zarra Graves, Calique’s installment as DCSBOE student representative was a long time coming for a person who often puts others’ needs before his own. Zarra said she saw that firsthand last year when, during student government association elections, Calique helped her with her efforts even as they were campaigning for the same seat.
“Calique never made anything a competition,” Zarra said. “We’re all helping to do the same thing [and] he’s going to put everything in him to pursue that dream. He puts himself first to make sure people’s voices are heard. Calique helped me to stand in front of people. He pushed me to face my fears.” WI
@SamPKCollins
For Ward 8 resident Fred Hill, the final outcome lies with the everyday residents, not the officials and leaders he accuses of enabling White’s alleged behavior.
“We’re in the middle of an ocean with no captain. The ward hasn’t received its fair share of investments and support from the mayor and council,” said Hill, a former independent Ward 8 D.C. Council candidate.
Between 2018 and 2020, Hill, in collaboration with other Ward 8 residents, raised concerns about White’s absence on the dais during crucial council votes, including those about the budget.
As Hill recounted, those words fell on deaf ears. Years later, he continues to criticize city officials, including the D.C. Council, who he said should’ve conducted an emergency meeting in the aftermath of White’s arrest.
“The leaders stand for themselves and not the people,” Hill said. “When we tried to educate the ward [about Councilmember White] leading up to the 2020 election, the gatekeepers took it as an attack on them. Those are the ones who supported his re-election twice, so it shows you their judgment is no good.”
The legal and political proceedings that White's federal bribery charge triggered has complicated a general election that was White's to win.
That's why, over the next few months, Ward 8 residents are exploring how to proceed with White’s office in a state of limbo.
At least one person, Markus Batchelor, has officially announced a writein campaign for the Ward 8 council seat, though he hasn’t registered with D.C. Board of Elections (DCBOE). Those who’ve officially declared their write-in candidacy with DCBOE include former Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner Olivia Henderson and Khadijah A. Long, a mental health counselor with a practice on Marion Barry Avenue.
Such a scenario is causing contention among some Ward 8 residents.
On Aug. 27, some of the several dozen who participated in a community conversation hosted by Bro. Attorney Malik Zulu Shabazz and The Black Men’s Movement cautioned their neighbors against supporting
any write-In campaigns for the Ward 8 D.C. Council seat. Doing so, they said, would ensure an electoral victory for Nate Derenge, a Republican and the only other person on the general election ballot.
As of Aug. 28, neither White nor his office have given any indication that the council member will resign from office. However, if he does so, he would need to file an affidavit with the D.C. Board of Elections before its Sept. 12 deadline to remove his name from the ballot.
On Sept. 19, White is scheduled to appear before a federal judge once again. Earlier that week, on Sept. 16, an ad hoc committee led by D.C. Councilmember Kenyan McDuffie (I-At large) will commence an investigation into White’s bribery charge and White's residency.
If, by any chance, the ad hoc committee, which is composed of all of White’s council colleagues, recommends expulsion by its Dec. 16 deadline, then the council will have 45 days to vote on the matter.
During that time, White, should he still be in office, will get an opportunity to make his case on the dais.
With the process to soon be underway, the D.C. Council’s citywide representatives are dedicating resources to filling in the constituent services gap.
For instance, D.C. Councilmember Robert White (D-At large) is planning a back-to-school event scheduled during the holiday weekend. D.C. Councilmember Christina Henderson (I-At large) continues to oversee the launch of the new eastof-the-Anacostia River hospital while
D.C. Council Chairman Phil Mendelson (D) confers with the D.C. Public Charter School Board about the circumstances surrounding Eagle Academy Public Charter School’s sudden closure.
D.C. Councilmember Anita Bonds’s office is also keeping a pulse on the Ward 8 community, particularly as it relates to constituent services.
On the night of Aug. 27, she, along with At-large Councilmember White, Henderson and Mendelson, spoke to nearly 80 Ward 8 community members who attended a virtual meeting coordinated by Sandra S. Seegars and Ron Williams, Jr. She expressed solidarity with Ward 8 while explaining how her colleague’s legal trouble places the District directly in the cross hairs of congressional Republicans and Republican presidential nominee, former President Donald J. Trump.
“It's not just what happens here with us, but how we are perceived. We know we are already hoping to hold on to Home Rule,” Bonds said.
“If things don't go the way we want by Nov. 5… the outcome could sting the good people of D.C. and Ward 8 for some time as we move forward.”
In the interim, Bonds pledged to help Ward 8 residents who have questions about their quality of constituent services, or even the oversight of agencies that are under White’s purview.
“We have a duty to the people of Ward 8 to make sure they’re not disenfranchised or overlooked,” Bonds said. “People are concerned about
advantage of by activists and leaders.”
As the Bowser administration prepares to conduct an internal investigation into the Office of Neighborhood Safety and Engagement and the Department of Youth Rehabilitation Services, two agencies named in White's charging documents, some Ward 8 residents, like Greta Fuller, say they want further scrutiny of violence interruption programs.
On Aug. 27, Fuller, a longtime Anacostia resident and former advisory neighborhood commissioner, weighed in on the current state of affairs during the virtual community meeting. As she spoke about the gun violence that damaged her car, Fuller noted that White's federal bribery charge has compelled her to question much of what happens within the D.C. government.
what happens [and] how they will have representation.”
The Aug. 27 virtual meeting allowed some residents, like Robbie Woodland, to question not only the quality of the Ward 8 council office, but the residents’ ability to hold their elected officials accountable.
During the Democratic primary, Woodland, advisory neighborhood commissioner of Single-Member District 8C06, counted among those who demanded an investigation into how Advisory Neighborhood Commission Chair Salim Adofo, one of White’s challengers, spent ANC dollars. Their advocacy triggered action by the Office of the D.C. Auditor, which will soon make a determination about whether Adofo supported his election efforts with those funds.
In the days following White’s arrest, Woodland took to social media, evoking White and Adofo’s names in her demand that her neighbors raise their expectations of elected officials.
As one of the speakers at Seegars and Williams’ event, Woodland once again issued the call for better, more ethical leaders.
“Change is necessary and…wanted,” Woodland said on Aug. 28. “I appreciate the love and support lavished on our council member by our Ward 8 residents but they can love to their own detriment. Some of the residents suffer from Stockholm Syndrome. [They are] being taken
“How do we know that these organizations that are mixed up in this are really preventing the violence,” Fuller questioned, as she mulled over the likely effects of White’s alleged actions.
“Who’s talking to the families of the dead and wounded individuals and children because [the violence interrupters] may not be doing their job,” she asked. “It’s with a heavy heart that this particular thing was taken [that] could’ve prevented a life from being taken.”
For Washington Highlands resident Don Edwards, it was a matter of time before White’s alleged actions came to light. Edwards, a former White campaign supporter, said rumors have long circulated in her community about what she called the council member’s unscrupulous dealings.
Edwards, a native of West Virginia and host of the online program “Ms. Don’s Justice,” told The Informer that the District, after 50 years of Home Rule, hasn't reached the level of political maturity that would allow it to weather a storm the likes of what Ward 8 is experiencing.
With so much in the balance for Ward 8, a jurisdiction with a high concentration of quality-of-life issues, Edwards said the best course of action would be to agree upon, and stand behind, alternate representation.
“Sometimes, it’s not about guilt or innocence but what is this [situation] doing for me,” said Edwards, 73. “What’s so hurtful is that people don’t think they deserve better. There’s a poverty of spirit. If we weren’t getting good services then, how do we get it now?” WI
@SamPKCollins
We have all seen the violence and despicable rhetoric that came out of the “Unite the Right” rally in Charlottesville, Virginia on August 12th, 2017. But if you think you know how we got there and what happened that day, you have no idea. “A Time to Yell: More Than a Statue” is the untold story from Charlottesville community members who experienced these monumental events firsthand. Through the lens of Dr. Wes Bellamy and the community, we tell the story of what transpired in Charlottesville in 2017 exploring the history behind this racially motivated attack and one of the most divisive conflicts in modern American history.
Date: Wednesday, September 11, 2024
Location: Washington National Cathedral 3101 Wisconsin Ave NW, Washington, DC 20016 Time: 12:30pm – 4pm
Host: Washington National Cathedral
Partner Host: National Coalition on Black Civic Participation
Washington National Cathedral
In partnership with The National Coalition on Black Civic Participation presents:
RUN OF SHOW
12:30pm – Doors Open
1:20pm – Welcome and Introduction of “A TIME TO YELL: MORE THAN A STATUE” 1:30pm – 2:38pm – “A TIME TO YELL: MORE THAN A STATUE” Documentary Screening
2:38pm – 2:45pm – Panel Discussion Setup & Introduction of Moderator and Panelists
Moderator: Melanie Campbell, Executive Director, NCBCP Panelists
Dr. Wes Bellamy / Rev. Canon Leonard Hamlin Sr. / Daryl Davis
2:45pm – 3:30pm – Panel Discussion 3:30pm – Adjourn and Exit
Date: Saturday, September 14, 2024
Location: Lincoln Theatre, 1215 U St NW, Washington, DC 20009 Time: 11am – 3pm
RUN OF SHOW
11:30am – Doors Open
11:50am – Welcome and Introduction of “A TIME TO YELL: MORE THAN A STATUE” 12pm – 1:08pm – “A TIME TO YELL: MORE THAN A STATUE” Documentary Screening 1:08pm – 1:15pm – Panel Discussion Setup & Introduction of Moderator and Panelists
Moderator: Symone Sanders
Panelists
Dr. Wes Bellamy / Attorney Benjamin Crump (Invited) Angela Rye (Invited) / Abby Phillips (invited) / Tony Lewis Jr
1:15pm – 2pm – Panel Discussion 2pm – 2:10pm – Panel Discussion Breakdown and Introduction of “How To Sue The Klan” 2:10pm – 2:45pm – “How To Sue The Klan” Documentary Screening 2:45pm – Adjourn and Exit
Add the numbers from the start to the finish of each animal’s path to find out how fast they move in miles per hour (MPH).
What about humans?
Running at top speeds of about 20 mph, human beings are one of the slower-moving
The cheetah is the fastest land animal. Cheetah paws are more like a dog’s than a cat’s.
Tiger beetles are pretty small about a half-inch to an inch long, depending on the species. Their long, thin legs help them run fast,
They have shorter, blunter claws that do not retract like those of other cats. The pads on the bottom of their feet are ridged, rather than rounded.
Their special feet help cheetahs get a good grip on the ground and push off firmly for the next bound.
No wonder cheetahs can run so fast!
But cheetahs can only run at top speed for a short distance.
Standards Link:
Find each tiger beetle’s twin.
