WINNER OF FIVE SOCIETY OF PROFESSIONAL JOURNALISTS D.C. AWARDS Giving Back by Uplifting Children Capture the Moment Page 36 Vol. 56, No. 25 • April 8 -14, 2021
Ward 8 Residents Make Surge for COVID-19 Vaccinations James Wright WI Staff Writer About 1,000 Ward 8 residents came to be vaccinated against the coronavirus at an event at the Southeast Tennis & Learning Center on April 3. Mona Reynolds, a Ward 8 resident, said when she learned about the event, she didn’t hesitate to sign up for it and to get inoculated. “Many people in Ward 8 that I know don’t trust events like this but I do because we have to get rid of this disease,” Reynolds said. “I am doing this because I work at a job that may require that I
become vaccinated soon. I believe people should be vaccinated because it will help fight the disease and people need to do their research and not believe the myths about vaccinations.” Data from the D.C. Department of Health reveal neighborhoods located in Ward 8, such as Bellevue and Historic Anacostia, have lower full vaccination rates, 4 percent and 5 percent, respectively than their fellow District residents who reside in Northwest quadrant areas such as Barnaby Woods (25 percent) and Tenleytown (16 percent). Plus, health
VACCINE Page 21
5 Former D.C. first lady Cora Masters Barry (in green) stands with D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser and her daughter, Miranda, at the COVID-19 Vaccination event on April 3 at the Southeast Tennis & Learning Center in Ward 8. (Courtesy photo/Khalid Naji-Allah for the Mayor’s Office)
Emotional and Disturbing Testimony Continues in Trial of Officer Who Kneeled on George Floyd’s Neck
WTU President Elizabeth Davis Dies in Car Crash Sam P.K. Collins WI Contributing Writer
5 Elizabeth Davis. Washington Teachers Union President (Shevry Lassiter/The Washington Informer)
District public school teachers and local education advocates continue to mourn the loss of Washington Teachers’ Union [WTU]) President Elizabeth Davis – one of two victims in a fatal car crash on Easter Sunday. Reports from the Maryland State Police said Davis, who was driving along Route 301 in Bowie, Maryland, and another driver collided. The other driver, a man in his late 60s, died on the scene while Davis, 70, succumbed to her injuries at Prince George’s County
DAVIS Page 38
Stacy M. Brown WI Senior Writer
5 A protester outside the courthouse where the trial of the ex-Minneapolis police officer accused of killing George Floyd is taking place. (Courtesy photo)
Minneapolis is a city on edge this week as emotional and disturbing testimony continues in former officer Derek Chauvin’s trial. At the start of the second week of testimony began, Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) went on national television proclaiming that the city was “on edge” watching the trial of Chauvin, who is facing multiple charges in connection
with the death of George Floyd. “We have seen justice not delivered in our community for many years,” Omar told CNN. “I think that there is a lot of confidence in Attorney General Keith Ellison and the prosecutors in this case, but we are all eagerly awaiting to see how this trial shakes out.” The congresswoman continued: “It’s been really horrendous to watch the defense put George Floyd on trial instead of the for-
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By Tia Carol Jones lawasenforcement. With the push for D.C. statehood strong as it hasShe said they
threat,” she said. haddoing comewhat together Among the programs Marlow lawmakers are they to bring a of uniformity have become accustomed to when sense legislation could en- in the way wants to see implemented are When L.Y. Marlow's 23-year-thosedomestic violence franchise voters – particularly of color. They push victims and stricter restraining order policies, oldback. daughter told her the father survivors are treated. more rights for victim's families of herCongressman daughter threatened her of South “She's usinghasher Dusty Johnson Dakota in-own personal to intervene on behalf of a viclife,troduced and thea bill lifetoofrepeal theirthe child, story, her — own personal pain to tim, a domestic violence assess23rd amendment a move shethat knew something had to be push forward,” Davis-Nickens ment unit coupled with further would effectively end the hope for D.C. statehood. done. her frustration said about in Marlow. training for law enforcement NineOut otherofRepublicans have joined Johnson his ef5 Nine other Republicans joined Congressman Johnson in his efwith enforcement's handling Davis-Nickens agencies,have a Child's Life Protecfortlaw which would prohibit District residents from votingsaidfortanyone to prohibit D.tion C. residents frommandatory voting for president. (WI file photo) of for the president. situation, With she decided to who reads Marlow's book will Act and counselGOP-led statehouses in Georgia, start the Saving Promise cam- “get it.” She said she hood. the ingwith for abatterers. Democratic president, the party in Pennsylvania, Arizona and other places advancing voter “puts However, paign. case in such a way, the average “If ever going to eradiandare holding the slimmest of majorities restriction laws, Johnson’s bill targets Washington, D.C. control of the House we “It seems to be a vicious cycle person can get it.” She in said at the cate domestic violence, we must the Senate, Johnson’s bill stands little chance of passing. He is pushing for the District of Columbia-Maryland that won't turn my family end of the day, the book will look at both sides of the coin. But unless Democrats agree to abolish the filibuster, stateReunion Act which would leave federal buildings and the loose,” Marlow said. Marlow help people begin to have dia-stands Wealmost need to the vichooda also noaddress chance both of getting through the National Mall as the only remaining structures in D.C. shared her story with the audi- logue about domestic violence. tim and the batterer,” Marlow Senate. proper. Maryland would claim D.C. neighborhoods, and ence at the District Heights Also present at the event was said. This week, the House Oversight and Reform Committhe District could no longer vote forMildred presidential electors. Domestic Violence Symposium Muhammad, the exMarlow would also like to see tee is scheduled to hear presentations on D.C. statehood. “It removes the need for D.C. statehood while also proon May 7 at the District Heights wife of John Allen Muhammad, programs designed to raise In 2020, the committee passed and sent Congresswoman viding representation individuals who livingwas in the Districtto six Municipal Center. Thetosymposentenced consec- awareness among children in Norton’s statehood bill to the House floor for the first time by merging the suburbsby withthe Maryland,” Johnson said in sium was sponsored utive life terms without parole public and private schools. She in nearly 30 withneed Republicans then holding the a news release. Family and Youth Services by a Maryland jury for his role in years. feelsThere, children to be educatmajority in the Senate, the bill stalled. The congressman’s push ignores the rights and will of Center of the city of District the Beltway Sniper attacks in ed about domestic violence. Nortonis reintroduced the bill earlierbeing this year the more 712,000HookD.C. residents, percent Muhammad of Heights and than the National 2002. 49 Mildred “We have to stop pas-at the beginning of the 117th Congress and she now has well over areWomen. Black, who pay more federal taxes per capiUpwhom of Black the founder of After the Trauma, sive-aggressive with poor chilPresident Biden has said he supports ta than any but still has no Senate representation. Marlow has state written a book, an organization that 200 helpsco-sponsors. the dren about Joe domestic violence,” statehoodMarlow and believes And Me it would usurp the decades-long effort ledofby domestic Con- D.C. “Color Butterfly,” which is a survivors violence said.“[the residents of D.C.] deserve representation.” WI gresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.) for statestory about four generations of and their children. Marlow has worked to break domestic violence. The book is “I lived in fear for six years. Six the cycle of abuse in her family, inspired by her own experiences, years in fear is a long time. It is and is confident the policies she and those of her grandmother, not an easy thing to come out is pushing for will start that her mother and her daughter. of,” she said. process. She said every time she reads Mildred Muhammad said “I plan to take these policies to excerpts from her book, she still people who want to help a Congress and implore them to can not believe the words came domestic violence victim must change our laws,” Marlow said. from her. “Color Me Butterfly” be careful of how they The go into University of North Caroli“I will not stop until these poliwon the 2007 National “Best the victim's life, and understand are passed.” na [UNC] hascies promoted longtime Books” Award. that she may be inassistant “survival Carolto Jones can be reached HubertTia Davis replace “I was just 16-years-old when mode”. tiacaroljones@sbcglobal.net recently-retiredatRoy Williams as the my eye first blackened and my “Before you get to 'I'm goingnew head basketball coach. Tar Heels' lips bled,” Marlow said. to kill you,' it started A as frontrunner a verbal forWI the job, Davis has Elaine Davis-Nickens, presibeen an assistant coach for the past dent of the National Hook-Up nine seasons and becomes the first of Black Women, said there is no Black head coach in UNC men's consistency in the way domestic basketball history. violence issues are dealt with by "I am honored and humbled to be given the opportu5 Patrons inside Temple Hills Skating Palace. nity to lead this program," Davis said in a statement re(FILE: Anthony Tilghman/The Washington Informer) leased by the school. "I would not be here without Coach A popular skating rink which planned to close its Dean Smith, Coach Bill Guthridge and Coach Roy Wildoors Monday, April 5 will remain open for the rest of liams; they taught me so much – and I'm eager to walk the month. Negotiations continue with Temple Hills their path in my shoes and with my personality.” Skating Palace as a new owner bought the entire propA Virginia native, Davis played for Smith at North erty which includes the skating rink and a pawn shop Carolina from 1988 to 1992 before being a first-round along Branch Avenue. A message posted on the skatNBA draft pick by the New York Knicks. He spent 12 ing rink’s Facebook page informed its fans there’s work seasons in the NBA with six organizations and later being done on a long-term extension. “The incredible worked as a college basketball analyst for ESPN. support of our loyal skating community is more ap"I love this University. I played here, I earned my depreciated than you will ever know. We love you and gree here, I fell in love with my wife here, I got married are thrilled to be able to continue with a great skate here, I moved here after I retired from the NBA and I experience. If you have any questions, please call 301have raised my family here," Davis said. "I am proud to 505-6490.” lead this team and I can't wait for all that comes next." WI WI WIever Staffbeen, WriterRepublican
Temple Hills Skating Palace Remain Opens in April
Hubert Davis Becomes Tar Heels’ First Black Basketball Head Coach
“
We have to stop being passive-aggressive with poor children about domestic violence. I plan to take these policies to Congress and implore them to change our laws. I will not stop until these policies are passed.
“
SOMETHING NEW EVERYDAY
Women the Cycle of wi hotBreak topics Domestic Violence Republicans Push Back Against D.C. Statehood
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L.Y. Marlow
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Emancipation Day Activities to Focus on Push for D.C. Statehood James Wright WI Staff Writer The volume of Emancipation Day celebrations in the District may be muted by COVID-19 but the intensity will be turned up a notch this year amid the push for statehood. Kimberly A. Bassett, the secretary of the District, talked about activities sponsored by the city government on March 29 to a group of interested residents involved in events leading up to the official holiday, April 16. “We will be celebrating Emancipation Day in a virtual environment because of COVID-19,” she said. “Even so, the events will be fun and informative. Our focus is to highlight the struggle for statehood. We want the 712,000 D.C. residents to teach Americans about our fight and to support our statehood aspirations.” On April 16, 1862, the “D.C. Compensated Emancipation Act of 1862” ended slavery in the District, freeing 3,100 people, reimbursing the slave owners and offering newly freed men and women money to emigrate outside of the U.S. The date has been celebrated by District residents since then and become an official holiday thanks to legislation sponsored by thenD.C. Councilmember Vincent Orange in 2000. While the focus has largely been on the historical aspects of slavery in the District since the advent of the official holiday, the Bowser administration and event organizers this year have opted to focus on statehood.
Events such as “Jazz & The Struggle for Freedom, Equality and Justice with Professor Herbert Smith” on April 1 and “The D.C. Emancipation Story with Historian C.R. Gibbs” on April 6” occurred on Webex. Bassett announced upcoming events such as “Reconstruction from 1865-1877 and its Impact Then & Now with Dr. Roger Davidson” on April 13 and her office will sponsor a dialogue on statehood with former D.C. Mayor Sharon Pratt, D.C. Shadow Senator Paul Strauss (D-D.C.), former D.C. Shadow Rep. Charles West Moreland, DC Vote’s Bo Shuff and Jamal Holtz, lead organizer for 51 for 51 on April 14. Bassett said on April 16, a video documentary “Mayor Bowser Presents: Becoming the Douglass Commonwealth, from D.C. Disenfranchisement to Full Democracy” is to air on the District’s Channel 16 and WUSA Channel 9. The documentary will feature such guests as D.C. statehood activist Anise Jenkins, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.), Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.), entrepreneur Ted Leonsis and former mayors Pratt, Anthony Williams and Vincent Gray. Eugene Kinlow, who works for the Bowser administration as the director of federal and regional affairs, said during the Emancipation Day season, residents will be encouraged to contact members of Congress who could be persuaded to support statehood legislation. “We have the support we need in the House but the fight is in the
U.S. Senate,” Kinlow said. “In the Senate, we cannot just hope that they do the right thing but we have to work to get their support. We need Democrats such as John Hickenlooper, Kelly Sinema, Mark Kelly, Angus King and nearby Joe Manchin to sign up as co-sponsors of statehood legislation.” The Rev. Donald Isaac said he would enlist District faith leaders for the statehood cause and mentioned tentative events. “We are looking to enlist 51
faith leaders for the statehood cause,” he said. “We are also considering activities at the St. John’s Episcopal Church and at Freedom Plaza with faith leaders. The Rev. George Holmes mentioned the possibility that Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.) could participate in Emancipation Day activities, too. Former D.C. Shadow Rep. John Capozzi has plans to organize a statehood sign wave on the morning of Emancipation Day in each
of the District’s quadrants. Jacque Patterson, who serves on the D.C. State Board of Education and works as an executive for KIPP DC, desires to have an essay contest for school-aged youngsters. On the evening of Emancipation Day, the Anacostia Coordinating Council, the D.C. Democratic Party, attorney A. Scott Bolden and DC Vote will sponsor a go-go concert that will be livestreamed. WI @JamesDCWrighter
EDUCARE OF WASHINGTON DC REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS School Food Service Educare of Washington DC (Educare DC) is seeking a food service management company to furnish and deliver 728 meals/day (in bulk – unless otherwise requested) to Two (2) location participating in the Child Adult Care Food Program (CACFP), established by the United States Department of Agriculture Code of Federal Regulations (7 CFR 226), which set forth the terms and conditions applicable to the proposed procurement. The complete RFP packet can be obtained by visiting our school website – www.educaredc.org. Proposals are due no later than 5:00PM, Thursday April 15, 2021. Questions and proposals may be emailed to: Barbara Ledyard Vice President-Finance and Administration bledyard@educaredc.org Requested Services Educare DC is seeking competitive proposals to provide meals (breakfast, lunch, PM snack and dinner) in support of our school food service program. The successful proposing company shall deliver in accordance with the menu requirements for the Child Adult Care Food Program (CACFP). Educare DC is based in a state-of-the-art facility in the Parkside-Kenilworth neighborhood of Ward 7. The school serves 160 low-income children (ages 6 weeks to 5 years) and their families with a high quality, research-based early childhood program. Educare Idea is based in a state-of-the-art facility in the Deanwood area of Ward 7. The school serves 80 low-income children (ages 6 weeks to 3 years) and their families with a high quality, research-based early childhood program. Assumptions and Agreements Proposals will not be returned. Educare DC reserves the right to dismiss a proposal without providing a reason. Educare DC reserves the right to terminate a contract with written notice. Submission Information Proposals must include all requested information indicated in the official RFP. Please send final proposals to bledyard@educaredc.org. Basis for Award of Contract Educare DC reserves the right to award a contract as it determines to be in the best interest of the school. Locally Owned, Minority-Owned, Female-Owned and Small Businesses are encouraged to apply. PROPOSALS MUST BE RECEIVED BY 5:00pm Thursday April 15, 2021 EST. Late proposals will not be accepted.
5 A flag with 51 stars. (WI File Photo)
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APRIL 8 - 14, 2021 5
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APRIL 8 - 14, 2021
APRIL8
1946 – Bob Johnson, an entrepreneur and media magnate who founded Black Entertainment Television, is born in Hickory, Mississippi. 1974 – Baseball great Hank Aaron hits his 715th career home run, breaking Babe Ruth's then-record of 714.
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1898 – Paul Robeson, singer, actor and civil rights activist, is born in Princeton, New Jersey. 1933 – Publisher and educator Nathan Hare, the first person hired to coordinate a Black studies program at the university level in the United States, is born in Slick, Oklahoma. 1939 – Singer Marian Anderson performs Easter Sunday for 75,000 on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial after she is refused permission to sing before an integrated the Daughters of the American Revolution's Constitutional Hall. 2011 – Black engineer Jerry Lawson, inventor of the video game cartridge, dies of complications from diabetes in Mountain View, Calif., at 70.
APRIL 10
1975 – Golfer Lee Elder becomes the first African American to play in the Masters.
APRIL 11
1881 – Spelman
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College, one of the nation's historically Black colleges and universities, is founded in Atlanta. 1899 – Percy Julian, a pioneering African American research chemist, is born in Montgomery, Alabama. 1908 – Jane Boldin, the first Black woman to serve as a judge in the United States, is born in Poughkeepsie, New York. 1966 – Emmett Ashford becomes the first Black umpire in Major League Baseball. 1968 – President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Fair Housing Act, which outlawed discrimination in the sale, rental or leasing of housing.
APRIL 12
1975 – Famed singer and entertainer Josephine Baker (top) dies of a cerebral hemorrhage in Paris at 68. 1981 – Heavyweight boxing great Joe Louis dies of cardiac arrest in a Las Vegas-area hospital at 66. 1983 – Harold Washington becomes the first African American mayor of Chicago.
APRIL 13
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1873 – The Colfax Riot, the largest racial massacre in U.S. history, takes place in Colfax, Louisiana, where approximately 150 Black men are killed by whites amid a highly contested gubernatorial election. 1964 – Sidney Poitier (above) becomes the first African American to win the Academy Award for Best Actor for his role as a construction worker who helps build a chapel in "Lilies of the Field." 1997 – Golf great Tiger Woods wins the Masters, becoming the the youngest and the first non-white player to win the tournament.
APRIL 14 TIGER WOODS
6 APRIL 8 - 14, 2021
1775 – The Society for the Relief of Free Negroes Unlawfully Held in Bondage, the first American abolition society, is founded in Philadelphia. WI
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The World According to Dominic
With the Nonstop Focus on COVID-19, Sometimes I Feel Trapped in a Ball of Confusion
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During December 2019, I returned to my hometown of Detroit, along with my trusty emotional support animal, my boxer Baby Girl, for my daughter’s commencement services. My firstborn child, a teacher in the Detroit Public Schools, had followed in the footsteps of both of her grandmothers for her career and educational milestones, including earning a master’s degree in education. Two things stick out in my mind as I think back to that trip to Motown. First, it was a very cold December. So much so that I had to literally drag Baby Girl out of the hotel so she should “handle her business.” Second, I became extremely ill on the morning during which I was scheduled to return back home in Silver Spring, Maryland. Chills, nausea, a raging fever and difficulty walking or maintaining my balance were among the symptoms. Determined to get home, I was assisted onto the plane with several thick blankets while seated in a wheelchair and with Baby Girl both thoroughly confused and concerned. Months later, I would learn that I had been infected with COVID-19. I am grateful to say that I survived. Perhaps ignorance is bliss after all.
The world had not been informed about this highly-infectious, deadly virus so I treated it as if it were just a very bad case of the flu. In fact, I didn’t even contact my physician. I just followed the protocol that’s generally recommended for the flu. Now, nearly 18 months later, COVID-19 has impacted almost every aspect of life no matter what your zip code may be. Every day we’re bombarded with the latest numbers of infections, hospitalizations and deaths. Every day we rise from our slumbering beds wondering if it’s finally our turn to receive our vaccination. Every day we long for our favorite restaurants to reopen and for concert halls and outdoor pavilions to swing open their doors so we can enjoy a good concert or a play. Every day we long for the day when the “storm” is over and we can remove our masks and rejoin our friends, family and co-workers again. Sometimes, things become so confusing and the challenges so overwhelming that I totally understand the sentiment behind Motown songwriters Norman Whitfield and Barrett Strong who wrote “Ball of Confusion (That’s What the World is Today).” The song was a big hit for the Temptations in the spring of 1970 and represents one of the few protest songs which Berry Gordy allowed his artists to release under the Motown/Gordy Record labels. Lyrically, the song attacked the Vietnam War, President Nixon’s government and drug addiction. Among the top news events that occurred that year were the Chicago Seven being found guilty, both the U.S. and the U.K. lowering the voting age to 18, the First Earth Day and demonstrations in Washington, D.C. against the Vietnam War that totaled over 100,000 participants. ‘Ball of Confusion’s” haunting lyrics include the following images, some of which almost sound like the could be describing what we’re facing today.
“Segregation, determination, demonstration, integration Aggravation, humiliation, obligation to our nation Ball of confusion, Oh yeah, that's what the world is today . . . Evolution, revolution, gun control, sound of soul Shooting rockets to the moon, kids growing up too soon Politicians say more taxes will solve everything And the band played on So, round and around and around we go Where the world's headed, nobody knows.” If you’re like me, you continue to hope and pray that things will return to “normal.” But history shows us that everything must change – no matter how much we may long for things to return to the way they were in the “good old days.” But there is no going back. Like any other major upheaval that has shaken our nation and the planet, nothing will be the same after COVID-19. But life will go on. For now, as my mother would often tell me, just “spit in your hand and take a fresh hold.” One more thought: wouldn’t it be great if we could return to some of those 1970 prices and costs of living. Back then, a new house cost $23,450, average monthly rent was $140, a U.S. postage stamp was 6 cents, Sports Illustrated set you back 15 cents, a Chrysler Newport hot off the car lot cost $3861 and a back to college typewriter was a whopping $28.88. By the way, no, I still have not received my COVID-19 vaccination yet. But any day now, it will be my turn in line. In the meantime, I’ll keep my head down, my hands washed, my mask on and continue to work from home with Baby Girl hovering close by. WI @mcneirdk
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Change Needed When Policing Youth, D.C. Police Reform Commission Says
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Sam P.K. Collins WI Staff Writer With the recent release of the D.C. Police Reform Commission’s recommendations comes the opportunity to engage the D.C. Council about the degree of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD)’s involvement in District residents’ daily affairs. For young people of color, one issue of concern centers on the presence of MPD and school resource officers in District public and public charter schools. However, if these recommendations are implemented, that may become a remnant of the past, much to the relief of at least one D.C. charter school graduate. “We need to thrive in environments that are supposed to nourish us, and the schools are doing the opposite. Resource officers and MPD shouldn’t be there,” said Helisa Cruz, a student at Marymount Manhattan College in New York and alumna of BASIS DC Public Charter School. Cruz said she believes her alma mater prepared her for her profession but two incidents in her schooling raised her awareness about the intersections of race and policing on school campuses. In the fifth grade for example, she saw school officials call MPD on a Black peer and later suspend him for bringing marijuana to school. Cruz said years later, a white peer who committed the same infraction didn’t suffer any consequences. During another incident Cruz mentioned, BASIS DC, located downtown, went into shutdown mode upon a teacher’s misinterpretation of a student’s plans to shoot some hoops after school. Cruz said those experiences, in tandem with her family’s encounters with MPD during her developmental years, inspired a crusade to speak about policing issues before the D.C. Council and in other venues. “There aren’t a lot of resources in schools east of the Anacostia River,” Cruz told The Informer.
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5 Samantha Davis, a member of the DC Police Reform Commission and executive director of The Black Swan Academy. (Courtesy photo)
“Money should go to mental health resources, recreation centers, community buildings and other things that would help community members instead of criminalizing them.”
