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Maryland Primary Election Finally Set for July 19
The Maryland Court of Appeals ruled a legislative map approved by the General Assembly remains constitutional and will be used for this year’s July 19 primary election. Prospective candidates had to file by Friday, April 15. The state constitution requires candidates for senator or delegate to reside in a specific district for at least six months. However, for this year’s election the court ruled a candidate must establish residency in a district by May 8.
“The court . . . determined that the plan enacted into law on January 27, 2022, is consistent with the requirements of the Constitution of the United States and the Constitution of Maryland,” Chief Judge Joseph M. Getty wrote in an opinion after a hearing April 13. The ruling occurred less than two weeks after Gov. Larry Hogan signed a new congressional map into law. The general election will take place on Nov. 8. WI
On Monday, April 18, Mayor Muriel Bowser and District leaders recognized National Reentry Month with the announcement that 200 District residents, identified by the National Institute for Criminal Justice Reform as being at highest risk of involvement in gun violence in the District, have been assigned a multidisciplinary team to include a Credible Contact, a Pathfinder and a member of the Mayor Bowser’s Cabinet. The Mayor’s FY23 budget proposes a $1.7 million investment in a Life Coach initiative that will build on these efforts by providing approximately 20 coaches who will offer high-quality care coordination services, needs assessments and coordination with outreach teams to execute individual success plans. The initiative will be led by Linda Harllee Harper, director, Office of Gun Violence Prevention. Other members of the mayor’s staff who will lend their expertise include: Delano Hunter, director, DC Department of Parks and Recreation; Lamont Carey, director, Mayor’s Office on Returning Citizen Affairs; and Paul Winestock, director, Saving Our Next Generation. WI
Bowser Recognize National Reentry Month with Landmark Investment Initiative Norton Calls on Senate to Pass D.C. Statehood Bill as Federal Tax Filing Deadline Ends
Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), one day after the federal tax filing deadline, called on the Senate to pass her District of Columbia statehood bill. She noted that D.C. pays more federal taxes per capita than any state and more federal taxes than 23 states but D.C. residents have no voting representation in Congress.
“Yesterday, many D.C. residents rushed to mail checks to the IRS before the filing deadline to keep our federal government running but still do not have voting representation in Congress,” Norton said. “‘No taxation without representation,’ the slogan that gave birth to the nation itself, should apply to the citizens of the nation’s capital. The House has passed my D.C. statehood bill twice, President Biden supports it, and today, I call on the Senate to pass the bill and finally give the same rights other Americans have to the residents of our nation’s capital.” The House has passed the D.C. statehood bill twice in history, in 2020 and on April 22, 2021. WI
Biden Administration to Appeal Ruling Lifting COVID Mask Mandate on Travel
On April 19, the Biden administration said it plans to appeal a federal judge’s ruling that struck down COVID-19 mask mandates on planes and other forms of public transportation.
“The Department of Justice and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC] disagree with the district court’s decision and will appeal,” the DOJ said in a statement, “subject to CDC’s conclusion that the order remains necessary for public health.”
“If CDC concludes that a mandatory order remains necessary for the public’s health after that assessment, the Department of Justice will appeal the district court’s decision,” the DOJ said.
On Monday, Judge Kathryn Kimball Mizelle of
U.S. District Court in Tampa, Florida, ruled that the CDC overstepped its bounds by mandating that masks be worn on planes, trains, buses and other forms of public transportation. Mizelle was appointed to the federal bench in 2020 by former President Donald Trump. The Transportation Security Administration said later April 18 that it would not enforce mask-wearing rules, in accordance with Mizelle’s decision. The CDC, meanwhile, maintained its recommendation that people wear masks on public transit. The DOJ said April 19 that it “continues to believe that the order requiring masking in the transportation corridor is a valid exercise of the authority Congress has given CDC to protect the public health.” “That is an important authority the Department will continue the work to preserve,” the agency’s statement said. WI THE WASHINGTON INFORMER / WWW.WASHINGTONINFORMER.COM
Ward 7 Mother Continues Search for Home Suitable for Children with Disabilities
Andree Harris Serves as Adoptive Single-Parent to Eight; Three with Mental or Physical Challenges
Aja Beckham WI Contributing Writer
Families with a disabled child remain more likely to rent homes than those with non-disabled children. And while there appears to be an increase in the proportion of families purchasing homes, the number of those with a disabled child becoming homeowners has remained unchanged.