Find the words by looking up, down, backwards, forwards, sideways and diagonally.
HISTORY
How can you tell a leopard from a cheetah? Both have spots — but their spots are not the same. Read below to nd out how their spots are di erent. Then circle the cheetah spots.
Find three newspaper pictures and/or words that show things that move. Put them in order and lable them FAST, FASTER, and FASTEST. Do the same with other adjectives such as happy, sloppy, and funny.
Standards Link: Use main idea and supporting details in writing.
Replace GOLD RULER Jesse Olympic and Achievement in 1936 Jesse Owens regarded greatest ______________. remembered reasons. Owens medals Olympic at the 1936 Berlin, This was athletic and a significant achievement. Adolph _________ Hitler hoped _________ or northern were the everything.
Link: Recognize the
When Jesse a Black dominated track-and-field he showed people of capable
By Shawntelle Madison
c.2024, Amistad
$28
437 pages
Terri Schlichenmeyer WI Contributing Writer
You're lucky you didn't hit your head!
The damage you did to yourself was bad enough, you didn't need a head wound to lay you low, too. You haven't skinned your knees like that since you were 10 years old. Your elbow still hurts from that tumble. But read the new book, "The Fallen Fruit" by Shawntelle Madison and be grateful: you're still in the here and now.
She should've just put a "For Sale" sign on it and sold the place, like she was told.
Cecily Bridge-Davis was warned by the locals that the portion of the old Bridge farm she'd inherited was "godforsaken," but she had to see it. Maybe it would help her understand her father, who'd up and died when Cecily was just a baby. If she could find anything about him, the trip wouldn't be wasted.
The property was overgrown, rundown, and there was a tumbledown cabin on it that she couldn't resist. Inside the cabin, Cecily found a Bible, and an X-marked map …
Millie Bridge prayed that she'd be the one to fall.
It was 1920, and her brother, Isaiah, was meant for better things. She'd be able to handle a trip back in time better than he, but it was a 50-50 chance. Their father was a Bridge man, and the family curse that'd been around for hundreds of years would send one of his children to another time in the past, which is why the offspring of every Bridge man carried freedom papers with them.
Since one never knew if, where, or when they might fall, one could never be too careful.
Cecily Bridge-Davis looked over the Bible and followed the map to a hole in a tree stump, where she found an old satchel and more questions. Was she actually supposed to believe that, as an only child, she might disappear one day, only to reappear in another time?
How could that happen? Moreover, how could she tell her husband and children?
Autumn seems to be the right time for a spine-tingling, twisty-scary novel, doesn't it? And "The Fallen Fruit" is just about the right book.
If you mixed together the movie "Groundhog Day" and Octavia Butler's "Kindred," you might have something close to what's inside this novel. The difference is that author Shawntelle Madison adds a few more levels and a lot more characters to time-travel, meanwhile keeping readers guessing as to where this curse began. Sometimes, that makes this novel scrape against your imagination until it's raw. Other times, it feels oddly like an adventure story or a survival-type tale, a test of resourcefulness that you can place yourself inside. And then there are shades of romance, to keep you rapt.
If you're someone who tends to overthink novels, you may not like this one; it leaves a lot of questions that don't get answered. But if you're up for a thrill-ride of a novel, "The Fallen Fruit" is a gem. A speculative fiction fan will go head over heels for it.
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SEPT. 5 - 11, 2024
ARIES You'll find you're stirred to put your energy toward building and enjoying platonic relationships early this week. Intellectual conversations and brainstorming with friends and colleagues will be particularly satisfying, as will working toward a common goal like raising money for a favorite charity or submitting a proposal for a creative project. Lucky Numbers: 8, 10, 51
TAURUS You'll want to share what's in your heart with your sweetheart or a potential match at the start of the week. At the same time, planning a weekend getaway or enjoying another pastime that allows you to learn and experience something new together can feel extra satisfying. Later, you could be craving more independence on the job and clash with higher-ups when you attempt to assert your needs. Lucky Numbers: 29, 30, 31
GEMINI As the week begins, you'll be focused on building your connection with your significant other or someone new. Even if social invitations are flooding in, you might prefer to share quiet nights at home exploring your emotions and then expressing how you feel verbally and physically. Lucky Numbers: 6, 24, 58
CANCER You'll be exploring ways to transform yourself and experience personal growth, likely through a deep, powerful connection with a loved one or significant other early in the week. Allowing yourself to get carried away and curious about what you're experiencing can make for fulfilling results. Later, you might feel like you'll do your best work if you're collaborating with your significant other, a dear friend, or a close colleague. Lucky Numbers: 11, 19, 29
LEO Although you'll have your pick of gatherings, work happy hours, and other outings, you might gravitate to one-on-one time with a romantic interest or best friend as the week starts. You'll find that working through any existing emotional issues together and then forging a new path, which feels productive for you both, occurs organically and is satisfying mentally and emotionally. Later, the cosmos amplifies your self-improvement efforts. Lucky Numbers: 5, 14, 45
VIRGO You might find you're wearing your heart on your sleeve even more than usual when the week begins. But instead of feeling like it's nerve-wracking or worrisome, being vulnerable about your deepest emotions actually empowers you and infuses your connections with a magical vibe. Later, your day-to-day effort to hit the gym and make clean and delicious meals gets a boost in the form of support from friends and family. Lucky Numbers: 13, 40, 49
LIBRA When the week begins, your focus is on spending time with loved ones, ideally close to home. You'll want to nurture the aspects of life that make you feel secure and comfortable, whether that's relationships or routines that feel grounding and in line with who you are at your core. Later, you might find yourself wanting to express yourself creatively and connect in a flirtatious, fun-loving way with the people in your life. Lucky Numbers: 21, 27, 53
SCORPIO You might be steaming with frustration aimed at colleagues or higher-ups early in the week. Although you would prefer to repress it, dealing with your negative feelings in a measured, calculated way is your best bet. A confrontation needs to occur either way, so it's better if you can get ahead of it now. Later, the cosmos amplifies your craving for gentle affection and warm words exchanged with loved ones. Lucky Numbers: 4, 8, 40
SAGITTARIUS You might feel like you're speaking a different language than a dear friend or loved one when the week starts. Instead of jumping to sweeping conclusions right away, do your best to clarify. If you're still struggling to see eye to eye, you might do well to let the dust settle before attempting again. Later, you'll be fired up to elevate your moneymaking efforts and spend time bringing in new sources of cash. Lucky Numbers: 2, 10, 41
CAPRICORN You might feel like you're struggling to be recognized by those in a position of power, despite all your efforts at the start of the week. You might also feel more emotional and as though it's time to make major changes to feel more centered. Later, you'll have the green light to get after major personal goals. It's your time to shine and claim the spotlight doing whatever it is you feel compelled to do to heighten your sense of self and success. Lucky Numbers: 9, 11, 33
AQUARIUS Feeling more magnetic and affectionate is just one of the sweet benefits early this week. You're driven to pursue your favorite pleasurable activities, from having heartfelt, intellectually stimulating conversations to exploring and adventuring with friends, and if you're attached, your significant other. Allowing yourself to follow your heart and enjoy the romantic, self-nurturing side of life is restorative now. Lucky Numbers: 3, 35, 40
PISCES You'll find it's extra satisfying to spend time with friends and colleagues in the beginning of the week. The more group projects and community events you can involve yourself in, the more stimulated you'll feel intellectually and emotionally. What's more, working with others can help you reach personal goals during this period. Lucky Numbers: 31, 38, 49
By Ed Hill WI Contributing Writer
The Bowie State Bulldogs (6-4 overall, 5-3 CIAA) ended last season winning their last three games and are hoping that the momentum will carry into the 2024 season. Bowie State has been picked to finish fifth in the tough Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) under third-year head coach Kyle Jackson.
On offense, the Bulldogs were young but are hopeful that the end of the season success translates into motivation.
SPORTS from Page 8
other athletes, actors, mayors of other cities, and we’re willing to share the blueprint so others in other cities can build up their communities. We’ve been able to change lives.”
JAMES’ SUCCESS, DEDICATION TO HIS COMMUNITY
Reflecting on LeBron James’ journey to superstardom, his mother expressed pride not just in his athletic success, but in his dedication to his community.
“I’ve always been very proud of him,” Gloria James asserted. “He’s such a giving and caring and compassionate person. What’s most important to LeBron is the work that he does off the court. That’s the changes that he makes in the lives of the people in our community.”
The mother and philanthropist also shared her emotions during one of her son’s most iconic moments—carrying the Olympic flag.
The quarterbacking duties look to be a battle between redshirt junior Amir Jenkins and redshirt sophomore Jordan Morse. Jenkins was 104-of-169 passing for almost 1,100 yards and five touchdowns.
Morse proved to be a dual threat, passing for 575 yards while ranking among team leaders with 175 yards rushing yards.
Whoever gets the call will be handing off to redshirt senior Corey Johnson (81 carries, 281 yards and two touchdowns). The receiving corps should be a threat with the return of redshirt seniors Kyle Parker and Christopher Ferguson.
“Every time LeBron exceeds expectations, which is often, I feel he’s given more than he’s received. But seeing him carrying the Olympic flag made me feel even more special; that was almost surreal,” she noted. “Think back years ago when Blacks and people of color had such a hard time being chosen for something so honorable, so to see that made it even more special. To see them with medals around their necks, it just confirms that he’s done all the right things and he’s deserving.”
The excitement continues for the James family, as the Olympian’s son, Bronny James, is expected to join him on the Los Angeles Lakers for the upcoming season.
“That will be very special. I know LeBron is extremely excited about playing with his son,” the mother and grandmother said, beaming with pride at the prospect of the father-son duo making history together on the court.
Sean Jones, a Cleveland native, and Curtis James’ music partner accompanied the family to D.C. and reflected on his journey.
“When I released my first re-
On the defensive side, the Bulldogs will hang their success on the play and leadership of All-CIAA defensive back Devin Williams. One of the premier players at his position in Division II, Williams recorded 36 tackles, three interceptions and led the conference with 11 pass breakups.
Another player who had an outstanding campaign and showed that he is a force to be reckoned
cord, I was called the LeBron James of rap, but who would ever have thought I’d be sitting here today with LeBron’s mother, Gloria, and Curtis,” he remarked, acknowledging the deep connections that the James family has fostered within their community.
Despite the success, Gloria James said the family maintains a close circle.
“We’ve been really blessed,” she said. “Our family has been respectful. No one has really felt like they want a place in the center circle that we have, so things have worked out really well.”
In reflecting on the foundation’s broad impact, Gloria James summed up their mission with heartfelt pride.
