EDUCATION Washington Literacy Center Continues Work in Spacious New Building Sam P.K. Collins WI Staff Writer The Washington Literacy Center (WLC), formerly at the Thurgood Marshall Center for Service & Heritage in Northwest, has long been a resource for adults lacking reading and math skills they need to qualify for well-paying jobs and workforce development programs. With WLC’s move to a larger space in the heart of Downtown D.C. comes the opportunity to not only expand upon its mission but to become one of 100 Comcast Lift Zones in the D.C. metropolitan area. Through this partnership with Comcast, adults visiting WLC will have access to laptops and high-speed
internet they can use to participate in distance learning and remote work, apply for jobs, or access digital content. WLC Executive Director Jimmie Williams said the current situation better allows residents, especially those from communities east of the Anacostia River, to step outside of their comfort zone and develop their reading and math skills in close proximity to where they would most likely seek job opportunities. “We’re helping meet the needs of people in a rapidly changing job market,” said Williams, a Ward 7 resident with experience in brand management for Fortune 500 companies. “They don't qualify [for job programs] with their low reading and
5 On May 18, WLC commemorated its grand opening with a ceremony that attracted elected officials and community members. Guests included D.C. Councilmembers Robert White (D-At large) and Brooke Pinto (D-Ward 2) and Ward 7 State Board of Education Representative Eboni-Rose Thompson. (Photo courtesy Jordan Barnes)
“We’re helping meet the needs of people in a rapidly changing job market.” – JIMMIE WILLIAMS math scores,” he added. “We help and educate them for jobs. Our students have struggled to meet their families’ needs and we meet them halfway to increase their literacy.” On May 18, WLC commemorated its grand opening with a cere-
mony that attracted elected officials and community members. Guests included D.C. Councilmembers Robert White (D- t large) and Brooke Pinto (D-Ward 2) and Ward 7 State Board of Education Representative Eboni-Rose Thompson.
The event included a tour of the facility where people visited classrooms and learned about on-site offerings. Some guests also received information about the federally-funded Affordable Connectivity Program through which low-income residents receive a subsidy for internet or mobile bills. Throughout the celebration, WLC staff members continued to connect TANF recipients to literacy resources while instructors assisted adult learners with coursework.
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Removal of Police Officers from Schools Receives Lukewarm Response Sam P.K. Collins WI Staff Writer Less than two weeks after a D.C. Council vote solidified the gradual removal of police officers from school buildings, a group of men entered Bard High School Early College DC in Southeast and physically assaulted a male student. The group eventually left school grounds but not before a mob of students fought them in the absence of security guards and teachers who stayed in their classrooms out of fear for their lives. Days later, one student, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, remained frustrated about what they described as the constant flow
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of blood in the halls, malfunctioning cameras and a lack of concern about student wellbeing. Even so, they stopped short of supporting the constant presence of school resource officers – on-duty District police officers who assist with campus security. They instead called for camera repairs, locked doors and a more effective security plan. “Police officers can break up fights but some take it too far by using mace on everyone and using excessive force,” the student said. “We just need about one or two to check on us but we don’t need anyone to stay with us.” D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser’s FY 2023 budget proposal included a
provision reversing a unanimous D.C. Council vote made in 2020 that phases school resource officers out of District public schools within four years. In the days preceding the council vote on this matter, D.C. Council Chairperson Phil Mendelson (D) expressed agreement with Bowser’s plan. . However on May 10, the D.C. Council approved, in an 8 to 5 vote, an amendment introduced by D.C. Councilmember Charles Allen to keep the original vote in place. Mendelson and D.C. Councilmembers Brooke Pinto (D-Ward 2), Mary Cheh (D-Ward 3), Vincent C. Gray (D-Ward 7) and
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