GUN RECOVERY, JUMP-OUTS TARGETED
Research shows that youth arrests lead to loss in instructional time and housing, separation from families and the enhancement of psychological barriers. In addition to removing MPD and school resource officers from schools, the D.C. Police Reform Commission also recommended downsizing the department, prohibiting the arrest of young people on school campuses, investments in mental health and other crime prevention measures and suspension of the gun recovery unit and jump-out squads. Schools in the District currently employ one officer for every 165 students, compared to one social worker for every 254 students, and one psychologist for every 529 students. Legislation approved by the D.C. Council in the wake of last year’s social uprising relinquished MPD’s control over the hiring of school security guards, much to the chagrin of D.C. Mayor Muriel
Bowser (D) and policing stalwarts. That milestone culminated years of advocacy carried out by young public and public charter school students who’ve made appeals to council members, spoke before various audiences and rallied in support of the funding for mental health resources. On April 1, Samantha Davis, a member of the D.C. Police Reform Commission, spoke about some of these young people in presenting the recommendations for pulling MPD and resource officers out of schools. She said that District officials must keep in mind that D.C. youth need safe spaces in order to thrive academically and socially. “The time for this change is now given the past year with the pandemic and racial injustice,” said Davis, also executive director of Black Swan Academy. “Even the viral videos of police killing young people is detrimental to the health of Black youth, especially Black girls,” she continued. “Our hope is to reduce the footprint of police in our communities, eliminate them from schools, and make sure young people are supported and treated in dignity and respect.” WI @SamPKCollins
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WORDS TO LIVE BY “For years now I have heard the word ‘Wait!’ It rings in the ear of every Negro with a piercing familiarity. This ‘Wait’ has almost always meant ‘Never.’” – Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
“Letter from Birmingham City Jail,” [April 16, 1963] King was assassinated 53 years ago on April 4, 1968 in Memphis, Tennessee.
10 APRIL 8 - 14, 2021
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Tony Lewis, Jr. Leads Movement Seeking Clemency for His Father
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D.C. Rally Featuring Backyard Band and Speakers Slated for April 10
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Sam P.K. Collins WI Contributing Writer In the 30-plus years during which he’s been incarcerated, Tony Lewis, Sr. has mentored younger inmates, quelled conflicts within correctional institutions and with the help of his son, Tony, Jr., has connected returning citizens and their families with much-needed resources. Lewis, a nonviolent drug offender, has carried out this work throughout the duration of a life sentence, even as the other people involved in his case have been released or had their sentences reduced. For the younger Lewis, such circumstances more than qualify his father for an initial slot on what he envisions as a special program spearheaded by President Joe Biden (D). “We have a president who was instrumental in mass incarceration as an architect of the bills that established mandatory minimums and expanded the prison system,” said Lewis, a nationally-renowned activist and author focused on workforce development and helping children of incarcerated parents. “It’s important and imperative that this president creates a robust clemency program to right his wrongs and my dad should be the poster child for that. [This will] start a journey that reunites American families like mine. This culminates all my years of activism. Now is the time. The stars are aligned,” he said.
THE “FREE TONY LEWIS” MOVEMENT
On April 10, Tony Lewis, Jr. and several hundred others will converge on Black Lives Matter Plaza, located several feet from the White House, for a rally inspired by what's known as the “Free Tony Lewis'” movement. During the afternoon, Backyard Band will perform a set while Lewis and other speakers will emphasize the importance of the initiative. The younger Lewis, who said he regularly speaks to his father, has already found a supporter in D.C. Councilmember Trayon White (D-Ward 8) who once accompanied
APRIL IS FINANCIAL LITERACY MONTH
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5 (L-R) Tony Lewis, Jr. and his father Tony Lewis (Courtesy photo)
him to Federal Correctional Institution Cumberland where he witnessed how Tony Lewis wielded his influence to better the lives of other inmates. However, as White told The Informer, his reasons for backing the “Free Tony Lewis” Movement center more on the actions of government and military officials who set the stage for the War on Drugs. “I don’t think any human being should spend their life in jail because of a drug distribution offense,” White said. “I didn’t see [the government] charge any of the military officials, elected officials and others that Gary Webb was exposing [for] flooding Black communities all across the country [with drugs] during that time.”
THIRTY-TWO YEARS AND COUNTING
In the spring of 1989, the FBI, DEA and Metropolitan Police Department arrested Rayful Edmonds III, Tony Lewis, Sr. and more than two dozen others in the takedown of what was then considered the District’s largest drug network. Lewis, then 26 and with no prior convictions, would be sentenced to life without the possibility of parole. Last year, federal authorities announced that Edmonds, who had long cooperated with law enforcement officials in more than 100 drug arrests and entered a witness protection program, would be released early. The news sparked reactions including that from Lewis, Jr.
who questioned why his father, after having served so many years behind bars, could not be afforded the same opportunity. . In his 2015 memoir “Slugg,” the younger Lewis addressed how his father’s arrest and conviction impacted his family and later inspired his entrance into workforce development and youth enrichment. For Jerome Bradley, a returning citizen who said he received mentorship from Tony Lewis while in FCI Cumberland, time remains of the essence in releasing a man who he credits with pushing him along a path to self-improvement. “Society as a whole throws us away and looks at us like we can’t change,” said Bradley, an entrepreneur who started his automotive roadside assistance business upon his release in 2019. Bradley said Lewis, with whom he still maintains contact, encouraged him to take classes during his incarceration. Following that advice would eventually lead to his teaching other inmates. “Out of everyone [I met in prison], I could say that Tony Lewis changed,” Bradley said. “He has been incarcerated for more than 30 years and deserves a second chance. There’s no reason why he should be there for a nonviolent drug charge.” “Society would benefit from Tony Lewis being home. I say to President Biden and everyone else, if they want to look at who he is, they can look at my progress,” he added. WI @SamPKCollins
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PRINCE GEORGE'S COUNTY Deadline Looms for Maryland Lawmakers to Pass Police Reform Legislation William J. Ford WI Staff Writer ANNAPOLIS, Md. – The Maryland General Assembly will end its 90-day session at midnight Monday, April 12 but it may take lawmakers until the last day to agree on police reform legislation. Maryland Senate President Bill Fer-
guson said Monday, April 5 there remain “marginal differences” between his chamber and the House of Delegates. “I think both chambers are committed to totally getting this right,” he said. “We will be moving in short order to make sure it gets done as soon as possible to get to the governor to sign.” Police reform became one of the
top priorities in the General Assembly after Ferguson and House Speaker Adrienne Jones announced the formation of work groups last year to work on proposed legislation. Lawmakers approved police reform measures last month but organized differently. The Senate approved nine separate pieces of legislation white the House approved one large bill. When they crossed over to the other chambers for review, lawmakers approved altered versions last week. The House consolidated the Senate’s nine bills into four and the Senate approved the House version Thursday, April 1 sponsored by Jones but with amendments. Less than 24 hours after the Senate vote, the House rejected the amendments Friday, April 2 and appointed three members, Delegates Luke Clippinger, Vanessa Atterbeary and David Moon, to serve on a conference committee to work out differences and approve a final from of the bill in both chambers. House Minority Leader Nic Kipke (R-Anne Arundel County) will serve as an advisor. For some lawmakers, the topic has become a bit heated and personal.
5 A few hundred people march toward the State House in Annapolis on March 4 demanding stronger legislation on police accountability and transparency. (Rob Roberts/ The Washington Informer)
Atterbeary, a Democrat from Howard County who serves as vice chair of the House Judiciary Committee, posted a few remarks on Twitter on Saturday, April 3. “Again. For the people in the back. Either you WANT #PoliceReform & #PoliceAccountability or you don’t. Refusing to participate in a conference committee on the most sweeping piece of police reform legislation the [Maryland General Assembly” is a
Maryland General Assembly Passes $52 Million Budget William J. Ford WI Staff Writer When Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan wrote a letter in January about the prospects of a proposed $49 billion fiscal year 2022 budget, he raised the prospects of deficits, spending freezes and cuts to programs as the state continues to battle the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Nearly three months later, lawmakers approved a $52.4 billion
budget Friday, April 2 that will boost the state’s unemployment system, enhance broadband internet access as students continue virtual learning and capital projects to renovate parks and other buildings. Del. Maggie McIntosh (D-Baltimore City), who chairs the House Appropriations Committee, called the budget bill “the recovery act” that includes $2.1 billion in cash reserves. The House approved the budget 125-8.
5 A look at vehicles traveling south on Route 210 in Oxon Hill on April 3 as construction continues at an interchange at Kerby Hill and Livingston roads. (William J. Ford/The Washington Informer)
12 APRIL 8 - 14, 2021
“We leave here this year [with] the budget not only fully balanced, but it erases any deficit for this year and next year. It gives us a path to recovery,” she said on the House floor. “It still helps those who need our help.” Beside an expected positive economy, the state received $3.9 billion in federal aid as part of the American Rescue Act. About $1 billion will be used in this year’s budget from the Maryland RELIEF Act lawmakers passed in February. The money provided stimulus payments for low-income residents and tax relief for small businesses. About $100 million will support state employees in essential jobs such as health care and public safety. Some workers will receive “response pay” retroactively the state stopped providing in September. After the House voted on the spending plan, the Senate gave unanimous approval. “Of all the crazy things that have been happening, this is a huge deal,” said Senate President Bill Ferguson (D-Baltimore City). “This is a good budget for the people of Maryland. It’s going to get people
back to work.” In Prince George’s County, state funding will go toward roads projects such as $18.3 million to finish an overpass at Kerby Hill and Livingston roads at Route 210 in Oxon Hill. According to a supplemental budget submitted by Hogan last week, other state money for the county includes: • $45.1 million to design and construct a chemistry wing at the University of Maryland in College Park. • An additional $4.4 million in disparity grants to assist the county government not receiving enough revenue in income taxes. • About $1.5 million for the District Court building in Hyattsville.
SPENDING FOR MENTAL HEALTH, REOPENING SCHOOLS
One of the biggest budget items totals an estimated $255 million toward the Blueprint for Mary-
BUDGETPage 38
sign that you don’t . . . you just want what you want.” Sen. Jill Carter (D-Baltimore City), who has worked on police reform legislation for several years, posted a response Saturday on Twitter. “For the people in the back and those treating police reform as the new sexy. [The Senate] worked in good faith . . . plus many late nights fixing the only House bill. We acted in good faith. We ask for fair dealing and professionalism.” The Senate voted 32-15 to approve the House version which includes the repeal of the controversial Law Enforcement Officers’ Bill of Rights statute, new officers completing implicit bias training and annual mental health evaluations. Several amendments are attached such as one from Sen. Chris West (R-Baltimore County) that would allow a police officer to appear with a representative before an administrative charging committee “to make a statement in defense of the police officer’s conduct.” One of the bills delegates overwhelmingly approved Friday deals with the city of Baltimore to regain control of the police department that currently sits as a state agency. Besides the governor’s signature, the goal would be offer a charter amendment for voter approval either in 2022 or 2024. Two other bills up for final approval in the House: allow certain misconduct records to become open by restructuring the state’s Public Information Act and require independent investigations through the state attorney general’s office when a police officer allegedly kills someone. The House granted preliminary approval in regards to the use of body cameras and mental health programs and a statewide use of force statute. WI @jabariwill
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PRINCE GEORGE’S COUNTY
PGPCS Buses Equipped with Cameras Before Students Return William J. Ford WI Staff Writer Motorists traveling through Prince George’s County next week who whiz past a school bus’s red stop sign will receive a gift in the mail: a $250 ticket. Nearly 1,300 school buses in the county’s public-school fleet are equipped with cameras to not only protect students, but also ensure drivers obey the law. Approximately 1,000 buses will be on the road when about 32 percent, or 42,000 students, in Maryland’s second largest public school system are scheduled to return back to the classrooms Thursday, April 8. “The camera will catch you whether you’re coming from the front or rear of the bus and in either direction,” Rudolph Saunders, transportation director for PGCPS, said outside a bus lot in Upper Marlboro. “This law isn’t new when motorists see the stop-arm come out and the flashing lights, but there are numerous cases where people don’t stop, don’t see it, or whatever the reason may be. We just want drivers to watch out for our children.” The school system’s COVID-19 guidelines require all students wear masks or face coverings on the bus. Saunders said up to 20 students would be on each bus to maintain social distancing. According to the school system’s reopening guide at https:// bit.ly/3cL0C9q, there could be fewer students on a bus that services those in special education, attend early childhood or special centers. No students will sit behind the bus drivers. The first group of students to return Thursday are special education students, along with prekindergarteners through sixth graders students and high school seniors. Emerson Tiwang, 18, will return back to Charles H. Flowers High School in Springdale. Not only will he drive to school, but he also has a half-day schedule as a dual enrollment student
taking two classes at Prince George’s Community College. Among the colleges he received acceptance letters from are Duke, Howard and Hampton universities and the University of Southern California. “Having missed out on so much on my senior year, I just want a chance to say goodbye before I head out to college,” said Tiwang, who plans to major in computer science and may also study business or finance. “I have been on Zoom for over a year. I just want to be in another setting.” Students in the seventh through 11th grades will come back April 15. Students with last names that begin with the letters A through J will be in class Monday and Tuesday. Those with last names that begin with K through Z will see come to school Thursday and Friday. All students will have virtual learning on Wednesdays. Students will be on a hybrid schedule and attend school twice a week. The school year is scheduled to end June 15. If students have trouble adjusting to the two-day hybrid schedule, the school system allows them to return home and continue with virtual learning. As for the cameras on each school bus, the school system didn’t have to spend any money outfitting the technology thanks to BusPatrol of Lorton, Va. The company will retain a percentage of any tickets issued, along with the county government and police department. BusPatrol’s website at www. buspatrol.com highlights stoparm cameras can monitor up to eight lanes of traffic with exterior cameras to record views from the windshield, door when students enter and exit the bus and the rear. The company also has contracts with neighboring Montgomery County and Howard County. Cameras are also installed inside near the bus driver seats to not only maintain safety of the driver, but also “make sure
drivers are doing their job,” said Johnnie Walker, bus driver trainer for the Prince George’s school system. Walker said each driver will use a tablet to conduct safety checks around the bus before and after picking up children. The tablet will scan six “contact points” outside the bus to ensure that part of the bus has been checked. “I think we are doing a great job, but we’ll do a better job with the technology we received,” he said. A simple message from Walker to drivers next week when schools open up their doors: “We’re hoping…that when the bus stops [and] the stop-arm comes out, you stop.” WI @jabariwill
5 Johnnie Walker, a Prince George’s County public schools bus driver trainer, shows two cameras installed on one of the nearly 1,300 school buses at a bus lot March 31 in Upper Marlboro. (William J. Ford/The Washington Informer)
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BUSINESS 5 A D.C. Circulator bus. (Courtesy Photo/Google)
Deanwood Leaders Excited About D.C. Circulator Possibilities James Wright WI Staff Writer
Plans to bring the D.C. Circulator—the District government’s public bus system managed by the D.C. Department of Transportation-- to the Deanwood section of the city has neighborhood leaders upbeat about the possible expanded transit options and its potential to increase economic development. “The D.C. Circulator coming to Deanwood is one of my top priorities as an advisory neighborhood commissioner,” Anthony Lorenzo Green, who represents single-member district 7C04 said. “For many years, Deanwood was considered this faroff Northeast community in D.C. for many years that was considered living in the country. That’s not the case now but we are in a fight to reimage our area to get more attention from the city.” Green’s sentiments about Deanwood—bordered by Eastern Avenue to the northeast, Kenilworth Avenue to the northwest, Division Avenue to the southeast and Nannie Helen Burroughs to the south— are prevalent among leaders in Ward 7 as the neighborhood gains in reputation as having lots of affordable housing units. The website, realtor.com, re-
ported single-family houses in Deanwood ranging from $125,000 to $1.1 million while in the District overall a similar house could cost $809,500 according to the website Curbed DC in June 2019. Green said as more people come to Deanwood to live, they want more transit options other than the Metro Station located in the western part of the neighborhood and the Circulator would work as a transportation option. DDOT has discussed with advisory neighborhood commissions and civic and community groups in Ward 7 about expanding the D.C. Circulator service there for a number of months. The agency has drawn up a plan of seven routes of which three have stops in the Deanwood neighborhood. One route would start at Union Station and end up at the Deanwood Station by going through East Capitol Street and servicing the Stadium-Armory and Benning Road Metro Stations while another proposal starts at the New York Avenue station and head to Deanwood Metro and terminate at the Benning Road station. The third route would start at the Skyland Town Center and move north to the Minnesota Avenue station and terminate at the Deanwood Metro. Green said he wants more than
Estate Planning is Financial Planning April is financial literacy month. On behalf of all estate planning attorneys I am proclaiming that we are standing up to be counted as a vital part of Financial Literacy. We are often overlooked and excluded when the discussion of financial literacy is presented. Typically, there is a cursory discussion that says get a Will. The Financial Literacy courses spend substantial instructions regarding creating a budget, reducing debt, savings, investing and home ownership. The end of the course typically says, “and complete a Will to have your affairs in order”. I agree with the importance of living with intentionality financially. I agree that it is necessary to have a budget road map that creates a strategy for living and spending. A budget allows your money to have an assignment. That is one of the key statements of estate planning. There is no reason to change the philosophy of how your money is treated after you pass away. Estate planning is about being strategic in planning for the future, including the use of resources. I agree with reducing debt and investing as a focused strategic plan. We are all aware of the many “Go Fund Me” pages we see when people have passed away without Life Insurance. The presumption that I have is there was not only no money to provide resources to be laid to rest, there is no money to pass on. We should indeed have a strategic plan not to burden our family with our passing. The Black community has been subjected to hundreds of years of discrimination and exploitation financially by Banks and Insurance Companies. We have been overcharged and undervalued such that we were denied access to insurance for our lives but allowed just to pay for our death policies, in many cases costing more than that would be paid out. One guaranteed bet we can make is that we won’t leave this life alive. We can invest in ourselves and our families by securing life insurance that offers a benefit that can support our families when needed by providing a platform for stabilization or a platform for jumping to a higher position. Life insurance has a great capacity for impact if we choose to make the investment on ourselves for our families or loved ones. Yet, we know that money without instructions often will simply evaporate. Estate planning provides the opportunity to give the money that is left behind instructions. We want our loved ones to be prudent with the resources that are left behind. Grief and Greed are two of the strongest emotions that we deal with during highly emotional times. Strategically planning allows for planning that will guard against the devastation that can occur and manipulation that may be employed I agree that homeownership is one of the best ways in which we can increase net worth. We all have to live somewhere. Homeownership allows us to make an investment that enables us to continue to live where we choose, control the costs and simultaneously creating an appreciating asset. It also provides a home for our children and our children’s children that will provide a base of financial and emotional support. Yet, we have seen what happens when there is no strategic plan. We have seen family houses that are sold because one of the heirs wants his or her portion. We have seen abandonment because everyone was responsible but no one took responsibility. Estate Planning is such a significant part of financial planning. Wisdom is the application of knowledge. When we know better we do better. It’s not just enough to learn the distinctive components of financial literacy. It’s vital to create a comprehensive plan to build for the future. Let’s leave an inheritance to our children’s children. The Griffin Firm, PLLC www.yourestateplanningattorney.com (202)379-4738 5335 Wisconsin Ave NW Suite 440 Washington DC 20015 1401 Mercantile Lane Suite 383 Upper Marlboro MD 20774 100 International Drive 23rd Floor Baltimore MD 21202 1100 Peachtree ST NE Suite 200 Atlanta GA 30309 2530 Meridian Parkway Suite 300 Durham NC 27713 one D.C. Circulator route coming to Deanwood. “If we could get two, that would be great,” he said. The Circulator has been in Ward 7 previously but it didn’t extend to Deanwood. The former route grazed the ward’s southern edge near Skyland and the District closed it due to low ridership in 2018.
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Antwan Holmes, who represents 7C07, agrees with Green on Deanwood being a part of a new Circulator route that will help his constituents who sometimes struggle with getting to Metrobuses. “When it comes to Metrobus, Metro seems to want to close routes that come through Deanwood, like the U4 which starts here and ends
up in River Terrace,” Holmes said. “Routes like the U4 are what our residents need. I feel the Circulator can fill those routes that Metro may want to cut. The Circulator could complement the well-used X2, X9 routes.” While advisory neighborhood commission 7F chairman Tyrell M.
DEANWOOD Page 38 APRIL 8 - 14, 2021 15
NATIONAL U.S. Capitol on Lockdown after Noah Green, Indiana Man, Rams Barricade
Driver, One Officer Killed in Good Friday Incident Hamil Harris WI Staff Report As if the task of spiritual counseling wasn’t tough enough, cascading events in the District on the eve of Easter weekend confronted local ministers with a stubborn pandemic compounded by violence.
By Easter Sunday, a second attack at the U.S. Capitol within three months left the seat of government in a lockdown with two men dead, one a police officer and the other a Black man who, police said, had struggled with unemployment and emotional problems. The lockdown was triggered
5 The U.S. Capitol was on lock down after a suspect rammed his vehicle into a police barricade on Friday, April 2. (Anthony Tilghman/The Washington Informer)
Good Friday afternoon when a vehicle rammed a barricade on the north side of the Capitol, slamming into two U.S. Capitol police officers, killing one officer. The motorist emerged from the car wielding a knife. He was shot dead by police.
The incident occurred at the north barricade vehicle access point on Constitution Avenue, NE at the still fortified Capitol grounds, where fencing was installed in the wake of the riots in January. After the barricade was rammed, police and the National Guard closed the streets surrounding the campus. Additionally, officials barred entering or exiting all U.S. Capitol campus buildings. Those who remained inside campus buildings were instructed to stay away from windows and to take cover. The motorist was identified as Noah Green, a 25 year-old man from Indiana, who authorities said was unemployed and wrestling with emotional problems. In online messages, Green described himself as a follower of the Nation of Islam and Minister Louis Farrakhan, and spoke of going through a difficult time. “To be honest these past few years have been tough, and these past few months have been tough-
er,” he wrote. “I have been tried with some of the biggest, unimaginable tests in my life. I am currently now unemployed after I left my job partly due to afflictions, but ultimately, in search of a spiritual journey. Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.), characterized the attack as an example of a dark period in America. “Maybe that’s the darkness we feel is from when we witness a defense that makes you think that George Floyd’s death was justifiable and Eric Chauvin wasn't responsible for killing a black man right before our very eyes,” he said referring the death last May Floyd and the trial of Chauvin, a Minneapolis police officer, for killing him. “Maybe the darkness we feel is from the fact that 54 years ago today (April 4, 1968) Martin Luther King was shot and killed in Memphis, Tenn. and look how far we have not come.” WI Editor D. Kevin McNeir contributed to this article. WI
TWO RIVERS PUBLIC CHARTER SCHOOL REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS General Contractor Two Rivers PCS is soliciting proposals from licensed general contractors to renovate existing spaces in school facilities. To request a copy of the RFP, email Gail Williams at procurement@tworiverspcs.org. Proposals are due by April 26, 2021.