One challenge which disproportionately impacts those with a disabled child: accessibility barriers in the rental housing market.
The Equal Rights Center, a D.C. fair-housing group, reported that residents with ailments face significant physical and digital challenges when looking for housing, despite federal regulations passed decades ago designed to protect their rights.
Study participants reported potential violations of the Fair Housing Act or the Americans With Disabilities Act at 16 of 23 D.C. properties built between 2011 and 2018.
There are also accessibility challenges in the rental housing market that include: listing sites that fail to work with screen-readers for the blind as they attempt to complete online interest forms and contact leasing agents; and insufficient clearance spaces for the physically-challenged during in-person visits.
These and other obstacles have become commonplace for one family in Southeast who currently rents a six-bedroom home in Hillcrest which fortunately includes a wheelchair ramp and an elevator.
Nonetheless, the family matriarch, Andree Harris, 58, remains diligent in her efforts to provide a suitable home as the adoptive, single-parent to eight children – three of whom have intellectual and/or physical disabilities. The children’s biological parents, including two with whom she’s related, have either died or currently struggle with drug addiction, homelessness
5 In 1996, Andree Harris began the adoption process for an infant boy. Early on, the child was diagnosed with shaken baby syndrome – a serious brain injury that occurs as a result of an infant or toddler being forcefully shaken. Now 26, he has cerebral palsy and uses a motorized wheelchair. (Courtesy photo) or physical disabilities.
Harris serves as the guardian for six youth, ranging from 8 to 14, and two adults, 21 and 26, both of whom she raised and still supports.
THE JOURNEY BEGINS
In 1996, Harris began the adoption process for an infant boy diagnosed with shaken baby syndrome – a serious brain injury that occurs as a result of an infant or toddler being forcefully shaken. Now 26, he has cerebral palsy and uses a motorized wheelchair.
In 2000, Harris began the adoption process, which she completed, for a six-year-old girl, now 21, who had been exposed to cocaine while in the womb.
In 2008, Harris began caring for an infant born with a condition referred to as failure to thrive. She adopted the child, a girl, at the age of 4. Now 14, she has heart and lung disease, must use a G-tube for feeding and has hearing loss.
In 2009, Harris adopted a 2-year-old, now 13. A year later she opened her home to a 13-month-old, now 12. Neither have ailments.
In 2013, a 14-month-old born with failure to thrive and a rare genetic disorder called Nicolaides-Baraitser Syndrome, which causes dysmorphic facial and joint features, was adopted. Now, the 14-year-old also has a G-tube for self-feeding in her stomach and hearing loss.
In 2014, a 13-month-old, now 8, joined the family.
Finally, in 2021, Harris welcomed an 11-year-old into her home.
BIOLOGICAL MOM SAYS ADOPTIONS PROVIDED SECOND CHANCE
Harris, the biological mother of two, ages 40 and 36, described her parenting as “alright.” But she felt that she’d been given a second chance to get it right as an adoptive parent.
A victim of sexual abuse, she once faced alcohol and drug addiction as a means of coping. She took her first drink at 8, began to smoke marijuana at 13 and turned to cocaine at 17.
“I recovered from addiction 31 years ago and God gave me a chance to be a mother again in my 40s,” said Harris, an evangelist and former co-pastor of Out From Under Ministries located in Hyattsville, Maryland.
Her biological children, members of her extended family and a team of registered nurses collectively assist in care and transportation. Her adopted children find community at Just 4 Us Foundation, a creative arts organization with accessible activities and services for children and adults with special needs that encourages positive community involvement.
