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WI Health Supplement Center Section Vol. 56, No. 43 • August 12 - 18, 2021
Viral Police Abuse Video Shakes Ward 8 Community
Sam P.K. Collins WI Staff Writer
A video making the rounds on social media not only has led to three District police officers facing criminal prosecution but incensed residents in Southeast about what they describe as constant police harassment inflicted on their community. On Sunday, Aug. 8, officers, responding to reports of drug activity, approached a young man near the corner of 16th and U Streets in Southeast who they would later find possessed a firearm. As the video shows, two officers restrained him while 3 A screen shot captured from a video that went viral shows two D.C. police officers restraining a man in Southeast after reports of alleged drug activity in the area. One of the officers assaulted the man leading to the residents decrying police harassment. (Twitter grab)
a third officer, in front of a crowd, repeatedly struck the man in the head with a closed fist. As a millennial who witnessed the incident told The Informer, officers have recently harassed and assaulted their friends and others who live and congregate along 16th Street between Good Hope Road and V Street in Southeast. “This is not this officer’s first time putting his hand on someone,” said the young man who requested anonymity. “The officers went hard with all those cameras on them. Just imagine if he [the officer] kept people by themselves. We’re ten deep and he’s just swinging. It’s just another day. He’s acting like a mob boss.” The young man who the officer struck in the video, as well as another person arrested at the scene, have since been released with no charges. As for the three officers, whose names have not yet been released, they have either been
ABUSE Page 44
Bowser Announces Vaccine Mandate for Public School Teachers and Other D.C. Employees Sam P.K. Collins WI Staff Writer
FIRST OF A THREE-PART SERIES
An Eviction Tsunami is Approaching D.C. and Few Seem Prepared Barrington M. Salmon Special to The Informer African-American renters in D.C. spend more than 30 percent of their monthly income on rent. They constitute the highest among the District's housing insecure, most likely to face eviction following the end of the federal rent moratorium, re-
cently extended by the CDC at the request of President Biden until Oct. 3. A growing fear among housing advocates and others is rooted in the belief that if left unchecked, D.C. residents will join millions of displaced and homeless individuals and families across the country washed away in an
EVICTION Page 38
All current and newly hired D.C. government employees, including public school teachers, will be required to be fully vaccinated by September 19. Those who apply for religious or medical exemption will have to produce weekly negative COVID-19 test results. D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser (D), flanked by government officials and labor leaders, revealed the policy update at the John A. Wilson Building on Tuesday, Aug. 10 amid a rise in COVID-19 cases across the region and an ongoing campaign to vaccinate all District residents against the virus. Recent DC Health data shows an in-
5 A photo taken earlier this year when D.C. Public School teachers
MANDATE Page 9 were some of the first to receive COVID-19 vaccines. (WI File Photo)
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COMPILED BY WI CONTRIBUTING WRITER SAM P.K. COLLINS, WI SENIOR WRITER STACY BROWN AND WI SENIOR EDITOR D. KEVIN MCNEIR
Airport Protest for Voting Rights, Reparations and Statehood Ends in 27 Arrests As many people wrapped up the work week on Friday, Aug. 6, several dozen protesters marched from the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial to Reagan National Airport in support of voting rights, reparations, and D.C. statehood. The march culminated in a protest at Reagan’s departure terminal where the group chanted and blocked traffic. Authorities arrested 27 people, including Ty Hobson-Powell of Concerned Citizens DC, Markus Batchelor, Tamika Mallory, Linda Sarsour and The Rev. Stephen A. Green. Days before the march to Reagan National Airport, Hobson-Powell and several others converged on the steps of the U.S. Capitol for an overnight protest in support of voting rights. That gathering followed a vigil that Congresswoman Cori Bush (D-Missouri-1) hosted toward the end of last month to compel the extension of a federal eviction moratorium. The protest at Reagan National Airport, called for by Rev. Green, also took place during the “Season of Nonvi-
olent Moral Direct Action to Save our Democracy” that The Rev. Dr. William J. Barber II organized throughout July and early August. For weeks, Barber and others, in D.C. and across the country, hosted events and pressured lawmakers to pass federal legislation that protects voting rights, increases the minimum wage and abolishes the filibuster. Hobson-Powell said the issue of statehood stands at the foundation of the fight for reparations and voting rights because it involves people in an historically Black city who, without equal congressional representation, have been disenfranchised. “We have dynamic leaders here but they’re not given a chance to spread their wings in this democracy,” Hobson-Powell told The Informer. “Statehood is important. All these conversations going on are intertwined. You can’t talk about voting rights without talking about Washington, D.C. [and] what our inability to vote on certain issues means for the social landscape.” WI
New York Gov. Cuomo Resigns Amid Sex Harassment Scandal
In Memoriam Dr. Calvin W. Rolark, Sr. Wilhelmina J. Rolark THE WASHINGTON INFORMER NEWSPAPER (ISSN#0741-9414) is published weekly on each Thursday. Periodicals postage paid at Washington, D.C. and additional mailing offices. News and advertising deadline is Monday prior to publication. Announcements must be received two weeks prior to event. Copyright 2016 by The Washington Informer. All rights reserved. POSTMASTER: Send change of addresses to The Washington Informer, 3117 Martin Luther King, Jr. Ave., S.E. Washington, D.C. 20032. No part of this publication may be reproduced without written permission from the publisher. The Informer Newspaper cannot guarantee the return of photographs. Subscription rates are $45 per year, two years $60. Papers will be received not more than a week after publication. Make checks payable to: THE WASHINGTON INFORMER 3117 Martin Luther King, Jr. Ave., S.E Washington, D.C. 20032 Phone: 202 561-4100 Fax: 202 574-3785 news@washingtoninformer.com www.washingtoninformer.com