“What’s most important to LeBron is the work that he does off the court. That’s the changes that he makes in the lives of the people in our community. Coming from this same community at a time when we also needed this same help— he’s only done what he promised to do.”
WI @StacyBrownMedia
with is redshirt defensive tackle Shawan Lewis. He proved to be an impact player, recording 45 tackles, 12 tackles for losses, and 7.5 sacks.
Yet, another factor for the Bulldogs defense is redshirt senior defensive back Hasan Mosley, who
SPORTS from Page 9
that are out here today, is transportation. So, at Fight For Children, we’re also tackling transportation. We’re starting a new program that focuses on actually moving kids from the school environment to the after-school program so that those parents don’t have to worry about that part of getting their kids educated,” Kallusky told The Informer.
For some of the organizations who serve the youth, the event gave them visibility and an opportunity to educate about the services that they provide.
"This is a great opportunity for the Youth Baseball Academy," noted Devin Hurtado of Washington Nationals Youth Baseball Academy. "We got a chance to sign up kids, 5-12 years old who are trying to get interested in baseball and softball. "We target Wards 7 and 8 and try to create a safe space for the kids. We definitely benefit from this event."
One of the event attendees was Dione Hamlett, a father of six.
"We found out about it and decided to come check it out," said Hamlett, who lives in Northeast, D.C. "This was more than expected. From what I see, it has something for everyone. The kids get exposed to different sports and can choose one that they might be interested in. Then for parents with large families like mine, it helps us financially
recorded
And for good measure, sophomore Jamir Roberts brought excitement as a return specialist, averaging almost 25 yards per return.
On Sept. 7, Bowie State opens the season at Lenoir Rhyne. WI
because the free school backpacks and supplies are one less expense for them as they prepare for school."
Some children were even able to don fresh looks for the first day of school, thanks to the event.
“They even had free haircuts,” Hamlett said.
Mahdi Beale, 10, who was attending the event for the first time, enjoyed participating in all the activities.
"You see a bunch of sports that you don't know about," observed Mahdi, who lives in Ward 7. "It is like a good family event where you can meet friends. I just saw one of my friends here. And then there are the food trucks. I'm glad I came."
Students like Mahdi not only had a good time, but were exposed to new sports and paths, which is a key aspect of the event and the programs involved.
“Really the focus of a lot of these non-profit organizations is increasing equity and access to sports programs,” Kallusky told The Informer.
At-Large City Councilmember Kenyan R. McDuffie (I) has long been a proponent of youth sports in the city and ensuring all children have access to athletic programming. For his commitment, he received the Fight For Children Inaugural Legislative Leader of the Year award. WI
Read more on washingtoninformer.com
fair participants about their country, which is celebrating 50 years.
By Hamil R. Harris WI Contributing Writer
The pastor and members of Emory Fellowship United Methodist Church, in Northwest, D.C., teamed up with a Houston organization to not only distribute truckloads of food and household goods on Saturday, Aug. 24, in preparation for the back-to-school season, but connect with the community in meaningful and transformative ways.
“We distributed food and household products to more than 1100 people,” said Emory’s Pastor the Rev. Joseph Daniels. “Each person who came through the line got a bag of food and a box of personal household goods.
Emory Beacon of Light, Inc.
AFRICA NOW from Page 20
(EBOL), the nonprofit arm of the Ward 4 church, collaborated with Bread of Life, Inc., one of the largest nonprofit food and household distributors from South Texas to Florida, to execute the critical community event.
Founded in 1996, EBOL is dedicated to empowering marginalized communities by offering a range of services and programs and the recent food and household giveaway with Bread of Life furthers that mission..
“We are doing this because the need is so great in our community,” said Daniels. “Our mission is simple – offering every broken-hearted person a whole life— from Georgia Avenue to across the globe. Food insecurity is rampant here, and this mass distribution
HEALTH from Page 23
event is our response to help meet the need.”
The event accommodated drivethroughs and walk-ups to assist the more than 500 families in attendance, who received essential food items as well as personal and household supplies.
“We are honored to extend our mission to Washington, D.C., and collaborate with Emory Beacon of Light to address the pressing issue of food insecurity,” said Pastor Rudy Rasmus, executive director of Bread of Life. “By coming to-
gether, we can make a meaningful impact and provide essential support to families in need.”
In addition to the Emory and Bread of Life collaboration, community partners included: BHI Construction and Real Estate Development, Fertile Ground, Crowder Owens Food Bank, Spaces in Action, and Matthew 25 Ministries.
Through various programming, Bread of Life currently serves over 15,000 individuals per month through food and supply distri-
across several Southern states.
This venture with Emory Beacon of Light and Emory Fellowship, offering monthly food and supplies drives, provides Bread of Life to expand its reach and further its mission of addressing hunger inequities.
“We plan to do this every month with the hope of spreading a campaign to eradicate hunger and food insecurity, “said Daniels.
WI
STRATHMORE from Page 40 which he eliminated all of his major rivals.
Biya introduced political reforms within the context of a one-party system in the 1980s, later accepting the introduction of multiparty politics in the early 1990s under serious pressure.
He won the contentious 1992 presidential election with 40% of the plural, single-ballot vote and was re-elected by large margins in 1997, 2004, 2011, and 2018.Opposition politicians and Western governments have alleged voting irregularities and fraud on each of these occasions.
Multiple sources have provided evidence that he did not win the elections in 1992, and the political opposition along with others have alleged subsequent elections suffered from rampant fraud.
WI
reason because you have to search and research and constantly fail in the lab. Our people are good at being resourceful and tenacious, and that’s what it takes to be scientists.”
As the co-founder and chief scientific officer of Polaris Genomics and TruGenomix Health, Cunningham is at the forefront of using genomics to tackle some of the most pressing health challenges, including PTSD.
He emphasized the importance of understanding diseases at the molecular level to develop effective treatments.
“Some cancers we are getting there, and some we can cure,” Cunningham noted. “In the next 20–25 years, that percentage will go up. Prevention helps us cure, but we have to understand at the molecular level what causes the
disease, and that’s what people like me do; molecular biologists and researchers continue to do.”
His peers said Cunningham’s journey from Shaw to shaping the future of genomics is a testament to the power of curiosity, determination, and the pursuit of knowledge.
Cunningham’s work is not just about advancing science; it’s about breaking down barriers and ensuring that genomics benefits are accessible to all communities.
“Not only as it pertains to communities of color but all humanity; these myths and stereotypes that are out here are from white supremacists, and they are not based on truth and facts,” Chavis stated. “Science is based on truth and facts. If our nation was better informed, we would not be so divisive.” WI
@StacyBrownMedia
profoundly recognized for his influence as an essayist and poet, Baldwin’s contributions as a playwright have also driven societal change, Long explained, and demonstrated artistry as a form of “social protest.”
With plays like “The Amen Corner (1955)” and “Blues for Mister Charlie (1964)” – his most recognized dramatic works – the dramatist fostered an environment where taboo topics and racial and gender stigmas could be explored on a deeper level.
According to Long, the constant critique of peers like Nikki Giovanni and Audre Lorde challenged Baldwin to create stories that sparked conversations and grappled with society, a platform the professor felt was best reflected in dramatic literature.
“Theater has always been sort of
a technology that participated in social justice movements, and Baldwin is very much a part of that genealogy,” Long told The Informer. “If we're talking about Baldwin, celebrating him and what he has done is also recognizing the other avenue in which he has taken, and that's dramatic literature and theater, to participate in social movements.”
Long jumped at the opportunity for Howard University’s Department of Theater Arts to debut select scenes of Baldwin’s two famed plays on Sept. 7, as part of Strathmore’s centennial celebration. He hopes that, with this performance, audiences will recognize Baldwin’s multigenerational influence and how he shapes today’s interpretation of not only his art, but others too.
WI
Read more on washingtoninformer.com.
Let's talk about the problem. This period in American history dates back to 1790, and for those enslaved ones, food was still scarce, thus the "thrifty genes" protected them. If you research the documentations found on record at the National Archives and Records Administration, slaves received rations in America.
Africans who managed to survive the slave trade here in America, arrived on the shores very strong. The majority of them worked in fields from sunup to sundown, six days per week, and, in many cases, seven days a week. Slaves ate what we call "soul food" scraps — hog mauls, chitterlings, pigtails, pig feet, pig ears — and they drank milk from a trough alongside other animals. This is true! No longer in our homeland, our people ate whatever was made available to them — scraps.
In an effort to create a delicious meal, the women worked at creating recipes they could all enjoy. They loved collard greens with fat back meat; they used lard, and learned to bake sweet potato pies, they cleaned chitterlings and made them into a delicacy to be eaten on special occasions, pots of beans seasoned with ham hocks, pigtails or pig feet, and seasoned with pork — a harmful but delicious tradition that still lives on today. Homemade biscuits from self-rising was the norm, made from white flour and lard. They learned to make hush puppies, candied yams, peach and apple cobblers, pies and cakes, all types of potatoes, cornbread, and the soul food list goes on and on.
Though the enslaved ate poor-
WITH LYNDIA GRANT
ly, they enjoyed it and were able to sustain themselves easily. Why? They didn't realize it at the time, but due to the hard work, physical labor in the fields 12-16 hours a day, the diet did not harm the slaves. The exercise burned off all negative possibilities. Compare our lifestyles today to that of the slaves — you will see what has happened.
The work was the difference — 12-16 hours each day of physical labor. That's a lot of time exercising! Plus, they had the so-called "thrifty genes," which allowed their bodies to preserve food in an appropriate manner, when food was scarce.
You are more likely to develop type 2 diabetes if you are not physically active, are overweight or have obesity. Extra weight sometimes causes insulin resistance and is common in people with type 2 diabetes. The location of body fat also makes a difference.
Published online in 2003, this health series has helped hundreds of thousands of people around the world, it has made its rounds.
Many of you can relate to this series because you have Type 2 diabetes, or someone close to you does. Research shows how there are more than 3 million people who have Type 2 diabetes today, one in every 10 people.
My mother only lived 12 years after her diagnosis of diabetes and through all her extreme complica-
tions. Here is the continuation of her story.
For new readers, perhaps this campaign can help you or someone you know. For the past 19 years, helping others to learn what we did not know has been my mission and goal. This 19-year campaign kicked off after the loss of my mother who succumbed to Type 2 diabetes on Christmas Day 2000. Over a 12-year period, due to a lack of knowledge, Mother lost both of her legs to amputations, had to have kidney dialysis several times each week, and suffered several strokes. This was a surprise to my family. We really didn't know what was coming our way!
