Ward 8 Welcomes New ANC Commissioners by Sarah Payne

Ward 8 Welcomes New ANC Commissioners

The November general election brought significant political change to the nation and the District, including 17 new commissioners elected to the Ward 8 Advisory Neighborhood Commission (ANC). ANCs are a non-partisan body of elected officials that represent local community members. The commissioners serve two-year terms without pay. Each commissioner represents a Single Member District (SMD) of approximately 2,000 residents. The ANCs main role in the District is to be their neighborhood’s official voice in advising the District government on things that affect their neighborhoods.

Commissioners Holly Muhammad (8A01), Barbara Clark (8A02), Brian Thonmpson (8A03), Paul Trantham (8B02), Charles Wilson (8B03), Humam Abdulmalik (8B06), Mustafa Abdul-Salaam (8C05), Rhonda Edwards-Hines (8C06), Salim Adofo (8C07), Patricia Carmon (8D01), Olivia Henderson (8D02), Absalom Jordan (8D03), Monique T. Diop (8D04), Ellen Armstead (8D05), Cheryl Moore (8E02) and Kendall Simmons (8E04) were all re-elected to their single member districts (SMD) last year.

ANC 8A

Laneice Moore (8A04)

is a native Washingtonian who has been living in Ward 8 for 46 years. Moore attended Kimball Elementary, J Hayden Johnson Jr. High and Ballou Senior High Schools. She received her GED from Delaware Valley School of Trades where she became a certified nursing assistant and home health aide. In 2000, Moore began abusing street drugs, but has been clean and sober for more than five years. In 2015, however, Moore moved to Green Street which was a drug infested environment. As she started putting her life back together, the things happening in her community and the women’s rights movement became clearer and more important to her. Moore decided to run for a seat in the commission to do something to help bring the spirit back to her community. Moore said she realized that she needed to lead by example. She hopes to show the young people that there’s another world out there, waiting for them to conquer and overcome their adversities. More believes that her educational and life experiences will make her a strong leader and proponent of change in Ward 8 and the District as a whole. (anc.dc.gov/page/advisory-neighborhood-commission-8a)

Jamila White (8A05) believes in solving the big problems to give her neighbors the life they deserve. She said the COVID-19 pandemic was what led her down her ‘unexpected’ path to the ANC. White’s work as a humanitarian first responder had her serving on the front lines of the Ebola outbreak in West Africa and in the aftermath of Hurricane Dorian in the Bahamas. White said when COVID hit the US she immediately realized that local response efforts were not robust enough to get ahead of the virus, and would increase inequities in Ward 8. White holds a bachelor’s degree in business management from Hampton University and a master’s in public administration with a concentration in economic development and international affairs from Indiana University. She currently serves her community by mentoring students through the College Bound program, through volunteer work with her church and other local organizations in Ward 8, and racial equity and racial justice activism in DC. White saw that 80,000 Ward 8 residents have access to just one major grocery store, one hospital, and live in an area of concentrated poverty despite being in the seventh richest city worldwide. She ran for ANC because she saw this as a moment of reclaiming power and embracing potential. She believes that increasing access to quality education, affordable housing, economic opportunities, food, elderly services, community-led healing and crime prevention efforts must be guided by community input.

Robin McKinney (8A06) is a lifelong Washingtonian who did not grow up dreaming of being an elected official. McKinney’s goals for herself and her children were never about being successful; she simply wanted them to survive. McKinney began to realize how much her hometown of Washington was changing, and she realized she was watching from sidelines. McKinney said she could no longer wait for her life to change but had to be the change that her family needed. Her journey has been full of challeng-

Laneice Moore

by Sarah Payne

Jamila White

Robin McKinney

Kevin Coleman

es including the struggles of homelessness, but now she is comfortable in the foundation she has provided to her children as a homeowner. McKinney dreams about the success of her family and community and emphasizes that she strives to be and represent the change she wants to see in her community and for her family. Moore invites all neighbors who live in Ward 8 to join her on this journey to keep the greatness and history of Anacostia while making a path toward a brighter future and is excited about the opportunity to utilize her vast experiences to serve her community.

ANC 8B

Kevin Coleman (8B04) is a Ward 8 ‘original’ who was born, raised and educated in Southeast DC. Coleman decided to run for the commission because he was tired of talking about the issues he saw in his community and not taking action. Coleman is a convicted felon and was previously incarcerated from 2003 through 2008. Coleman remembers the challenging experience of returning home after being incarcerated and hopes that his success will be bene cial to others in a similar situation. He hopes to help previously incarcerated individuals and second chance o enders get stable jobs and get their lives back together through education and assisEARLY CARE AND EDUCATIONAL PROGRAM

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tance programs. Coleman coaches youth sports and is passionate about mentorship to children. Coleman’s focus in taking office is serving as an advocate for youth. Specifically, his goal is to increase the amount of educational programming such as trips and after-school services for the community. He also hopes to expand and improve local recreation centers and provide additional programming and educational services. (anc.dc.gov/ page/advisory-neighborhood-commission-8b)

ANC 8C

Victoria Akinseye (8C02) is a long-time Washingtonian who serves as a government information specialist in the U.S. Department of State and a mother. Akinseye decided to run for the ANC in order to serve the public and be a voice for the people in her community. She is advocating for cleaner and safer streets, community policing and community development for her neighborhood. Specifically, Akinseye wants to fix illegal dumping and littering around the community to make it a cleaner, safer place for residents. Skinseye frequently participates in city clean up events such as cleaning up roadside litter. She believes that her communication skills will help her serve her single member district and keep her neighbors informed. She will keep “one foot in the present and one in the future” as she seeks to provide realistic, innovative change to benefit Ward 8 community members. Aside from advocacy and activism, she is a mother and results-driven leader who values reliability, honesty, and environmentalism. (anc.dc.gov/page/advisoryneighborhood-commission-8c)