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Amid an ugly sexual misconduct scandal, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo resigned on Tuesday, August 10. “I’m a New Yorker, born and bred. I’m a fighter and my instinct is to fight through this controversy because I truly believe it is politically motivated, I believe it is unfair and it is untruthful. I believe it demonizes behavior that is unsustainable for society,” a defiant Cuomo remarked. “New York tough means New York loving, and I love New York, and I love you. So, I would never want to be unhelpful in any way,” he asserted. The now-former governor must deal with the fallout from accusations made by several women who said he behaved inappropriately. After a state’s attorney general office investigation found that Cuomo betrayed his position by forcibly kissing and touching women and making lewd propositions, New York lawmakers began looking at impeaching the governor. The attorney general’s findings concluded that Cuomo “sexually harassed multiple women and violated state law.” Cuomo continues to deny the allegations but said he had apologized to those he “truly offended” on Tuesday. “I take full responsibility for my actions … I’ve been too familiar with people,” Cuomo said, noting that he has he has hugged and kiss many people – both men and women – but only in a casual manner. “I have done it all my life. It’s who I have been since I can remember. In my mind, I have never crossed the line with anyone, but I didn’t realize the extent to which the line has been redrawn. There are generational and cultural shifts that I just didn’t fully appreciate – and I should have. No excuses.” WI
NAACP Joins Efforts to Launch Multicultural Voting Rights Campaign On Tuesday, August 10, a coalition of civil rights, labor and social justice organizations including representatives from the NAACP, ACLU, AFSCME, AFL-CIO, AFT and NEA launched a multicultural, year-long voting rights campaign to mobilize millions around access to the ballot and the freedom to vote. Collectively, the coalition represents over 10 million concerned citizens who understand that voting rights must be protected and any obstruction to the ballot is an attack on their constitutional rights. During the virtual press call, leaders from each organization provided an in-depth analysis of the campaign. They also explained why now remains a critical time for Congress to act and ensure voting rights – a mainstay for the entire nation. Spokespersons unfolded the voter mobilization campaign, sharing key updates on the status of the coalition’s efforts to mobilize, engage and drive voters to the poll and combat voter suppression in 2022. The coalition plans to roll out a seven-figure targeted digital, radio and TV campaign to increase voter turnout next year. Speakers included: Derrick Johnson, NAACP president/CEO; Bishop Leah D. Daughtry, principal, On These Things, LLC; Randi Weingarten, AFT president; Ronnie Newman, ACLU national political director; Lee Saunders, AFSCME president; and Becky Pringle, NEA president. WI
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D.C. Council Passes $17.5 Billion Budget James Wright WI Staff Writer The D.C. Council unanimously passed the $17.5 billion fiscal year 2021-2022 city budget on Aug. 10 that includes some measures designed to help Ward 8 residents and struggling Washingtonians. “I am proud of this budget and thank my colleagues and the many advocates and neighbors for working with me to ensure that we leveraged this budget opportunity to address the many inequities and challenges exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic and firmly set ourselves on a path to recovery,” D.C. Councilmember Brooke Pinto (D-Ward 2) said. The newly passed budget will go to D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser for her signature. On Aug. 10, the mayor indicated in a news conference that “I’m going to sign it” and she got “99 percent of the things we need to get things done.” After Bowser’s signature, the budget document will be transmitted to the U.S. Congress for congressional review. With the Democrats controlling both chambers of the Congress, objections to the District’s budget are not expected. The budget will be implemented in the new fiscal year which begins on Oct. 1.
BUDGET PRIORITIES
D.C. Councilmember Trayon White (D-Ward 8) expressed satisfaction with the budget saying the ward “has been disproportionately impacted by COVID-19, racial inequity, gun violence and much more. “My priority is to ensure that the budget has funding to reflect these inequities and public safety is at the forefront of that list,” White said. White said the $12.5 million to fund violence prevention and intervention programs emerged as a priority as his ward continues to grapple with gun violence and homicides, saying “these dollars will be distributed throughout multiple government agencies.” He also praised such approved budgetary items as $5 million for youth mentoring grants, $13 million for the expansion of the Southeast Tennis and Learning Center and the Congress Heights Recreation Center and $500,000 for programs such as the entrepreneur-fueled Dream Grants,
a Ward 8 Homeownership initiative and a grant for the D.C. Commission on Poverty. D.C. Councilmember Kenyan McDuffie (D-Ward 5) signature $32 million Child Wealth Building Act, popularly known as “baby bonds” and an $88 million second round of financial relief for workers and small businesses received approval from the council. “The budget funds measures that break down structural barriers and further racial equity in the District,” McDuffie said. “The Child Wealth Building Act, Commercial Acquisition Fund [which helps small businesses have access to capital to purchase real estate], and guaranteed basic income all facilitate a more inclusive recovery that will not simply be a return to normal, but make lasting economic opportunities more accessible to all District residents. Critically, this budget provides additional financial relief for workers and small businesses most likely impacted by the pandemic as well as multiple Ward 5 priorities such as the new community center in Ivy Center and a new library in Eckington.”