Learn how my family could have avoided this devastation by changing the way our family eat daily. We did not know that we could have turned things around by eating little to no sweets, by having a very low-carbohydrate diet, and by eating lot of green vegetables, much of it raw. This along with regular exercise — 30 minutes daily, no less than five days per week — would have produced totally different results!
In 2022, the total cost of diagnosed diabetes in the United States was $412.9 billion, according to the U.S. Department of Health's Office of Minority Health. It all started when enslaved people were brought on slave ships to America. It was about diet and exercise! More in Part 3 next week. WI
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SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
Probate Division
Washington, D.C. 20001-2131
2023 ADM 000477
Estate of E. N Ade aka Esau N. Ade aka Esau Nji Ade
NOTICE OF STANDARD PROBATE
Notice is hereby given that a petition has been filed in this Court by Roseline Oniya for standard probate, including the appointment of one or more personal representatives. Unless a responsive pleading in the form of a complaint or an objection in accordance with Superior Court Probate Division Rule 407 is filed in this Court within 30 days from the date of first publication of this notice, the Court may take the action hereinafter set forth.
Order any interested person to show cause why the provisions of the lost or destroyed will dated June 12, 2013 should not be admitted to probate as expressed in petition
Appoint an unsupervised personal representative
Date of first publication: 8/15/2024
Sharon Legall
1325 G Street, NW Suite 500 Washington, NW 20005
Petitioner/Attorney:
TRUE TEST COPY
Nicole Stevens Register of Wills Washington Informer
SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA Civil Division
WILBERT LEE JACKSON, JR. : Plaintiff : : Vs : : Docket No. 2024 CAB000671 ROBERT JACKSON, et. Al., : Defendants : ORDER Before the Court is plaintiff’s Motion for an Order to Allow Service of Process by Publication filed on April 24, 2024. On February 1, 2024, plaintiff filed a Complaint seeking to quiet title for property located at 1646 Gales Street, NE. The instant motion seeks an order permitting service by publication “on all unknown owners of the property. . their heirs, devises, personal representatives, executives, administrators, grantees, assigns or successors, . . and any all persons having or claiming to have any interest” in the property.
WHEREFORE, for the above stated reasons and any others that may appear from a review of the entire record herein, it is this 1st day of July 20204, hereby
ORDERED: that plaintiff’s Motion for Publication is GRANTED
July 1, 2024 _________/S/____________ Date
MILTON C. LEE, JR
Associate Judge
SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA Probate Division Washington, D.C. 20001-2131
2024 ADM 000908
Jaeiza Harmal Decedent
Charles F. Walton
10905 Fort Washington Road Suite 201 Fort Washington, MD 20744
Attorney
NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS
Sandra Bond, whose address is 1522 Mateer Place Court, Missouri City, Texas 77459, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Jaeza Harmal who died on December 3, 2023 without a Will and will serve without Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance in this proceeding. Objections to such appointment shall be filed with the Register of Wills, D.C., 515 5th Street, N.W., Building A, Third Floor Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before 2/15/2025. Claims against the decedent shall be presented to the undersigned with a copy to the Register of Wills or filed with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned, on or before 2/15/2025, or be forever barred. Persons believed to be heirs or legatees of the decedent who do not receive a copy of this notice by mail within 25 days of its first publication shall so inform the Register of Wills, including name, address, and relationship.
Date of first publication: 8/15/2024
Sandra Bond Personal Representative
TRUE TEST COPY
Nicole Stevens Register of Wills Washington Informer
SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA Probate Division Washington, D.C. 20001-2131
2024 ADM 000912
Delores Jones Meikle Decedent
Deborah D. Boddie, Esq. ProbateLawDC 1308 Ninth Street, NW Ste. 300 Washington DC 20001 Attorney
NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS
Geraldine Burt, whose address is 3431 Carpenter Street, SE, Washington, DC 20020, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Delores Jones Meikle who died on June 14, 2023 without a Will and will serve without Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance in this proceeding. Objections to such appointment shall be filed with the Register of Wills, D.C., 515 5th Street, N.W., Building A, Third Floor Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before 2/22/2025. Claims against the decedent shall be presented to the undersigned with a copy to the Register of Wills or filed with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned, on or before 2/22/2025, or be forever barred. Persons believed to be heirs or legatees of the decedent who do not receive a copy of this notice by mail within 25 days of its first publication shall so inform the Register of Wills, including name, address, and relationship.
Date of first publication: 8/22/2024
Geraldine Burt Personal Representative
TRUE TEST COPY
Nicole Stevens Register of Wills Washington Informer
SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
PROBATE DIVISION Washington, D.C. 20001-2131
2024 FEP 000092
2/26/2021
Date of Death
Mary Smith Harrell Name of Decedent
NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT OF FOREIGN PERSONAL REPRESENTATIVE AND NOTICE TO CREDITORS
Davie E. Smith Jr. whose address is 1332 Randolph St., Washington, DC 20011 was appointed personal representative of the estate of Mary Smith Harrell, deceased, by the Register of Will Court for Prince George’s County, State of Maryland, on March 7, 2024.
Service of process may be made upon Davie E. Smith Jr., 1332 Randolph St., NW Washington, DC 20011 whose designation as District of Columbia agent has been filed with the Register of Wills, D.C.
The decedent owned the following District of Columbia real property: 4514 Texas Ave., SE, Washington, DC 20019. Claims against the decedent may be presented to the undersigned and filed with the Register of Wills of the District of Columbia, 515 5th Street, NW, Third Floor, Washington, D.C. 20001 within 6 months from the date of first publication of this notice.
Date of first publication: 8/15/2024
Davie E. Smith Jr.
Personal Representative
Nicole Stevens Register of Wills
Washington Informer
SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA Probate Division Washington, D.C. 20001-2131
2024 ADM 000542
Juan Rolando Green aka Juan R. Green Decedent
NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS
Tracy Steen, whose address is 3402 Wood Creek Dr., Suitland MD, 20746, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Juan Rolando Green aka Juan R. Green who died on 12/11/2022 without a Will and will serve without Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance in this proceeding.
Objections to such appointment shall be filed with the Register of Wills, D.C., 515 5th Street, N.W., Building A, Third Floor Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before 2/22/2025. Claims against the decedent shall be presented to the undersigned with a copy to the Register of Wills or filed with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned, on or before 2/22/2025, or be forever barred. Persons believed to be heirs or legatees of the decedent who do not receive a copy of this notice by mail within 25 days of its first publication shall so inform the Register of Wills, including name, address, and relationship.
Date of first publication: 8/22/2024
Tracy Steen
Personal Representative
TRUE TEST COPY
Nicole Stevens Register of Wills
Washington Informer
SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA Probate Division Washington, D.C. 20001-2131
2024 ADM 000866
Remona Montgomery aka Remona L. Montgomery Decedent
NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS
Sherrone Lowery, Shereece Lowery, whose addresses are 1731 Carriage Ct., Severn, MD 21144 & 1824 Village Square CT, Severn, MD 21144, were appointed Personal Representatives of the estate of Remona Montgomery aka Remona L. Montgomery who died on September 5, 2023 with a Will and will serve without Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance in this proceeding. Objections to such appointment (or to the probate of decedent’s Will) shall be filed with the Register of Wills, D.C., 515 5th Street, N.W., Building A, Third Floor Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before 2/15/2025. Claims against the decedent shall be presented to the undersigned with a copy to the Register of Wills or filed with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned, on or before 2/15/2025, or be forever barred. Persons believed to be heirs or legatees of the decedent who do not receive a copy of this notice by mail within 25 days of its first publication shall so inform the Register of Wills, including name, address, and relationship.
Date of first publication: 8/15/2024
Sherrone Lowery Shereece Lowery Personal Representative
TRUE TEST COPY
Nicole Stevens Register of Wills Washington Informer
SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA Probate Division Washington, D.C. 20001-2131
2024 ADM 886
Rosa Candida Aguilar Decedent
NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS
Marisol Mar Aguilar, whose address is 741 Longfellow St., NW, Apt. 410, Washington, DC 20002, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Rosa Candida Aguilar who died on 7/5/2024 without a Will and will serve without Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance in this proceeding. Objections to such appointment shall be filed with the Register of Wills, D.C., 515 5th Street, N.W., Building A, Third Floor Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before 2/22/2025. Claims against the decedent shall be presented to the undersigned with a copy to the Register of Wills or filed with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned, on or before 2/22/2025, or be forever barred. Persons believed to be heirs or legatees of the decedent who do not receive a copy of this notice by mail within 25 days of its first publication shall so inform the Register of Wills, including name, address, and relationship.
Date of first publication: 8/22/2024
Marisol Mar Aguilar Personal Representative
TRUE TEST COPY
Nicole Stevens Register of Wills Washington Informer
SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA CIVIL DIVISION WASHINGTON, D.C. 20001-2131
Jackson vs Jackson 2024-CAB-000671
Wilbert Lee Jackson, Jr. Plaintiff
Nathaniel Bush, Esq. 1119 44th Place, S.E. Washington, D.C. 20019
Attorney NOTICE OF SERVICE OF PROCESS BY PUBLICATION TO UNKNOWN HEIRS AND UNKNOWN PERSONS OF INTEREST IN THE PROPERTY LOCATED AT 1646 GALES STREET, N.E, WASHINGTON D.C. 20002.
Before the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, Civil Division, came the plaintiff Wilbert Lee Jackson, Jr., by Motion for an Order to Allow Service of Process by Publication filed on April 2, 2024. On February 1, 2024, plaintiff filed a Complaint seeking an order to quiet title to property located at 1646 Gales Street, N.E. premises situated, lying and being in the District of Columbia described as Square 4510 Lot 126. The motion seeks an order permitting service by publication “on all unknown owners of the property… their devises, personal representatives, executives, administrators, grantees, assigns and successors… and any persons having any interest” in the property. Persons believed to be heirs or legatees of the property set forth in the proceeding herein or any person claiming an interest in the property shall enter their appearance in this matter and file their claim or objection, in the Office of the Clerk of the Civil Division of the District of Columbia Superior Court, 500 Indiana Avenue, N.W., Room 5000, Washington, DC 20001 on or before 10/10/2024 or be forever barred. ORDERED by the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, that notice be given by the insertion of a copy of this order in the Daily Washington Law Reporter and a newspaper having a general circulation in the District of Columbia once a week for three (3) successive weeks notifying all person of interest or persons with a claim or in the real property described above to file said claim in the Civil Branch of the D.C. Superior Court.
SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA Probate Division Washington, D.C. 20001-2131
2021 ADM 000483
Mary J. Thomas Decedent
NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS
J. Anthony Concino III, Esq., whose address is 5335 Wisconsin Ave., NW, Suite 400, Washington, DC 20015, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Mary J. Thomas who died on November 17, 2020 with a Will. All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance in this proceeding. Objections to such appointment (or to the probate of decedent’s Will) shall be filed with the Register of Wills, D.C., 515 5th Street, N.W., Building A, Third Floor Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before 2/22/2025. Claims against the decedent shall be presented to the undersigned with a copy to the Register of Wills or filed with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned, on or before 2/22/2025, or be forever barred. Persons believed to be heirs or legatees of the decedent who do not receive a copy of this notice by mail within 25 days of its first publication shall so inform the Register of Wills, including name, address, and relationship.
Date of first publication: 8/22/2024
J. Anthony Concino III, Esq. Personal Representative
TRUE TEST COPY
Nicole Stevens Register of Wills
Washington Informer
SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
Probate Division Washington, D.C. 20001-2131
2024 ADM 000499
Willie F. Johnson Decedent
NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS
J. Anthony Concino III, Esq., whose address is 5335 Wisconsin Avenue, NW, Suite 400, Washington, DC 20015, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Willie F. Johnson who died on February 24, 2024 without a Will. All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance in this proceeding. Objections to such appointment (or to the probate of decedent’s Will) shall be filed with the Register of Wills, D.C., 515 5th Street, N.W., Building A, Third Floor Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before 2/22/2025. Claims against the decedent shall be presented to the undersigned with a copy to the Register of Wills or filed with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned, on or before 2/22/2025, or be forever barred. Persons believed to be heirs or legatees of the decedent who do not receive a copy of this notice by mail within 25 days of its first publication shall so inform the Register of Wills, including name, address, and relationship.
Date of first publication: 8/22/2024
J. Anthony Concino III, Esq.
Personal Representative
TRUE TEST COPY
Nicole Stevens Register of Wills
Washington Informer
SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
PROBATE DIVISION
Washington, D.C. 20001-2131
2024 FEP 94
January 12, 2024
Date of Death
Bobby Joe Anderson Name of Decedent
NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT OF FOREIGN PERSONAL REPRESENTATIVE AND NOTICE TO CREDITORS
Tabitha Anderson whose address is 415 Kendra Drive, Smithville, Tennessee 37166 was appointed personal representative of the estate of Bobby Joe Anderson, deceased, by the Chancery Court for Dekald County, State of Tennessee, on February 8, 2024.
Service of process may be made upon Robin Laupheimer 1920 L Street, NW, Suite 835, Washington, DC 20036 whose designation as District of Columbia agent has been filed with the Register of Wills, D.C. Decedent has cause of action in DC.
The decedent owned District of Columbia personal property. Claims against the decedent may be presented to the undersigned and filed with the Register of Wills of the District of Columbia, 515 5th Street, NW, Third Floor, Washington, D.C. 20001 within 6 months from the date of first publication of this notice.
Date of first publication: 8/22/2024
Tabitha Anderson Personal Representative
Nicole Stevens Register of Wills
Washington Informer
SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA Probate Division Washington, D.C. 20001-2131 2024 ADM 000934
Dorothy A. Mills Decedent
NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS
Lisa Mills Taylor, whose address is 804 New Orchard Place, Upper Marlboro, MD 20774, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Dorothy A. Mills who died on 5/31/2024 with a Will and will serve without Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance in this proceeding. Objections to such appointment (or to the probate of decedent’s Will) shall be filed with the Register of Wills, D.C., 515 5th Street, N.W., Building A, Third Floor Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before 2/22/2025. Claims against the decedent shall be presented to the undersigned with a copy to the Register of Wills or filed with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned, on or before 2/22/2025, or be forever barred. Persons believed to be heirs or legatees of the decedent who do not receive a copy of this notice by mail within 25 days of its first publication shall so inform the Register of Wills, including name, address, and relationship.
Date of first publication: 8/22/2024
Lisa Mills Taylor Personal Representative
SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA Probate Division Washington, D.C. 20001-2131 2024 ADM 000932
Lillie Mae Valentine Decedent
Julius P. Terrell, Esq. 1455 Pennsylvania Ave., NW, Suite 400 Washington, DC 20004 Attorney
NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS
Eric Valentine, whose address is 17920 Curio Dr., Pflugerville, TX 78660, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Lillie Mae Valentine who died on February 17, 2024 without a Will and will serve without Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance in this proceeding. Objections to such appointment shall be filed with the Register of Wills, D.C., 515 5th Street, N.W., Building A, Third Floor Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before 2/22/2025. Claims against the decedent shall be presented to the undersigned with a copy to the Register of Wills or filed with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned, on or before 2/22/2025, or be forever barred.
Persons believed to be heirs or legatees of the decedent who do not receive a copy of this notice by mail within 25 days of its first publication shall so inform the Register of Wills, including name, address, and relationship.
Date of first publication: 8/22/2024
Eric Valentine Personal Representative
TRUE TEST COPY
Nicole Stevens Register of Wills
Washington Informer
SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
Probate Division Washington, D.C. 20001-2131
2024 ADM 000921
Robert L. Davis
Decedent
Aimee D. Griffin, Esq. 5335 Wisconsin Avenue, NW Suite 440 Washington, DC 20015
Attorney
NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS
Brenda D. Jones, whose address is 6974 Kim Lane, Friendship, MD 20758, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Robert L. Davis who died on November 13, 2023 with a Will and will serve without Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance in this proceeding. Objections to such appointment (or to the probate of decedent’s Will) shall be filed with the Register of Wills, D.C., 515 5th Street, N.W., Building A, Third Floor Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before 2/22/2025. Claims against the decedent shall be presented to the undersigned with a copy to the Register of Wills or filed with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned, on or before 2/22/2025, or be forever barred. Persons believed to be heirs or legatees of the decedent who do not receive a copy of this notice by mail within 25 days of its first publication shall so inform the Register of Wills, including name, address, and relationship.
Date of first publication: 8/22/2024
Brenda D. Jones
Personal Representative
TRUE TEST COPY
Nicole Stevens Register of Wills
Washington Informer
SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
Probate Division Washington, D.C. 20001-2131
2024 ADM 000286
Joe Nelson Sprowl Decedent
NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS
J. Anthony Concino III, Esq., whose address is 5335 Wisconsin Ave., NW, Suite 400, Washington, DC 20015, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Joe Nelson Sprowl who died on April 29, 2021 without a Will. All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance in this proceeding. Objections to such appointment (or to the probate of decedent’s Will) shall be filed with the Register of Wills, D.C., 515 5th Street, N.W., Building A, Third Floor Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before 2/22/2025. Claims against the decedent shall be presented to the undersigned with a copy to the Register of Wills or filed with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned, on or before 2/22/2025, or be forever barred. Persons believed to be heirs or legatees of the decedent who do not receive a copy of this notice by mail within 25 days of its first publication shall so inform the Register of Wills, including name, address, and relationship.
Date of first publication: 8/22/2024
J. Anthony Concino III, Esq. Personal Representative
TRUE TEST COPY
Nicole Stevens Register of Wills Washington Informer
SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA Probate Division Washington, D.C. 20001-2131
2002 ADM 000994
Vernon Owens Decedent
NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS
J. Anthony Concino III, Esq., whose address is 5335 Wisconsin Ave., NW, Suite 400, Washington, DC 20015, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Vernon Owens who died on May 20, 2002 with a Will. All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance in this proceeding. Objections to such appointment (or to the probate of decedent’s Will) shall be filed with the Register of Wills, D.C., 515 5th Street, N.W., Building A, Third Floor Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before 2/22/2025. Claims against the decedent shall be presented to the undersigned with a copy to the Register of Wills or filed with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned, on or before 2/22/2025, or be forever barred. Persons believed to be heirs or legatees of the decedent who do not receive a copy of this notice by mail within 25 days of its first publication shall so inform the Register of Wills, including name, address, and relationship.
Date of first publication: 8/22/2024
J. Anthony Concino III, Esq. Personal Representative
TRUE TEST COPY
Nicole Stevens Register of Wills
Washington Informer
SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA Probate Division Washington, D.C. 20001-2131
2024 ADM 000566
Darrell Dease Decedent
NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS
Jewel Walker-Dease, whose address is 404 Oakwood St., SE, Washington, DC 20032, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Darrell Dease who died on April 10, 2024 without a Will and will serve without Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance in this proceeding. Objections to such appointment shall be filed with the Register of Wills, D.C., 515 5th Street, N.W., Building A, Third Floor Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before 2/28/2025. Claims against the decedent shall be presented to the undersigned with a copy to the Register of Wills or filed with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned, on or before 2/28/2025, or be forever barred. Persons believed to be heirs or legatees of the decedent who do not receive a copy of this notice by mail within 25 days of its first publication shall so inform the Register of Wills, including name, address, and relationship.
Date of first publication: 8/29/2024
Jewel Walker-Dease Personal Representative
TRUE TEST COPY
Nicole Stevens Register of Wills
Washington Informer
SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA Probate Division Washington, D.C. 20001-2131
2024 ADM 913
Alice J. Gatewood Decedent
Deborah D. Boddie, Esq. ProbateLawDC 1308 Ninth Street, NW, Suite 300 Washington, DC 20001 Attorney
NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS
Norman L. Gatewood, whose address is 3105 McBride Court, Burtonsville, MD 20866, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Alice J. Gatewood who died on July 22, 2015 with a Will and will serve without Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance in this proceeding. Objections to such appointment (or to the probate of decedent’s Will) shall be filed with the Register of Wills, D.C., 515 5th Street, N.W., Building A, Third Floor Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before 2/22/2025. Claims against the decedent shall be presented to the undersigned with a copy to the Register of Wills or filed with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned, on or before 2/22/2025, or be forever barred. Persons believed to be heirs or legatees of the decedent who do not receive a copy of this notice by mail within 25 days of its first publication shall so inform the Register of Wills, including name, address, and relationship.
Date of first publication: 8/22/2024
Alice J. Gatewood Personal Representative
TRUE TEST COPY Nicole Stevens Register of Wills
Washington Informer
SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA Probate Division Washington, D.C. 20001-2131
2024 ADM 000962
Mark S. Bell aka Mark Steven Bell aka Mark Stephen Bell Decedent
NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS
Marsha Ridgley, whose address is 712 Underwood St., NW, Washington, DC 20012, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Mark S. Bell aka Mark Steven Bell aka Mark Stephen Bell who died on 6/28/2024 with a Will and will serve without Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance in this proceeding. Objections to such appointment (or to the probate of decedent’s Will) shall be filed with the Register of Wills, D.C., 515 5th Street, N.W., Building A, Third Floor Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before 3/1/2025. Claims against the decedent shall be presented to the undersigned with a copy to the Register of Wills or filed with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned, on or before 3/1/2025, or be forever barred. Persons believed to be heirs or legatees of the decedent who do not receive a copy of this notice by mail within 25 days of its first publication shall so inform the Register of Wills, including name, address, and relationship.