16 APRIL 8 - 14, 2021
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NATIONAL Survey: Majority of Americans are Not Affiliated with Churches Still Religious, Americans Find Houses of Worship Less Necessary “Over the past two decades, the percentage of Americans who do not identify with any religion has grown from eight percent in 19982000 to 13 percent in 2008-2010 and 21 percent over the past three years.” Gallup says the remainder of the drop can be attributed to a decline in formal church membership among Americans who do have a religious preference. Between 1998 and 2000, an average of 73 percent of religious Americans belonged to a church, synagogue or mosque. Over the past three years, the average has fallen to 60 percent. Generation differences were also highlighted in the report. Gallup finds that church membership strongly correlates with age.
Sarafina Wright WI Contributing Writer In the wake of the second consecutive Easter in the age of COVID-19, a major polling firm has found that, for the first time in more than seven decades, U.S. church memberships have fallen below the majority. The 2020 survey found only 47 percent of American adults belonged to a church, synagogue or mosque, down from 50 percent in 2018 and 70 percent in 1999. “U.S. church membership was 73 percent when Gallup first measured it in 1937 and remained near 70 percent for the next six decades, before beginning a steady decline around the turn of the 21st century,” wrote Gallup. “The decline in church membership is primarily a function of the increasing number of Americans who express no religious preference.”
POPULATION EVOLUTION
Sixty-six percent of traditionalists — U.S. adults born before
1946 — belong to a church, compared with 58 percent of baby boomers, 50 percent of those in Generation X and 36 percent of millennials. “The decline in church membership, then, appears largely tied to population change, with those in older generations who were likely to be church members being replaced in the U.S. adult population with people in younger generations who are less likely to belong,” wrote Gallup. “Also, each year the younger generations are making up an increasingly larger part of the entire U.S. adult population. Still, population replacement doesn't fully explain the decline in church membership, as adults in the older generations have shown roughly double-digit decreases from two decades ago.” Gallup finds that each generation has seen a decline in church membership among those who do affiliate with a specific religion.
(Courtesy of Pexels.)
Among subgroups the decline in membership is highest among Catholics down 18 points, from 76 percent to 58 percent versus protestants down nine points, from 73 percent to 64 percent. Despite trends, Gallup finds that the U.S. is still a religious nation with more than seven in 10 affiliating with some type of organized religion.
“While it is possible that part of the decline seen in 2020 was temporary and related to the coronavirus pandemic, continued decline in future decades seems inevitable, given the much lower levels of religiosity and church membership among younger versus older generations of adults,” Gallup wrote. WI
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COMPILED BY OSWALD T. BROWN, WI CONTRIBUTING WRITER
IMF Approves $2.34 Billion Package for Kenya The International Monetary Fund on Friday, April 2 said its board had approved new three-year financing arrangements for Kenya valued at $2.34 billion to help the African country continue responding to the COVID-19 pandemic and address its debt vulnerabilities. Approval of the new loans under the Fund’s Extended Credit Facility (ECF) and Extended Fund Facility (EFF) will enable immediate disbursement of about $307.5 million that Kenya can use for budget support, adding to $739 million it received in emergency COVID-19 aid in May 2020, the fund said in a state-
ment. The IMF said Kenya’s debt remained sustainable, but it was at high risk of debt distress, and authorities should focus their near-term agenda on urgent structural policy challenges. For nearly two years, Kenya has abandoned expensive commercial debt to cut back on ballooning repayments, while revenue collection has been squeezed by the pandemic. It also faces huge budget deficits that have been deepened by the coronavirus crisis. “The program supported by EFF/ECF arrangements with the Fund provides a strong signal of support and confidence,” IMF Deputy Managing Director Antoinette Sayeh said in a statement. “The Kenyan authorities have demonstrated strong commitment to fiscal reforms during this unprecedented global shock, and Kenya’s medium-term prospects remain positive.” Kenya was hit hard at the onset by the COVID-19 pandemic, but its economy has been picking up after likely posting a slight contraction of 0.1 percent in 2020, the IMF said WI
caribbean now Trinidad & Tobago PM Appeals for Tolerance and Compassion TRINIDAD & TOBAGO – Extending Easter greetings to the nation on Saturday, April 3, Trinidad & Tobago Prime Minister Dr. Keith Rowley said Easter Sunday gives the world a renewed hope that is particularly required at this time, adding that the resurrection of Jesus Christ is a reminder that “no matter how dark a situation, as the present may seem, there is always hope for a brighter tomorrow”, The T&T Guardian reported on Sunday, April 4. “Many have doubts that Trinidad and Tobago will ever overcome the challenges before us, because of the global uncertainty," Rowley said. "But I assure you that despite what you may see or hear, in some quarters, the Government you elected in 2020 is working toward the benefit of all the people of this country." He added: “The government will not give up on the mission which the citizens of this country assigned us. With your input and patience, we are going to achieve better levels of health, security and prosperity for this country together.” He urged citizens to reflect on T&T’s history and the many hurdles the nation has overcome. He also pointed out that T&T is not the only one in the world facing socio-economic and psychological challenges caused by the pandemic as “we continue to battle with COVID-19, the acquisition of vaccines, the challenging economic circumstances, gender-based violence and other crimes.” WI
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April 2021 Message from Department of Aging and Community Living Laura Newland Director, DC Department of Aging and Community Living Last month marked a year since the life of our community changed dramatically and persistently. This unprecedented time has been difficult for all of us and devastating for so many. We’ve lost family members, friends, and neighbors. We’ve seen the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on our older residents and communities of color. This past year has changed much of the way we’ve supported our community including: • Moving all dining site participants to home-delivered meals and increasing meal delivery capacity to serve 6,600 District seniors! We’ve delivered more than 2 million meals in the past year. • Launching the brand-new Call & Talk program, currently providing seniors with friendly check-in calls and conversations. • Supporting citywide efforts with staff dedicated to critical assignments including the Contact Trace Force, Citywide Hotline, and the Board of Elections. • Launching the Seniors Stay Cool program, making sure that income-eligible seniors could stay home and stay cool during heat emergencies, with A/C repairs and replacements. In one month, the program served nearly 100 seniors. • Launching the Senior Technology Pilot Program providing iPads and technical support to low income, isolated seniors to allow them to stay connected to family, friends, healthcare, information, and activities. • Hosting the first-ever Virtual Mayor’s Annual Senior Symposium on Channel 16, which included a special meal delivery for more than 800 seniors. At the same time, we’ve continued to maintain critical life-sustaining services such as Senior MedExpress, providing transportation to essential medical services for eligible District residents needing to get to their chemotherapy or dialysis appointments in the safest way possible. Our Safe at Home Program also continued to operate, installing more than 1,000 in-
home safety adaptations in FY20 and FY21 to date, while strictly adhering to health and safety guidance from DC Health. The risks of loneliness and isolation increased for all of us, and we’ve had to adjust and meet our emotional risks just as much as our public health risks. Like many of you, I’ve lost dear friends this past year. And I’ve talked with others over the phone and online as they’ve told me of their losses and of their grief. As we think about how to move forward, we know that there’s no going back to our pre-COVID lives. But this past year has also shown us that how we show up for each other is limited only by our own imaginations. We have an incredible opportunity to use our collective loss, our collective grief, to create a community that is stronger and more equitable for all of us. This past year gave us an opportunity to connect with thousands of seniors who weren’t connected with us before the public health emergency, and DACL has been better because of it. We’ve been making new connections every day. And we want to make even more. If you’re lonely and need connection, let us know. If you have an idea of how DACL can better support the community you want to see, we’d love to hear from you. Call us at 202-724-5626. My team and I can’t wait to chat soon. With Gratitude, Laura
Vacancies on D.C. Commission on Aging
Are you interested in serving your community as an aging advocate? The District of Columbia Commission on Aging is a citizen's advisory group to the Mayor, Council of the District of Columbia, Department of Office Aging and Community Living, and the general public on the needs and concerns of older Washingtonians. The Commissioners serve as advocates on behalf of the District's more than 120,000 seniors and accomplish their responsibilities through outreach to individuals and institutions, as well as to groups and governments. The Commission's 15 members are appointed by the Mayor with the advice and consent of the Council of the District of Columbia. To apply to become a member, visit the Mayor's Office of Talents and Appointments website http://motaboards.theresumator.com.
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APRIL 8 - 14, 2021 19
HEALTH On the Move: D.C.'s Black Coalition Against COVID
Celebrating a Year of Leading the Charge Against COVID-19 in the Black Community The Black Coalition Against COVID [BCAC] was birthed on Easter Sunday at the pandemic’s inception. This article highlights year one as BCAC launches a series on COVID-19 and the Black community in The Washington Informer. BCAC was created to focus on every
aspect of COVID-19 from amplifying the voices of Black communities, healthcare professionals and leading medical organizations to vaccine acceptance. BCAC’s co-founder, Dr. Reed Tuckson, served as D.C.’s Commissioner of Public Health during the AIDS epidemic. Thus, he recognized
that a worldwide epidemic like AIDS or COVID-19 requires a robust, grassroots campaign that partners and works with the government. “When I realized the magnitude of COVID-19 and the impact it would have on the Black community I remembered the words of one of my heroes, Dr. Calvin Rolark: ‘No people but a people can save a people,’” Dr. Tucson said. “So, I reached out and was fortunate to enlist a group of like-minded people from the faith community, organized labor, business community, community-based organizations, Howard University, artists, seasoned public health professionals and more to help co-found BCAC.”
CDC Study Confirms mRNA COVID-19 Vaccines Prevent Coronavirus Protection Begins Two Weeks After First Dose
Sarafina Wright WI Contributing Writer A new Centers of Disease Control and Prevention [CDC] study provides strong evidence that mRNA COVID-19 vaccines are highly effective in preventing SARS-CoV-2 infections, according to the health agency. The study examined the effectiveness of Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna mRNA vaccines in preventing COVID-19 infections among 3,950 study participants in six states over a 13-week period from Dec. 14, 2020 to March 13. The analysis took place in real-world conditions covering health care personnel, first responders and other essential workers-- groups that are more likely than the general population to be exposed to the virus because of their occupations. The findings showed that fol-
20 APRIL 8 - 14, 2021
lowing the second dose of vaccine — the recommended number of doses — risk of infection was reduced by 90 percent two or more weeks after vaccination. Following a single dose of either vaccine, the participants’ risk of COVID-19 infection was reduced by 80 percent two or more weeks after vaccination. The CDC says it takes about two weeks following each dose of vaccine for the body to produce antibodies that protect against infection. As a result, people are considered “partially vaccinated” two weeks after their first dose of mRNA vaccine and “fully vaccinated” two weeks after their second dose. “This study shows that our national vaccination efforts are working. The authorized mRNA COVID-19 vaccines provided early, substantial real-world protection against infection for our nation’s health care person-
nel, first responders, and other frontline essential workers,” said CDC Director Rochelle P. Walensky, MD, MPH. “These findings should offer hope to the millions of Americans receiving COVID-19 vaccines each day and to those who will have the opportunity to roll up their sleeves and get vaccinated in the weeks ahead. The authorized vaccines are the key tool that will help bring an end to this devastating pandemic.” The study also provided positive news about partial, one-dose vaccination. The CDC says the one-dose estimate of this study is consistent with other recent studies following the first dose of Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine among health care providers. Studies conducted in the United Kingdom and Israel showed that one dose was about 70 per-
COVID Page 45
DR. REED TUCSON, CO-FOUNDER OF BCAC
BCAC’s purpose is to provide compassionate, trustworthy and science-based information to the Black community to help individuals make educated decisions for themselves, their families and their communities. BCAC has fulfilled this and much more. BCAC’s accomplishments include engaging the D.C. community-based leadership to work collaboratively, providing reliable, myth-busting information and creating momentum to fight COVID-19. Through these partnerships, BCAC led the charge while working to support the community. The goal is building trust, listening and ensuring people feel respected. BCAC answers questions, addresses myths and tackles vaccine hesitancy stemming from the history of egregious medical research abuse with the Black community. BCAC has supported the D.C. government in keeping the fight against COVID-19 front and center by routine use of PSAs, community meetings, town halls and various forums. For example, BCAC’s “Poetry Slam” and “iMask4DC” film contest allowed D.C. residents to share important outreach messages. Often these collaborations began within D.C. but have expanded nationally. BCAC created a National Health Coalition involving the four Black medical schools: Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science, Howard University College of Medicine, Me harry Medical College, and Morehouse School of Medicine; the National Medical Association; the National Black Nurses Association; the National Urban League; and the premier digital medical publisher, BlackDoctor.org. The coalition has become a national leader in supplying Black communities with access to federal health professionals and experts, accompanying African-American physicians and re-
5 Dr. Reed Tucson, co-founder of BCAC
searchers providing current and factual information concerning the pandemic. For BCAC, the work has just begun. “It Ain’t Over!” as BCAC often says. “Our goals are to continue to be passionate in expressing our undying love for Black people in ways that give our community the best chance of surviving this unprecedented pandemic,” Dr. Tucson said. “Specifically, doubling efforts to partner with community-based organizations and community leaders and advocating for infrastructures necessary to ensure fair and equitable access to vaccines that are essential to Black survival.” For more information visit the BCAC website at https://blackcoalitionagainstcovid.org/, or Facebook https://www.facebook.com/ BCAC19/, Instagram and Twitter: @ bcagainstcovid. Article contributed by Natasha Joseph (admin@blackcoalitionagainstcovid.org), a doctoral candidate at Howard University studying development and public policy and an intern for BCAC assisting with media and publications. She is also a “Double Gator” graduate of the University of Florida and has written articles for several outlets including Gainesville’s “The Alligator” and the Journal of Haitian Studies. WI
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HEALTH COVID-19 Confirmed as Third Leading Cause of Death in 2020 People of Color Dying Twice as Fast as Whites Sarafina Wright WI Contributing Writer The COVID-19 pandemic caused approximately 375,000 deaths in the United States in
2020, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC]. The disease was the third leading cause of death behind heart disease and cancer. Overall death rates were highest
(Photo courtesy CDC)
VACCINE from Page 1 department data shows Ward 8 has the highest rate of death in the city from the coronavirus, 19 percent even though it has the third highest rate of positives, behind Ward 4 and Ward 5. The statistics spurred former D.C. first lady Cora Masters Barry to spearhead the event at the SETLC, “Don’t Miss Your Shot."
GETTING THE SHOT
Participating organizations and institutions in the “Don’t Miss Your Shot” event included the Far Southeast Family Strengthening and Collaborative, Howard University College of Medicine, George Washington University, United Medical Center, Martha’s Table, the Rodham Institute, the Congress Heights Community Training Development Corporation and Children’s National Hospital. People interested in being vaccinated came into the SETLC facility and headed to the Venus and Serena Williams Arena where they waited until getting their shot. When hearing their name, they sat at a small table with volunteers and received their
among Hispanics, non-Hispanic Black persons and non-Hispanic American Indian or Alaska Native persons. COVID-19 related death rates for people of color were more than double than for white Americans. “Provisional, national mortality data show that the COVID-19 pandemic substantially affected mortality in 2020. Early estimates of life expectancy at birth, based on provisional data for January to June 2020, show historic declines not seen since World War II (19421943),” researchers wrote in the JAMA medical journal. “The effects of the pandemic are likely to continue through 2021 as well because COVID-19 has already caused more than 100,000 deaths this year.” JAMA adds the effects of COVID-19 on mortality trends may be mitigated in 2021 given better detection and treatment options as well as increasing natural
and vaccine-related immunity. Though most of the increase in deaths from 2019 to 2020 was directly attributed to COVID-19, increases were also noted for several other leading causes of death including heart disease, Alzheimer’s disease and diabetes. Researchers say those numbers may also reflect disruptions in health care that hampered early detection and disease management. In 2020, there was also a rise in unintentional injury deaths largely driven by drug overdoses. “Final mortality data will help determine the effect of the pandemic on concurrent trends in drug overdose deaths,” researchers wrote. The COVID-19 death related numbers for 2020 come a year later amid the CDC declaring that mRNA COVID-19 vaccines are highly effective in preventing SARS-CoV-2 infections. The health agency has also declared it safe for fully vaccinated people to
travel with low risk to themselves. Someone is considered fully vaccinated two weeks after receiving the second recommended dose of vaccine. Those persons can travel within the U.S. and do not need COVID-19 testing or post-travel self-quarantine if they continue to take precautions. “With millions of Americans getting vaccinated every day, it is important to update the public on the latest science about what fully vaccinated people can do safely, now including guidance on safe travel,” said CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky. “We continue to encourage every American to get vaccinated as soon as it’s their turn, so we can begin to safely take steps back to our everyday lives. Vaccines can help us return to the things we love about life, so we encourage every American to get vaccinated as soon as they have the opportunity.” WI
Johnson & Johnson shot, a onetime inoculation. “That was quick,” Scott Thach, a resident, said. “I’m glad I won’t have to do this again.” Residents received instruction to go to a section of the arena to be monitored for immediate and severe reaction to the vaccine. If no reaction takes place, residents could leave the SETLC but had the option to stop by and pick up a food box assembled by volunteers of the Capital Area Food Bank.
THANKS FOR THE SHOT
Thach said only one thing convinced him to get the vaccine: the coronavirus. “The vaccine is safe,” he said. “I think everyone who can should get it because we don’t want this virus to have a place to live and exist. If everyone gets a shot, the virus will be under control and could go away. People who don’t want to get the shot should think of the alternative. If you don’t get the shot, you could be killed by COVID-19. Why risk it? People need to take advantage of getting
5 The Southeast Tennis and Learning Center (SETLC) held a COVID-19 vaccine clinic on Saturday, April 3. Several community leaders and supporters were on hand including (L-R) Melanie Campbell of the Black Women’s Roundtable, Michael Rogers of the Recreation Wish List Committee, Dr. Gigi El-Bayoumi of the Rodham Institute, Ron Moten of Don’t Mute DC, Cora Masters Barry of SETLC, Howard University President Wayne A. I. Frederick, and Constance Newman of the Recreation Wish List. (Anthony Tilghman/The Washington Informer)
vaccinated while they can. They should trust the science.” Ameen Beale, a resident who volunteered at the event, said he got his vaccine shot at a Giant store in the city, but decided to help out because his children participate in the activities at the SETLC. “I live in a high-risk area and people need to get vaccinated,”
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he said. “I would be more afraid to get COVID than to take the shot. People need to make informed decisions and listen to the research.” Resident Miesha Blacksheare thanks Barry and her staff and the volunteers for sponsoring the event. “The mayor sent out the email about this event and I filled out
the questionnaire,” Blacksheare said. “It didn’t matter to me whether it was the Johnson & Johnson single-shot or the two shots offered by Pifzer or Moderna, I wanted to be vaccinated. For people who don’t want the shot, they shouldn’t be afraid. This is for your health. This vaccination will keep everyone safe.” WI @JamesDCWrighter
APRIL 8 - 14, 2021 21
HEALTH
Hip Hop Superstar DMX in Grave Condition Following Heart Attack Stacy M. Brown WI Senior Writer DMX, the talented and gruffvoiced rap artist and actor who rose from the hard streets of Yonkers, New York to become one of hiphop’s most prolific stars, continues to fight for his life after his lawyer said he suffered a heart attack. Initial reports suggested that the star, most famous for the “Ruff Ryders Anthem” and whose real name is Earl Simmons, had suffered a drug overdose at around 11 p.m. on Friday, April 2. He was rushed to a hospital in White Plains, New York, where he reportedly remains in grave condition. “Please pray for my brother DMX,” hip-hop and “Blue Bloods” star Eric B. wrote on Twitter in a post that alerted the world to DMX’s dire condition. Missy Elliott, Ja Rule, Gabrielle
5 DMX (Courtesy photo)
Union and Viola Davis soon joined Eric B. in tweeting prayers to DMX. The superstar has struggled with drug addiction for decades and re-
cently explained his long battle to stay sober. He said someone who served as his mentor tricked him into smoking crack cocaine when DMX was 14. “I later found out that he [had] laced the blunt with crack,” DMX told Talib Kweli. “Why would you do that to a child?” Raised by an aunt, DMX took hip-hop by storm in the 1990s. He won Source magazine’s Unsigned Hype Award in January 1991 and released the promo single “Born Loser” for Columbia Records. After a nearly three-year hiatus, DMX returned to the limelight with an appearance on LL Cool J’s “4, 3, 2, 1.”
He worked with the Diddy protégé Ma$e on “24 Hours To Live,” the LOX’s “Money, Power & Respect” and the remix of Ice Cube’s smash hit, “We Be Clubbin.’” After signing a contract with Ruff Ryders/Def Jam Records, DMX recorded his iconic hit, “Get At Me Dog” which quickly rose on the rap and pop music charts. His seminal CD, “It’s Dark and Hell is Hot” cemented his legacy as a rap music genius. The website AllMusic.com noted that following Tupac Shakur’s deaths and the Notorious BIG, DMX took over as the undisputed reigning king of hardcore rap. “He was that rare commodity: a commercial powerhouse with artistic and street credibility to spare,” editors at AllMusic.com wrote. Hype Williams’ motion picture “Belly” was among the first to cast DMX in leading roles. The 1998 film also included Nas, Taral Hicks,
Method Man, R&B singer T-Boz and National Newspaper Publishers Association President and CEO Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis, Jr. Before the end of 1998, DMX completed his second album and a pending buyout of Def Jam pushed the record into stores that December. Featuring a controversial cover photo of the rapper covered in blood, Flesh of My Flesh, Blood of My Blood entered the charts at number one and eventually went triple platinum. The following year, DMX hit the road with Jay-Z and the Method Man/Redman team on the blockbuster Hard Knock Life tour. DMX went on to star in a myriad of motion pictures and television shows, including “Any Given Sunday,” “Gone in 60 Seconds” and “Cradle 2 the Grave.” DMX reportedly has 15 children. WI
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EDUCATION Local Radio Favorite Kojo Nnamdi Broadcasts Final Show
D. Kevin McNeir WI Editor
On Thursday, April 1, after 23 years, The Kojo Nnamdi Show aired its final show. The live magazine program highlighted news, political issues and social trends of the day and includes listener’s calls, emails and tweets. It aired Monday through Thursday
for one hour beginning at noon on WAMU 88.5, the NPR member-station in the District. Kojo, a longtime D.C. resident and native of Guyana, continues to host The Politics Hour with Kojo Nnamdi each Friday from noon to 1 p.m. with resident analyst Tom Sherwood, leading discussions about the policies and politics affecting the people of D.C., Mary-
Why You Should Get Tested For COVID-19 Today The past year has been incredibly difficult for our community. COVID-19 has taken a tremendous toll on each of us, with many losing jobs, losing time with our families, and worst of all, losing loved ones. Even as we see hopeful signs as the vaccine rolls out, ongoing COVID-19 testing remains critical to keep our community safe. Black Americans comprise 13% of the US population. Yet, more than half of all COVID-19 cases—and almost 60% of related deaths— occurred in US cities with large Black populations. All too often, Black people are tested for COVID-19 only after they catch it and go to a hospital with symptoms that have become difficult or impossible to treat. A Quest Diagnostics survey showed 72% of Black Americans have either delayed or avoided getting a diagnostic COVID-19 test even when they believed they needed one. Such reluctance carries a high price. By the time a Black American is hospitalized, the disease has often progressed to where no therapy can stop it. People in crisis often lack the information and resources to find a way out. To change this, Choose Healthy Life, United Way of New York City, and Quest Diagnostics are hosting COVID-19 testing and educational events in our local communities and in partnership with our churches. When trusted community leaders, including Black clergy, work with health experts to provide testing resources and much-needed support for those who test positive, it can have long-lasting, positive impacts on our community. “We’re bringing people together to teach about this pandemic,” said Rev. Calvin O. Butts III, Senior Pastor of The Abyssinian Baptist Church in Harlem, and co-chair of Choose Healthy Life. “The African-American church was the first place where we could get together and talk and learn. People come here because this is the most trusted institution in our community. The clergy have to be examples, and so, we got tested, and we encourage the community to get tested.”
land and Virginia. Denise Rolark Barnes, publisher of The Washington Informer, described Kojo as “an institution in Washington, D.C. and someone who made lo-
cal news important news for those who live in the DMV.” WAMU will honor Kojo Nnamdi on Wednesday, April 28 at 7 p.m. during an event sponsored by AARP
Testing Matters: It Can Save Lives “It’s critical that we remain vigilant in 2021,” said Rev. Al Sharpton, President and CEO of the National Action Network, and co-chair of Choose Healthy Life. “As faith leaders, we are stepping up to provide critical testing and resources to help our communities fight back against the virus.” Once you’ve been tested, even if you show no symptoms, you can be properly diagnosed. If you test negative, that’s great! If you test positive, you can get treated sooner and more effectively. Your friends, families and coworkers can be notified and can quarantine if necessary. This helps stop COVID-19’s spread. It’s simple, easy and free—and it could save your life. Testing will occur in the coming months at Choose Healthy Life churches and local health centers in Atlanta, Detroit, Newark, New York, Washington, DC, and other US cities. At each event, local health navigators will share important testing and vaccine information with community members. Learn more at ChooseHealthyLife.org. “This virus is actually making people afraid to get tested. They don’t want to know. They think, ‘What am I going to do? Am I going to have to quarantine? If I get sick, it’s out of my control.’ It’s really a scary proposition. That’s why we’re seeing so many Black people who are not getting tested until they’re at the hospital,” said Sheena Wright, President & CEO of United Way of New York City, and the implementation partner for Choose Healthy Life. “We’ve been besieged with death, fear, concern, and sickness, and this is a beacon of light in the dark, where people can come and be treated. There is hope at the end of this very long tunnel,” added Wright.