CRITICISM OF NEW BUDGET
While many in the District praise the council for a budget that some say could lead the city to an economic recovery despite the coronavirus pandemic, there are some who say legislators didn’t go far enough. Tazra Mitchell, the policy director at the DC Fiscal Policy Institute, said “this year’s budget is one of the most important in D.C. history.” “DCFPI praises the mayor and the council for seizing this unprecedented opportunity and making bold investments to address the ongoing suffering caused by the pandemic, which is disproportionately harming Black and Brown communities,” Mitchell said. “The council’s vote to support unemployed and excluded workers, advance educational equity, and raise taxes on D.C. wealthiest to fund critical public goods will help create a just recovery that extends to all residents. While the budget springs us closer towards racial and economic justice, it falls short in a couple of areas. Mitchell expressed disappointment that the council didn’t permanently remove DC Healthcare Alliance recer-
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tification requirements, which she said currently serves as a high barrier to residents with low incomes in need of health care coverage. She also chastised the council for failing to speed up the timeline for eliminating police officers in the school system to start later this month as children return to classes, rather than next summer. “DCFPI is looking forward to working with District leaders to ensure that these historic investments are well-implemented, particularly engagement with the forthcoming task force charged with ensuring that early educators receive their compensation quickly and fairly,” she said. WI @JamesDCWrighter
5 Ward 8 Councilmember Trayon White. ( WI File Photo)
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1876 – Prairie View A&M University, a historically Black institution, is established in Prairie View, Texas. 1959 – Basketball great Earvin "Magic" Johnson is born in Lansing, Michigan. 1966 – Halle Berry, the first woman of color to win an Oscar for best actress, is born in Cleveland.
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1934 – Baseball great Roberto Clemente (top) is born in Carolina, Puerto Rico. 1963 – Civil rights activist James Meredith, the first African American admitted to the University of Mississippi, graduates. 1977 – Stephen Biko, anti-apartheid activist and leader of the Black Consciousness Movement in South Africa, is arrested. He is severely beaten while in police custody and dies of his injuries weeks later. WI
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Runoko Rashidi, a Giant in Pan-African Scholarship Sam P.K. Collins WI Staff Writer
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Anthropologist and historian Runoko Rashidi unexpectedly passed away in Egypt. He was 67. The cause of death was not disclosed. He died Aug. 2 during one of the many tours that have garnered him a reputation as one of the foremost Pan-African scholars of his generation. He lived in Los Angeles, Calif. Rashidi had traveled to 124 countries, spoken in 67 countries and written 22 books about the presence of African people on the African continent and around the world in the centuries before and following enslavement. Rashidi’s scholarship accentuated the work compiled by Dr. Yosef Ben-Jochannan, John Henrik Clarke, Asa Hilliard, Ivan Van Sertima and others who challenged Eurocentric narratives about Black inferiority. His body of work has enhanced the view among Pan African scholars that global civilization began within Africa. “Runoko dedicated his life to the upliftment of African people,” said Anthony Browder, a cultural historian and Rashidi’s close friend and colleague of more than 30 years. “You’d be hard pressed to find a brother or sister who’s willing to read, study and travel as vigorously as Runoko did.” Weeks earlier, in observance of Father’s Day, Browder and Rashidi headlined a virtual dialogue titled “Brother 2 Brother” in which they reflected on
aspects of their personal and professional development and other issues of significance to Black people. At the time of Rashidi’s death, the pair had another installment of “Brother 2 Brother” in the works. Browder’s last presentation with Rashidi took place in Oakland, Calif. a month before the pandemic forced much of the world inside. In 2016, he and Rashidi traveled to Sudan to explore Nubian and Kushite monuments. That trip counted among the numerous times since the 1990s the two men either made travel plans together, or crossed paths while making separate tours. “Runoko has traveled to the four corners of the Earth where African people are, documenting his visits with photography,” Browder told The Informer. “He opened the eyes of the world to the greatness of African people.”
A STORIED CAREER
The circumstances of Rashidi’s Aug. 2 transition bear some similarity to that of Asa Hillard, a professor of educational psychology who passed in the same month 14 years prior while on a similar mission in Egypt. Rashidi, a resident of South Central Los Angeles who was born on Aug. 16, 1954, came into his African consciousness during the Black Power Era. At the age of 19, he acquired his fully Africanized name, which means “handsome counselor” while traveling and encountering people living in the eastern and southern regions of the African continent. Rashidi is a product of the Los Angeles public school system and earned his bachelor’s degree at California State University at Northridge. He also briefly attended the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA), where he studied anthropology and archeology. While participating in study groups during the 1970s, Rashidi said his academic interests were inspired by Chancellor Williams’ “The Destruction of Black Civilization,” in addition to speeches and writings of Marcus Mosiah Garvey and Malcolm X.
