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UPDATE: Biden Admin Offers Swap to Russia for Brittney Griner, Paul Whelan

Stacy M. Brown WI Senior Writer

While former NBA All-Star and Champion Dennis Rodman formally canceled plans to go to Russia to help gain the release of WNBA star Brittney Griner, members of the Washington Mystics said Griner’s detainment has discouraged them from playing overseas.

“I don’t know if being politically correct is right now,” Mystics Forward Myisha Hines-Allen, who played in Italy last season, said at her end-of-season press conference.

“So, I know I wouldn’t want to play in Russia. I mean that’s just that.”

WNBA players usually earn more money playing overseas than in the United States.

Hines-Allen’s teammate, Elizabeth Williams, said Griner’s situation opens conversations for players wanted to stay home.

“I think it won’t be surprising to see keep in my possession any substance that is prohibited in Russia,” Griner said.

Detained in February, Griner said she had already been in Russia for several months before her arrest.

“My career is my whole life,” she reflected as she faces up to 10 years in a Russian prison.

“I dedicated everything. Time, my body, time away from my family. I spent six months out of the year away from everybody, and with a huge time difference.”

U.S. officials are awaiting word from the Russian government on whether they will accept the swap.

“It takes two to tango. So, we start all negotiations to bring home Americans held hostage or wrongfully detained with a bad actor on the other side,” an unnamed official told CNN.

“We start all of these with somebody who has taken a human being American and treated them as a bargaining chip. So, in some ways, it’s not surprising, even if it’s disheartening, when those same actors don’t necessarily respond directly to our offers, don’t engage constructively in negotiations.” The CNN report noted that Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced Wednesday that the United States presented a “substantial proposal” to Moscow “weeks ago” for Whelan and Griner, who are classified as wrongfully detained.

The top U.S. diplomat said he intended to discuss the matter on an expected call with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov this week.

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that a lot of players are gonna go over there and just take the bigger checks because it’s kind of is what it is,” Williams told NBC News Washington.

Rodman had previously declared he would travel to Russia to seek Griner’s release.

However, Biden administration officials pushed back against such a visit.

“We believe that anything other than negotiating further through the established channel is likely to complicate and hinder those release efforts,” State Department Spokesman Ned Price told reporters.

Confirmed reports said the United States government had offered to swap the so-called “Merchant of Death” Viktor Bout for Griner and another imprisoned American, Paul Whelan.

Bout, who’s serving a 25-year federal prison sentence and notorious for his desire to kill Americans, reportedly has been at the top of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s wish list.

“We communicated a substantial offer that we believe could be successful based on a history of conversations with the Russians,” a senior administration official told CNN. “We communicated that a number of weeks ago, in June.”

The unnamed sources told the network that the planned trade received the backing of President Joe Biden after being under discussion since earlier this year.

CNN reported that Biden’s support for the swap overrides opposition from the Department of Justice, which is generally against prisoner trades.

The families of Whelan, who Russia has held for alleged espionage since 2018, and WNBA star Griner, jailed in Moscow for drug possession since February, have urged the White House to secure their release, including via a prisoner exchange, if necessary, the report stated.

During her testimony, Griner told the court that she’s still unsure how cannabis oil ended up in her luggage.

She said a doctor recommended cannabis oil for her injuries on the basketball court.

“I still don’t understand to this day how they ended up in my bags,” Griner said, adding that she was aware of the Russian law outlawing cannabis oil and that she had not intended to break it.

“I didn’t have any intent to use or

3 Brittney Griner (Courtesy photo)

President Biden Honors Dr. Chavis and others with Lifetime Achievement Award

Stacy M. Brown WI Senior Writer

National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA) President and CEO Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis Jr. has received the President Joseph R. Biden Jr. Lifetime Achievement Award for Community Service and Civil Rights.

Dr. Chavis received the award at a ceremony hosted at Morehouse

College in Atlanta. “On behalf of the NNPA and the Thurgood Marshall Center Trust, as well as on behalf of all my fellow Civil Rights Movement comrades who were present at the President Joe Biden 2022 Lifetime Achievement Awards on the campus of the historic Morehouse College in Atlanta, I express my profound gratitude to President Biden and Vice President Harris,” Dr. Chavis remarked.

“At a time when our nation is facing renewed challenges to our democracy, it was very timely to reassert the importance of the right to vote, the Black Press of America, and the need to continue the fight for freedom, justice, equality, and equity,” Dr. Chavis continued.

“We are committed to achieving #10MillionMoreBlackVoters.”

In addition to Dr. Chavis, awards were provided to pay tribute to the Atlanta Student Movement, civil rights leaders, and others who have shaped American history.

Among the notable recipients included: Dr. Otis Moss Jr., Rev. Dr. Lawrence E. Carter Sr., Dr. Anne Winbush Watts, Dr. Clarissa Myrick-Harris, Thurgood Marshall Center Trust Inc. President/CEO Thomasina W. Yearwood and others.