Maryland and AARP District of Columbia, WAMU’s Morning Edition Host Esther Ciammachilli will moderate the event. WI @mcneirdk
Reverend Dr. Calvin O. Butts, III preparing to receive his COVID-19 test. Dr. Butts has served as pastor at the Abyssinian Baptist Church for over 30 years, and is co-chair of the National Black Clergy Leadership Health Council.
Rev. Al Sharpton, co-chair of the Choose Healthy Life National Black Clergy Health Leadership Council, demonstrates the ease and necessity of COVID-19 testing to help address the disproportionate impacts of COVID-19 in Black communities. This event, held at the Abyssinian Baptist Church in Harlem on Jan. 25, is the first of hundreds of planned COVID-19 testing events at Black churches across the US, a partnership of Choose Healthy Life, Quest Diagnostics, and the United Way. A community member is tested for COVID-19 at the Abyssinian Baptist Church in Harlem on Jan. 25. Hundreds of events like this one will take place in Black communities across the US, a partnership of Choose Healthy Life, Quest Diagnostics, and the United Way.
So please take action. Get tested. Your participation can help save the lives of thousands of Black Americans.
Events at local churches will enable people in our community to get their questions answered, while providing opportunities to get tested. This will help prevent the spread of COVID-19, provide guidance about quarantine, and help those who do test positive get access to care.
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APRIL 8 - 14, 2021 23
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OPINIONS/EDITORIALS
EDITORIAL
Turning the Tide Against the Toxic State
These are trying times to say the least and the intensity of the challenges Americans are facing is creating a toxic state. Day in and day out, news of violence, injustice, sickness and death is having a very real impact on the mental health of adults and children, alike. As difficult as it’s been to watch the trial of Derek Chauvin, the Minneapolis police officer facing first, second and third degree murder charges for the killing of George Floyd, many Americans are glued to their screens watching the daily recount of evidence and testimonies, including the horrific video, showing the heinous act that led to Mr. Floyd’s death. The hope for justice in this case is restrained by pessimism resulting from not guilty verdicts most in law enforcement receive, particularly for acts against Black people. But we sit, and watch, and cry, and relive the pain, while our children watch, too. Then, there’s cause to celebrate the arrival of three vaccines — Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson — that will make Americans safer against COVID-19. But, the promise of reopening, traveling and gatherings is tempered by the threat of a fourth surge and reluctance by many to take the vaccine. Life as we knew it has not returned, and when it will is unpredictable. Upcoming holiday celebrations and much anticipated graduations will be put on hold or delayed once again. Instead of tossing tasseled caps with excitement in the air, graduates will sadly lower their computer screens to mark the momentous occasion in 2021. The U.S. is among the leading countries with the highest prevalence of mental disorders. In the 2021 report on the State of Mental Health in America, mental health among adults is increasing and youth mental health is worsening. The stresses of life do not discriminate, and the response including drug abuse, alcoholism and suicide, don’t discriminate either. The government’s response is stimulus payment. And while it addresses a financial crisis, it is not a cure for anxiety of depression. People need help and access to mental health care without stigma or shame. Let’s talk about it, and ensure affordability and accessibility for everyone who needs today. WI
With George Floyd’s Murder Televised for All, How Will Children Be Effected?
As the Derek Chauvin trial enters its second week, viewers have seen witnesses for the prosecution testify that the former police offer’s restraint of the victim, George Floyd, did not follow standard police tactics or training. In Chauvin’s defense, lead attorney Eric J. Nelson has attempted to bolster his argument that his client may have found it difficult to provide medical assistance or to remove his knee which he held on Floyd’s neck for more than nine minutes because of the crowd around him. Still, with Floyd being heard saying that he could not breathe and even crying out to his deceased mother, and with several onlookers pleading that Chauvin remove his knee, it’s hard to imagine that a more humane solution could not have been employed by him and his fellow officers. Legal experts believe that the trial will continue for at least another several weeks. In the meantime, the grim scene of Floyd’s slow death, allegedly due to asphyxiation, has been rebroadcast – in part and in its totality – numerous times. And unfortunately, it’s not just grown folks who are watching the murder scene. With most schools still providing instruction virtually and with YouTube and other social media platforms making the trial easily accessible, perhaps the real question remains not how many people will see what Chauvin did but how few? Viewer interest in television coverage of the trial has been high based on ratings data from Nielsen with one cable channel, HLN, broadcasting its entirety since the proceedings started on March 29. In fact, HLN, which averaged 470,000 viewers for the one-hour slot beginning at 3 p.m. on Monday, reported its highest daytime ratings since 2013 when viewers watched the trial of George Zimmerman – the neighborhood watch volunteer who fatally shot Trayvon Martin, an unarmed Black teenager. “The numbers show that there is a high level of interest,” said Ken Jautz, an executive vice president of CNN, who oversees HLN, in an interview. “This trial raises so many prominent and searing societal issues – issues of policing practices and how law enforce-
TO THE EDITOR
Taking My Best Shot D.C. From Our View I'm looking forward to getting vaccinated. I thought long and hard about it and I realized I have nothing to lose. People worry about what's in it, but I'm beyond that. I choose to have faith in the scientist and medical experts. I hope everyone considers getting vaccinated for their safety. Gretta Childers Oxon Hill, Md.
ment treats people of color.” MSNBC reports that on March 29, 929,000 viewers watched the trial as it began just after 10:30 a.m. By Friday, the fifth day, MSNBC viewership figures for the morning portion had risen to 1.2 million viewers. Still, the figures are nothing close to interest to the 1995 O.J. Simpson trial during which around 50 million people watched the trial’s conclusion from their homes – a number that may have been three times that size if the number of people watching it at work, at school or in airports or restaurants had been factored in.
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I'm kindly requesting The Washington Informer release a fun living in Washington, D.C., supplement. I love your health, finance and housing supplements, and I sure could use one on exploring the city from a Black perspective. I'm sure many others would agree. Anywho, keep doing what you're doing. Tina Flowers Washington, D.C. But when the Chauvin trial is over and the jury has rendered its verdict, how will children interpret what they have seen? Will they fear or will they admire the police – men and women who are sworn to “protect and serve” all citizens, regardless of race or ethnicity? Of course, there’s at least one other possibility. Children, having seen so many examples of “man’s inhumanity to man” committed by the police, may fall victim to complete apathy. In other words, they may no longer find a reason to care at all. And that is what we fear most of all. WI
APRIL 8 - 14, 2021 25
OPINIONS/EDITORIALS Guest Columnist
E. Faye Williams
Elijah
April is Autism Awareness Month. Autism is a neurodevelopmental condition characterized by challenges with social skills, repetitive behaviors, speech and nonverbal communication which affects one out of every 54 US children. Autism affects each person differently and poses challenges respective to the individual. Autism or Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is considered an "invisible disorder" since there is no physical in-
dication of the condition. Elijah McClain was a 23-yearold Black man who, at about 140 pounds, was slight of build. He was a musician and a massage therapist. He lived an unassuming, relatively conventional life on the Autism Spectrum. On Aug. 25, 2019, he was walking home from a convenience store, bringing his brother an iced tea, and, because of anemia, wearing an open-faced ski mask to keep his face warm. Three Aurora, Colo., police officers decided that Elijah's appearance and conduct was "suspicious." As they called to him, Eli-
Guest Columnist
jah was listening to music on his headphones and "ignored" their calls. The police restrained Elijah, wrestled him to the ground and placed him in a chokehold. Elijah can be heard pleading with the police, saying he had done nothing wrong and, "I'm an introvert, please respect my boundaries that I am speaking." And, while being choked, he uttered the all-too-familiar phrase "I can't breathe." Before losing consciousness, his last words were, "I am different." Paramedics were called. They administered Elijah an overdose of
the sedative ketamine, and he was transported to the hospital. In the ambulance, it was observed that Elijah was not breathing. He was declared brain-dead on Aug. 27. An independent report commissioned by the Aurora City Council said the encounter "didn't appear to be supported by reasonable suspicion of criminal activity." Listening to audio of this encounter was one of the most heart-wrenching experiences of my life. Unfortunately, that event and others like it are far too common in communities of color! Each day during Holy Week, we listened to
eyewitness accounts of the brutal murder of George Floyd. We have seen what, by all appearances, was an execution without regard for the humanity of a man. This, too, is all too familiar. I have always believed in keeping explanations simple. Most will understand you and few will be able to twist your words into self-serving utterances. I challenge anyone who viewed videos of the incident to explain how the crime he committed that would justify the imposition of the death pen-
WILLIAMS Page 45
Marc H. Morial
#StopAsianHate: Racism, Misogyny and Easy Access to Guns a Deadly Combination
"I can't remember ever having experienced racism separate from sexism. When I turn into a lane too slowly on the streets of Los Angeles, I am not surprised if someone rolls down the window to call me a 'c---- b-----.' When I reject or ignore sexual propositions from white men, some come back at me with racial slurs and even threats. Even
the perception that I will not fight back if I am attacked racially is a form of racism intersecting with sexism. This is the lived reality for too many Asian American women." — Sociologist and author Nancy Wang Yuen This week our nation suffered another deadly shooting spree inspired by misogyny and racism, enabled by irresponsibly lax firearm regulation. A self-described "sex addict"
Guest Columnist
seeking to rid himself of "temptation" fatally shot eight people at Atlanta-area massage parlors, six of them women of Asian descent. The initial response of investigators, who downplayed the role of race in the killings, revealed a disturbing ignorance of the nation's history of sexualized racism and violence. Even the agency investigating the shootings appears to be steeped in anti-Asian sentiment. Not only did its spokesman ex-
press empathy for the shooter, saying he was "at the end of his rope" and was having "a really bad day," but that same sheriff's deputy has made anti-Asian social media posts and promoted a racist T-shirt. The suspect purchased a gun just hours before the killings; Georgia requires no waiting period for firearms sales. The state has earned an "F" from the Giffords Law Center on its on their annual scorecard of gun laws in all
50 states. Easy access to firearms — most background checks take about 100 seconds, according to Giffords' executive director — is especially deadly in a climate of rising hate crimes and record levels of white supremacist propaganda. Just last week, the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism at California State University re-
MORIAL Page 45
Ray Curry
The American Dream Belongs to Working Americans
I grew up in a world that held the promise of a bright future for those who were willing to work hard. An America that said you can do better than your parents. A promise that meant job security with decent wages, health care, and benefits; a promise that meant training and education and a path to advancement for so many; a
26 APRIL 8 - 14, 2021
promise that made owning a home and raising a family possible; a promise that guaranteed a middle-class life and the ability to retire one day after a job well done. It was the promise that gave rise to the American dream and one that has shaped American values and vibrancy for generations. Where is that promise today? Sadly, it is now a broken promise. Consider how our landscape has changed over the past 40 years as corporate friendly politicians have
increasingly moved to undermine our working class, as we have continued to put corporate greed ahead of the people whose work makes corporate profits possible.
A HARSH REALITY
Consider how the terrain has toughened. Consider the damage done as we have increasingly waged war on our nation's unions and the voice for labor they provide. Here are just a few harsh re-
alities: Today, our country ranks at the bottom of industrialized countries relative to employee benefits like health care, parental leave, paid vacation and sick days, unemployment and retirement security. According to the Center for Economic and Policy Research (CEPR), the U.S. is the only advanced country where workers are not guaranteed vacation time. In contrast, Europeans get at least 20 days of legally mandated vacation days, and some countries require
at least 30. We are the only industrialized nation that does not offer universal health care for its citizens. This is despite the fact that we spend more on health care than other high-income countries relative to the size of our economy. And, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), less than 22% of Americans have employer-paid pensions, and only half participate in a retirement savings
CURRY Page 45
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OPINIONS/EDITORIALS Guest Columnist
Charlene Crowell
A Year of COVID-19 Brought Record Consumer Debt, Collection Complaints
After more than a year of COVID-19, the nation’s collective ability to cope with dual public health and economic crises has diminished many consumers’ ability to remain financially stable. While this February’s national employment report by the Bureau of Labor Statistics showed a net gain of 379,000 jobs and white unemployment dropped to 5.6%, there was no corresponding improvement for Black and Latino workers.
Instead, unemployment was respectively higher at 9.9% and 8.5%. Workers without jobs typically receive unemployment benefits that vary across the country in the amount and duration. Although the U.S. Department of Labor finds the 2021 national average for state unemployment benefits to be $346.46, 15 states have weekly benefits less than $300 and include locales with substantial workers of color, including: Arizona ($238.23); Florida ($233.59); Louisiana ($192.98); Mississippi ($190.27); Missouri ($253.87); North Carolina ($222.14); and Tennessee ($222.89).
Guest Columnist
Further, as most workers receive their health insurance through their employers, unemployed workers often lose that insurance as well as their incomes. It’s one thing to become ill, but it’s a compounded difficulty when you’re sick and out of a job at the same time. As Black America faces yet again another unequal economic recovery, a recent annual report to Congress on the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA) substantiates this claim. This consumer law governs debt collection practices, legally prohibiting debt collection companies from using abusive, unfair or decep-
tive practices to collect past due bills for mortgage, credit cards, medical debt, personal or other household debts. It does not include protections for business debts. Released in early March, the 2020 report, jointly prepared by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) reveals stark findings of consumers’ financial stress. In the first quarter of last year, consumer debt grew to $14.3 trillion. By the 3rd and 4th quarters of 2020, non-housing debt respectively reached increases of $15 billion and $37 billion. Credit and consumer reporting
complaints accounted for more than 58% of complaints received, followed by debt collection (15%), credit card (7%), checking or savings (6%), and mortgage (5%). Beginning in April 2020, consumers began to submit more than 3,000 complaints mentioning coronavirus-related keywords nearly every month. Consumers submitted approximately 32,100 complaints mentioning coronavirus or related keywords in 2020. In all of 2020, 70 million consumers — one in three with a credit file — were contacted
CROWELL Page 46
Ben Jealous
Justice is on Trial in the George Floyd Murder Case
The murder trial of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin has begun, 10 months after George Floyd died in the street with Chauvin's knee on his neck. Americans, especially Black Americans, are watching closely to see if justice will be done. The beginning of the trial made me profoundly sad, but also profoundly hopeful. It made me sad, because Floyd is
gone and nothing will bring him back to his family. It made me hopeful, because Floyd's killing sparked a renewed movement that is challenging police killings of unarmed civilians — a multiracial and multigenerational movement. The fact that Chauvin has been indicted and is facing trial is itself reason for hope. But my hope is tempered by history. As Black Americans know all too well, our system often fails to hold law enforcement accountable for killing Black people — even when the killing is on video.
Askia-At-Large
Think about Eric Garner. Garner died in 2014 after a New York City police officer put him in a chokehold and wrestled him to the ground. Before he died, Garner told police officers "I can't breathe" 11 times. It was all on video. But a local grand jury decided not to indict the officer who killed Garner. And five years later, in 2019, then-U.S. Attorney General William Barr decided not to bring federal civil rights charges against him. Last year, Floyd said "I can't breathe" 27 times as he laid on the ground with Chauvin's knee on his neck. Other of-
ficers looked on even as people begged and pleaded with them to spare Floyd's life. The trial testimony has been brutal. We learned on the first day that Chauvin kneeled on Floyd's neck for nine and a half minutes—even longer than we thought. On the second day, a teenage witness tried to hold back tears on the stand while she described watching a man die and not being able to help him. I am convinced that the truth about what happened to George Floyd came out only because someone filmed
his death. It was only after video was shared widely that the officers were fired, and charges eventually filed. And even now, rumors and disinformation being spread online blame Floyd for his own death.
who arrived on the scene just as the corpse was being transferred needlessly to an ambulance, crossed the “blue line of silence” and testified that the accused cop had gone too far. And neither the police lieutenant who’s been a cop in Minneapolis longer than anyone else on the force, nor the town’s chief of police would defend the assailant’s action. Then there is the terrifying video of the accused with a hand in his pocket and his knee on George Floyd’s neck in a death-choke position, who’s then heard on bodycam video saying he
never relented because the dying man might have tried something. Instead, George Floyd complained 20 times that he couldn’t breathe. He begged for his “momma” eight times. “Momma, I love you. I can’t do nothing,” he pleaded. “Tell my children I love them,” George Floyd said. “Please. Please,” he pleaded again and again and again. “Oh my God. I’m dead. Please, please man, somebody help me! I can’t breathe.”
A New York Times investigation published last year found that over the past decade, at least 70 people — more than half of them Black — died in law enforcement custody after saying "I can't breathe." Most of them were
JEALOUS Page 46
Askia Muhammad
Tears for George Floyd
I’ve got tears for George Floyd. Salty tears for George Floyd. I’ve got tears for George Floyd, briny, grown man tears for another grown man I never met. George Floyd’s brutal murderer is on trial, but we’ve been tricked into having to defend the dead man, the victim in our minds. Everyone who witnessed his execu-
tion last May 25 has tearfully testified to what happened that day: the 61-yearold cool breeze, black dude wearing high fashion white-framed glasses; the off-duty emergency medical technician who offered to render assistance only to be rebuffed until she knew he was already dead, when she saw the urine flow from his lifeless body; the Cup Foods store clerk who wished he had just put $20 out of his own pocket into the cash register instead of calling the police to report the counterfeit bill the victim had given him; the child
who made the video recording of the murderer with his knee on the victim’s neck for 9 minutes and 29 seconds, who wanted to help him but was afraid she might also become a victim if she intervened; everyone who witnessed the gruesome scene that day has testified, except for the four cops who had a hand in killing him. The police dispatcher who “called the police on the police” as she witnessed in horror in real time on surveillance video, was still in shock on the witness stand. The supervising police sergeant,
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ASKIA Page 46 APRIL 8 - 14, 2021 27
LIFESTYLE Legendary Soul Singer Shirley Murdock Remakes ’65 Classic ‘People Get Ready’
Best Known for ‘As We Lay,’ Songstress Interprets Both Gospel and R&B Effortlessly D. Kevin McNeir WI Editor If R&B solid gold from the 80s or contemporary gospel count among your favorite genres of music, then there’s one name that should immediately come to mind: Shirley Murdock. Best known for her gold-selling signature song, “As We Lay,” a moving ballad (produced by Roger Troutman) which focuses on infidelity and its ramifications, the soul music legend from Toledo, Ohio also scored big with several other songs that have since become classics.
Who can forget “Go On Without You” or “Computer Love” which she co-wrote – both tunes being among the most frequently played songs on R&B radio stations from D.C. to Detroit? Now, Murdock has added another classic to her repertoire with an inspiring new rendition of The Impressions’ 1965 inspirational top hit, “People Get Ready” (Degroat-Murdock Enterprises / Tyscot). In an interview that can be seen on our website, www.washingtoninformer.com, Murdock speaks with this reporter about her gospel roots and early years in Toledo, moving to Dayton, Ohio where
4 The cover for Shirley Murdock's latest single 'People Get Ready.' (Photo courtesy Shirley Murdock)
28 APRIL 8 - 14, 2021
5 Shirley Murdock is still pumping out the hits. (Photo courtesy Shirley Murdock)
she now lives with her supportive husband, the challenges she faced by her fans, friends and church members because of her decision to record both gospel music and more provocative songs like “As We Lay” and why she chose to remake “People Get Ready” which was written by the incomparable Curtis Mayfield. In the wake of the social and political polarization that has erupted over how to confront the coronavirus and police brutality, Murdock said she believed the time was ripe for a little Curtis Mayfield wisdom. “I was inspired to re-cut The Impressions' 1965 gem, ‘People Get Ready,’ after seeing the social unrest that exploded globally over the death of George Floyd,” she said. “I was so moved and hurt about how the police murdered that man with no just cause.” “I wanted to make a statement that we need to get along and be respectful of each other. That’s when I thought of this song by Curtis Mayfield [who was the chief songwriter and soloist for The Impressions]. I’ve always loved the song and thought it was a fitting message for this moment.” “Listen to my version of "People Get Ready" on your favorite digi-
tal platform by tapping this link: https://smarturl.it/7b2rxh,” she added. And even with the pandemic and the world remaining on lockdown because of COVID-19, Murdock says she’s remained busy. “I’ve been doing virtual events and I launched a YouTube channel,” she said. “Once a week, I post an inspirational message on there to encourage people. (The link: https://www.youtube. com/channel/UCEGLnQ0uR1gyLZv54k41oMQ) And as a respected songwriter, she’s also continued to write music. Besides “Computer Love” as mentioned above – a collaboration with The Zapp Band and Charlie Wilson – she’s co-written several of her own hits such as “In Your Eyes” and “Let There Be Love.” Many of the songs which bear her name have also been sampled by a who’s who in the urban community: Chris Brown, Bryson Tiller, Ne-Yo, Whiz Khalifa, Gucci Mane, Notorious B.I.G., SWV and Tank, among others.