5 Runoko Rashidi (1954-2021) (Courtesy photo)
He said a chance encounter with Sertima at UCLA in the early 1980s placed Rashidi along a path to becoming a consummate writer and researcher. By 1982, he often contributed to, and later edited, Sertima’s “The Journal of African Civilizations.” Over the course of his career, Rashidi studied under and alongside Sertima, Clark and Hilliard, along with Edward Scobie and John G. Jackson. He authored 22 books, including “Introduction to the Study of African Classical Civilizations,” “My Global Journeys in Search of the African Presence” and “The Black Image in Antiquity.” Rashidi conducted tours to India, Australia, Turkey, France, Belgium, and Vietnam in addition to travels throughout Africa. At the time of his death, Rashidi, a curatorial and academic board member of the Pan-African Heritage Museum in Ghana was conducting research about the African presence in museums. Legrand Clegg II, an attorney closely associated with Rashidi, told The Informer the scholar had been exploring development of a Black history channel. Other projects in the works involved a visual representation of ancient African history for K-12 students. Clegg, a researcher focused on ancient Kemet and the city attorney
RUNOKO Page 20
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AROUND THE REGION MANDATE from Page 1 crease in COVID-19 cases among the unvaccinated, including people between the ages of 25 and 34 and, to a lesser degree, young people between the ages of 5 and 14. Meanwhile, Black youth eligible for the vaccine haven’t followed through in getting it as much as their racial counterparts. “We know our teachers work with students who will not be vaccinated so they’ll keep them safe which means if they don’t vaccinate, they’ll test,” said Washington Teachers’ Union [WTU] President Jackie Pogue-Lyons. “We’re encouraging people to get vaccinated and we’re working with the mayor and chancellor to get our families to buy into the vaccine.” In the weeks since the Delta variant appeared, local, state and federal offices have moved to mandate vaccinations. Toward the end of July, President Joe Biden (D) announced a vaccine mandate for federal government employees. Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergies and Infectious Diseases, recently predicted that the Food and Drug Administration’s approval of the vaccine would spur mandates across the private sector as well. As of Tuesday, nearly 60 percent
of District government employees have reported their vaccination status. Among those who reported, 54 percent have been fully vaccinated. Pogue-Lyons said figures compiled by the American Federation of Teachers show national teacher vaccination rates at 90 percent. In regards to local teacher vaccination data, the WTU has a process in the works through which teachers can report their status. The WTU has also been in discussion with DCPS Chancellor Lewis Ferebee about finalizing a memorandum of agreement that outlines the conditions under which public school teachers would conduct in-person learning this upcoming school year. Last week, DCPS updated its quarantine guidance in accordance with recently adjusted Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines that define close contact as three feet in K-12 classrooms, and six feet in nontraditional settings. The District reported nearly 500 new COVID-19 cases over the weekend, 19 of which were designated as backlogged. As of this month, vaccine coverage remains below 60 percent much to the chagrin of DC Health Director Dr. LaQuandra Nesbitt. “We see the majority of our cas-
es since the vaccine has been available have occurred in people who are not vaccinated,” Nesbitt said on Tuesday. “We are seeing an increase in breakthrough cases but the vaccine is working. Ninety percent of the people in the hospitals are not vaccinated. It’s important that we offer the tools to offer vaccines where appropriate. We’re better off as a community once everyone is vaccinated,” she said. WI @SamPKCollins
Last week, DCPS updated its quarantine guidance in accordance with recently adjusted Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines that define close contact as three feet in K-12 classrooms, and six feet in nontraditional settings.
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5 Teachers in D.C. Public Schools will be required to have the COVID-19 vaccination before returning to class in the fall. (WI File Photo)
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Washington Informer Publisher Denise Rolark Barnes receives the Chairman’s Champion Award at the Covenant House Greater Washington “Night of the Stars” Benefit Gala, presented by Covenant House Board Member Linda D. Harper, Thursday, Aug. 1. Honorees included Mylan Barnes, CHGW Alumnus; Chris Smith, Chairman and CEO, WC Smith; Philip Pannell, of the Anacostia Coordinating Council; and Angie M. Gates, director, DC Office of Cable Television, Film, Music and Entertainment. (Roy Lewis/The Washington Informer)
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WORDS TO LIVE BY “A people may become great through many means but there is only one measure by which its greatness is recognized and acknowledged – the amount and standard of the literature and art they have produced . . . No people that has produced great literature and art has ever been looked upon by the world as distinctly inferior.”
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preface, The Book of American Negro Poetry [1922], born Aug. 11, 1873 and author of the Black National Anthem. THE WASHINGTON INFORMER / WWW.WASHINGTONINFORMER.COM
Ben’s Chili Bowl Expands its Franchising Operation James Wright WI Staff Writer Ben’s Chili Bowl has embarked on an effort to expand its brand by actively offering franchise opportunities to anyone who has an interest and can work to maintain the reputation of the company as a family-friendly, community-oriented business. While Ben’s operates franchises at Reagan National Airport, Horseshoe Casino Baltimore and the newest setup at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in the District’s downtown area, Sage Ali said his family’s company wants its brand to reach more people and to offer business opportunities to non-family members through an increased franchising effort. “We have wanted to get into the franchising for a longtime but we wanted to do it the right way and at the right time,” Ali said. “When Obama came to visit us in 2009, we got calls from all over the country and throughout the world from people interested in our business. This is the next step in the evolution of Ben’s Chili Bowl.” Ben’s as a franchiser doesn’t have a lot of company as a Black business in the franchise industry. While there are many Black businesses that operate as franchises for corporations such as McDonald’s, Wendy’s and Starbucks, there are no hard statistics to verify Blackowned franchisors. Ali said he knew of perhaps two Black franchisers.