Date of first publication: 8/29/2024
Marsha Ridgley
Personal Representative
TRUE TEST COPY
Nicole Stevens Register of Wills
Washington Informer
SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
Probate Division Washington, D.C. 20001-2131
2024 ADM 000917
Seth Alexander Selby Tetro Decedent
Ann Nathanson
Norris Law Group
600 14th Street, NW, Fifth Floor Washington, DC 20005
Attorney
NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS
Christine Selby Regan, whose address is 2415 Jaywood Drive, Titusville, FL 32780, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Seth Alexander Selby Tetro who died on October 19, 2023 without a Will and will serve without Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance in this proceeding. Objections to such appointment shall be filed with the Register of Wills, D.C., 515 5th Street, N.W., Building A, Third Floor Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before 3/1/2025. Claims against the decedent shall be presented to the undersigned with a copy to the Register of Wills or filed with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned, on or before 3/1/2025, or be forever barred. Persons believed to be heirs or legatees of the decedent who do not receive a copy of this notice by mail within 25 days of its first publication shall so inform the Register of Wills, including name, address, and relationship.
Date of first publication: 8/29/2024
Christine Selby Regan
Personal Representative
TRUE TEST COPY
Nicole Stevens Register of Wills
Washington Informer
SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
Probate Division Washington, D.C. 20001-2131
2023 ADM 000020
Helen V. Williams Decedent
NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS
J. Anthony Concino III, Esq., whose address is 5335 Wisconsin Avenue, NW, Suite 400, Washington, DC 20015, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Helen V. Williams who died on November 14, 2021 without a Will. All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance in this proceeding. Objections to such appointment (or to the probate of decedent’s Will) shall be filed with the Register of Wills, D.C., 515 5th Street, N.W., Building A, Third Floor Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before 3/1/2025. Claims against the decedent shall be presented to the undersigned with a copy to the Register of Wills or filed with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned, on or before 3/1/2025, or be forever barred. Persons believed to be heirs or legatees of the decedent who do not receive a copy of this notice by mail within 25 days of its first publication shall so inform the Register of Wills, including name, address, and relationship.
Date of first publication: 2/29/2024
J. Anthony Concino III, Esq. Personal Representative
TRUE
Register of Wills Washington Informer
SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
Probate Division Washington, D.C. 20001-2131
2024 ADM 000927
Patricia Ann O’Connor Decedent
NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS
Kent C. Cooper, whose address is 6004 Nevada Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20015, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Patricia Ann O’Connor who died on May 1, 2024 with a Will and will serve without Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance in this proceeding. Objections to such appointment (or to the probate of decedent’s Will) shall be filed with the Register of Wills, D.C., 515 5th Street, N.W., Building A, Third Floor Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before 3/1/2025. Claims against the decedent shall be presented to the undersigned with a copy to the Register of Wills or filed with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned, on or before 3/1/2025, or be forever barred. Persons believed to be heirs or legatees of the decedent who do not receive a copy of this notice by mail within 25 days of its first publication shall so inform the Register of Wills, including name, address, and relationship.
Date of first publication: 8/29/2024
Kent C. Cooper Personal Representative
TRUE TEST COPY
Nicole Stevens Register of Wills
Washington Informer
SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
Probate Division Washington, D.C. 20001-2131
2024 ADM 967
Hazel W. Myers Decedent
NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS
Colleen H. Brown, whose address is 3309 Slaughter Road, Henrico, VA 23228, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Hazel W. Myers who died on April 19, 2020 with a Will and will serve without Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance in this proceeding. Objections to such appointment (or to the probate of decedent’s Will) shall be filed with the Register of Wills, D.C., 515 5th Street, N.W., Building A, Third Floor Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before 3/1/2025. Claims against the decedent shall be presented to the undersigned with a copy to the Register of Wills or filed with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned, on or before 3/1/2025, or be forever barred. Persons believed to be heirs or legatees of the decedent who do not receive a copy of this notice by mail within 25 days of its first publication shall so inform the Register of Wills, including name, address, and relationship.
Date of first publication: 8/29/2024
Colleen H. Brown Personal Representative
TRUE TEST COPY
Nicole Stevens Register of Wills Washington Informer
SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
Probate Division Washington, D.C. 20001-2131
2024 ADM 000955
Marva Louise Smith
Decedent
Stevaughn Bush
600 Maryland Ave., SW, Ste. 800E Washington, DC 20024
Attorney
NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS
Joyce Z. Pascal-Kilcore, whose address is 2752 Unicorn Ln., NW, Washington, DC 20015, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Marva Louise Smith who died on June 7, 2024 without a Will and will serve without Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance in this proceeding. Objections to such appointment shall be filed with the Register of Wills, D.C., 515 5th Street, N.W., Building A, Third Floor Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before 2/28/2025. Claims against the decedent shall be presented to the undersigned with a copy to the Register of Wills or filed with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned, on or before 2/28/2025, or be forever barred. Persons believed to be heirs or legatees of the decedent who do not receive a copy of this notice by mail within 25 days of its first publication shall so inform the Register of Wills, including name, address, and relationship.
Date of first publication: 8/29/2024
Joyce Z. Pascal-Kilgore Personal Representative
TRUE TEST COPY
Nicole Stevens Register of Wills Washington Informer
SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
Probate Division Washington, D.C. 20001-2131
2024 ADM 000953
Gladys Dickerson Decedent
NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS
Michael Dickerson, whose address is 7415 Quail Ridge Ln., Bowie MD 20720, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Gladys Dickerson who died on July 17, 2022 without a Will and will serve without Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance in this proceeding. Objections to such appointment (or to the probate of decedent’s Will) shall be filed with the Register of Wills, D.C., 515 5th Street, N.W., Building A, Third Floor Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before 2/28/2024. 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 2/28/2024, 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: 8/29/2024
Michael Dickerson Personal Representative
TRUE TEST COPY
Nicole Stevens Register of Wills
Washington Informer
SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA Probate Division Washington, D.C. 20001-2131
2024 ADM 000923
Lawrence Yates Jr. Decedent
NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS
Karen Yates, whose address is 3083 Brinkley Rd. #T1, Temple Hills, MD 20748, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Lawrence Yates Jr. who died on July 20, 1997 without a Will and will serve without Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance in this proceeding. Objections to such appointment shall be filed with the Register of Wills, D.C., 515 5th Street, N.W., Building A, Third Floor Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before 8/29/2025. Claims against the decedent shall be presented to the undersigned with a copy to the Register of Wills or filed with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned, on or before 8/29/2025, or be forever barred. Persons believed to be heirs or legatees of the decedent who do not receive a copy of this notice by mail within 25 days of its first publication shall so inform the Register of Wills, including name, address, and relationship.
Date of first publication: 8/29/2024
Karen Yates Personal Representative
TRUE TEST COPY
Nicole Stevens Register of Wills Washington Informer
SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA Probate Division Washington, D.C. 20001-2131
2024 ADM 000975
Georgia-Jean F. Hollander Decedent
NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS
Richard E. Hollander, whose address is 3407 Rodman Street, NW, Washington, DC 20008, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Georgia-Jean F. Hollander who died on April 7, 2024 with a Will and will serve without Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance in this proceeding. Objections to such appointment (or to the probate of decedent’s Will) shall be filed with the Register of Wills, D.C., 515 5th Street, N.W., Building A, Third Floor Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before 3/1/2025. Claims against the decedent shall be presented to the undersigned with a copy to the Register of Wills or filed with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned, on or before 3/1/2025, or be forever barred. Persons believed to be heirs or legatees of the decedent who do not receive a copy of this notice by mail within 25 days of its first publication shall so inform the Register of Wills, including name, address, and relationship.
Date of first publication: 8/29/2024
Richard E. Hollander
Personal Representative
TRUE TEST COPY
Nicole Stevens Register of Wills Washington Informer
SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA Probate Division Washington, D.C. 20001-2131
2024 ADM 964
Jamil Atif Abdus Sabur David Decedent
NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS
Elijah Stewart, whose address is 82 Galveston St., SW #301, Washington, DC 20032, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Jamil Atif Abdus Sabur David who died on 1/20/2024 without a Will and will serve without Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance in this proceeding. Objections to such appointment shall be filed with the Register of Wills, D.C., 515 5th Street, N.W., Building A, Third Floor Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before 3/1/2025. Claims against the decedent shall be presented to the undersigned with a copy to the Register of Wills or filed with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned, on or before 3/1/2025, or be forever barred. Persons believed to be heirs or legatees of the decedent who do not receive a copy of this notice by mail within 25 days of its first publication shall so inform the Register of Wills, including name, address, and relationship.
Date of first publication: 8/29/2024
Elijah Stewart Personal Representative
TRUE TEST COPY
Nicole Stevens Register of Wills
Washington Informer
SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA Probate Division Washington, D.C. 20001-2131
2024 ADM 969
Ernest E. Reed
Decedent
NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS
Regina R. Dillingham, whose address is 416 F Street, NE, Washington, DC 20002, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Ernest E. Reed who died on January 23, 2020 without a Will and will serve without Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance in this proceeding. Objections to such appointment shall be filed with the Register of Wills, D.C., 515 5th Street, N.W., Building A, Third Floor Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before 3/1/2025. Claims against the decedent shall be presented to the undersigned with a copy to the Register of Wills or filed with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned, on or before 3/1/2025, or be forever barred. Persons believed to be heirs or legatees of the decedent who do not receive a copy of this notice by mail within 25 days of its first publication shall so inform the Register of Wills, including name, address, and relationship.
Date of first publication: 8/29/2024
Ernest E. Reed Personal Representative
TRUE TEST COPY
Nicole Stevens Register of Wills
Washington Informer
SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
PROBATE DIVISION
Washington, D.C. 20001-2131
2024 FEP 000098
October 19, 2021
Date of Death
Earl Wheeler, Jr.
Name of Decedent
NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT OF FOREIGN PERSONAL REPRESENTATIVE AND NOTICE TO CREDITORS
Danita L. Brooks whose address is 733 Tola Court, Hyattsville, MD 20785 was appointed personal representative of the estate of Earl Wheeler, Jr., deceased, by the Orphans Court for Prince Georges County, State of Maryland, on February 1, 2022. Service of process may be made upon James Larry Frazier, Esq., 918 Maryland Avenue, NE, Washington, DC 20002 whose designation as District of Columbia agent has been filed with the Register of Wills, D.C.