MORE ABOUT ‘PEOPLE GET READY’
“People Get Ready” is a 1965 single by the Impressions, the
“I was inspired to re-cut The Impressions' 1965 gem, 'People Get Ready,' after seeing the social unrest that exploded globally over the death of George Floyd.” group’s best-known hit, and the title track from the same titled-album. The gospel-influenced track was a Curtis Mayfield composition that displayed the growing sense of social and political awareness in his writing. Rolling Stone magazine named “People Get Ready” the 24th greatest song of all time and also placed it at number 20 on their list of the 100 Greatest Guitar Tracks. In 2015, the song was selected for preservation in the National Recording Registry due to its “cultural, historic, or artistic significance.” The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. named the song the unofficial anthem of the Civil Rights Movement and often used it to get people marching or to calm and comfort them. WI @mcneirdk
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Contee On the Road to Becoming District's Next Chief of Police
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With Council Nod, he will Join Ranks of Black Top Cops Nationally ranks Black male urban police chiefs that include David O’Neal Brown of Chicago, Troy Finner of Houston, Rodney Bryant of Atlanta, Medaria Arradondo of Minneapolis, Michael S. Harrison of Baltimore, Malik Aziz of Prince George’s County and Marcus S. Jones of Montgomery County.
James Wright WI Staff Writer Acting D.C. Police Chief Robert J. Contee III’s nomination moved one step closer to confirmation recently, clearing the D.C. Council’s Committee on the Judiciary and Public Safety. On March 24, the committee, led by D.C. Councilmember Charles Allen (D-Ward 6) with Councilmembers Mary Cheh (D-Ward 3), Anita Bonds (D-At Large), Vincent Gray (D-Ward 7) and Brooke Pinto (D-Ward 2), voted in favor of Contee’s confirmation to be the next chief. Allen said Contee—appointed by D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser in December--“is the right person for the right time.” “Our police department faces significant challenges,” Allen said. “But he is the person to do the job. In my conversations with him and at the hearing last week, Contee shows that he is open to change and he understands aspects of the department must evolve.” Contee’s nomination heads to the full D.C. Council for final confirmation. During the council hearings two weeks ago, Contee told the councilmembers he understood that they want him to get a handle on the District’s increasing crime rate particularly homicide, carjacking and petty robbery. Plus, he recognized the District’s police force will have to play a supportive role in the security of federal facilities such as the U.S. Capitol. Contee also acknowledged he may have to perform his job with declining District government resources due to the coronavirus pandemic’s adverse effect on the District’s economy and city budget and calls by organizations who support initiatives defunding the police.
COUNCIL CONFIRMATION VOTE
D.C. Council Chairman Phil Mendelson (D) said at an April 5 news conference he doesn’t know exactly when Contee’s confirmation vote before the District’s legislative body will take place. “We could vote on his confirma-
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5 Robert J. Contee III serves as the acting chief of the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department. (WI File Photo)
tion as early as April 20 in an extra legislative meeting but I am not suggesting that. I will have to speak with Councilmember Allen about that. The confirmation vote could take place on May 4, our next [scheduled] legislative meeting.” No councilmember or major organization has voiced opposition to Contee’s confirmation. If confirmed, Contee will be the sixth Black to run the department. He is preceded by Burtell M. Jefferson (1978-1981), Maurice T. Turner Jr., (1981-1989), Isaac Fulwood (1989-1992), Fred Thomas (1992-1995) and Charles H. Ramsey (1998-2006). Contee, if confirmed, will join the
Dwayne Crawford , executive director of the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives (NOBLE), said Contee will have the full support of the Alexandria, Va.-based organization. “We have a lot of training tools for people in law enforcement who want to move up the ranks of their departments,” Crawford said. “We sponsor webinars, panels, direct training courses and conferences. We have a CEO symposium for members who want to be chiefs or sheriffs.” Crawford said Contee will be able to tap into the resources of other organizations such as the International Association of Chiefs of Police and the Major City Chiefs Association as well as the U.S. Department of Justice’s training programs. Crawford said being the chief of a department can at times be a lonely job, but said Contee will have plenty of support from his fellow chiefs. “Our organization offers a strong support system for African American chiefs of police,” he said. “We are available to help him in any way he needs us. He should feel free to ask for assistance if needed.” WI @JamesDCWrighter
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APRIL 8 - 14, 2021 29
LIFESTYLE IN MEMORIAM D.C. Mourns Pentecostal Pioneers Bishop E. Myron Noble, 77, and Elder Shiren Noble, 76 Hamil R. Harris and Lisa White WI Contributing Writers
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Bishop E. Myron Noble and his sister Elder Shiren Noble were eulogized by Pentecostal church leaders March 25 as two pioneers who dedicated their lives to ministry and publishing Christian books. A D.C. Metropolitan Police spokesman said that the Nobles were found by D.C. firefighters Feb. 20 at their District home and pronounced dead from carbon monoxide poisoning. The Nobles were eulogized at the Way of the Cross Church in Capital Heights by a number of ministers and church leaders including Bishop Ronald Brown, officiant, Apostle J. Shawn Urquhart, eulogist, and Bishop Alphonso D. Brooks, the church’s senior pastor. Myron Noble was the founder of Middle Atlantic Regional Gospel Ministries. He was sent on his first overseas mission to Holland in 1968. In 1969 he was guest soloist for crusades and evangelistic meetings with the Assembly of God in Germany. He founded an independent prison ministry in Washington, D.C. in 1970. Middle Atlantic Regional Gospel Ministries Music Festival of the Apostolic Faith Church of God was founded and organized by him in 1972. In 1984 he conducted evangelistic meetings in Ivory Coast, West Africa. In 1986 sales of Noble’s book, “The Gospel of Music: A Key to Understanding A Major Chord of Ministry” led him to launch the Middle Atlantic Regional Press. He went on to start the Middle Atlantic Regional Gospel Ministries in August, 1988. Rev. Myron Noble’s book, “And They Yet Speak” was hailed as “a labor of love,” according to one book reviewer who noted that the book included a thumbnail history of each black Pentecostal church that came
5 Bishop E. Myron Noble and his sister Elder Shiren Noble. (Courtesy photo)
into existence in our Nation’s Capitol since the late 1890’s. Noble interviewed the leadership of each of those churches in depth and attended a service at each church, a process that took 25 years to complete. Through that great effort, we get to meet 93 congregations, some large, some tiny. Earl Myron Noble was born on June 30, 1943 to Earl Noble and Helen I. Durbin Noble at the former Gallinger Hospital in Washington, D.C. He graduated from Harrison Elementary School, Garnet-Patterson Junior High School and McKinley
Technical Senior High School. He earned Bachelor’s, Masters and Ph.D degrees from Howard University. Gifted with a baritone voice, as a youth he was taught to sing sectional voice parts by his uncle, the Late Elder Joseph T. Durbin, Jr. “Uncle Joseph” was the church music director at that time. Myron’s remembrances centered on the hymn, “Fairest, Lord Jesus” as taught in voice parts to the Young People’s Choir. During the National Young People’s Convention (1964) of the Apos-
NOBLE Page 31
Congressman Alcee Hastings Dies after Battle with Cancer Stacy M. Brown WI Senior Writer
Alcee Hastings served as Florida’s first Black federal judge and fought a legendary battle for civil rights. In 1992, he became Florida’s first Black congressman since the Civil War ended and served 15 terms in the U.S. House of Representatives. And after a courageous battle with Stage 4 pancreatic cancer, the Democratic congressman died on
Tuesday, April 6 at the age of 84. “I am deeply saddened by the untimely passing of my friend and colleague, Rep. Hastings of Florida,” Texas Democratic Congressman Al Green wrote in an email to the Black Press and posted to Twitter. “My prayers are with the Hastings family as well as Alcee’s staff, friends and loved ones at this difficult time and in the days to come,” Green said. “You fought the good
HASTINGS Page 31
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HASTINGS from Page 30
fight, dear brother.” Hastings, who served as an advocate for minorities, women, and immigrants, was also the vice-chair of the House Rules Committee in the 117th Congress. Just one week ago, he voiced his support for President Joe Biden’s American Jobs Plan. “The American Jobs Plan put forth by the Biden-Harris administration creates a robust avenue for progress and opportunity for all Americans,” Hastings said. “The plan will make a significant investment in broadband, while also investing in long-neglected areas of our infrastructure such as clean water to schools, housing and childcare, seniors, veterans and long-term care facilities. This plan will also create millions of good-paying, union jobs for the American people and provide support for our essential, caregiving employees.” In an interview with the Black Press ahead of last November’s elections, Hastings lashed out at
NOBLE from Page 30 tolic Faith Churches of God, Myron was elected president of the National Youth Usher Board. Several years later, he was elected the National Choir director and was appointed parliamentarian of the National Youth Convention (NYC). On Aug. 11, 1984, he was ordained an elder by the Board of Presbytery of the Apostolic Faith Churches of God with Bishop L. C. Grant as Presiding Prelate. In 2016, Myron was elevated to the office of bishop. Earl Noble and Helen I. Durbin Noble gave birth to their daughter, Shiren Therelle Nobel on Feb. 12, 1945 in Washington, D.C. She graduated from Harrison Elementary School, Garnet-Patterson Junior High School and McKinley Tech Senior High School. She later furthered her education at Atlantic Business College, receiving an Associate’s degree in business administration, and Strayer University, receiving a Bachelor of Science and Masters of Divinity from the Howard University School of Divinity in 1980. Working tirelessly in the ministry, Shiren knew she had a calling on her life. In October 1992, Elder Shiren Noble answered the call and was or-
5 U.S. Rep. Alcee Hastings (Courtesy photo)
former President Donald Trump’s claims that he’d done more for African Americans than anyone else. He also took issue with Republicans for trying to suppress the vote for people of color. “[Trump] said he’d done more for African Americans than anybody,” Hastings said, shaking his head. “I guess Sojourner Truth, dained an elder by her mother Pastor Helen I. Noble and Uncle Rev. Dr. Joseph T. Durbin, Jr. Elder Shiren was the CEO of The Rescue Mission of Washington, D.C., succeeding her mother, Pastor Helen I. Noble, founder of the organization. Elder Noble carried on the ministry by providing the word of God and services to the least of these. Its mission statement included: “To love our brothers and sisters, to give of ourselves, to do all to obey God, to be priestly through Godly relationships.” She traveled extensively to spread The Word of God with the Rescue Mission Outreach team across the United States, Canada, West Germany, London, England, the Bahamas, Africa, The Netherlands, Antigua and British West Indies. She was a member of the Society for Pentecostal Studies (global), The Hymn Society in the United States and Canada and the Christ Mission Workers. Moreover, she served incarcerated women in institutions from Butner, N.C., to Philadelphia, Pa., to Carson City, Nev. to Katalie, Kenya and East Africa. Elder Shiren Noble retired from the United States Secret Service with more than 30 years of dedicated service. WI
Fanny Lou Hamer, Martin Luther King, Jr. and others must be turning over in their graves because they gave their lives so that we can have the precious rights that we have. Now it comes about that our voting rights are under attack. Sensible Americans, those who are really patriotic, make sure that everyone has the right to vote.” WI
mer police officer who is charged with his murder.” The first week of testimony concluded after Chauvin’s supervisor, Sgt. David Pleoger testified that the former officer was wrong to press his knee into Floyd for more than nine minutes. “When Mr. Floyd was no longer offering up any resistance to the officers, they could have ended the restraint,” Pleoger told the jury. “It would be reasonable to put a knee on someone’s neck until they were not resisting anymore, but it should stop when they are no longer combative. [The actions by Chauvin] was totally unnecessary.” Witness after witness testified that Floyd was not resisting. A video shown in the Hennepin County Courthouse backed that testimony. Jurors also learned that Chauvin knelt on Floyd for nine minutes and 29 seconds, a change from the almost year-long belief that it was
eight minutes and 46 seconds. Charles McMillan, a 61-yearold witness, testified how he watched in disbelief Chauvin’s actions. “I feel helpless,” McMillan explained while describing hearing Floyd call out for his mother. “I don’t have a [mother] either. I understand him.” Genevieve Hansen, an EMT worker, testified that she wanted to provide medical aid to Floyd, and when she asked police to check Floyd’s pulse, they refused. “I tried calm reasoning, I tried to be assertive, I pled and was desperate,” Hansen told the jury. “I was desperate to give help.” Chauvin is faced with one count of second-degree murder, one count of third-degree murder, and one count of second-degree manslaughter. He faces decades in prison, if convicted. Chauvin has pleaded not guilty to all charges. The case is expected to last at least two more weeks. WI @StacyBrownMedia
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APRIL 8 - 14, 2021 31
Comcast is celebrating the 10th anniversary of its groundbreaking Internet Essentials program, which has connected more than 10 million people from low-income families to low-cost, high speed Internet at home. Now Comcast is committing $1 billion, over the next 10 years, to reach 50 million people from low-income families with the tools and resources they need to succeed in a digital world.
Learn more at Comcast.com/Education
32 APRIL 8 - 14, 2021
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Celebrating Ten Years of Black Women Walking to Heal, GirlTrek Grows to 1.2 Million Members Stacy M. Brown WI Senior Writer It started in Los Angeles with two friends – Morgan Dixon and Vanessa Garrison – who bonded because of their love of icons like 2Pac Shakur, Nikki Giovanni and Angela Davis. Ten years later, GirlTrek boasts approximately 1.2 million strong Black women. “We have been really busy over the past decade,” proclaimed Jaida Vaught, the D.C.-based chief of marketing and strategic partnerships for GirlTrek. “We practice radical self-care through the daily act of walking, and now we are 1.2 million Black women strong,” said Vaught, who formerly served as direct marketing director at ALSAC/St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Vaught noted how excited GirlTrek members are after reaching such an amazing milestone. She said women walking 30 minutes each day for five days a week helps to save Black lives. “We are really excited – incredibly excited – knowing there is power in numbers not only for the women part of the movement but with the data we collected, we know that our members aren’t taken as much medication, they are losing weight and improving their overall mental, emotional, and physical wellness,” Vaught stated. The nonprofit GirlTrek is dedicated to the health and healing of Black women and girls. Vaught pointed to medical data showing that Black women experience higher rates of diseases such as hypertension and diabetes and suffer from systemic racism. She noted that walking helps tremendously and GirlTrek walks also provide opportunities to find out about community needs and a chance to discuss history. “As we are walking, one of the things that I love is that it’s a moment to take in your surroundings,” Vaught remarked. “When Black women walk, things change. We are taking notice of
things like how much green space there is and where grocery stores are.” In 2020, GirlTrek also reactivated its Black Girl Justice League, which rallies the political power of Black women to exercise their rights to vote. The league advances an agenda to combat injustices that suppress and kill Black women, families, and communities – including economic, health and criminal issues. On election day, Vaught said GirlTrek members were present in all the battleground states, where they set up care stations and handed out water, snacks and other necessities to assist the long lines at the polls. She scoffed at the new voter suppression laws recently instituted in places like Georgia, where Republicans have now made it illegal to hand out water or snacks to those waiting to cast ballots. “We are aware of voter suppression efforts around the country,” Vaught said. “They’ve tried to stop us, but they cannot.” Last year, GirlTrek also started a Black History Bootcamp, a 21day series of walking meditations to honor heroines like Sojourner Truth, Shirley Chisholm and Nina Simone. The boot camp also pays homage to lesser-known Black women. As first reported by NPR, each weekday, participants who sign up through GirlTrek’s website receive an email with a profile of one of these women, along with related readings, playlists, meditation prompts and a phone number. As they take 30-minute daily walks, they can call into a live, unfiltered conversation led by Garrison and Dixon. “GirlTrek has been around for a decade, and we’re not just a flyby-night fitness organization,” Vaught declared. “Our founders were sick and tired of Black women and their families dying.” WI @StacyBrownMedia
5 GirlTrek has reached 1.2 million Black women members. (Courtesy GirlTrek)
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APRIL 8 - 14, 2021 33
LIFESTYLE
Kemba Smith: Black Women Disenfranchised After Leaving Prison Erica Johnson WI Contributing Writer Kemba Smith, prisoner #26370083, is one of the few African American women to have a prison sentence commuted to timeserved by former President Bill Clinton in 2000. However, she knows all too well the pitfalls and shame of being a convicted felon. “Nothing could come closer to being a slave than being incarcerated in this country,” Smith said. While Black women decidedly ushered in the 2020 Biden-Harris administration, many still could not vote. An estimated 245,925 African American women cannot vote, a rate of 1.92 percent, or one out of every 50 black women. This rate of disenfranchisement is three times the national average for women. In Virginia, where Smith was born and raised, the rate is more than one in seven, twice the national average for African Americans. Nearly two-thirds of women in jail in the U.S. are women of color and 44 percent are Black, 15 percent are Hispanic, and five percent are of other racial-ethnic backgrounds, according to the Vera Institute of Justice.
Smith, a first-time offender, received a 24½-year sentence related to drug deals of Michael Hall, her romantic partner at the time. But she is not the only one. A recent study by the Prison Policy Initiative shows that nearly 16 percent of women in jail are held on drug charges. “In Oklahoma, the No. 1 incarcerator of women, Susan F. Sharp did multiple five-year studies to understand the drivers behind the high rates of imprisonment,” said
While Black women decidedly ushered in the 2020 Biden-Harris administration, many still could not vote. An estimated 245,925 African American women cannot vote, a rate of 1.92 percent, or one out of every 50 black women.
Megan Lambert, staff attorney for the American Civil Liberties Union of Oklahoma and an advocate for the incarcerated. “She found that the majority of women incarcerated in Oklahoma on low-level drug charges are almost always related to the conduct of their male romantic partners.” Although Smith’s sentence was commuted after six years, she still delivered her son in prison while shackled to a bed with two correctional officers watching over her at all times — a humiliating and dehumanizing experience that many women face as they go through a system designed primarily for men. Nearly 80 percent of women in jails are mothers, though many jail facilities lack the proper care for female needs. “The conditions of jails are pretty awful,” Lambert said. “Women don’t receive underwear or are given pants with holes in the crotch. Some aren’t provided any menstrual products. The food women are given has no nutrition. When they are finally released, many women have lost 10-20 pounds.” But the humiliation and shame don’t stop after prison. Although Smith’s sentence ended early, she
5 Kemba Smith (Courtesy photo)
still couldn’t vote until 2012, more than a decade after her release. “It hit me the most during former President Obama’s first election that I couldn’t vote in one the most historic elections of our lifetime, it really did affect me,” she said. “My son had asked me, ‘Mommy who are you going to vote for?’ I remember having to explain to him how I couldn’t vote. “It was just humiliating to live in
a household where my son is wondering why his mom can’t vote but he sees me working and volunteering at school,” Smith said. In 2019, Gov. Ralph Northam reported that his administration restored voting rights for 22,205 Virginians previously convicted of felonies. However, his predecessor, Gov. Terry McAuliffe restored rights to 173,166, according to a Sentencing Project report. “You’d think it would be federal law, in the most democratic nation in the world, that once a person has served their debt to society, they should be able to exercise their basic fundamental human right to vote,” Smith said. WI
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wi book review "Comeback Season: My Unlikely Story of Friendship with the Greatest Living Negro League Baseball Players" By Cam Perron with Nick Chiles, foreword by Hank Aaron c.2021, Gallery Books $27.00 / $36.00 Canada 272 pages
By Terri Schlichenmeyer WI Contributing Writer Your teeth got a good workout. Yep, as a kid, you wanted those certain hard-to-find, favorite-player baseball cards but you didn't want to be wasteful. Because you'd do anything to get the cards, you spent your change, hoped you'd be lucky and you chewed a lot of gum. In the new book "Comeback Season" by Cam Perron (with Nick Chiles), though, the best things don't come in a pack. It all started with coins. When Cam Perron was a little boy, his grandfather introduced him to coin collecting by taking young Perron to a local Massachusetts flea market, where the boy learned that collectible things had stories behind them. That got him fired up about antiques, comic books, baseball cards, and music memorabilia. Other kids his age might've thought his hobbies were odd but Perron didn't care; since toddlerhood, he was always more interested in what adults had to say than what his peers thought. Perron had a variety of interests throughout childhood. He loved playing hockey and dabbled in Little League but he says that adults ruined his fun in the games. At about the time he entered middle school, Red Sox fever hit his hometown just outside Boston and he talked his mom into indulging his love of Red Sox memorabilia. One day, the collector in Perron took notice of baseball cards for Negro League players, and his curiosity led him to research the stories behind the league; individual players caught his fancy and, with the eagerness of the 12-year-old he was, the white boy from Boston picked up the phone and called to talk with Black players that were many decades years older than he. Astoundingly, Perron became friends with those men, and he began making a name for himself among Negro League players for finding information they thought was lost forever – information that brought recognition, reconnection and, for some of baseball's most talented, financial refuge. "Comeback Season" is a good book that speaks to the heart of every former little boy with a fist full of baseball cards and an eye on a good deal. Hobbyists will completely understand what author Cam Perron says about the "hunt" and why it's almost the best part of collecting, and his tales of accumulation will thrill anyone who's relished the nail-biting anticipation of finding that one thing in a surprise place. The big appeal of this book, though, starts when Perron quiets himself and lets Negro leaguers talk. Readers who come to this book to learn about Black baseball players in the Jim Crow era are treated to remembrances from these men, in their own words, and their stories and their heartfelt appreciation just can't be missed. Perron includes a brief-buthelpful history of Negro league ball early-on but really, look for the players' personal tales. This book reads faster than a one-two-three inning and, aside from a couple of very minor profanities, it's safe for a teen baseball fan. So find "Comeback Season," play ball, and you'll show a lot of teeth. WI
horoscopes
APRIL 8 - 14, 2021
ARIES At the beginning of the week, you're like a plant just barely breaking the surface of the ground. The world is heavy. The sun is distant. What with everything on your mind, expect to be unusually introverted. By Wednesday, you'll be sprouting huge leaves and growing in unforeseen directions. A new friend comes into your life on Thursday — a cute flower, perhaps? On Friday, when a ray of light lands directly on you, make sure you're looking your best. Lucky Numbers: 19, 27, 35 TAURUS It's no wonder that your emotions are all over the map right now. Anything that happens Monday or Tuesday can be safely written off — moodiness and sensitivity levels are off the charts. Wednesday and Thursday are more even-keeled days, but money issues figure prominently. (If someone presents you with a grand moneymaking scheme, don't opt in.) Lucky Numbers: 16, 22, 25 GEMINI You are thinking like a scientist at the start of the week, and your interest in your own emotions is almost clinical. You're in a logical, observational mode; but, as you know, some things simply can't be calculated. This is loud and clear on Wednesday and Thursday especially, when you find yourself getting along remarkably well with people you hardly know. Chalk it up to chemistry. Lucky Numbers: 8, 20, 27 CANCER You like the texture of apple but the flavor of pumpkin. Or whatever. Every decision — even a minor one — this week expands into a complex set of irreconcilable variables. Midweek has you feeling torn about bigger issues than pie preference. Come Friday, you may feel more like hanging out around the house with a remote control (or a book) in your hand than anything else. Lucky Numbers: 6, 21, 23 LEO The easy answer isn't interesting to you right now. You'd like to know what's really going on. On Monday and Tuesday you're in detective mode — asking penetrating questions, considering every angle. And on Wednesday, buoyed by all your research, you charge into the world with fresh insights and confidence; no mincing words for you. Thursday is a big day romance-wise, and on Friday your ego is front and center. Lucky Numbers: 5, 31, 40 VIRGO Curiosity may have killed the cat, but it's also the heart of discovery. You are nothing if not curious at the start of the week, and your analytical powers have never been stronger. Your restlessness right now is incredibly useful. Communicate what you're thinking. On Wednesday and Thursday you'd like to be climbing mountains or testing theorems, but your family has other things in mind. Don't distress, because you'll have plenty of personal time on Friday and Saturday. Lucky Numbers: 17, 39, 43 LIBRA Obviously you're thinking about more than money per se — when you get right down to it, you're thinking about the future — but the value of material possessions and striking a balance between generosity and stinginess are very much on your mind. The middle of the week relieves you from this line of thinking by way of a purely fun excursion with a couple of your friends. Lucky Numbers: 2, 6, 14 SCORPIO On Monday you're already feeling like a new you. You go into the week stronger (and more respected) than you've felt in a while. The confidence suits you. Your mind is open to anything, but it might be too open on Wednesday and Thursday when you may find yourself caught up in a crowd mentality, being persuaded to do things you wouldn't normally do. Lucky Numbers: 9, 10, 42 SAGITTARIUS Your life is a movie at the outset of the week, but you can't quite follow the dialogue and the car chases make no sense. And who's the hero in this flick anyway? If you feel like canceling dinner plans and kicking back in front of the TV, hey, by all means. By Wednesday and Thursday your social calendar's too packed for TV time, and on Friday and Saturday music and art figure strongly. If someone asks you about your life goals, don't roll your eyes; a goal or two never hurt anyone. Lucky Numbers: 21, 37, 47 CAPRICORN It's a great day for decision-making, but don't go on your gut alone. Look at the details. Organize yourself. Wednesday and Thursday, when your plans go into effect, you may feel hesitant or awkward or pessimistic or crazy — but stay the course. By Friday you'll already be reaping the rewards of a path well chosen. People will be complimenting you right and left this weekend. Lucky Numbers: 24, 33, 50 AQUARIUS Slowness is a virtue — it encourages thoughtfulness, and the more thoughtful you are, the more emotionally exposed you feel. But rest assured that no one but you can tell what's going on deep in your brain. Wednesday and Thursday will be relatively social days, although you won't be surrounded by strangers, you'll be surrounded by people you love and trust. Lucky Numbers: 4, 6, 17 PISCES There are things you're willing to live with and things you just aren't. Others may react in funny ways, but your good friends will stand by your side. Tuesday will be an emotionally rocky day — after putting your foot down, you may feel pangs of regret (they'll pass) — but Wednesday is a lucky day for you, and you're happiest sharing your good luck with others. Lucky Numbers: 8, 12, 39
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APRIL 8 - 14, 2021 35
CAPTURE the moment
For more photos, visit www.washingtoninformer.com
GIVING BACK BY UPLIFTING CHILDREN In an effort to uplift and encourage children dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic, PG Change Makers held a drive-thru Easter celebration on April 3 and handed out Easter baskets to 100 children at the Lighthouse on the Pike Church in District Heights. (Anthony Tilghman/ The Washington Informer)
36 APRIL 8 - 14, 2021
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38 APRIL 8 - 14, 2021
DAVIS from Page 1 Hospital. The WTU released a statement on Monday morning confirming the news. “President Davis has been at the forefront of public education advocacy and reform, leading the WTU’s transformation into a social justice, solution-driven organization dedicated to advancing and promoting quality education for all children, irrespective of their zip codes or results of the school lottery, improving teaching and learning conditions and aggressively amplifying the voice of teachers in the dialogue around issues of teaching and learning,” the statement read. “We are confident that her legacy will continue to shape the WTU as well as education across the District. In the days before her death, Davis remained in the throes of a battle with the DC Public Schools [DCPS] central office about proposed budget cuts that would have significantly reduced the teaching staff at nearly 50 schools located east of the Anacostia River even with little to no change in student enrollment. She had also expressed plans to hold education officials accountable to the findings of an auditor’s report that pointed to the Office of the State Superintendent of Education’s delinquency in collecting longitudinal student data. Throughout the reopening process, the WTU, with Davis at the forefront, engaged DCPS
BUDGET from Page 12 land’s Future, a decade-long $3.8 billion education plan for mental health services, summer school instruction and money to reopening schools safely for in-person instruction. Prince George’s anticipates receiving the most money because it ranks near the top among the number of disabled students, students on free and reduced lunch and English-language learners. “I’m so glad we moved the Blueprint because that’s critically important,” said Del. Jazz Lewis (D-District 24) of Glenarden. Hogan vetoed the plan last year because he deemed it too expensive. Lawmakers overrode his veto in February, but approved a revised Blueprint plan last month.