QUALITIES OF BEN’S FRANCHISE OWNER
When asked what will be required of someone interested in owning a Ben’s franchise, Ali said his company will look at certain factors. “This is a great business opportunity for anyone,” he said. “We are a Blackowned and woman-owned business because my mother, Virginia Ali, owns Ben’s. We are proud to be a family business. We are also proud to be a part of the community. When we look at potential franchisees, we encourage people of color to look at us as well as females. Family will be a focus because operating a business many times is a family affair.” Ali said particulars such as the franchising fee, getting financed and obtaining operating space will be discussed with franchisees but he stressed the importance of the protection of the Ben’s brand and its culture. “To operate a Ben’s franchise, it has to be a labor of love,” he said. “My mom is 87 years-old. She still works at our U Street store. She is dedicated and anyone who wants to franchise with us has to have that dedication.”
FRANCHISING EXPANSION
Ali said when his mother and father, Ben Ali, started their business on U Street in 1958, McDonald’s started its journey into franchising roughly at the same time. “My father would often talk about
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how Ben’s could have been another McDonald’s,” he said. “My father said the big difference between what he was doing and McDonald’s ended up doing was that McDonald’s had the money and we did not.” Ali said Ben’s path as an established business includes enduring the 1968 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. assassination and the economically ailing U Street corridor of the 1970s and 1980s, the building of the U Street/African American Civil War Memorial/Cardozo Metro Station in the mid-1980s to 1991 and being a part of the revitalization of the neighborhood since the 2000s. He said with that history and its expansion to Ben’s Next Door bar and restaurant, a non-franchise Arlington, Va. location, a small operation at FedEx Field in Landover, Md., that has been shuttered due to the coronavirus pandemic and stands at Nationals Stadium proves his company brand has staying power. In recent weeks, Ali has traveled to the Atlanta metropolitan area to discuss franchise opportunities with interested parties. He said setting up a franchise east of the Anacostia River could happen. “Some people say we are not interested in coming to Southeast, in Ward 8, but that’s not true,” he said. “The question is not if but when will we? Setting up a new location will require new employees and new management, but I could see that possibly happening.” WI @JamesDCWrighter
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1-855-407-6870 5 Ben’s Chili Bowl's latest franchise is located at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Northwest. (Roy Lewis/The Washington Informer)
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PRINCE GEORGE'S COUNTY
5 Ashwani Jain (Courtesy photo)
MD Gubernatorial Candidates Highlight Public Safety Proposals William J. Ford WI Staff Writer During the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, law enforcement, government officials and community leaders are pushing collaborative efforts to decrease crimes such as gun violence and car-jackings. According to Prince George’s County police, between July 30 and July 31 six people died from fatal shootings, including 17-year-old Kyree Duvall of Hillcrest Heights.
PGCPS BRIEFS
Compiled by Dorothy Rowley WI Staff Writer
LOTTERY APPLICATIONS
PGCPS will accept late lottery applications to fill kindergarten seats in immersion programs for the 2021-22 school year. Applicants who must be age 5 by Sept. 1 must also live within the boundary of the schools listed below for which they are applying: • Dora Kennedy French Immersion • Maya Angelou French Immersion
12 AUGUST 12 - 18, 2021
As of Sunday, Aug. 8, a Baltimore Sun database shows Baltimore City recorded 202 homicides this year. At that pace, the city could reach 300 homicides for a seventh straight year. 5 John Baron (Courtesy photo) Maryland gubernatorial candidates Jon Baron, Ashwani Jain and lease such a plan , asserted his public Comptroller Peter Franchot released safety initiative presents a solution in public safety plans in hopes of de- four parts: focused deterrence, volcreasing violence not only in those untary drug treatment court, prison majority Black jurisdictions, but the therapy for inmates scheduled for entire state. release and intervention for at-risk Baron, who said Aug. 6 that he is youth. the first Democratic candidate to re“This is a thoughtful, strategic way • Cesar Chavez Dual Immersion (Spanish speakers only) • Overlook Spanish Immersion • Phyllis E. Williams Spanish Immersion Additionally, as a one-time approval, a limited number of first grade seats will be available for students who will be 6 by Sept. 1 and live within the boundary of the schools listed below for which they are applying. • Maya Angelou French Immersion • Phyllis E. Williams Spanish Immersion Please visit www.pgcps.org/lottery/ for information about the schools and the Immersion Programs
‘DRIVE-THRU HIRING’
A “Drive-Thru Teacher Hiring” event will be held from 8:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m., Thursday, Aug. 12 at the Suitland High School Parking Lot. Please remember to bring a resume. WI
5 PGCPS will accept late lottery applications to fill kindergarten seats in immersion programs for the 2021-22 school year. (PGCPS photo)
5 Maryland Comptroller Peter Franchot, center, at a Maryland Democratic Party barbeque July 18 in Bowie. (Anthony Tilghman/The Washington Informer)
of going about reducing violence and improving safety,” the former nonprofit executive said in an interview Sunday. “The usual approach is to roll out one new plan after another and say, ‘This is the next new thing,’ with no new evidence behind it.” One part of Barron’s plan would utilize Baltimore’s “focused deterrence” program and make it statewide. Last month, Mayor Brandon Scott announced a five-year plan to reduce gun violence by 15 percent through an approach where government officials, law enforcement and community leaders work hand-inhand. The initiative, that includes job training and substance abuse treatment, would be paid for from the city’s $640 million allocation from the American Rescue Plan. According to National Institute of Justice data, Oakland, Calif.’s deterrence program decreased total shootings by 20 percent per year. In Baltimore, the plan also offers those who may become repeat offenders a choice for a better life than running the streets. “If they don’t accept the offer and continue to act violently, then they will be subject to strong, focused attention from law enforcement,” Baron said. “It really offers them a positive way forward.”
