WINNER OF FIVE SOCIETY OF PROFESSIONAL JOURNALISTS D.C. AWARDS
Chauvin Could Be Acquitted Page 16
Vol. 56, No. 26 • April 15 - 21, 2021
CDC Director Labels Racism a Serious Public Health Threat Stacy M. Brown WI Senior Writer
For the first time in America, a federal government agency has declared racism a serious public health threat. Dr. Rochelle P. Walensky, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and administrator of the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR), made the declaration that racism a serious threat to public health in an official statement released April 8. “What we know is this: racism
is a serious public health threat that directly affects the well-being of millions of Americans,” Dr. Walensky, an infectious disease physician, declared. “Over generations, these structural inequities have resulted in stark racial and ethnic health disparities that are severe, far-reaching and unacceptable.” In an article published by the Pew Research Center in June 2020, the writer concluded, “Being Black is bad for your health. And pervasive racism is
RACISM Page 5
5 Elementary school students were welcomed back to Tulip Grove Elementary School on April 8, and middle and high school students in Prince George’s County returned on April 15. See story Prince George’s Reopens Schools on Page 12. (Robert R. Roberts/The Washington Informer)
Equitable Internet Access Remains a Hot Button Issue
School Librarians and Teachers Bemoan Staffing Cuts
Sam P.K. Collins WI Staff Writer In the race to get as many District residents as possible fully vaccinat-
Sam P.K. Collins WI Staff Writer D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser (D) recently announced an increase in per-pupil funding for public and public charter schools and the infusion of several millions of dollars of federal relief funds, both of which would give District schools greater latitude in addressing academic gaps exacerbated by the pandemic.
5 DCPS librarian K.C. Boyd (Courtesy photo)
The degree to which these additional funds would slow down or reverse what has been described as the rapid removal of school librarians, however, has yet to be determined. Some school librarians, like K.C. Boyd, say that given the rules currently in place and what has trans-
pired over the last year, D.C. Public Schools (DCPS) will more than likely not change course. “Some of the people downtown are not well-versed on the benefits of having a librarian on staff,” said
STUDENTS Page 38
ed, the Health Alliance Network recently collaborated with D.C. Councilmember Vincent Gray’s office to manually schedule appointments for seniors living in Ward 7. It was upon executing this endeavor that organizers saw, not only the need for computer literacy, but access to affordable, high-speed internet. They said without it, the elders living in a retirement community wouldn’t have been able to access the online vaccination portal on their own. “We knew that all the seniors didn’t have computers and internet access, but not to what extent. The resident council president
TECH Page 23
Celebrating 56 Years of Service / Serving More Than 50,000 Readers Throughout The Metropolitan Area