Over 80 men and women are scheduled to receive awards from President Biden this year at ceremonies held at North Carolina Central University in Durham, the Elks Lodge in Delray Beach, Fla., and Morehouse College.

A final ceremony is scheduled for September 10 at the Thurgood Marshall Center Trust in Washington, D.C.

“We are eternally grateful to all venues for hosting the awards program this year,” said Dr. Beverly Kee, Executive Director of Premiere Coalition Partners Association, LLC., a Maryland-based certifying organization for the Presidential Volunteer Service Award Program.

“We have a very impressive list of honorees who are making a meaningful difference in their communities, and this venue is so fitting for such a prestigious event,” Kee stated.

Ahead of the 2022 midterms, Dr. Chavis said it’s important to register new voters. The NNPA and the Transformative Justice Coalition are in the middle of a campaign to register 10 million more Black voters.

“We’ve got work to do,” Dr. Chavis declared.

“I thank President Biden for the Lifetime Achievement Award for Community Service and Civil Rights. Equality, equity, and justice are on the ballot.” WI

5 Some individuals will receive a refund for student loans paid during the pandemic pause. (Photo courtesy Student Loan Planner)

Some to Receive Refunds Under Biden Administration’s Student Loan Forgiveness Plan

Stacy M. Brown WI Senior Writer

Despite criticism from Republicans and even some Democrats about the Biden-Harris administration’s massive student loan forgiveness, silver linings tucked within the plan continue to reveal a wide range of benefits.

When the federal government paused student loan repayments in March 2020, many borrowers used the money to pay down their principal debt.

Now, those who did just that count among those in line to receive refunds for any payments made during the pause – a result of the Biden Administration’s new plan.

“You can get a refund for any payment including auto-debit payments you make during the payment pause beginning March 13, 2020,” administration officials wrote.

They advise borrowers to contact their loan servicer to request a refund.

According to CNBC, Kaitlyn Koterbski, a personal finance fellow at Fortune, described her personal experience of getting a refund this way, reporting that it took “two phone calls and several hours on hold with her student loan servicer for her refund of nearly $3,000 to be processed.”

The network noted that several tweets and TikTok videos have also featured borrowers sharing their stories about how they were able to get refunded for payments made since the freeze began in March 2020.

President Biden extended the moratorium on payments for a final time through December 31.

The administration has continued to push everyone to visit the Federal Student Aid website for details about the plan and how to receive refunds or other benefits.

“This is a big deal,” said Dr. Tony Allen, the President of historically Black Delaware State University and the chair of the President’s Board of Advisors on HBCUs.

“HBCUs do more with less,” Allen asserted. “Less is no longer acceptable and the Biden Administration has heard us in word and deed.”

Still, criticism from the right continues– and the White House has taken notice.

In a series of tweets, the White House spotlighted lawmakers complaining about student loan for-

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SCHOOL from Page 1

“We’re proud that our teams have been working to make sure we’re ready for day one,” Ferebee said. “It’s so great to know that we have more young people walking into schools today. We're so excited that more families have chosen DC Public Schools as their option. The partnership between home and school is critical to realize students’ full potential.”

This academic year, DCPS will utilize a combination of contracted staff, substitute teachers and support team members within the central office to serve teaching roles while officials work to fill staff vacancies. Over the summer, DGS has received 870 work orders for facilities maintenance with 200 orders coming in daily. As of Monday, only 100 work orders remain open including those concerning water fountains coming off of the wall.

Though the Prince George’s County public school system faces similar challenges, like 900 staff vacancies and bus driver shortages, officials continue to push forward in the realms of mental health, COVID mitigation and school boundary changes.

Prince George’s County Public Schools CEO Dr. Monica Goldson highlighted the launch of Cherokee Lane Elementary School, one of 10 facilities to be constructed within the next four years with a focus on sustainability and safety.

Amenities at the Hyattsville, Maryland-based school include cameras, hallway doors that can be locked from the main office and a common area with mobile bookshelves.

In the District, Bowser spent the first day of school extolling the modernization of School within School at Goding Elementary School. For decades, the Northeast-based school known to community members as SWS has fostered a child-centered learning environment inspired by an educational philosophy known as the Reggio Emilia approach.

Over the next six years, the District will dedicate $246 million to the modernization of schools, libraries and recreation centers. The newly-modernized SWS has two new wings, a new gymnasium and library and stormwater management system among other amenities.

On Monday, Bowser joined D.C. Councilmember Charles Allen (D-Ward 6), D.C. State Board of Education Representative Jessica Sutter (Ward 6) and others for the third consecutive first-day-of-school ribbon cutting at a Ward 6 school.

Several minutes earlier, hundreds of families converged on the entrance of SWS to take photos, hug their young ones and engage staff members. Children reunited with their friends while a staff member sought out those who haven’t conducted a home COVID test.