JAIN’S PLAN
Jain, a program director for the National Kidney Foundation serving the DMV, updated his “Mary-
land Now Plan” on Monday with a proposal to legalize marijuana and expunge records for those wrongfully imprisoned. Under his cannabis plan, small rural and urban farmers in Western Maryland, the Eastern Shore and Baltimore would be targeted to expand the state’s Economic Opportunity Zones with tax credits and other incentives. In taxing marijuana, the state would receive at least $100 million in revenue, according to his proposal. He also wants to eliminate the state income tax on 95 percent of Maryland workers, guarantee free public transit for all residents, create a guaranteed jobs program for unemployed workers and anti-corruption policies that would bar Maryland’s governor, lieutenant governor and state agency heads from serving on for-profit corporate boards while in office. “This plan will expand economic opportunities and inclusion for all Marylanders; assist those who either have a job or need a job; help our climate; create hundreds of thousands of new jobs; reduce some of the racial injustices we face; and improve the daily lives of residents in every county across the state,” Jain said in a statement.
REDUCE RECIDIVISM
Franchot’s public safety initiative, labeled “A Level Playing Field,” offers a few similar police reforms like
CANDIDATES Page 13
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PRINCE GEORGE’S COUNTY
Local Vendors Chosen to Showcase Food at District's FedEx Field By William J. Ford WI Staff Writer
Earlier this summer, the Washington Football Team held a competition for nearly two dozen vendors to present not only their best food and drink options, but also their talent. Instead of choosing one entrepreneur to become a gameday vendor for the upcoming Washington Football Team’s upcoming 2021 season, nine vendors will have their delicacies purchased and devoured by fans at FedEx Field in Landover. Raymond Walters, CEO Of EllaRay’s Café in District Heights, said he received a prime location in the stadium’s club level. “We got our shout on. Everything is done by the grace of God,” he said Monday, Aug. 9. “If you put the work in and do what you go to do and treat people right, good things will happen. We are proud of the fact that our hard work paid off.” The Washington Football Team pushed to feature not only small businesses, but those located in the D.C. region. For the first time, the organization hosted a Flavors of the DMV Showcase in June and received an overwhelming response on the seafood, homemade ice cream, plantbased burgers and other tidbits from
CANDIDATES from Page 12 his Democratic counterparts, such as banning no-knock warrant and treating addiction as a public health crisis. If elected governor, Franchot said, he would reduce the recidivism by at least 50 percent by 2030 through two initiatives: offer returning citizens temporary housing, job training and provide “family supporting wages” and create a statewide version of the D.C. Mayor’s Office of Returning Citizens Affairs. He also said he wants to: • Create a statewide pilot program for adults and youth that offers trauma-informed care and psychological services to victims of violence; • Require the Maryland Police Training and Standards Commission to decertify any officer whose law enforcement records shows dismissal or resignation while under investigation for misconduct or excessive force;
season ticket holders, former Washington football players and representatives with Levy Hospitality Group. That what made it hard to just choose one, said Joey Colby-Begovich, vice president of guest experience. “It is the realization of a commitment that we are making to represent our community as a part of this team,” he said. “We’re giving folks the opportunity…to really be on a bigger stage. That just elevates the diversity and the love and the uniqueness of the broad community that is the DMV area.” Besides EllaRay’s, five other vendors are slated to be at various stands in sections 300 and 400. The chosen businesses are: South Mountain Creamery, Kitchen Cray, Shell Shack Seafood of Silver Spring, Fireman’s Café and Suit2cook. Two vendors that sell plant-based items, Everything Legendary and JustAJ’s Foods (business is spelled that way – WJF), will supply its products on game days. Casa De Ávila Tacos will utilize a portable cart to sell its product throughout the stadium. Colby-Begovich said most of the vendors should be able to showcase its products for the team’s two preseason games Aug. 20 and 28. They will all be at FedEx Field for Washington’s home opener and first and • Expand independent review of civilian deaths by police that include use-of-force incidents when a person needed to be hospitalized. In addition to his public safety proposals, Franchot also announced he would create a cabinet position entitled the Secretary of Diversity. The Democratic primary on June 28 proposes to feature these candidates who formerly announced to seek the state’s highest office: Maryland Comptroller Peter Franchot; former state Attorney General Doug Gansler; former President Barack Obama official Ashwani Jain; former U.S. Education Secretary John King Jr.; Wes Moore, an author and former leader of national anti-poverty organization; former Democratic National Committee chair Tom Perez; and economist Michael Rosenbaum. WI Twitter: @jabariwill