The decedent owned the following District of Columbia real property.
Interest in Square 4474, Lot 0055 1020 19th Street, NE, Washington, DC 20002. Claims against the decedent may be presented to the undersigned and filed with the Register of Wills of the District of Columbia, 515 5th Street, NW, Third Floor, Washington, D.C. 20001 within 6 months from the date of first publication of this notice.
Date of first publication: 8/29/2024
Danita L. Brooks Personal Representative
Nicole Stevens Register of Wills
Washington Informer
SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
PROBATE DIVISION
Washington, D.C. 20001-2131
2024 FEP 000097
March 26, 2024
Date of Death
Archie B. Reed
Name of Decedent
NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT OF FOREIGN PERSONAL REPRESENTATIVE AND NOTICE TO CREDITORS
Archie Byron Reed whose address is 5212 Bordeaux Cove, Ellicott City, MD 21043 was appointed personal representative of the estate of Archie B. Reed, deceased, by the Register of Wills Court for Howard County, State of Maryland, on June 17, 2024.
Service of process may be made upon Ralphaello McKeython 716 Harvard Street, NW, Washington, DC 20001 whose designation as District of Columbia agent has been filed with the Register of Wills, D.C.
The decedent owned the following District of Columbia real property.
4349 Dubois Place, SE, Washington, DC 20019. Claims against the decedent may be presented to the undersigned and filed with the Register of Wills of the District of Columbia, 515 5th Street, NW, Third Floor, Washington, D.C. 20001 within 6 months from the date of first publication of this notice.
Date of first publication: 8/29/2024
Archie Byron Reed Personal Representative
Nicole Stevens Register of Wills
Washington Informer
SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
Probate Division Washington, D.C. 20001-2131
2024 ADM 966
David Louis Balentine Decedent
Rachelle H. Raphael, Esq. 4800 Hampden Lane, Ste. 200 Bethesda, MD 20814 Attorney
NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS
Barbara Ann LeRoy, whose address is 17 Woodside Circle, Evans, GA 30809, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of David Louis Balentine who died on May 7, 2024 without a Will and will serve without Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance in this proceeding. Objections to such appointment shall be filed with the Register of Wills, D.C., 515 5th Street, N.W., Building A, Third Floor Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before 3/1/2025. Claims against the decedent shall be presented to the undersigned with a copy to the Register of Wills or filed with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned, on or before 3/1/2025, or be forever barred. Persons believed to be heirs or legatees of the decedent who do not receive a copy of this notice by mail within 25 days of its first publication shall so inform the Register of Wills, including name, address, and relationship.
Date of first publication: 8/29/2024
Barbara Ann LeRoy Personal Representative
TRUE TEST COPY
Nicole Stevens Register of Wills Washington Informer
SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA Probate Division Washington, D.C. 20001-2131 2024 ADM 000919
Annie L. Ratcliff Decedent
Peggy A. Miller, Esq. 5130 7th St., NE Washington, DC 20011-2625 Attorney
NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS
Jacqueline Y. Dorrah, whose address is 7021 Dewdrop Way, Clinton, MD 20735, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Annie L. Ratcliff who died on June 23, 2024 with a Will and will serve without Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance in this proceeding. Objections to such appointment (or to the probate of decedent’s Will) shall be filed with the Register of Wills, D.C., 515 5th Street, N.W., Building A, Third Floor Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before 3/1/2025. Claims against the decedent shall be presented to the undersigned with a copy to the Register of Wills or filed with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned, on or before 3/1/2025, or be forever barred. Persons believed to be heirs or legatees of the decedent who do not receive a copy of this notice by mail within 25 days of its first publication shall so inform the Register of Wills, including name, address, and relationship.
Date of first publication: 8/29/2024
Jacqueline Y. Dorrah Personal Representative
TRUE TEST COPY
Nicole Stevens Register of Wills Washington Informer
SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA Probate Division Washington, D.C. 20001-2131
2024 ADM 000973
Christian Berger Tankoua Nzoudja Decedent
NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS
Charlin Junior Ngabmen, whose address is 10707 Glenhaven Dr., Silver Spring, MD 20902, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Christian Berger Tankoua Nzoudja who died on 7/15/2024 without a Will and will serve without Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance in this proceeding. Objections to such appointment shall be filed with the Register of Wills, D.C., 515 5th Street, N.W., Building A, Third Floor Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before 3/1/2025. Claims against the decedent shall be presented to the undersigned with a copy to the Register of Wills or filed with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned, on or before 3/1/2025, or be forever barred. Persons believed to be heirs or legatees of the decedent who do not receive a copy of this notice by mail within 25 days of its first publication shall so inform the Register of Wills, including name, address, and relationship.
Date of first publication: 8/29/2024
Charlin Junior Ngabmen Personal Representative
TRUE TEST COPY
Nicole Stevens
Register of Wills
Washington Informer
SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA Probate Division Washington, D.C. 20001-2131 2024 ADM 000965
Pauline Elizabeth Johnson Decedent
George A. Teitelbaum, Esq. 2416 Blueridge Ave., Suite 200 Wheaton, MD 20902 Attorney
NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS
Eric G. Klimes, whose address is 933 E. Foxhill Dr., Fresno, CA 93720, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Pauline Elizabeth Johnson who died on June 28, 2024 without a Will and will serve without Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance in this proceeding. Objections to such appointment shall be filed with the Register of Wills, D.C., 515 5th Street, N.W., Building A, Third Floor Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before 2/22/2025. Claims against the decedent shall be presented to the undersigned with a copy to the Register of Wills or filed with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned, on or before 2/22/2025, or be forever barred. Persons believed to be heirs or legatees of the decedent who do not receive a copy of this notice by mail within 25 days of its first publication shall so inform the Register of Wills, including name, address, and relationship.
Date of first publication: 8/22/2024
Eric G. Klimes
Personal Representative
TRUE TEST COPY
Nicole Stevens Register of Wills
Washington Informer
SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
Probate Division Washington, D.C. 20001-2131
2024 ADM 000985
Ramona Battle Decedent
Peggy Miller 5130 7th Street, NE Washington, DC 20011-2625
Attorney
NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS
Deborah Williams, whose address is 725 North Ripley Street, Alexandria, VA 22304, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Ramona Battle who died on March 7, 2024 without a Will and will serve without Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance in this proceeding. Objections to such appointment shall be filed with the Register of Wills, D.C., 515 5th Street, N.W., Building A, Third Floor Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before 3/5/2025. Claims against the decedent shall be presented to the undersigned with a copy to the Register of Wills or filed with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned, on or before 3/5/2025, or be forever barred. Persons believed to be heirs or legatees of the decedent who do not receive a copy of this notice by mail within 25 days of its first publication shall so inform the Register of Wills, including name, address, and relationship.
Date of first publication: 9/5/2024
Deborah Williams Personal Representative
TRUE TEST COPY
Nicole Stevens Register of Wills Washington Informer
SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA Probate Division Washington, D.C. 20001-2131
2024 ADM 000979
Larry D. Simmons aka Larry Darnell Simmons Decedent
NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS
Peggy Ann Bullocks, whose address is 10339 Sager Ave., Fairfax, VA 22030, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Larry D. Simmons aka Larry Darnell Simmons who died on 7/2/2024 without a Will and will serve without Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance in this proceeding. Objections to such appointment shall be filed with the Register of Wills, D.C., 515 5th Street, N.W., Building A, Third Floor Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before 3/5/2025. Claims against the decedent shall be presented to the undersigned with a copy to the Register of Wills or filed with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned, on or before 3/5/2025, or be forever barred. Persons believed to be heirs or legatees of the decedent who do not receive a copy of this notice by mail within 25 days of its first publication shall so inform the Register of Wills, including name, address, and relationship.
Date of first publication: 9/5/2024
Peggy Ann Bullocks Personal Representative
TRUE TEST COPY
Nicole Stevens Register of Wills Washington Informer
SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA Probate Division Washington, D.C. 20001-2131
2024 ADM 1082
Estate of Martha Vernell Jones
NOTICE OF STANDARD PROBATE
Notice is hereby given that a petition has been filed in this Court by Ashley Renee Ruff for standard probate, including the appointment of one or more personal representatives. Unless a responsive pleading in the form of a complaint or an objection in accordance with Superior Court Probate Division Rule 407 is filed in this Court within 30 days from the date of first publication of this notice, the Court may take the action hereinafter set forth.
appoint a supervised personal representative
Date of first publication: 9/5/2024
Ashley Renee Ruff 3929 Ames Street NE Petitioner/Attorney:
TRUE TEST COPY
Nicole Stevens Register of Wills
Washington Informer
SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA Probate Division Washington, D.C. 20001-2131
2024 ADM 000987
Annie B. Goode Decedent
NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS
Ernest D. Banks, Jr., whose address is 700 12th Street, NW, #700 Washington, DC 20005, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Annie B. Goode who died on 4/7/2024 with a Will and will serve without Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance in this proceeding. Objections to such appointment (or to the probate of decedent’s Will) shall be filed with the Register of Wills, D.C., 515 5th Street, N.W., Building A, Third Floor Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before 3/5/2025. Claims against the decedent shall be presented to the undersigned with a copy to the Register of Wills or filed with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned, on or before 3/5/2025, or be forever barred. Persons believed to be heirs or legatees of the decedent who do not receive a copy of this notice by mail within 25 days of its first publication shall so inform the Register of Wills, including name, address, and relationship.
Date of first publication: 9/5/2024
Ernest D. Banks, Jr. Personal Representative
TRUE TEST COPY
Nicole Stevens Register of Wills
Washington Informer
SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
Probate Division Washington, D.C. 20001-2131
2024 ADM 000267
Jessica Lynn Davis
Decedent
Darrel S. Parker, Esq. 1822 11th Street, NW Washington, DC 20001
Attorney
NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS
Darrel S. Parker, Esq., whose address is 1822 11th Street NW, Washington, DC 20001, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Jessica Lynn Davis who died on June 8, 2021 without a Will and will serve without Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance in this proceeding. Objections to such appointment (or to the probate of decedent’s Will) shall be filed with the Register of Wills, D.C., 515 5th Street, N.W., Building A, Third Floor Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before 3/5/2025. Claims against the decedent shall be presented to the undersigned with a copy to the Register of Wills or filed with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned, on or before 3/5/2025, or be forever barred. Persons believed to be heirs or legatees of the decedent who do not receive a copy of this notice by mail within 25 days of its first publication shall so inform the Register of Wills, including name, address, and relationship.