Since Harris launched the Foundation in 2009, it has served over 800 participants, according to its website. Recently, some of the Foundation’s younger beneficiaries participated in an anti-bullying video.
FAMILY SEARCHES FOR A HOME TO CALL THEIR OWN
Together, the blended family wants to find a home to call their
WARD 7 Page 34
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black facts
APRIL 21 - 27, 2022
SOURCE: BLACK AMERICA WEB
first American of African ancestry to be a mechanical and electrical engineer after the Civil War and holder of more than 50 patents, is born in Columbus, Ohio. 1872 – Lawyer Charlotte Ray (below) is admitted to practice in the Supreme Court of the District of Columbia, becoming the first Black woman admitted to practice before the District Supreme Court. 2007 – Barbara Hillary becomes the first African American female to reach the North Pole.
APRIL 24
1884 – The Medico-Chirurgical Society of Washington D.C., the first African American medical society, is founded.
APRIL 25
1917 – Iconic jazz singer Ella Fitzgerald is born in Newport News, Virginia. 1944 – The United Negro College Fund is founded. 1950 – Chuck Cooper is selected by the Boston Celtics in the second round of the NBA draft, becoming the first African American drafted by an NBA team.
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APRIL 21
1853 – Harriet Tubman begins her work with the Underground Railroad, a network of antislavery activists who helped slaves escape from the South. 1971 – The Supreme Court rules that busing can be used to integrate schools. 1984 – Influential cabaret singer Mabel Mercer dies in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, at 84. 1986 – Michael Jordan sets the single-game playoff scoring record with 63 points in a double-overtime loss to the Boston Celtics.
APRIL 21
1966 – Milton Lee Olive III, a U.S. Army soldier who sacrificed himself to save others by smothering a live grenade, posthumously becomes the first African American Medal of Honor recipient of the Vietnam War. 1974 – Lee Elder becomes the first African American professional golfer to qualify for the Masters tournament. 2003 – Singer/songwriter and civil rights activist Nina Simone dies of breast cancer at her home in the south of France at 70.
APRIL 22
1922 – Famed jazz bassist Charles Mingus is born in Nogales, Arizona.
APRIL 23
1856 – Inventor Granville T. Woods, the
APRIL 26
1892 – Inventor Sarah Boone patents an improved version of the ironing board. 1984 – Renowned jazz bandleader and pianist Count Basie dies of pancreatic cancer at 79 in Hollywood, Florida.
APRIL 27
1903 – Maggie L. Walker is named president of Richmond's St. Luke Bank and Trust Company, becoming the first Black woman to head a bank. 1927 – Coretta Scott King, civil rights leader and wife of Martin Luther King Jr., is born in Heiberger, Alabama. 1945 – Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright August Wilson (bot-
tom) is born in Pittsburgh.
1971 – Samuel Lee
Gravely Jr. becomes the first Black American to be selected as an admiral in the U.S. Navy.
WI
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Music star Lizzo made her long-awaited “Saturday Night Live” hosting debut over the weekend to rave reviews. What did you think of her performance?
CHISTINA HERRON /
VIRGINIA BEACH, VIRGINIA She was amazing, and I am really proud of her. Her mom was with her, too. Epic. “Special” is a beautiful song, and it’ll one day be a classic.
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PLANTATION, FLORIDA I’m not being biased at all, but that episode was one of the funniest ones in recent years. “SNL” can be very hit-or-miss, and it was all around a really good episode.
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ROANOKE, VIRGINIA I’m sick of Lizzo. I like her singing, but I’m tired of her showing her body all the time to make a point.
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WASHINGTON, D.C. She was phenomenal — outstanding monologue, sketches and musical performances. Enjoyed it from start to finish.
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GARY, INDIANA She was really good! And her stage presence on her second song, “Special,” was amazing! She just made a new fan.