Bridget O., a Northeast resident and mother of two SWS students, expressed some concern about COVID and monkeypox. Even so, she relished an opportunity for her daughter, a recent SWS enrollee, to overcome a speech impediment and feel the love of teachers that her son received at SWS for years.

“I’m looking forward to more openness and everything being more well-rounded [with] teachers working together this school year for my daughter,” Bridget O. said. “I like the diversity and mix of cultures. We have COVID and monkeypox [out here] but we’ll get through it.”

For Denise, a mother of an SWS fifth grader, this academic year will be the continuation of a fruitful relationship that has allowed her son to deeply explore his interest in science. On Monday morning, Denise took her son’s photo and spoke at length with school officials, many of whom she has known for years.

“I’m expecting the same great things: good leadership, community and academics,” Denise said. “We’re coming out of COVID and we won’t be back to normal but this is a good start. We do what we always do. I want my son to continue to love learning and move on to middle school.”

WI @SamPKCollins

5 Benjamin Tasker Middle School Principal Dr. Kendra Hill, 2022 Prince George’s County Teacher of the Year Evelyn Policarpio, an eighth-grade math teacher and Prince George's County Public Schools CEO Dr. Monica Goldson. (Anthony Tilghman/The Washington Informer)

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D.C. Leaders Collaborate in Search of Strategies to Reduce Problems Plaguing Black Men

James Wright WI Staff Writer

District leaders in the government and private sector have recently ramped up efforts to identify strategies for and solutions to the hurdles and problems faced by an increasing number of Black men in the city.

Organizations including The Alliance of Concerned Men and The 100 Fathers Inc., as well as those fraternal in composition have worked throughout the years in the District to help troubled Black boys and men.

But more must be done, said D.C. Councilmember Kenyan McDuffie (D-Ward 5), while speaking to a gathering on Aug. 27. He said the city’s rise in homicides in recent years has been fueled by gun violence and serves as an indicator that efforts must continue to be pursued to help Black males, particularly youth, navigate their way through the city without resorting to violence.

“Too many young people have guns,” McDuffie said. “Guns don’t shoot themselves. Too many of our young people have learned to resolve disputes, mainly petty disputes, with gun violence. Dealing with the gun violence is traumatic – the trauma is real. Solutions such as giving people a second chance at a productive life and rehabilitation must be offered to people who have gone astray.”

The National Institute for Criminal Justice Reform (NICJR) examined the numbers for homicides and nonfatal shootings in the District in 2019 and 2020, according to a WTOP report on Feb. 22.

The NICJR reported that “most gun violence is tightly concentrated on a small number of very high-risk young Black male adults that share a common set or risk factors.”

Additionally, more than 90% of victims and suspects in the city consisted of males with 96% African American. A Feb. 17 article published by the Georgetown Journal of Law & Modern Critical Race Perspectives, “True Justice: The Disturbing Truth About Incarceration in D.C.,” revealed that while Blacks made up 44% of the District’s population in 2019, according to date from the American Community Survey, the District jail’s population for Black males stood at 87.4%.

Salim Adofo, chairman of the 8C advisory neighborhood commission, addressed the many problems some District males continue to face during a “Black Men’s Action Summit,” held on Aug. 27 at the R.I.S.E. Demonstration Center in Ward 8.

Adofo, who also serves on the Mayor’s Commission on African American Affairs, said community involvement in aiding struggling Black males has become crucial.

“We should be in those places where decisions are made about our community,” he said. “If we aren’t there, somebody else will make those decisions for us.”

Lamont Carey, director of the Mayor’s Office on Returning Citizens Affairs, said his agency helps residents who have been previously incarcerated. He said his office helps returning citizens – 95% Black and 96% male according to the federal Bureau of Prisons – by offering chrome books and free cab ride vouchers to help them find employment and other activities as they began to manage their lives.

“If anyone you know has just been released from being locked up, come to my office,” Carey said. “My team will help them.”

District Metropolitan Police Department officer Ernest Landers said he could have easily become engaged in criminal activity as a youth.

“I grew up with family in the streets but I took a different path,” Landers said. “I decided to become a police officer so I could give back to my community.”

Landers said Black men shouldn’t fear police officers, saying engagement should take place between both groups.

“Being a police officer is not about just locking people up,” he said. “People should understand that they can talk to us.”

Muslim leader Muhammad Abdul Malik said the time has come for Black males to lead their families and communities.

“You are not just a man biologically,” he said. “A man is a protector of himself and his family. The majority of the problem with Black males lies with men. Men aren’t doing their jobs. Our women are stressed out because they have to be mom and dad for their children.”

Adofo proposed a wide array of programs to help Black males in the city including nature retreats, a pre-college initiative in concert with the District chapter of the National Society of Black Engineers, after-school tutoring sessions, a book club and information sessions on topics including how to change a tire. WI @JamesWrightJr10

5 Salim Adofo, chairman of the 8C advisory neighborhood commission. (WI File Photo/Roy Lewis)