5 Elizabeth Davis. Washington Teachers Union President (Shevry Lassiter/The Washington Informer)
Chancellor Lewis Ferebee about the conditions under which students would return amid a raging pandemic. In February, not long after some teachers returned to the classroom for Term 3, WTU came close to approving a teachers’ strike via a vote. Even though the strike never came to fruition, the WTU mulled other means of expressing discontent with the reopening process championed by D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser (D) and DCPS. Davis, a District educator of 44 years, took over leadership for the WTU in 2013. She garnered a reputation among both her colleagues and detractors as an orator and staunch advocate for teachers, particularly those working in schools east of the Anacostia River.
As Chantal Fuller, a special education teacher at Excel Academy Public School, recounted to The Informer, Davis often had a way of encouraging teachers around her to stand up for themselves without apology. “We recognized that Elizabeth Davis was here for a purpose and she was here for us. She reiterated that teaching conditions are learning conditions,” Fuller said. “She had no qualms about expressing that for us. If we got our needs met, that translated to students getting their needs met. Elizabeth had tenacity and bravery in dealing with local and national politicians who had things to say about how she chose to advocate for us. This is a big loss.” WI @SamPKCollins
On Friday, Hogan wrote a letter to Ferguson and House Speaker Adrienne Jones that the bill labeled “Kirwan 2.0” will become law without his signature. The governor wrote the education plan could cost households $3,150 in new taxes because there’s no assessment on how to pay for it through 2027. “[The Blueprint], while correcting some of the problems of the earlier version I vetoed, completely fails to directly address the most important issue,” Hogan wrote. “The General Assembly will need to once again rewrite the original legislation to address these critical fiscal flaws in the 2022 legislative session.” WI @jabariwill
DEANWOOD from Page 15 Holcomb doesn’t represent Deanwood, some of the proposed routes come into his area. Holcomb embraces the D.C. Circulator expansion, saying it beats the streetcar—a project he never supported but recognizes it as a reality--as a transportation mode. “The Circulator won’t cause disruption and commotion the way the streetcar will,” he said. “I see the Circulator helping Deanwood and Ward 7 residents quickly get to grocery stores and other places that could bolster the economy of the ward.” The 2020 Transit Development Plan is expected to recommend implementing service to Ward 7 by 2022, according to a July press release. WI
THE WASHINGTON INFORMER / WWW.WASHINGTONINFORMER.COM
RELIGION the religion corner WITH LYNDIA GRANT
‘Mahalia Jackson’ A Lifetime Story What a good movie to me! It was very enjoyable to see the story of the life of Mahalia Jackson, starring Danielle Brooks as Mahalia. This was a Robin Roberts movie, great job Robin! My love for Mahalia Jackson began for me and my family as a child, when our mother would share with us how she cleaned and pressed the clothing of Mahalia Jackson. Her music was heard at our home on an old-fashioned record player. We had several Mahalia Jackson albums, but the one I remember most was her Christmas album. In fact, when mother passed on Christmas Day, we played the Mahalia Jackson Christmas album during mother's wake services. Every year, it didn't feel like Christmas until we played that album on our nice stereo. We had one with excellent speakers, it was a beautiful, wooden cabinet with built in speakers, radio and record player. Our family called our stereo set by the pet name, Johnson. Why did I enjoy the movie? Mahalia's story is truly inspirational. It didn’t appear she set out to become famous, she just loved to sing. Then she began to sing to supplement her income. Then one thing led to another. My biggest surprise was the fact that she married twice, and was in love
with a preacher which appeared to be the love of her life. His life was cut short due to cancer which was in the final stages. She never had children of her own, but she did become the mother to a boy that she met on the streets one day. Mahalia was always helping others, but this young boy felt as though he should be her son. According to Biography.com, Mahalia Jackson grew up on the south side of Chicago. She started singing as a child at Mount Moriah Baptist Church and went on to become one of the most revered gospel figures in the United States. Her recording of “Move On Up a Little Higher” was a civil rights song, and was a major hit. She subsequently became an international figure for music lovers from a variety of backgrounds, working with artists like Duke Ellington and Thomas A. Dorsey. Then there was the 1963 March on Washington where she sang at the request of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. She became one of gospel music’s all-time greats, known for her rich, powerful voice that caused her to have fans world-wide. She grew up in a Pitt Street shack and started singing at 4 years old in the Mount Moriah Baptist Church. When she started to sing professionally, she added an "i" to her first name. Born in New Orleans, Louisiana, after her family moved to Chicago as a teen with the aim of studying nurs-
Mt. Zion Baptist Church
ing, Jackson joined the Greater Salem Baptist Church and soon became a member of the Johnson Gospel Singers. She performed with the group for a number of years. Jackson then started working with Thomas A. Dorsey, a gospel composer; the two performed around the U.S., further cultivating an audience for Jackson. She also took on a number of jobs — working as a laundress, beautician and flower shop owner for example — before her musical career went into the stratosphere. She married Isaac Hockenhull in 1936, with the two later divorcing. "Move On Up a Little Higher" came a long way back in 1947, it sold millions of copies and became the highest selling gospel single in history. Her demand grew, then came radio, television appearances and tours. The biggest deal for her was when she performed in Carnegie Hall on Oct. 4, 1950, after which she was featured on the cover of major newspapers. According to the movie, she was awfully nervous about that appearance, but she performed even more admirably, which took her success even further, making the cover page of major newspapers. The audience was racially integrated. Jackson also had a successful 1952 tour abroad in Europe, and she was especially popular in France and Norway. She had her own gospel program on the CBS television network in 1954. WI
John F. Johnson Reverend Dr.
5101 14th Street, NW / Washington, DC 20011 Phone: 202-726-2220 Fax: 202-726-9089
1306 Vermont Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20005
“A Church with a past to remember – and a future to mold” www.mtzbcdc.org
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Mount Olivet Lutheran Church
Reverend John W. Davis Pastor
Service and Times Sunday Worship Service - 8:00 a.m. & 11:00 a.m. Children’s Church - 11:00 a.m. (1st & 3rd Sundays) Communion - 10 a.m. 4th Sunday Sunday School - 9:15 a.m. (4th Sunday 8:15 a.m.) Prayer Meeting & Bible Study - Wednesday 7:00 p.m.
(301) 864-6070
Service and Times Divine Worship, Sunday 10:00 a.m. Communion 1st and 3rd Sunday “Friendliest Church in the City” Website: mountolivetdc.org Email: mtolivedc@gmail.com
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APRIL 8 - 14, 2021 39
RELIGION The Miracle Center of Faith Missionary Baptist Church
Pilgrim Baptist Church
Bishop Michael C. Turner, Sr. Senior Pastor
Rev. Louis B. Jones II Pastor
9161 Hampton Overlook Capitol Heights, MD 20743 Phone: 301-350-2200 / Fax: 301-499-8724
700 I Street, N.E. Washington, D.C. 20002 (202) 547-8849
Service and Times Sunday Worship Times : 7:30 AM 7 10:00 AM Communion: 1st Sunday Sunday School: 9:00 AM Bible Study: Wednesday, 12 Noon Bible Study in homes: Tuesday 7:00 PM Website: www.themiraclecenterFMBC.com Email: Miraclecenterfmbs@gmail.com Motto: “We Walk by Faith, Not by Sight”
Blessed Word of Life Church
Service and Times Worship Sundays: 7:30 & 11:00 AM 5th Sundays: 9:30 AM 3rd Sundays: Baptism & Holy Communion Prayer & Praise: Wednesdays @ Noon & 6:30 PM www.pilgrimbaptistdc.org
Covenant Baptist United Church of Christ
Church of Living Waters
Allen Chapel A.M.E. Church
Rev. Paul Carrette Senior Pastor Harold Andrew Assistant Pastor 4915 Wheeler Road Oxon Hill, MD 20745 301-894-6464 Service and Times Sunday Service: 8:30am& 11:00 AM Bible Study: Wednesday 7:30 PM Communion Service: First Sunday www.livingwatersmd.org
St. Stephen Baptist Church
Rev. Dr. Michael E. Bell, Sr., / Pastor 2498 Alabama Ave., SE - Washington D.C. 20020 Office: (202) 889-7296 / Fax: (202) 889-2198 - www.acamec.org Service and Times Sunday Worship Services: 8:00am and 11:00 AM Sunday Church School - 9:15am & Sunday Adult Forum Bible Study - 10:30 AM 2nd & 4th Monday Women’s Bible Study: 6:30 PM Tuesday Jr./Sr. Bible Study: 10:00 AM Tuesday Topical Bible Study: 6:30 PM Tuesday New Beginnings Bible Study: 6:30 PM Wednesday Pastoral Bible Study: 6:30 PM Wednesday Children’s Bible Study: 6:30 PM Thursday Men’s Bible Study: 6:30 PM Friday before 1st Sunday Praise & Worship Service: 6:30 PM Saturday Adult Bible Study: 10:00 AM “The Amazing, Awesome, Audacious Allen Chapel A.M.E. Church”
Third Street Church of God
Dr. Dekontee L. & Dr. Ayele A. Johnson Pastors
Reverend William Young IV Pastor
Bishop Lanier C. Twyman, Sr. Senior Pastor
Rev. Cheryl J. Sanders, Th.D. Senior Pastor
4001 14th Street, NW Washington, DC 20011 (202) 265-6147 Office 1-800 576-1047 Voicemail/Fax
3845 South Capitol Street Washington, DC 20032 (202) 562-5576 (Office) / (202) 562-4219 (Fax)
5757 Temple Hill Road, Temple Hills, MD 20748 Office 301-899-8885 – fax 301-899-2555 Services and Times Sunday Early Morning Worship: 7:45 AM Church School: 9:30 AM Sunday Morning Worship: 10:45 AM Tuesday: 7:00pm/Kingdom Building Bible Institute Wednesday , 12:30 PM Mid-Day Bible Study Wednesday: Prayer/Praise/Bible Study-7:30 PM Baptism & Communion Service: 4th Sunday – 10:30 AM
1204 Third Street, NW Washington, DC 20001 202-347-5889 office / 202-638-1803 fax
Service and Times Sunday School: 9:30 AM Sunday Morning Worship Service: 11:00 AM Communion Service: First Sunday Prayer Service/Bible Study: Tuesday, 6:30 PM www.blessedwordoflifechurch.org E-mail: church@blessedwordoflifechurch.org
Campbell AME Church Rev. Dr. Henry Y. White 2562 MLK Jr. Ave., SE - Washington, DC 20020 Adm. Office 202-678-2263 Email: Campbell@mycame.org Service and Times Sunday Worship Service: 10:00 AM Sunday Church School: 8:45 AM Bible Study Wednesday: 12:00 Noon Wednesday: 7:00 PM Thursday: 7:00 PM “Reaching Up To Reach Out” Mailing Address : Campbell AME Church 2502 Stanton Road SE - Washington, DC 20020
Turning Hearts Church Virgil K. Thomas, Sr. Senior Pastor/ Teacher 421 Alabama Ave. SE Washington, DC 20032 Phone: 202-746-0113 Fax: 301-843-2445 Service and Times Sunday School: 10:15 AM Sunday Worship Service: 11;15 AM Children’s Church: 11:15 AM Tuesday Bible Study: 6:30 PM Motto : “A Great Commitment to the Great Commandment” Website: www.turningheartschurchdc.org Email: gr8luv4u2@gmail.com
40 APRIL 8 - 14, 2021
Services and Times Sundays: 10:00am Worship Services Bible Study: Wonderful Wednesdays in Worship and the Word Bible Study Wednesdays 12:00 Noon; 6:30 PM (dinner @ 5:30 PM) Sunday School: 9:00 AM – Hour of Power “An inclusive ministry where all are welcomed and affirmed.” www.covenantdc.org
“We are one in the Spirit” www.ssbc5757.org / E-mail: ssbc5757@verizon.net
Services and Times Sunday School: 9:30 AM Sunday Worship: 11:00 AM Sunday Community Worship Service: 8:30 AM “Ambassadors for Christ to the Nation’s Capital” www.thirdstreet.org Live Stream Sunday Worship Service begins @ 12:00 noon www.thirdstreet.org
Crusader Baptist Church Rev. Dr. Alton W. Jordan Pastor 800 I Street, NE - Washington, DC 20002 202-548-0707 - Fax No. 202-548-0703 Service and Times Sunday Morning Worship: 11:00 AM Holy Communion: 1st Sunday Sunday School: 9:45 AM Men’s Monday Bible Study: 7:00 PM Wednesday Night Bible Study: 7:00 PM Women’s Ministry Bible Study: 3rd Friday -7:00 PM Computer Classes: Announced Family and Marital Counseling by appointment E-mail: Crusadersbaptistchurch@verizon.net www.CrusadersBaptistChurch.org / “God is Love”
Greater Mt. Calvary Holy Church Bishop Alfred A. Owens, Jr.; Senior Bishop & Evangelist Susie C. Owens – Co-Pastor 610 Rhode Island Avenue, NE Washington, DC 20002 (202) 529-4547 office • (202) 529-4495 fax
Sunday Worship Service: 8:00 AM and 10:45 AM Sunday Youth Worship Services: 1st & 4th 10:45 AM; 804 R.I. Ave., NE 5th 8 AM & 10:45 AM; Main Church Prayer Services Tuesday – Noon, Wednesday 6:00 AM & 6:30 PM Calvary Bible Institute: Year-Round Contact Church / Communion Every 3rd Sunday The Church in The Hood that will do you Good! www.gmchc.org / emailus@gmchc.org
Isle of Patmos Baptist Church Reverend Dr. Calvin L. Matthews Senior Pastor 1200 Isle of Patmos Plaza, Northeast Washington, DC 20018 Office: (202) 529-6767 - Fax: (202) 526-1661 Service and Times Sunday Worship Services: 7:30 AM and 10:30 AM Holy Communion: 2nd Sunday at 7:30 AM and 10:30 AM Sunday Church School: 9:20 AM Seniors Bible Study: Tuesdays at 10:30 AM Noon Day Prayer Service: Tuesdays at Noon Bible Study: Tuesdays at 7 PM Motto: “A Ministry of Reconciliation Where Everybody is Somebody!” Website: http://isleofpatmosbc.org Church Email: ipbcsecretary@verizon.net
St Marks Baptist Come Worship with us... Dr. Raymond T. Matthews Pastor and First Lady Marcia Matthews St. Mark's Baptist Church 624 Underwood Street, NW Washington, dc 20011 Services and Times Sunday School: 9:00 AM Worship Service: 10:00 AM Wed. Noon Day prayer service Thur. Prayer service: 6:45 PM Thur. Bible Study: 7:15 PM
Twelfth Street Christian Church Reverend Dr. Paul H. Saddler Senior Pastor (Disciples of Christ) 1812 12th Street, NW - Washington, DC 20009 Phone: 202-265-4494 Fax: 202 265 4340 Service and Times Sunday Worship Service: 11:00 AM Communion every Sunday: 11:00 AM Sunday School: 10:00 AM Bible Study Tuesday: 12 Noon Pastor’s Bible Study Tuesday: 6:30 PM Motto: “Discover Something Wonderful” Website: 12thscc.org / Email: Twelfthstcc@aol.com
Mount Carmel Baptist Church Reverend Dr. Paris L Smith, Sr. Senior Pastor 901 Third Street N.W. Washington, DC. 20001 Phone (202) 842-3411 Fax (202) 682-9423 Service and Times Sunday Church School : 9:00 AM Sunday Morning Worship: 10:10 AM Bible Study Tuesday: 6: 00 PM Prayer Service Tuesday: 7:00 PM Holy Communion: 3rd Sunday 10:10 AM themcbc.org
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RELIGION Shabbath Commandment Church Bishop Adrian A. Taylor, Sr. Pastor 7801 Livingston Road Oxon Hill, MD 20745 301-534-5471 Service and Times Sabbath School 9:30 a.m. – 10:30 AM Service 11:00 AM Praise & Worship Preaching 11:30 AM – 1:30 PM Motto: “A Church Keeping It Real for Real.” Website: Shabbathcommandmentchruch.org Email: Praisebetoyhwh@gmail.com
Zion Baptist Church Rev. Keith W. Byrd, Sr. Pastor 4850 Blagdon Ave, NW - Washington D.C 20011 Phone (202) 722-4940 - Fax (202) 291-3773 Service and Times 9:00 a.m. – Sunday School 10:15 a.m. – Worship Service Wed. Noon: Dea. Robert Owens Bible Study 7 PM Pastor’s Bible Study Ordinance of Baptism 2nd Sunday, Holy Communion 4th Sunday Mission: Zion shall: Enlist Sinners, Educate Students, Empower the Suffering, Encourage the Saints, And Exalt our Savior. (Acts 2: 41-47) www.zionbaptistchurchdc.org
St. Luke Baptist Church Rev. Aubrey C. Lewis Pastor 1415 Gallatin Street, NW Washington, DC 20011-3851 P: (202) 726-5940 Service and Times Sunday Worship: 11:00 AM Sunday School: 9:15 AM Holy Communion: 11:00 a.m., 3rd Sun. Bible Institute: Wednesday - 1:30 PM Prayer Meeting: Wednesday - 12:00 Noon
All Nations Baptist Church Rev. Dr. James Coleman Pastor 2001 North Capitol St, N.E. - Washington, DC 20002 Phone (202) 832-9591 Service and Times Sunday Church School – 9:30 AM Sunday Worship Service – 11:00 AM Holy Communion – 1st Sunday at 11:00 AM Prayer – Wednesdays, 6:00 PM Bible Study – Wednesdays, 7:00 PM Christian Education / School of Biblical Knowledge Saturdays, 9:30 AM – 11:00 AM, Call for Registration Website: www.allnationsbaptistchurch.com All Nations Baptist Church – A Church of Standards
Israel Baptist Church
Rev. Daryl F. Bell Pastor 2324 Ontario Road, NW Washington, DC 20009 (202) 232-1730 Service and Times Sunday School: 9:30 AM Sunday Worship Service: 11:00 AM Baptismal Service: 1st Sunday – 9:30 AM Holy Communion: 1st Sunday – 11:00 AM Prayer Meeting & Bible Study: Wednesday -7:30 PM “Where Jesus is the King”
Dr. Earl D. Trent Senior Pastor
2409 Ainger Pl.,SE – WDC 20020 (202) 678-0884 – Office / (202) 678-0885 – Fax “Moving Faith Forward” 0% Perfect . . . 100% Forgiven!