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Time’s Up for Clarence Thomas Being on the Supreme Court
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He’s long been no friend to Black America, but now questions about Thomas’ ethics have lowered trust in the court and undermined the democracy and freedom he claims to revere.
Clarence Thomas has been a controversial figure since Day One — and it’s time for him to step down from the United States Supreme Court.
From the allegations of sexual harassment by Anita Hill and his ethically questionable behavior and connections with his politically active wife, to his commitment to upholding laws that do harm to the Black community, Thomas’ name has long been synonymous with controversy.
It began after his nomination in July 1991 to the Supreme Court by President George H.W. Bush. Thomas was selected to replace retiring civil rights icon, and the court’s first African American justice, Thurgood Marshall. Who can forget the contentious confirmation hearing — and Anita Hill’s testimony about alleged sexual harassment — that immediately followed?
The controversy also stems from his inexplicable, confusing, and contrarian views on race in America. From his early years to his overall performance during his 30-year tenure on the court, his rulings have justifiably earned strong disdain, even loathing among most Black Americans, as well as many Hispanics and women.
The calculation of Republicans at the time, to place a young, reliably conservative Black person in the solitigator Thurgood Marshall as the first African American to serve on the Supreme Court on August 30, 1967, following his nomination by President Lyndon B. Johnson. He had led the NAACP legal team that in 1954 won Brown vs. Board of Education, a historic landmark decision that invalidated the concept of segregated public schools under the 14th Amendment — a constitutional amendment that had been enacted in 1868 after the Civil War, almost exactly a century before.
A majority on the Senate Democratic-controlled Judiciary Committee, in a rebuff to the dissenting Southern Senators on the panel, sent their majority approval to the full Senate. They reported that nominee Marshall, “demonstrated those qualities we admire in members of our highest judicial tribunal…along with a balanced approach to controversial and complicated national problems.”
In contrast to Clarence Thomas, Judge Jackson embraces her role as a Black person. She proudly and unequivocally said, “It has taken 232 years and 115 prior appointments for a Black woman to be selected to serve on the Supreme Court of the United States, but we’ve made it. We made it — all of us.”
Reflecting on the continuing travail of many Black people in the country since they were brought to the U.S. as slaves — but still holding a belief in our drive to continue forward — she quoted poet Maya Angelou: “I am the dream and hope of the future.”
The actions of right-wing racists — despite their praise, even adulation — show what they really think about Clarence Thomas and the millions of Americans who look like him. They consider him and his fellow Black Republican Tim Scott, the U.S. Senator from South Carolina, exploitable, as “useful idiots.”
Even Thomas, 73, must be concerned about the inevitable future comparison between him, his intellect, his integrity in the past on the bench, and his verbal ability compared to this brilliant, unequivocally Black woman, Ketanji Brown Jackson, only 51.
More recently, we have seen some different challenges created by recent revelations about the role of his wife
5 Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas. (Courtesy photo) called ‘Black Seat’ that was held by liberal justice Thurgood Marshall, for more than 30 years, has proven to exceed the right’s wildest expectations. Thomas (only 43 when he came to the court) has repeatedly supported policies that have helped maintain the status of disenfranchised minority communities.
Thomas’ ascendancy to the court has created particularly disastrous consequences for Black America’s aspiration to move forward in American society. His response to criticism, while not unexpected based on his history, still shows an almost pugnacious and unyielding indifference to the plight of Black people in the United States — a condition that has plagued them since the nation’s founding.
Now, he will be joined on the Supreme Court by Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson, a proud Black woman, who was confirmed by the Senate despite a wild and disingenuous smear campaign against her by some Republican senators on the Judicial Committee. She is expected to offer a sharp contrast to Thomas’ servile obedience to far right-wing Republican ideology and its racist political dogmas.
Remember, Thomas had succeeded a judicial giant on the court, someone who championed equal justice for all under the law during his long years as a Supreme Court Justice. Marshall was even eulogized by conservative Chief Justice William Rehnquist, who wrote, “inscribed above the front entrance of this court building are the words ‘equal justice under the law.’ Surely no individual did more to make these words a reality than Thurgood Marshall.”