Date of first publication: 9/5/2024
Darrel S. Parker, Esq. Personal Representative
TRUE TEST COPY
Nicole Stevens Register of Wills Washington Informer
SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA Probate Division Washington, D.C. 20001-2131
2024 ADM 000985
Ramona Battle Decedent
Peggy Miller 5130 7th Street, NE Washington, DC 20011-2625 Attorney
NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS
Deborah Williams, whose address is 725 North Ripley Street, Alexandria, VA 22304, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Ramona Battle who died on March 7, 2024 without a Will and will serve without Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance in this proceeding. Objections to such appointment shall be filed with the Register of Wills, D.C., 515 5th Street, N.W., Building A, Third Floor Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before 3/5/2025. Claims against the decedent shall be presented to the undersigned with a copy to the Register of Wills or filed with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned, on or before 3/5/2025, or be forever barred. Persons believed to be heirs or legatees of the decedent who do not receive a copy of this notice by mail within 25 days of its first publication shall so inform the Register of Wills, including name, address, and relationship.
Date of first publication: 9/5/2024
Deborah Williams
Personal Representative
TRUE TEST COPY
Nicole Stevens Register of Wills
Washington Informer
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REYNOLDS from Page 34
your registration status, make sure your information is current, and encourage others to do the same.
To protect our right to vote, we must be vigilant and proactive and refuse to be silenced. I will continue to fight for the passage of the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act and the Freedom to Vote federal legislation by Congress. Checking our registration status is only the beginning. We must also turn out in force on November 5. If we vote in large numbers, our voices cannot be ignored.
from Page 34
Some changes would require preclearance nationwide, such as creating at-large districts or changing jurisdiction boundaries in places with large populations of color, imposing stricter documentation or ID requirements to vote, making it easier to purge voters of color from the rolls, or significantly reducing the opportunity to vote in communities of color.
Other provisions of the John Lewis Act include:
• Making Election Day a public holiday.
• Expanding voter registration, including same-day and automatic registration.
• Expanding early voting and vote-by-mail options.
MARSHALL from Page 34
trigger in a new rise of abandoned newborn babies, and in some cases, the abandonment leads to their death? Regardless of whether a person supports or opposes abortion bans, the abortion issue has become too politicized.
The message for pro-life advocates should be clear by now. The motive for politicians like Donald Trump and his running mate is only to do what it takes to get elected. There is no genuine concern for an unborn baby or the desperate situations a new mother or mother-to-be faces. Trump's shifting stance on abortion issues, such as a federal abortion ban, shows he is feeling the political heat from the Harris campaign.
In other words, there is no unwavering commitment to the pro-life movement, which was a critical voting bloc that helped Trump get elected in 2016. Now, in 2024, Trump's stance on abortion may prove to be a
Let's send Governor Abbott and his associates a clear message that we will not be swayed, silenced, or stand idly by while our rights are stripped away. This is our state, our democracy, and our future; we will fight for it with everything we have.
Governor Abbott's voter purge is a stark reminder that the struggle for civil rights is far from over. It underscores the persistence of oppressive forces willing to go to any lengths to retain their grip on power. However, it also reawakens our strength, resilience, and determination. We have faced such
• Requiring public announcement of voting changes at least 180 days before an election.
• Enabling the federal government to dispatch observers to polling places with a noted pattern of discrimination.
• Expanding restrictions on campaign spending by foreign nationals.
• Banning partisan gerrymandering.
• Make it a criminal offense to "corruptly hinder, interfere with, or prevent another person from registering to vote or helping someone register to vote."
Since the Shelby decision, states have added at least 100 restrictive voting laws. Voters in almost half the country will face new voting restrictions this fall. And if the
political liability in November. Prolife advocates need to wake up because some GOP candidates will start to back away from the pro-life movement if they conclude it's a liability to them being elected.
Banning abortion does not make the problem go away. The reality we are facing in society comes down to a simple fact: a person who gets pregnant may not want to have a baby. With or without legal abortion, this is a fact that will never go away. In referring to the issue of forced parenthood during oral arguments for the case that overturned Roe v. Wade, Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett echoed a sentiment anti-abortion activists have promoted for years, asking: "Why don't the safe haven laws take care of that problem?"
Texas passed the nation's first safe haven law in 1999 after a spike of deserted babies in the Houston area. It allowed the parent to surrender their baby at any hospital, fire station or emergency medical service station.
challenges before and emerged victorious, and we will do so again. As Dr. King famously said, "The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice." This arc only bends when we actively push it, fight for it, and refuse to surrender. Let us roll up our sleeves, get to work, and propel that arc toward justice once more. Let's fight for our right to vote, for our democracy, and for the future of Texas. United, we will ensure that every voice is heard and that our state progresses forward, not backward.
WI
architects of the extremist Project 2025 agenda have their way, voting rights will be even further eviscerated. The Civil Rights Division of U.S. Department of Justice, which enforces civil provisions of the federal laws that protect the right to vote, would be eliminated. The FBI would be prohibited from combating the spread of misinformation and disinformation, which has given rise to election-related violence and harassment of election workers.
Next year marks the 60th anniversary of the Voting Rights Act. Will we meet that anniversary proudly, having honored the promises of the act? Or will those promises lie shattered at our feet?
WI
The only condition was that the baby not be more than 30 days old. Today, the law allows up to 60 days. By 2008, all 50 states had adopted safe haven laws.
Northwestern University professor Katie Watson, who teaches law, ethics and humanities to medical students, said the conservative argument that safe havens are an alternative to abortions is disingenuous. Safe havens were never intended to serve as an alternative to abortion. They were developed to offer an alternative to infanticide, Watson said. Pro-life advocates have placed too much of their focus on politics and laws rather than meeting a desperate and hurt woman at her place of need. Safe haven laws are only a reaction to a problem. They are not a proactive solution in supporting women who are overwhelmed with the personal emotional challenges of "motherhood" before and after birth.
WI
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KING from Page 35
to famous cities — New York, San Francisco, Chicago and more. I realized that Atlanta deserved a tribute that captures its unique spirit and resilience.
The question posed in the song, "Can anything good come out of Atlanta?" is inspired by the biblical passage where Nathanael asks,
EDELMAN from Page 35
them a richer education experience than Mississippi public schools offered them. Some of the student Freedom Summer volunteers were trained to teach in these "schools," held in church basements, on back porches, in parks and even under trees. I remember visiting a freedom school under a tall old oak tree in Greenwood, Mississippi, and hearing Pete Seeger sing. Before the arson that led to the Freedom Summer murders, Mount Zion Methodist Church had been a planned freedom school site. Freedom schools provided reading instruction, a humanities curriculum including creative writing, a general mathematics and science curriculum, and even French. They also taught subjects the public
We saw this during the debate on Michigan's historic climate and jobs legislation. Environmental groups, labor organizations, and state officials worked together, in good faith and with open lines of communication, to make sure the principles of a just transition were applied. Part of the legislation was the creation of a special office, under the Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity, dedicated to a just transition: the Community & Worker Economic Transition Office. Its purpose is "to develop proactive strategies that help companies and Michiganders take full advantage of the high-tech, high-paying jobs coming to the state."
When labor leaders testified in favor of the legislation and about the need for that office, at least one opponent of the bill tried to twist their testimony to suggest they were saying clean energy initiatives were killing jobs — which was not what they were saying at all. At times throughout the legislative session, rumors circulated that labor groups were obstructing progress on the
"Can anything good come out of Nazareth?" Just as the life of my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, began in Nazareth, so too does the story of many great leaders and movements begin in cities like Atlanta.
As we release this song, I invite you to reflect on the legacy of Atlanta, the dream of my uncle, and the ongoing journey toward
schools did not, including Black history and constitutional rights, and covered the freedom movement in detail — encouraging students to be independent thinkers and problem solvers and become agents of social change in their own communities.
More than 3,000 children, teens and some adults attended the freedom schools that summer.
More than 30 years ago, Children's Defense Fund began proudly drawing on the 1964 freedom schools tradition. This summer, more than 13,000 K-12 scholars in 29 states and 102 cities were enrolled in the CDF Freedom Schools program. CDF Freedom Schools sites give scholars in grades K-12 safe spaces where they are taught by college-aged student mentors who often come from their own commu-
bill or trying to move the goalposts on items being negotiated by labor, green groups, and the state. But advocates were able to put down the rumors easily.
The president of the Michigan AFL-CIO Ron Bieber, a third-generation UAW member and the son of a former UAW president, attributes that to the good-faith working relationship between the parties involved.
"When our partners on the enviro side heard any divisive rumors, they knew to be skeptical and that they could just reach out to us and ask. And vice versa. Building that trust and partnership based on mutual interest was crucial in preventing efforts to fracture our coalition."
Michigan has an advantage. It was already a strong union state. But that is also part of the template. States that want their workers to be ready to enjoy the fruits of the next economy should put in place a firm base of protections for workers' rights.
Any major economic transition, even one as necessary and urgent as the transition to clean energy, must not be done at the expense of our communities and workers.
a more just and loving world. Let us remember that the check for insufficient funds, as my uncle described it, can be redeemed, and our "promissory note" claimed, by the grace of God. Today, let us continue to work together to ensure that King's dream is not just remembered but realized in our time.
WI
nities and look like them. It's hard to be what you can't see. In addition to being exposed to wonderful books all summer long, scholars are taught nonviolent conflict resolution and critical thinking skills and engage in community service and social action projects. They learn that they are not citizens in waiting, but can make a difference right now. All CDF Freedom Schools scholars are encouraged to dream big, set high expectations for themselves, and determine what they can do to help make their communities, nation and world better — just as students of Mississippi's 1964 freedom schools were with their courageous young leaders. Sixty years later, Children's Defense Fund is proud to keep the legacy, hope, and promise of Freedom Summer alive for a new generation of young people. WI
We absolutely can ensure the U.S. leads the world in clean energy, as well as green technology and manufacturing, without leaving workers behind. The new clean energy economy already offers Americans the promise of better health outcomes and lower consumer costs. It can also mean a jobs boom, with better jobs for higher pay.
According to Climate Power, clean energy projects spurred by the Inflation Reduction Act created 312,900 new jobs between August 16, 2022 and May 31, 2024 alone. As clean energy jobs continue to be created, it is projected that 75 percent of them will not require a four-year degree. And the Brookings Institution found that the "mean hourly wages for clean energy jobs exceed national averages by 8 to 19 percent."
As Walter Reuther noted, all the benefits we want for workers — better, safer, higher-paying jobs — can only be enjoyed to their fullest if the air is breathable, the water is drinkable, and extreme heat and climate-charged weather events aren't wreaking havoc on their homes and communities.
WI
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Together, these 10 HBCU students drive the summer internship of a lifetime with Black-owned newspapers