623 Florida Ave.. NW - WDC. 20001 Church (202) 667-3409 / Study (202) 265-0836 Home Study (301) 464-8211 / Fax (202) 483-4009
Service and Times Sunday Worship: 8:00 AM & 10:45 AM Baptism/Holy Communion: 3rd Sunday Family Bible Study Tuesdays – 6:30 PM Prayer Service: Tuesdays – 8:00 PM www.emmanuelbaptistchurchdc.org
Sermon On The Mount Temple Of Joy Apostolic Faith
Lincoln Park United Methodist Church Rev. Richard B. Black Pastor
Elder Herman L. Simms Pastor
1251 Saratoga Ave., NE Washington, DC 20018 (202) 269-0288
1301 North Carolina Ave. N E Washington, D C 20002 202 543 1318 - lincolnpark@lpumcdc.org www.lpumcdc.org
5606 Marlboro Pike District Heights, MD 20747 301-735-6005
Service and Times Sunday Worship Service: 10:45 AM Sunday School: 9:15 AM Holy Communion1st Sunday: 10:45 AM Prayer Service: Wednesday at 6:30 PM Bible Study: Wednesday at 7:00 PM Bible Study: Tuesday at 10:30 AM
Mount Moriah Baptist Church Dr. Lucius M. Dalton Senior Pastor
Service and Times Sunday Worship: 10:00 AM Holy Communion: First Sunday 10:00 AM Sunday School: 9:00 AM Bible Study: Wednesday @ 12 noon and 6:30 PM Motto: "Faith On The Hill"
Service and Times Sunday Apostolic Worship Services 11:00 A.M and 5:00 PM Communion and Feet Wash 4th Sunday at 5:00 PM Prayer/Seeking: Wednesday at 8:00 PM Apostolic in Doctrine, Pentecostal in Experience, Holiness in Living, Uncompromised and Unchanged. The Apostolic Faith is still alive –Acts 2:42
New Commandment Baptist Church
Eastern Community Baptist Church Damion M. Briggs Pastor
Rev. Stephen E. Tucker Senior Pastor
1636 East Capitol Street, NE Washington, DC 20003 Telephone: 202-544-5588 - Fax: 202-544-2964
8213 Manson Street Landover, MD 20785 Tel: (301) 322-9787 Fax: (301) 322-9240
13701 Old Jericho Park Road Bowie, MD. 20720 (301) 262-0560
Service and Times Sunday Worship Services: 7:45 AM and 10:45 AM Holy Communion: 1st Sundays at 7:45 AM & 10:45 AM Sunday School: 9:30 AM Prayer & Praise Service: Tuesdays at 12 noon & 6:30 PM Bible Study: Tuesdays at 1 pm and 7 PM Youth Bible Study: Fridays at 7 PM
Service and Times Early Morning Message: 7:30 AM Sunday Morning Worship Service: 10:00 AM Sunday Church School: 9:00 AM Holy Communion: 1st Sunday 7:30 AM & 10:00 AM Prayer, Praise and Testimony: Wednesday 7:00 PM Bible Study: Wednesday 7:30 PM
Service and Times Sunday Worship: 11 AM Sunday School: 10 AM Wednesday Mid-Week Worship, Prayer & Bible Study: Wed. 7 PM
Rehoboth Baptist Church
Reverend Peter R. Blue Sr. Pastor
Rev. Curtis l. Staley Pastor
2001 Brooks Drive District Heights MD. 20744 240.838.7074
621 Alabama Ave., S.E.- Washington, D.C. 20032 P: (202) 561-1111 - F: (202) 561-1112
Service and Times Sunday Worship Experience: 10:15am Sunday School: 9:00am Holy Communion: 3rd Sunday Morning Noontime Bible Study: Tuesday @ 12:00pm Prayer Meeting/Bible Study: Tuesday @7:00pm Theme: "Building On A Firm Foundation"
Service and Times Sunday Service: 10:00 AM Sunday School for all ages: 8:30 AM 1st Sunday Baptism: 10:00 AM 2nd Sunday Holy Communion:10:00 AM Tuesday: Bible Study: 6:30 PM Prayer Meeting: 7:45 PM
Email: revprbstmbc@gmail.com Website: www.stmatthewsbaptist.org
Motto: “Where God is First and Where Friendly People Worship”
“Real Worship for Real People” Website: www.easterncommunity.org Email: ecc@easterncommunity.org
“A Church Where Love Is Essential and Praise is Intentional”
Foggy Bottom - Founded in 1867 728 23rd Street, NW - Washington, DC 20037 Church office: 202-333-3985 - Fax : 202-338-4958
Shiloh Baptist Church
Matthews Memorial Baptist Church Dr. Joseph D. Turner / Senior Pastor 2616 MLK Ave., SE - Washington, DC 20020 Office 202-889-3709 - Fax 202-678-3304 Service and Times Early Worship Service: 8:00 AM Worship Service: 11:00 AM New Member’s Class: 9:45 AM Holy Communion: 1st Sunday, 11:00 AM Church School: 9:45 AM Wednesday 12:00pm Bible Study Prayer, Praise and Bible Study: 7:00 PM Saturday Bible Study: 11:00 AM Baptism 4th Sunday: 11:00 AM “Empowered to love and Challenged to Lead a Multitude of Souls to Christ”
Peace Baptist Church Rev. Dr. Michael T. Bell 712 18th Street, NE Washington, DC 20002 Phone 202-399-3450/ Fax 202-398-8836 Service and Times Sunday Early Morning Prayer & Bible Study Class: 8:00 AM Sunday School: 9:00 AM Sunday Morning Worship Service: 10:00 AM Wednesday Service: 12:00 PM “The Loving Church of the living lord “
4504 Gault Place, N.E. / Washington, D.C 20019 202-397-7775 – 7184 Service and Times Sunday Church School: 9:30 AM Sunday Worship Service : 11:00 AM The Lord’s Supper 1st Sunday Prayer & Praise Services: Wednesday 7:00 PM Bible Study: 7:30 PM Saturday before 4th Sunday Men, Women, Youth Discipleship Ministries: 10:30 AM A Christ Centered Church htubc@comcast.net
Christ Embassy DC
Kelechi Ajieren Coordinator 6839 Eastern Avenue, R1 Takoma Park, MD 20912 (202) 556-7065 Service and Times Sunday Worship Service: 10:00 AM Wednesday Bible Study: 7:00 PM Friday Evening Service: 7:00 PM ; Last Friday “…Giving Your Life a Meaning” www.Christembassydc.org Christ.embassy.dc@hotmail.com
Pennsylvania Ave. Baptist Church Rev. Dr. Kendrick E. Curry Pastor 3000 Pennsylvania Ave.. S.E Washington, DC 20020 202 581-1500 Service and Times Sunday Church School: 9:30 AM Sunday Worship Service: 11:00 AM Monday Adult Bible Study: 7:00 PM Wednesday Youth & Adult Activities: 6:30 PM Prayer Service Bible Study
First Rising Mt. Zion Baptist Church
Mt. Horeb Baptist Church
Rev. Dr. Wallace Charles Smith Pastor
Rev. Oran W. Young Pastor
Rev. Dr. H. B. Sampson, III Pastor
9th & P Street, N.W. - W. D.C. 20001 (202) 232-4288
602 N Street NW - Washington, D.C. 20001 Office:(202) 289-4480 Fax: (202) 289-4595
2914 Bladensburg Road, NE Wash., DC 20018 Office: (202) 529-3180 - Fax: (202) 529-7738 Service and Times Worship Service: 7:30 AM Sunday School: 9:00 AM Worship Service: 10:30 AM Holy Communion: 4th Sunday 7:30AM & 10:30 AM Prayer Services:Tuesday 7:30 PM. Wednesday 12 Noon
www.stmarysfoggybottom.org Email: stmarysoffice@stmarysfoggybottom.org
Service and Times First Sunday Worship Service (one service): 10:00 AM Second, Third, Fourth, and Fifth Sunday Worship service: 7:45 AM and 10:55 AM Sunday Church School/Bible Study: 9:30 AM Thursday Prayer Service: 6:30 PM
All are welcome to St. Mary’s to Learn, Worship, and Grow.
Email: sbc@shilohbaptist.org Website: shilohbaptist.org
Service and Times Sundays: 10 a.m. Holy Eucharist with Music and Hymns Wednesdays: 12:10 p.m. - Holy Eucharist
Service and Times Sunday Worship Services: 10:00 AM Sunday Church School: 8:45 – 9:45 AM Holy Communion: Every First Sunday Intercessory Prayer: Monday – 7:00-8:00 PM Pastor’s Bible Study: Wednesday –7:45 PM Midweek Prayer: Wednesday – 7:00 PM Noonday Prayer Every Thursday
Rev. Dr. George C. Gilbert Senior Pastor
Email Address: admin@pbc712.org
Historic St. Mary’s Episcopal Church The Rev. E. Bernard Anderson Priest
Holy Trinity United Baptist Church
Florida Avenue Baptist Church
Reverend Christopher L. Nichols Pastor
Rev. Dr. Jerryl V. Moody Pastor-Elect
Web: www.mountmoriahchurch.org Email: mtmoriah@mountmoriahchurch.org
St. Matthews Baptist Church
Emmanuel Baptist Church
King Emmanuel Baptist Church
WWW.WASHINGTONINFORMER.COM / THE WASHINGTON INFORMER
Service and Times Sunday School for All Ages: 8:00 AM Sunday Worship Services: 9:30 AM Midday Prayer & Bible Study: Wednesday 11:30AM Evening Prayer & Bible Study: Wednesday 7:00 PM Laymen's League: Thursday 7:00 PM Email: Froffice@firstrising.org Website: www.firstrising.org “Changing Lives On Purpose “
Email:mthoreb@mthoreb.org Website:www.mthoreb.org For further information, please contact me at (202) 529-3180.
APRIL 8 - 14, 2021 41
LEGAL NOTICES
LEGAL NOTICES
SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA Probate Division Washington, D.C. 20001-2131
SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA Probate Division Washington, D.C. 20001-2131
2021 ADM 000038
2021 ADM 000105
Waverly Mason Jr. aka Waverly Mason Junior Decedent
Diane Jones Decedent
Deborah Cason Daniel, Esq. 503 D Street, NW, Suite 200 Washington, DC 20001 Attorney
Aimee D. Griffin 5335 Wisconsin Ave., NW Suite 440 Washington, DC 20015 Attorney
NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS
NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS
Toni Marie Felder, whose address is 1803 Kearney St., NE, Washington, DC 20018, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Waverly Mason Jr. aka Waverly Mason Junior who died on August 24, 2020 with a Will, and will serve without Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance in this proceeding. Objections to such appointment (or to the probate of decedent’s Will) shall be filed with the Register of Wills, D.C., Building A, 515 5th Street, N.W., Third Floor, Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before September 25, 2021. Claims against the decedent shall be presented to the undersigned with a copy to the Register of Wills or filed with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned, on or before September 25, 2021, or be forever barred. Persons believed to be heirs or legatees of the decedent who do not receive a copy of this notice by mail within 25 days of its first publication shall so inform the Register of Wills, including name, address, and relationship.
Barbara Redd and Vivian Harriday, whose addresses are 1448 Primrose Rd., NW, WDC 20012 and 1205 Rustan St., Silver Spring, MD 20903, were appointed Personal Representatives of the estate of Diane Jones who died on August 12, 2020 without a Will, and will serve without Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance in this proceeding. Objections to such appointment shall be filed with the Register of Wills, D.C., Building A, 515 5th Street, N.W., Third Floor, Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before 9/25/2021. Claims against the decedent shall be presented to the undersigned with a copy to the Register of Wills or filed with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned, on or before 9/25/2021, or be forever barred. Persons believed to be heirs or legatees of the decedent who do not receive a copy of this notice by mail within 25 days of its first publication shall so inform the Register of Wills, including name, address, and relationship.
Date of first publication: March 25, 2021
Date of first publication: 3/25/2021
LEGAL NOTICES
LEGAL NOTICES
SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA Probate Division Washington, D.C. 20001-2131
SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA Probate Division Washington, D.C. 20001-2131
2020 ADM 000324
2021 ADM 000121
Estate of Jewell J. Saunders
Pearl B. Thompson Estate of
NOTICE OF STANDARD PROBATE
NOTICE OF STANDARD PROBATE
LEGAL NOTICES SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA Probate Division Washington, D.C. 20001-2131 2019 ADM 0001343 Mildred R. Rowland Decedent Iris McCollum Green, Esq. 1730 M Street, NW Suite 609 Washington, DC 20036 Attorney
Notice is hereby given that a petition has been filed in this Court by Mary Hewlett for standard probate, including the appointment of one or more personal representatives. Unless a responsive pleading in the form of a complaint or an objection in accordance with Superior Court Probate Division Rule 407 is filed in this Court within 30 days from the date of first publication of this notice, the Court may take the action hereinafter set forth.
Notice is hereby given that a petition has been filed in this Court by Ruby Clayborne, Deborah Clayborne-Faison & Robin Marie Reid for standard probate, including the appointment of one or more personal representatives. Unless a responsive pleading in the form of a complaint or an objection in accordance with Superior Court Probate Division Rule 407 is filed in this Court within 30 days from the date of first publication of this notice, the Court may take the action hereinafter set forth.
Admit to probate the will dated May 9, 2013 exhibited with the petition upon proof satisfactory to the Court of due execution by affidavit of the witnesses or otherwise
Admit to probate the will dated April 7, 2009 exhibited with the petition upon proof satisfactory to the Court of due execution by affidavit of the witnesses or otherwise
Date of first publication: 3/25/2021
Date of first publication: 3/25/2021
Aimee Griffin, Esq. 4041 Powder Mill Road Suite 215 Beltsville, MD 20705 Petitioner/Attorney:
Gilda Sherrod-Ali 1775 Eye Street, NW Suite 1150 Washington, DC 20006 Petitioner/Attorney:
TRUE TEST COPY
TRUE TEST COPY
Cristi Purnell Personal Representative
Nicole Stevens Register of Wills
TRUE TEST COPY
NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS Cristi Purnell, whose address is 3462 Dix Street, NE, Washington, DC 20019, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Mildred R. Rowland who died on May 16, 2019 with a Will, and will serve without Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance in this proceeding. Objections to such appointment (or to the probate of decedent’s Will) shall be filed with the Register of Wills, D.C., Building A, 515 5th Street, N.W., Third Floor, Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before 9/25/2021. Claims against the decedent shall be presented to the undersigned with a copy to the Register of Wills or filed with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned, on or before 9/25/2021, or be forever barred. Persons believed to be heirs or legatees of the decedent who do not receive a copy of this notice by mail within 25 days of its first publication shall so inform the Register of Wills, including name, address, and relationship. Date of first publication: 3/25/2021
Toni Marie Felder Personal Representative
Barbara Redd Vivian Harriday Personal Representative
TRUE TEST COPY
TRUE TEST COPY
Nicole Stevens Register of Wills
Nicole Stevens Register of Wills
Nicole Stevens Register of Wills
Washington Informer
Washington Informer
Washington Informer
SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA Probate Division Washington, D.C. 20001-2131
SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA Probate Division Washington, D.C. 20001-2131
SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA Probate Division Washington, D.C. 20001-2131
SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA Probate Division Washington, D.C. 20001-2131
SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA Probate Division Washington, D.C. 20001-2131
2021 ADM 000061
2021 ADM 00094
2021 ADM 000107
2021 ADM 000113
2021 ADM 000089
Eulalio Maldonado Decedent
Corressa Johnson Decedent
Bernice G. Underwood Decedent
Valerie Edwards 1725 DeSales Street, NW Suite 600 Washington, DC 20036 Attorney
Jeffrey K. Gordon 5335 Wisconsin Ave., NW, #700 Washington, DC 20015 Attorney
Anthony V. Grimes, Pro Se 2001 Rosewood Drive Waldorf, MD 20601 Attorney
Jumell Sterling Gibson Decedent James Larry Frazier 918 Maryland Ave., NE Washington, DC 20002 Attorney
NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS Darnell Deno Gibson, Jr., whose address is 1206 Palmer Rd., #1, Fort Washington, MD 20744, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Jumell Sterling Gibson who died on May 20, 2020 without a Will, and will serve without Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance in this proceeding. Objections to such appointment shall be filed with the Register of Wills, D.C., Building A, 515 5th Street, N.W., Third Floor, Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before 9/25/2021. Claims against the decedent shall be presented to the undersigned with a copy to the Register of Wills or filed with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned, on or before 9/25/2021, or be forever barred. Persons believed to be heirs or legatees of the decedent who do not receive a copy of this notice by mail within 25 days of its first publication shall so inform the Register of Wills, including name, address, and relationship. Date of first publication: 3/25/2021 Darnell Deno Gibson, Jr. Personal Representative TRUE TEST COPY
Leslie Demus Decedent
NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS Leslie Darnell Demus, whose address is 1815 23rd St. SE, Apt. 202B, Washington, DC 20020, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Leslie Demus who died on 2/3/2020 without a Will, and will serve without Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance in this proceeding. Objections to such appointment shall be filed with the Register of Wills, D.C., Building A, 515 5th Street, N.W., Third Floor, Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before 9/25/2021. Claims against the decedent shall be presented to the undersigned with a copy to the Register of Wills or filed with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned, on or before 9/25/2021, or be forever barred. Persons believed to be heirs or legatees of the decedent who do not receive a copy of this notice by mail within 25 days of its first publication shall so inform the Register of Wills, including name, address, and relationship. Date of first publication: 3/25/2021 Leslie Darnell Demus Personal Representative
Nicole Stevens Register of Wills Washington Informer
Washington Informer
42 APRIL 8 - 14, 2021
Nicole Stevens Register of Wills Washington Informer
NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS Frolian Ortiz, whose address is 1458 Park Road, Washington, DC 20010, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Eulalio Maldonado who died on July 19, 2020 with a Will, and will serve without Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance in this proceeding. Objections to such appointment (or to the probate of decedent’s Will) shall be filed with the Register of Wills, D.C., Building A, 515 5th Street, N.W., Third Floor, Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before 9/25/2021. Claims against the decedent shall be presented to the undersigned with a copy to the Register of Wills or filed with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned, on or before 9/25/2021, or be forever barred. Persons believed to be heirs or legatees of the decedent who do not receive a copy of this notice by mail within 25 days of its first publication shall so inform the Register of Wills, including name, address, and relationship. Date of first publication: 3/25/2021 Frolian Ortiz Personal Representative
TRUE TEST COPY Nicole Stevens Register of Wills
Washington Informer
TRUE TEST COPY Nicole Stevens Register of Wills Washington Informer
NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS
NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS
Nicelma Johnson King, whose address is 4318 Vista Way, Davis, California 95616, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Corressa Johnson who died on May 29, 2017 without a Will, and will serve without Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance in this proceeding. Objections to such appointment shall be filed with the Register of Wills, D.C., Building A, 515 5th Street, N.W., Third Floor, Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before 9/25/2021. Claims against the decedent shall be presented to the undersigned with a copy to the Register of Wills or filed with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned, on or before 9/25/2021, or be forever barred. Persons believed to be heirs or legatees of the decedent who do not receive a copy of this notice by mail within 25 days of its first publication shall so inform the Register of Wills, including name, address, and relationship.
Anthony V. Grimes, whose address is 2001 Rosewood Drive, Waldorf, MD 20601, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Bernice Underwood who died on February 14, 2020 with a Will, and will serve without Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance in this proceeding. Objections to such appointment (or to the probate of decedent’s Will) shall be filed with the Register of Wills, D.C., Building A, 515 5th Street, N.W., Third Floor, Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before 9/25/2021. Claims against the decedent shall be presented to the undersigned with a copy to the Register of Wills or filed with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned, on or before 9/25/2021, or be forever barred. Persons believed to be heirs or legatees of the decedent who do not receive a copy of this notice by mail within 25 days of its first publication shall so inform the Register of Wills, including name, address, and relationship.
Date of first publication: 3/25/2021
Date of first publication: 3/25/2021
Nicelma Johnson King Personal Representative
Anthony V. Grimes Personal Representative
TRUE TEST COPY
TRUE TEST COPY
Nicole Stevens Register of Wills
Nicole Stevens Register of Wills
Washington Informer
Washington Informer
THE WASHINGTON INFORMER / WWW.WASHINGTONINFORMER.COM
LEGAL NOTICES
LEGAL NOTICES
LEGAL NOTICES
LEGAL NOTICES
LEGAL NOTICES
SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA Probate Division Washington, D.C. 20001-2131
SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA Probate Division Washington, D.C. 20001-2131
SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA PROBATE DIVISION Washington, D.C. 20001-2131
SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA Probate Division Washington, D.C. 20001-2131
SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA PROBATE DIVISION Washington, D.C. 20001-2131
2021 ADM 000119
2021 ADM 000102
2021 FEP 000015
2020 ADM 000795
2021 FEP 000017
Constantine P. Kalpaxis Decedent
Christine Williams Decedent
Jacqueline Green Hayden Decedent
November 11, 2020 Date of Death
Kerri M. Castellini, Esq. Price Benowitz LLP 409 Seventh St., NW Ste. 200 Washington, DC 20004 Attorney
Murray D. Scheel Whitman-Walker Legal Services 1377 R Street, NW Washington, DC 20009 Attorney
NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS
NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS
Karen J. Hughes, whose address is 4300 Montgomery Ave., #203, Bethesda, MD 20814, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Constantine P. Kalpaxis who died on August 28, 2020 with a Will, and will serve without Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance in this proceeding. Objections to such appointment (or to the probate of decedent’s Will) shall be filed with the Register of Wills, D.C., Building A, 515 5th Street, N.W., Third Floor, Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before 9/25/2021. Claims against the decedent shall be presented to the undersigned with a copy to the Register of Wills or filed with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned, on or before 9/25/2021, or be forever barred. Persons believed to be heirs or legatees of the decedent who do not receive a copy of this notice by mail within 25 days of its first publication shall so inform the Register of Wills, including name, address, and relationship.
Britney N. Williams, whose address is 213 12th Street, Buther, NC 27509, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Christine Williams who died on 6/28/2020 without a Will, and will serve without Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance in this proceeding. Objections to such appointment shall be filed with the Register of Wills, D.C., Building A, 515 5th Street, N.W., Third Floor, Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before 9/25/2021. Claims against the decedent shall be presented to the undersigned with a copy to the Register of Wills or filed with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned, on or before 9/25/2021, or be forever barred. Persons believed to be heirs or legatees of the decedent who do not receive a copy of this notice by mail within 25 days of its first publication shall so inform the Register of Wills, including name, address, and relationship.
T. Reone Brown and Ivan K. Brown, whose addresses are 1425 4th Street., SW, #8, Washington, DC 20024 & 2101 34th St., NE, Washington, DC 20020 were appointed personal representatives of the estate of Antoinette Cecilia Brown, deceased, by the Orphans Court for Prince Georges County, State of Maryland, on June 26, 2019. Service of process may be made upon T. Reone Brown, 1425 4th Street, SW, #8, Washington, DC 20024 whose designation as District of Columbia agent has been filed with the Register of Wills, D.C. The decedent owned the following District of Columbia real estate. 4922 Just Street, NE, Washington, DC 20019. Claims against the decedent may be presented to the undersigned and filed with the Register of Wills of the District of Columbia, 515 5th Street, NW, Third Floor, Washington, D.C. 20001 within 6 months from the date of first publication of this notice.
Date of first publication: 3/25/2021
Date of first publication: 3/25/2021
Date of first publication: 4/1/2021
Karen J. Hughes Personal Representative
Britney N. Williams Personal Representative
T. Reone Brown Ivan K. Brown Personal Representatives
April 27, 2019 Date of Death Antoinette Cecilia Brown Name of Decedent NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT OF FOREIGN PERSONAL REPRESENTATIVE AND NOTICE TO CREDITORS
Marianne B. Lawrence Name of Decedent NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS
NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT OF FOREIGN PERSONAL REPRESENTATIVE AND NOTICE TO CREDITORS
Jeffrey K. Gordon, Esq., whose address is 5335 Wisconsin Avenue, NW, #700, Washington, DC 20015, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Jacqueline Green Hayden who died on May 17, 2020 without a Will, and will serve without Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance in this proceeding. Objections to such appointment shall be filed with the Register of Wills, D.C., Building A, 515 5th Street, N.W., Third Floor, Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before 10/1/2021. Claims against the decedent shall be presented to the undersigned with a copy to the Register of Wills or filed with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned, on or before 10/1/2021, or be forever barred. Persons believed to be heirs or legatees of the decedent who do not receive a copy of this notice by mail within 25 days of its first publication shall so inform the Register of Wills, including name, address, and relationship.