The Senate confirmed civil rights THOMAS Page 24
Ward 5 Residents Express Concerns as Council Primary Looms
James Wright WI Staff Writer
Ward 5 residents have concerns about the condition of the ward with the D.C. Council primary elections a little over two months away and they want the candidates to talk about issues that concern them the most.
“I am very concerned about gentrification,” said Jeff Dawson, who spoke outside of the Giant Food Store located in the Rhode Island Place shopping mall in Northeast. “People can’t afford to live here and seniors who have been here for years are being driven out because it is too expensive.”
On June 21, Ward 5 residents will have to choose between former D.C. Councilmember Vincent Orange, advisory neighborhood commissioner Gordon Fletcher, former Bowser administration official Faith Gibson Hubbard, D.C. State Board of Education President Zachary Parker, former advisory neighborhood commissioner Kathy Henderson and political activists Art Lloyd and Gary Johnson to represent the Democratic party in the Nov. 8 general election to be the next ward councilmember. Democratic Ward 5 Councilmember Kenyan McDuffie decided not to run for re-election and to pursue becoming the District’s second elected attorney general.
As the campaign proceeds, Ward 5 residents told the Informer they want the candidates to address certain issues they feel affect the quality of life in their neighborhoods. The race occurs as the ward’s demographic evolution continues to change. In 2010, census figures reported Ward 5 having a 76% Black population but by 2021, DC Health Matters revealed the ward’s African-American percentage had dropped to 55%.
Additionally, political observers have long considered Ward 5 the area to watch because it has become a micro-version of the city as far as income and racial diversity are concerned and the high level of political engagement that has occurred since Home Rule came into being in 1974.
D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser hails from Ward 5 and in one council period during the previous decade, four of the 13 councilmembers, at large mem-
5 Vincent Orange is seeking re-election as the Ward 5 councilmember. (WI File Photo)
bers Vincent Orange, David Grosso and Anita Bonds and ward representative McDuffie, served together constituting the largest bloc in terms of ward residents.
Residents articulate a variety of issues
Dawson, who has lived in Ward 5 for many years, said he has some apprehension about the ward’s direction. He believes the ward has too many fastfood outlets and “no good sit-down restaurants.” Dawson added that the ward doesn’t have enough Black businesses and those that are operating are fledging and not growing fast enough.
Rhonda Dunkins, who also shops at Rhode Island Place, said she doesn’t know who she will vote for in the primary.
“I haven’t heard their agendas,” Dunkins said. “I think Vincent is a dinosaur. He needs to move on because the old D.C. is not coming back.”
Dunkins said Ward 5 has become overdeveloped.
“You see all of these apartment buildings popping up but who is living in these places?” she asked rhetorically. “People need housing in this city and the candidates really need to talk about that."
Robert V. Brannum represents single-member district 5E08 as an advisory neighborhood commissioner. He said he would like the candidates to talk more about eliminating homelessness, improving the ward’s schools, fighting crime and controlling traffic.
“Our next councilmember really needs to focus on solving the homeless problem,” Brannum said. “This is not a Ward 5 issue but a D.C. issue. Public safety has become a problem in the ward. Recently, we have had shootings and carjackings in places like Ivy City/ Trinidad and Montana Avenue. We need a police force that is adequately staffed and spread around the city.”
Sydelle Moore serves as an advisory neighborhood commissioner for single-member district 5D05. Moore echoed some of Brannum’s concerns regarding crime.
“My district is close to Benning Road., N.E.,” she said. “The violent crime in this area can get bad sometimes. We need to get a handle on it because people are trying to raise their families here.”
Moore also said the candidates should talk about how they will deal with the Department of Public Works.
“We need trash service on a regular basis,” Moore said. “There is also illegal dumping in my district that needs to stop.” WI @JamesWrightJr10
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D.C. Residents Enlightened by Emancipation Day Events
James Wright WI Staff Writer
While much of the District’s 160th Celebration of Emancipation Day focused on the entertainment and the fireworks, programs dealing with the history of the holiday and the influence it has on the city also took place.