regular season game Sept. 12 against the San Diego Chargers. Meanwhile, the team announced Aug. 4 at https://bit.ly/3s6t2AU updated stadium policies and procedures for fans. A major change will be no more Native American attired such as the ceremonial headdresses and face paint. Although the burgundy and gold colors will remain intact, the team’s former nickname and moniker are no longer present. Some of the measures include recommending fans who didn’t receive the COVID-19 vaccine to wear face coverings. It’s optional for guests who are vaccinated. FedEx Field will now be cashless, meaning all financial transactions will be managed by credit or debit cards and mobile devices. WI Twitter: @jabariwill
5 Ella Willis-Walters, center, helps serve samples of Southern-style cuisine from EllaRay’s Café on June 14 at FedEx Field in Landover. The business will be one of nine to sell its products during the Washington Football Team’s 2021 season. (William J. Ford/The Washington Informer)
A Message from Prince George’s County Chamber of Commerce
Are You One of the 99%? ust when we can breathe a sigh of relief and go back to normal. COVID has reared its ugly head and reappeared in another form – the Delta Variant. This new iteration of COVID, we are told, is highly transmittable and contagious. Unlike previous viruses, this variant is preying on young people sending 20–30-year-olds to hospital emergency rooms at alarming rates. In some states, hospitals are running out of treatment rooms and beds where once again health workers are overwhelmed keeping pace with new infections. How did we get here? The inconvenient truth: we lack community. Through ingenuity and grit, vaccines came on the scene and almost instantly brought COVID to historic lows. Gleefully when announced that those who had received vaccine doses could remove their masks, we rejoiced. Businesses that thought COVID brought them to the end of the line, opened with record sales. Once a stranger, the outdoors became our refuge and we reconnected with friends and family. This stage of the battle was won when the call was answered to get vaccinated. At first it was taxing to schedule these life changing shots, but we withstood the test and waited in line to immune our bodies from this dreaded virus. Unfortunately, as restrictions were eased, we became lax. More complexing, with science showing the vaccines effectiveness, we became divided – even hostile in our community call to take the vaccine. We retreated to our cultural comfort zones and abandoned our civic identity – out of many we are one! The consequence, what was once nearing victory, we have gone backwards. Those who have resisted the vaccine are now the carriers of the variant. They are the 99%! 99% of new infections, of those taking up hospital beds, of those causing havoc in our health care system are the unvaccinated. Further, through the unvaccinated the Delta Variant has become stronger and more infectious, threatening potential shutdowns, school openings and business closures. The time is now to reverse this madding tide, we must get vaccinated! Vaccinations will get us back to normal and, more importantly save lives. For you, your family, your community, your country – get vaccinated!
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David C. Harrington President & CEO Not a member? Please visit our website, www.pgcoc.org to get started! Membership is good for a full calendar year, so it’s always a good time to join*
AUGUST 12 - 18, 2021 13
BUSINESS Black Woman Blazing a Trail in High End Real Estate Market Stacy M. Brown WI Senior Writer Eugenia Foxworth has earned the distinction of being named president of the International Real Estate Federation, USA Chapter -- the global business networking organization for all professionals associated with the real estate industry. The owner of Foxworth Real Estate in New York, Foxworth counts as the first Black to take the helm
“In 70 years, I am the first African American elected as president. I think this election will enable me to help those within our community, so it has been a blessing,” Foxworth said. In an industry dominated by white agents and brokers, Foxworth has thrived. “I had wonderful mentors, including my father, who told me that you could do anything that you want as long as it’s not illegal, immoral and you don’t mind people doing it to
you,” Foxworth insisted. While she has excelled in the real estate profession for more than 20 years, Foxworth also harbors several hidden talents. Her accomplishments include proprietor of a fine arts gallery on Manhattan’s Upper Eastside, owner of a national skincare line, graduate of Drexel University with a degree in engineering and survivor of a virus that attacked her heart at a young age. “That’s how I got into art. I guess I became a fine arts dealer without realizing I was becoming a fine arts dealer.,” said Foxworth who after receiving her college degree set her sights back to the world of art. “I never practiced engineering,” she admitted. “I have a funny little mind and get bored easily, so I just went back to what I really loved.” Ironically, it was her love of the arts that eventually led her to real estate. By then, her Foxworth Gallery on East 65th Street in Manhattan was doing so well that she was looking for a new, larger space. Her location request was specific -- East 57th to 79th streets between Madison and Park Avenues. “The
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“I had wonderful mentors, including my father, who told me that you could do anything that you want as long as it’s not illegal, immoral and you don’t mind people doing it to you.”
