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Vol 61 No 47 4 After co-convening the 2026 March on Washington, Martin Luther King III of the Drum Major Institute and the Rev. Al Sharpton (center) of the National Action Network (NAN), lead thousands of activists in a walk to the memorial named in honor of the former’s father. Marchers included the Rev. Shavon Arline-Bradley (far left), president of the National Council of Negro Women, Yolanda Renee King, granddaughter of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and King III’s daughter, filmmaker Spike Lee and the Rev. Dr. W. Franklyn Richardson, chairman of the NAN Board. (Robert R. Roberts/The Washington Informer)
RAP Reports First Death Since Opening 56 Years Ago Founder’s Son Talks Preservation Goals
By Fredrick Kunkle WI Contributing Writer
The March Returns. So Does the Fight for the Vote
By Demarco Rush, Hamil Harris, and Jada Ingleton WI Contributing Writers and WI Content Editor
print, the 2026 March on Washington: Defend the Vote convened thousands in the name of reimagining who has a voice in this country, and how to leave America better An intergenerational calling to shape democracy returned to than it was founded. “We talk about the Civil Rights Movement and the Lincoln Memorial on Friday, and attendees say the historic revival March on Washington [for Jobs and Freedom] as these was just the beginning. From interfaith institutions to the descendants of the blueMARCH Page 38
2026 DC JazzFest Celebrates the ‘Future of Jazz,’ Highlights Local and Global Talent Five Days of Music Programming Across the District
By Micha Green WI Managing Editor As Washingtonians celebrate Labor Day weekend and the nation continues to recognize its semiquincentennial, the 22nd annual DC JazzFest (DCJF) is coming to audiences Sept. 2-6 with performances across the District that highlight local and global artists while showcasing the value, diversity and evolution of a musical genre born in the
September 3 - 9, 2026
Art All Night Center Section
The death this month of a patient at RAP, Inc., a highly regarded addiction treatment center in Northeast, has shaken its local leadership and intensified friction with the out-of-state nonprofit that assumed its management nearly a decade ago. The death of Karlton Sparrow on Aug. 5 marked the first time anyone has died in RAP’s care since founder Ronald C. Clark opened the center’s doors in D.C. 56 years ago, according to several RAP board members,
including Clark’s son. They said RAP never lost anyone while building a reputation over the decades as a grassroots, hands-on drug addiction center that welcomed anyone and offered a holistic approach to treatment. “The death itself for me, personally — as a board member and my father’s son — was terrible,” Paul Clark told The Informer. “It was deeply emotional, and I didn’t even know the guy.” District police said they were summoned to RAP’s facility in the 1900 block of 4th Street NE shortly after 9 a.m. to assist D.C. Fire and EMS on a
RAP REPORTS Page 8
Nekisha Durrett: The Artist, D.C. Native Behind the ‘Hem of Heaven’ Obama Center’s Message Of Hope with the Rendition of Harriet’s Shawl
By Tatiana Allen WI Intern Nekisha Durrett, the mixed media artist behind the Obama Presidential Center’s “Hem of Heaven,” grounds her work in Black life and labor. As a native Washingtonian, she knows all too well the history that is erased and destroyed, and yet her own labor is evidence that all hope is not lost. “I didn't make a decision to make another Harriet Tubman piece out of the blue. It was like it was for this very specific site. And one of the themes of
NEKISHA Page 9
5 Sequoia “Redwood” Snyder is one of the members of DC Jazz Festival’s Next Jazz Legacy, performing on Sept. 5. (WI File Photo/Brenda C. Siler)
4 Nekisha Durrett’s piece “Hem of Heaven” is a 24-foot-tall sculpture now on display at the Obama Presidential Center in Chicago. Between working for the Smithsonian and Duke Ellington School of Arts, Durrett continued her artistic endeavors through a variety of competitions and commissioned pieces. (Courtesy Photo/Nekisha Durrett)
WWW.WASHINGTONINFORMER.COM / THE WASHINGTON INFORMER
SEPTEMBER 3 - 9, 2026 1
DC JAZZ FEST Page 28