Tasha Powell (8C03) was born in Fort Worth, Texas and relocated to the District in hopes of finding connection with culture, progress and a history of strength and resolve; all of which she says she found in her neighborhood of Congress Heights. She served eight years in the U.S. Navy as an IT Specialist. Powell believes that the residents of her SMD want to experience what has been systematically denied to them: a beautiful neighborhood, growing opportunities and a supportive and connected community. She believes that the community deserves a representative that puts the neighborhood first and can work with the various DC agencies to bring long-term results to improve the lives of all residents in the ANC. She was inspired to run for a seat on the commission because she felt that the lack of community awareness concerning development, public safety, access to public transportation, jobs and lack of community resources was unacceptable. Powell pledges to keep the community informed on all matters to ensure that decisions are made in the best interest of the community.

ANC 8D

Alyse Newhouse (8D06) is a graduate of Howard University and resident of the Bellevue neighborhood. She has been a community advocate for over 16 years. Her passion for the advancement of black women and girls led her to mentor countless young women in the District. Newhouse has worked to serve her community through her leadership efforts with the National Coalition of 100 Black Women, Metropolitan Washington. Additionally, over the past four years, Alyse has raised Brittany Cummings more than $60,000 to support black women and girls health, economic empowerment and education. With a focus on communities East of the River, Alyse has supported policies to enhance the DC Student Empowerment and Equity Programs with funding and resources. She has also supported legislation to improve perinatal health and address racial disparities in birth outcomes for mothers east of the river. In 2015, Alyse began working with the U.S. Census Bureau to provide recommendations to enhance the 2020. Newhouse’s experiences have afforded her to be at the intersection of corporate and nonprofit, garnering results that matter. Newhouse wants to help provide health and safety resources and make the community aware of resources already available to Ward 8 residents. She also plans to work with District officials on street and city garbage cleanup. Newhouse aims to support black owned and operated businesses as well as businesses that hire residents of Ward 8. (anc.dc.gov/page/advisory-neighborhood-commission-8d)

ANC 8E

Shaquan Hudson (8E05) has been a Ward 8 resident for eight years and is excited to provide for her neighbors as a newly elected ANC commissioner. She is a single parent who attended the DC public schools, was a first-generation college graduate of the UDC with a degree in administration of justice. She is a member of the National Black United Front Organization, and is a community activist. Hudson decided to campaign for a seat in the ANC because she believed that through responsible action she could provide opportunities for her community. Hudson was first involved with civic duties in the community in 2016 as an intern for Capitol Services Management, Inc. in Ward 8. She served as the executive assistant for Phinis Jones, the President of Capitol Services Management, Inc. Hudson plans to continue to raise the bar to a standard of excellence as a newly elected commissioner.

Brittany Cummings (8E06) is a community advocate who is passionate about giving back. Since relocating to DC, Cummings has served as a board member of the Greater Washington Urban League Young Professionals. She is a member of the Community Advisory Council for A Wider Circle, an organization that is focused on bringing a family success center to Washington Highlands, as a part of DC Mayor Muriel Bowser’s Family First initiative. Cummings is an experienced marketing and communications professional and plans to bring her expertise to her work with the ANC to ensure better communication between the commission and Ward 8 residents. She believes that her experience and dedication to her work will allow her to serve as a meaningful advocate for her neighbors. Cummings said she has learned from residents in her SMD lack of connection is their biggest issue. Unfortunately in an area where internet access is inconsistent, posting information online only is not enough and Cummings believes that a concerted effort needs to be made to share opportunities for education, entrepreneurship and enrichment with residents of Ward 8.

Jeannina Williams (8E07) has lived in Ward 8 most of her life and has always been an advocate for her community. She has noticed that Ward 8 is moving in a ‘different’ direction than in years past and wants all residents to be included in that process. Gentrification is an issue that is constantly raised by residents, and it has strengthened her resolve to work closely with

Jeannina Williams

DC leadership in the best interest of the neighborhood. Williams wants to ensure that all of her constituents have a voice in their communities. Most important to Williams: she makes it her business to create a positive and safe environment for all. Williams hopes to assist in bringing more peopleoriented programs to the community such as job training, affordable housing, senior housing and dwelling programs, opportunities for community residents to engage in public safety programs, food and clothing pantries, youth-based programs for at-risk children and adolescents and supporting businesses that hire community residents. Williams also hopes to have more constituent involvement as she takes office this year.

(anc.dc.gov/page/advisory-neighborhood-commission-8e)

Commissioners Steven Tiller (8A07), Khadijah Watson (8B01), Michelle Kiah (8B05), Kwasi Seitu (8C01), Trayvon Hawkins (8C04), Patricia Janifer (8D07) and Shekita “Ki-Ki” McBroom (8E01) did not respond with a statement in time for publication. East of the River requested statements from all new ANC Ward 8 candidates. If you are a newly elected commissioner representing Ward 8 and want your statement included, please email SarahP@HillRag.com Sarah Payne is a History and Neuroscience student at The University of Michigan interning with HillRag. She writes for and serves as an assistant news editor for Michigan’s student newspaper, The Michigan Daily. You can reach her at sarahp@hillrag.com. u