“I think it is important to celebrate Emancipation Day because it serves as a reminder that Black people weren’t always free in D.C.,” said Erica Wright, who participated in a holiday ceremony at the African American Civil War Memorial [AACWM] in Northwest on April 15.
DC Emancipation Day celebrates the end of slavery in the District with the congressional passage and President Abraham Lincoln signing the District of Columbia Compensated Emancipation Act on April 16, 1862. The law not only outlawed slavery in the nation’s capital but compensated owners for their human property. The over 3,100 slaves who received freedom cost the federal government $1 million. The District became the only jurisdiction compensating slaveowners for their slaves. The signing of the bill occurred about nine months before Lincoln issued his Emancipation Proclamation which freed slaves in the rebelling Confederate states.
District residents have celebrated Emancipation Day since 1866. However, the formal city-sponsored celebration which consisted largely of a parade ended in 1901 due to a lack of financial resources and organizational conflicts. The idea of celebrating the holiday was resurrected in the 1990s due to the advocacy of historians and civic activists.
In 2000, the D.C. Council proclaimed April 16 a private holiday, meaning it received official recognition but city employees didn’t have a day off. On July 9, 2004, D.C. Councilmember Vincent Orange (D-Ward 5) proposed making Emancipation Day a public holiday. Orange’s legislative efforts and the signature of D.C.
5 Civil war reenactors march in the Emancipation Day parade on Pennsylvania Avenue in Northwest on April 16. (DR Barnes/The Washington Informer)
Mayor Anthony Williams culminated in the city celebrating the holiday publicly starting in 2005.
Reading the Names of the Freed Slaves
Wright joined a dozen people at the AACWM in front of the bronze statue of Black Civil War soldiers and sailors who fought on the side of the Union forces. She attended the ceremony to participate in the annual reading of the freed slaves’ names.
“We must remember that these freed slaves had lives,” said Frank Smith, founder and executive director of the AACWM. “They were human beings. They had families and times of joy and pain. When they found out that slavery was outlawed in the District, it was a moment of jubilation for them.”
Wright said “it felt good to read the names and the values of the slaves.”
“Every time I read the name and the value, I would wonder who they were and why they were valued in that way,” Wright said. “Could some of the slaves have had more value because they could cook or was it because they were pregnant?”
Monica Hamilton also expressed pride in reading the names and the amounts but praised the federal government for keeping good records on the slaves.
“They really kept efficient records of slave transactions and activities,” she said. “I believe this is great reference information for people who want to study the history of the city.”
The Emancipation Day Parade
The parade served as the chief activity for Emancipation Day in 1866 and it remained that way until the 1901 termination of the celebration. When the holiday became legal in 2005, the parade served as one of a number of celebratory activities. In 2020 and 2021, the parade didn’t occur due to the coronavirus pandemic. This year, city leaders proceeded with the parade because of the low level of transmission of the coronavirus.
On April 16, hundreds of people lined up on both sides of Pennsylvania Avenue in Northwest to observe the parade. Onlookers watched participants including: the Eastern Senior High School Marching Band; the Nation’s Capital chapter of Jack & Jill of America; residents marching with white balloons with images of Frederick Douglass, Dorothy Height, Chuck Brown, Rosa Parks, Marion Barry
EVENTS Page 18
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Includes the Participating (in GA: Designated) Providers and Preventive Benefits Rider. Product not available in all states. Acceptance guaranteed for one insurance policy/certificate of this type. Contact us for complete details about this insurance solicitation. This specific offer is not available in CO; call 1-800-969-4781 or respond for similar offer. Certificate C250A (ID: C250E; PA: C250Q); Insurance Policy P150 (GA: P150GA; NY: P150NY; OK: P150OK; TN: P150TN); Rider kinds B438/B439 (GA: B439B). 6255