Carly Allysa Blake, whose address is 349 L Street, SE, Washington, DC 20003, was appointed personal representative of the estate of Marianne B. Lawrence, deceased, by the Superior Court for King County, State of Washington, on December 18, 2020. Service of process may be made upon Patrick Blake, 349 L Street, SE, Washington, DC 20003 whose designation as District of Columbia agent has been filed with the Register of Wills, D.C. The decedent owned the following District of Columbia real estate. 310 I Street, SE, Washington, DC 20003. Claims against the decedent may be presented to the undersigned and filed with the Register of Wills of the District of Columbia, 515 5th Street, NW, Third Floor, Washington, D.C. 20001 within 6 months from the date of first publication of this notice.
Date of first publication: 4/1/2021 Jaffrey K. Gordon, Esq. Personal Representative TRUE TEST COPY Nicole Stevens Register of Wills
Date of first publication: 4/1/2021 Carly Allysa Blake Personal Representative Nicole Stevens Register of Wills Washington Informer
TRUE TEST COPY
TRUE TEST COPY
Nicole Stevens Register of Wills
Nicole Stevens Register of Wills
Washington Informer
Washington Informer
SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA Probate Division Washington, D.C. 20001-2131
SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA Probate Division Washington, D.C. 20001-2131
SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA Probate Division Washington, D.C. 20001-2131
SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA Probate Division Washington, D.C. 20001-2131
2021 ADM 000070
2021 ADM 204
2021 ADM 000220
2021 ADM 000141
Ralph Eugene Salter, Jr. Decedent
Victoria Adella Sweetland Decedent
Michael Smith Decedent
Iris McCollum Green 1730 M Street, NW Suite 609 Washington, DC 20036 Attorney
Donovan Anderson Law Office of Donovan Anderson PC 1231-B Good Hope Rd. SE Washington, DC 20020 Attorney
Ernest F. Bailey aka Ernest Franklin Bailey Decedent
PROBATE DIVISION
Washington, D.C. 20001-2131 2021 FEP 000020 February 28, 2020 Date of Death
Nicole Stevens Register of Wills
Washington Informer
Washington Informer
Attorney Ethel Mitchell 8403 Colesville Road, Suite 1100 Washington, MD 20910 Attorney
Reginald Harris 1775 I Street, NW Suite 1150 Washington, DC 20006 Attorney
NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS
NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS
Maya Salter, whose address is 1211 Marlboro Ridge Rd., Upper Marlboro, MD 20772, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Ralph Eugene Salter, Jr. who died on July 29, 2020 without a Will, and will serve without Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance in this proceeding. Objections to such appointment shall be filed with the Register of Wills, D.C., Building A, 515 5th Street, N.W., Third Floor, Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before 9/25/2021. Claims against the decedent shall be presented to the undersigned with a copy to the Register of Wills or filed with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned, on or before 9/25/2021, or be forever barred. Persons believed to be heirs or legatees of the decedent who do not receive a copy of this notice by mail within 25 days of its first publication shall so inform the Register of Wills, including name, address, and relationship.
Belva Milson, whose address is 430 Quackenbos Street, NW, Washington, DC 20011, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Victoria Adella Sweetland who died on May 23, 2020 with a Will, and will serve without Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance in this proceeding. Objections to such appointment (or to the probate of decedent’s Will) shall be filed with the Register of Wills, D.C., Building A, 515 5th Street, N.W., Third Floor, Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before 10/8/2021. Claims against the decedent shall be presented to the undersigned with a copy to the Register of Wills or filed with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned, on or before 10/8/2021, or be forever barred. Persons believed to be heirs or legatees of the decedent who do not receive a copy of this notice by mail within 25 days of its first publication shall so inform the Register of Wills, including name, address, and relationship.
Joyce E. Henderson, whose address is 71 Eagle Bluff Drive, Claremont, VA 23899, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Ernest F. Bailey aka Ernest Franklin Bailey who died on December 1, 2020 with a Will, and will serve without Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance in this proceeding. Objections to such appointment (or to the probate of decedent’s Will) shall be filed with the Register of Wills, D.C., Building A, 515 5th Street, N.W., Third Floor, Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before 10/8/2021. Claims against the decedent shall be presented to the undersigned with a copy to the Register of Wills or filed with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned, on or before 10/8/2021, or be forever barred. Persons believed to be heirs or legatees of the decedent who do not receive a copy of this notice by mail within 25 days of its first publication shall so inform the Register of Wills, including name, address, and relationship.
Ronald Smith, whose address is 7210 Wingstone Ln., Charlotte, NC 28262, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Michael Smith who died on August 5, 2020 without a Will, and will serve without Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance in this proceeding. Objections to such appointment shall be filed with the Register of Wills, D.C., Building A, 515 5th Street, N.W., Third Floor, Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before 10/8/2021. Claims against the decedent shall be presented to the undersigned with a copy to the Register of Wills or filed with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned, on or before 10/8/2021, or be forever barred. Persons believed to be heirs or legatees of the decedent who do not receive a copy of this notice by mail within 25 days of its first publication shall so inform the Register of Wills, including name, address, and relationship.
Date of first publication:
Date of first publication: 3/25/2021
Date of first publication: 4/8/2021
Date of first publication: 4/8/2021
Date of first publication: 4/8/2021
Lolita M. Anthony
Maya Salter Personal Representative
Belva Milson Personal Representative
Joyce E. Henderson Personal Representative
Ronald Smith Personal Representative
TRUE TEST COPY
TRUE TEST COPY
TRUE TEST COPY
Nicole Stevens Register of Wills
Nicole Stevens Register of Wills
Nicole Stevens Register of Wills
Washington Informer
Washington Informer
Washington Informer
Perez A. Walker
Name of Decedent NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT OF FOREIGN PERSONAL REPRESENTATIVE AND NOTICE TO CREDITORS
Lolita M. Anthony, whose address is 9115 Banleigh Lane,
Clinton, MD 20735 was appointed personal representative of the estate of Perez A. Walker, deceased, by the Orphans Court
for Prince Georges County, State of Maryland, on 10/16/2020.
Service of process may be made upon Evelyn Bowles, 1573
41st Street, SE, Washington, DC 20020 whose designation as District of Columbia agent has been filed with the Register of Wills, D.C.
The decedent owned the following District of Columbia
2238 16th Street, NE, Washington, DC 20018. Claims
real estate.
against the decedent may be presented to the undersigned
and filed with the Register of Wills of the District of Columbia,
515 5th Street, NW, Third Floor, Washington, D.C. 20001 within 6 months from the date of first publication of this notice.
4/1/2021
Personal Representative Nicole Stevens
Register of Wills Washington Informer
NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS
TRUE TEST COPY Nicole Stevens Register of Wills Washington Informer
NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS
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APRIL 8 - 14, 2021 43
LEGAL NOTICES
LEGAL NOTICES
SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA Probate Division Washington, D.C. 20001-2131
SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA Probate Division Washington, D.C. 20001-2131
2021 ADM 178
2021 ADM 000112
Laura B. Jackson Decedent
NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS Kimble Byrd, whose address is 415 27th Street, West Palm Beach, FL 33407, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Laura B. Jackson who died on May 18, 2020 with a Will, and will serve without Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance in this proceeding. Objections to such appointment (or to the probate of decedent’s Will) shall be filed with the Register of Wills, D.C., Building A, 515 5th Street, N.W., Third Floor, Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before 10/8/2021. Claims against the decedent shall be presented to the undersigned with a copy to the Register of Wills or filed with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned, on or before 10/8/2021, or be forever barred. Persons believed to be heirs or legatees of the decedent who do not receive a copy of this notice by mail within 25 days of its first publication shall so inform the Register of Wills, including name, address, and relationship. Date of first publication: 4/8/2021 Kimble Byrd Personal Representative TRUE TEST COPY Nicole Stevens Register of Wills Washington Informer
George R. Fulginiti Decedent Ethel Mitchell 8403 Colesville Rd., Suite 1100 Silver Spring, MD 20910 Attorney NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS Otis Ramsey-Zoe, whose address is 1601 Irving Street, NW, Washington, DC 20009, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of George R. Fulginiti who died on June 21, 2020 with a Will, and will serve without Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance in this proceeding. Objections to such appointment (or to the probate of decedent’s Will) shall be filed with the Register of Wills, D.C., Building A, 515 5th Street, N.W., Third Floor, Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before 10/8/2021. Claims against the decedent shall be presented to the undersigned with a copy to the Register of Wills or filed with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned, on or before 10/8/2021, or be forever barred. Persons believed to be heirs or legatees of the decedent who do not receive a copy of this notice by mail within 25 days of its first publication shall so inform the Register of Wills, including name, address, and relationship. Date of first publication: 4/8/2021 Otis Ramsey-Zoe Personal Representative TRUE TEST COPY Nicole Stevens Register of Wills Washington Informer
SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA Probate Division Washington, D.C. 20001-2131
SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA Probate Division Washington, D.C. 20001-2131
2021 ADM 210
2021 ADM 000124
Blaine Arthur Sheffer Decedent
Elbert Walker Decedent
Edward G. Varrone, Esq. 1825 K Street, NW Suite 1150 Washington, DC 20006 Attorney
Ethel Mitchell 8403 Colesville Rd. Suite 1100 Silver Spring, MD 20910 Attorney
NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS
NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS
Robert B. Sheffer, whose address is 5635 Valleyview Drive, Bethel, PA 15102, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Blaine Arthur Sheffer who died on January 8, 2020 without a Will, and will serve without Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance in this proceeding. Objections to such appointment shall be filed with the Register of Wills, D.C., Building A, 515 5th Street, N.W., Third Floor, Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before 10/8/2021. Claims against the decedent shall be presented to the undersigned with a copy to the Register of Wills or filed with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned, on or before 10/8/2021, or be forever barred. Persons believed to be heirs or legatees of the decedent who do not receive a copy of this notice by mail within 25 days of its first publication shall so inform the Register of Wills, including name, address, and relationship.
Jerome Walker, whose address is 1527 Spring Place, NW, Washington, DC 20010, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Elbert Walker who died on December 1, 2006 with a Will, and will serve without Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance in this proceeding. Objections to such appointment (or to the probate of decedent’s Will) shall be filed with the Register of Wills, D.C., Building A, 515 5th Street, N.W., Third Floor, Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before 10/8/2021. Claims against the decedent shall be presented to the undersigned with a copy to the Register of Wills or filed with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned, on or before 10/8/2021, or be forever barred. Persons believed to be heirs or legatees of the decedent who do not receive a copy of this notice by mail within 25 days of its first publication shall so inform the Register of Wills, including name, address, and relationship.
Date of first publication: 4/8/2021
Date of first publication: 4/8/2021
Robert B. Sheffer Personal Representative
Jerome Walker Personal Representative
TRUE TEST COPY
TRUE TEST COPY
Nicole Stevens Register of Wills
Nicole Stevens Register of Wills
Washington Informer
Washington Informer
44 APRIL 8 - 14, 2021
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WILLIAMS from Page 26 alty. Chauvin's use of extrajudicial authority cannot be justified. And his smug, "can't touch this" arrogance as he knelt astride George Floyd's neck made the episode more intolerable. I am not afraid to speak the obvious truth to power. Derek Chauvin's defense team cannot
MORIAL from Page 26 ported that hate crimes targeting Asian people rose by nearly 150 percent over the past year, stoked by former President Trump cynically seeking a scapegoat for his tragic mishandling of the coronavirus pandemic. White supremacist propaganda in the form of flyers, stickers, banners and graffiti doubled in 2020, reaching the highest level ever recorded by the Anti-Defamation League. Stop AAPI Hate, a national coalition addressing anti-Asian discrimination during the pandemic, received nearly 3,800 reports of hate incidents over the last year, ranging from verbal harassment to workplace discrimination to physical assault. When women are the targets, racial slurs are often accompanied by crude references to sex.
CURRY from Page 26 plan. Rather than the leader — as we once were — we are more in line with the Czech Republic, Latvia, South Korea and Mexico as the least generous countries for workers. For reference, Denmark, the Netherlands, Finland, Sweden and Switzerland are the top nations for worker benefits. So, how did we get here? Union membership has been falling for decades. This lessening of worker representation has resulted in the erosion of solid employee benefits and good wages, a loss of secure, stable jobs, and diminished worker rights. Right-to-work laws (designed to weaken unions and the ability of workers to bargain) in many states have made it much more difficult for working people to form or join unions. These laws have predictably resulted in lower wages and diminished employer accountability.
throw enough mud to satisfy the dehumanization of George Floyd. Any hypocrite willing to minimize the value of George Floyd's life because of drug use must first publicly berate and diminish the life of the drug-addled Rush Limbaugh in a similar manner. Michael Brown, Sandra Bland, Eric Garner, Rayshard Brooks, Laquan McDonald, Tamir Rice,
Breonna Taylor — the list goes on. They are not just names — they are men and women who anticipated full and complete lives. None suspected that some rogue, maniacal descendant of a 19th-century slave catcher would choose to intervene in their lives with deadly consequence. We cannot condemn all police for rogue activities, but we must
not accept further repetition of this gross injustice. We must be vigilant in the protection of our community and we must support the police reform bill that is now in the Senate. It is said that the past is prologue to the future. If so, we must make the present a past that is acceptable to our future. WI
"Killing Asian American women to eliminate a man's temptation speaks to the history of the objectification of Asian and Asian American women as variations of the Asian temptress, the dragon ladies and the lotus blossoms, whose value is only in relation to men's fantasies and desires," said Sung Yeon Choimorrow, executive director of the nonprofit National Asian Pacific American Women's Forum. The National Urban League rejects the objectification, fetishization and stereotyping of women of color. Our hearts are with the families who lost their loved ones, including Delaina Yaun, mother of a 13-year-old boy and an 8-month-old baby girl; Paul Andre Michels, an Army veteran and business owner; Xiaojie Yan, owner of the spa where she was shot; and Daoyou Feng. Police have not released the names of
the other four victims, but our prayers are also with them and Elcias R. Hernandez-Ortiz, who was wounded. Last month, the National Urban League and other civil rights and social justice groups outlined a comprehensive set of actions to combat anti-Asian hate and violence. These include: - Enacting comprehensive hate crime laws at both the state and local levels and ensuring that law enforcement agencies fully implement and enforce them; - Uniform Crime Reporting agencies need to standardize and include more details in their documentation of hate crimes; - Local law enforcement and state agencies should fully comply with the Hate Crimes Statistics Act, and efforts should be made to include detailed data on the Asian American and Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander communities;
- A public campaign to push back on hate speech promoted by government officials and those running for office; and - Greater investment in linguistically and culturally competent community resources. After four years of policy, rhetoric and messaging at the highest levels of government that fanned the flames of bigotry and inspired acts of violence against communities of color, the pandemic has brought us to a crossroads. It exposed America's racial fault lines in nearly every indicator — health care, economic stability, justice, and democracy -and forced the nation to confront its legacy of white supremacy. We must seize the opportunity to create lasting change by emerging from this crisis a stronger nation determined to achieve a more perfect union for all its people. WI
Over the past 35 years, the number of U.S. workers who are members of labor unions has been cut in half, according to the Pew Research Center. In 1954, nearly 35% of all employed U.S. workers were members of unions. Now that number is about 10.5% despite the fact that approval of unions is at a 50-year high. While the unionization of workers has diminished, wealth inequality has accelerated. U.S. Federal Reserve data shows that from 1989 to 2020, U.S. net worth became increasingly concentrated in the hands of the wealthiest 1% of Americans possessing 40% of the nation's wealth. In 2019, the CEO to worker ratio for compensation was 320 to 1 — a staggering gap. It is time to close that gap again. It is time to strengthen our unions, to reach out to new groups of workers who want to unionize and pave the way for enhancing and encouraging collective bargaining, forming unions, and joining
together for solid, secure, workers' rights and benefits.
tect workers, to keep good paying American jobs at home and to set America back on the right track. The American dream needs to again belong to those whose dreams defined it, and whose participation is vital to its achievement. We need to once again be a nation that champions safe working conditions, good benefits and wages, and the ability to have some say in the workplace. We need to make the PRO Act the law of the land. We must all come together and deliver. We made a promise decades ago, one we should now be making for our children as it was made for our generation. Please let your support for the PRO Act be known. The bill has passed the House and will face tougher opposition in the Senate. Please let your representative know how you feel. America should not and must not be a nation of broken dreams. WI
IT DOES NOT HAVE TO BE THIS WAY
It is time to commit to our workforce. To once again be that nation that cares about the hardworking women and men in this country and is a world leader in workers' rights and compensation. Moreover, the economic reality is that we NEED unions. A diminished union presence forces people to work two and three jobs just to make ends meet. Many of those jobs are in the service sector, with low wages, no benefits and little room for advancement. It is the American worker that drives our economy, not wealthy CEOs. It is time for our state and national leaders and representatives to come together to make a change. It is time to pass the $15 minimum wage, to sign the PRO Act into legislation to pro-
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COVID from Page 20 cent and 60 percent effective, respectively, against COVID-19. The current results provide reassurance that people start to develop protections due to the vaccine two weeks after their first dose, says the health agency. The greatest protection was seen among those who had received both recommended doses of the vaccine. “This study is the first of many planned COVID-19 vaccine effectiveness studies CDC is conducting to evaluate the benefits of COVID-19 vaccines in various populations and across different outcomes, such as preventing infections, doctor’s visits, hospitalizations or deaths,” according to the health agency. “Results from these studies assist the medical and public health experts on the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices and CDC to make important vaccine policy decisions aimed at saving lives.” WI
APRIL 8 - 14, 2021 45
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46 APRIL 8 - 14, 2021
CROWELL from Page 27
judgments ordered nearly $15.2 million in consumer redress and $80,000 in civil money penalties. In addition to CFPB and FTC, the Asset Funders Network (AFN), an alliance of philanthropists pledged to equitable wealth-building and economic mobility, also recently published a policy brief that found one-third of households with medical debt also have student loan debt and 43% of families with legal debts also have medical debt. Titled "Medical Debt and its Impact on Health and Wealth: What Philanthropy Can Do to Help," the brief closely examines medical debt and who is most affected by it. AFN also identified three specific drivers of medical debt: unpredictable medical emergencies, insufficient health coverage, and high out-of-pocket expenses. According to AFN, more than one in five adults experiencing an unanticipated medical expense in a year. When medical emergencies arise, household spending averages $3,000 per person per year, with more than one-third of that expense attributable to out-of-pocket medical costs for the insured. For the uninsured, medical debts amass even more quickly, and often in states that did not expand Medicaid coverage for low-wage workers.
In part the brief states, "Medical debt disproportionately impacts communities of color, perpetuating and exacerbating the racial wealth gap by draining cash flow that other households without medical debt can save or invest. Racial inequities in income, wealth, and insurance coverage play a role in the prevalence and burden of medical debt. … Black non-elderly adults are 1.5 times more likely, and Latinx and Native American non-elderly adults are 2.5 times more likely, to be uninsured than non-elderly White adults. With less access to insurance, people of color are more likely to face higher medical costs and challenges paying their medical bills." "In many Southern states, people of color disproportionately lack health insurance coverage in large part because their state did not implement Medicaid expansion," the brief continues. "Individuals in the South are also more likely to work in agricultural jobs or other low-wage jobs that do not provide employer-sponsored health insurance. … Of the 13 states where more than one in five adults has medical debt in collections, seven states have not implemented Medicaid expansion, and in 11 states, people of color represent more than a quarter of the population." WI
JEALOUS from Page 27
George Floyd and his family. But obviously the problem in law enforcement is much bigger than individual "bad apples." We can save lives and prevent future deaths by reimagining public safety and demanding real, institutional change. That is the motivation for measures
like the federal George Floyd Justice in Policing Act and a wave of initiatives being proposed and considered at state and local levels. We must finally have equal justice under the law, and it starts with a criminal justice system that holds law enforcement accountable. WI
ASKIA from Page 27
country will spend it in to see to it that any and every White policeman is never convicted of killing a Black man in America. Coincidentally, the two men both worked security at El Nuevo Rodeo on Tuesday nights, a local Minneapolis nightclub where popular weekly dance competitions were held. George Floyd worked inside. Chauvin, the perpetrator was paid to sit in his car outside. I’ve got tears, salty tears for George Floyd, who would have been charged with a petty misdemeanor had he been arrested by this cop: maximum penalty, a $300 fine. Instead, he was tried, convicted, and put to death after pleading for his life, crying, begging for his momma, by a dude who may have secretly had some kind of grudge for a big, black co-worker. I’ve got salty tears for George Floyd,
like the bystanders, like the millions of people who’ve watched this drama unfold in a courtroom on TV where his troubled past behavior is being held up for scrutiny, while the perpetrator who took his life is being defended with a $1 million slush fund. While the jury has already heard about George Floyd’s drug abuse, they will likely also hear that Derek Chauvin received commendations from his police department, though never being told that his citations both involved his shooting a suspect, and surely never being told that he was the subject of 18 (count them) previous abuse complaints. I’ve got tears for George Floyd, a victim who did not have to die, at the hands of a cop who appears to not have a heart. WI
by at least one creditor or collector trying to collect one or more debts. The 2020 tally for all CFPB complaints — across all credit areas — was approximately 542,300, a nearly 54% increase over the approximately 352,400 complaints handled in 2019. "The pandemic has been among the most disruptive long-term events we will see in our lifetimes," said Dave Uejio, CFPB's acting director. "Not surprisingly, the shockwaves it sent across the planet were felt deeply in the consumer financial marketplace. … In 2020, the Bureau received more than 540,000 consumer complaints. For seven of the nine months since March 2020, the Bureau managed record complaint volume." Acting FTC Chairwoman Rebecca Kelly Slaughter also characterized her agency’s efforts over the past year. "The FTC acted quickly to take down a number of illegal COVID-related scams, sued to block or unwind an unprecedented number of mergers, and took a number of other strong enforcement actions across its missions," Slaughter said. Last year, the FTC filed or resolved seven debt collection cases against 39 defendants and obtained $26 million in judgments. Similarly, two CFPB
stopped or held over nonviolent infractions, 911 calls about "suspicious" behavior, or mental health issues. More than 40 of the "I can't breathe" deaths happened after Garner was killed. We hope and expect that the trial now under way will bring justice for
If George Floyd was guilty of the crime of which he had been accused, it was a misdemeanor. A misdemeanor! I’ve got tears for George Floyd. The evidence against this murderer-former cop is so compelling. But hey, nearly 30 years ago the evidence against the Southern California cops accused of mercilessly beating Rodney King to a pulp was equally compelling, but the perpetrators walked from court, found innocent by a jury. In this case, the circumstances suggest more tears are to be shed. Derek Chauvin, the cop whose knee on George Floyd’s neck rendered him lifeless has received as much as $1 million in legal defense funds to help him beat this charge. It is still true, folks with huge amounts of money in this
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