Realtors I was working with kept taking me to the West Side and were showing me second- and third-floor options,” she recalled. Finally, frustrated that they weren’t finding what she wanted, Foxwortah decided to do it herself by getting her own real estate license. She took an accelerated course, passed the New York State exam and received her license, starting with a smaller brokerage firm in the city. Foxworth said the stimulus and lack of spending since the beginning of the pandemic have allowed many to save money to buy property. “Prices are going up and a lot of our inner-city areas are saying,‘I’m not giving this away,’ and they’re also increasing their prices,” Foxworth asserted. Foxworth expressed mixed emotions about the eviction moratorium, expressing that her heart goes out to those facing eviction because of a loss of work while also feeling bad for landlords who haven’t been paid rent. “It’s a sad time but a good time for people to be able to maintain their home,” Foxworth said. \ “The moratorium is helpful, and it gave so many of us in the Black and brown community a chance to regroup. A lot of us have been affected. The rental market has so many who can’t afford to buy. There also are those who could afford to pay, and they took advantage of the moratorium, and those hurt landlords. These are working-class people, these landlords in most cases,” she said. Foxworth has received praise for successfully helping homeowners save their properties from foreclosure.
Eugenia Foxworth/ (Courtesy photo)
“One should really know their community and I helped to educate people who were purchasing or already purchased homes,” Foxworth said. “I did it for free because I wanted to let them know what to do, how to get renters for properties, how to budget and where to get financial assistance.” Because of her dedication, Foxworth received the Woman of Excellence award from the New York Women’s Chamber of Commerce. In addition, the Real Estate Agent Advisor highlighted her as “One of the Phenomenal Women in Real Estate.” As the new FIABCI-USA president, she aims to increase exposure for the organization. “Very few people know about us even though we’re in 65 countries,” said Foxworth, who has hired a public relations firm to assist her in spreading the news around the globe. She plans to start a podcast that will cover all topics — not just real estate. “My mission is to help our people, teach them. That’s what I want to do,” Foxworth said. “Gentrification has taken a lot of our history and there are people in shelters who are working people who can’t afford the rent. I want to help change this.” WI @StacyBrownMedia
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BUSINESS Black Business Month Aimee D. Griffin, Esq.
5 A Stanford University study revealed that remote workers are less likely to earn promotions than those who work in the office. (Photo courtesy GlassDoor)
Studies Show Remote Workers Face Discrimination and Lack of Upward Mobility Stacy M. Brown WI Senior Writer The ease of crawling out of bed, grabbing a cup of coffee and taking a few steps to the home office has proved a cost saver and, perhaps, a lifesaver for many. But as companies scale back remote work and require employees to return to the office, studies show that those who continue to work remotely may lose out on career opportunities. More than two-thirds of supervisors, or 67 percent, of remote workers surveyed by the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), admit to considering remote workers more easily replaceable than on-site workers at their organization. Sixty-two percent believe fulltime remote work is detrimental to employees’ career objectives, and 72 percent say they prefer all their subordinates to work in the office. Researchers found that most employees agreed remote work is beneficial and increases performance. But more than half said working remotely permanently would diminish networking opportunities (59 percent), cause work relationships to suffer (55 percent) and require them to work
more hours (54 percent). Still, another study led by Stanford University researchers found that remote workers are less likely to earn a promotion than those who work in the office. The researchers experimented with a travel agency in China in which employees worked remotely for nine months. They found remote workers 13 percent more productive yet they received promotions about half as often as those inside the office. “They can get forgotten,” said Stanford University Professor Nicholas Bloom, one of the study’s authors. Luke Palder, the CEO of three companies, called remote work a blessing and a curse. “It’s flexible in schedule and geography, of course, but it’s also flexible in who can participate,” Palder said. “Remote work does amplify ‘out of sight, out of mind.’ If you’re looking to climb a career ladder, you’re best going into the office at least part-time.” Proximity and recency biases often mar appraisal and performance, noted Joe Flanagan, a senior employment advisor at VelvetJobs, the career matchmaker that connects more than 1 million new curated jobs globally. “These biases have become
August is Black Business Month. As Black people in the United States there is no question of the financial discrimination that has been our experience. From enslavement to devaluation through the racial wage gap entrepreneurship has been the opportunity to remove the restriction of someone else determining our value. Small Business Ownership is a commitment to the community. It is indeed a partnership that provides an opportunity for customers and business owners to see a need or want that one can provide and one can fulfill. The partnership is a commitment that offers employment within a community that offers positive impact. There are more than 2 million Black-owned businesses in the United States. In 2012, Black-owned businesses generated $150.2 billion in gross revenues according to the US Minority Business Development Agency. While $150 billion is a large number, it is not 1% of the more than $2 trillion in gross reported revenue nationally. In 2019 about 14% of the national population identify as Black either alone or as a part of a multiracial or ethnic background, approximately 46.8 million people. As a small business owner, I appreciate the privilege and the responsibility that comes along with the role. As a business owner, I work to build a team of professionals that are committed to excellence. We provide a service that I believe will enhance lives for generations. The greatest asset of any business is the people who work in the business. We have an opportunity to employ others who look like us. This is exceptional opportunity. Of the 2 million Black-owned companies, only 124,000 are defined as “employer firms,” which means that they have employees in addition to the owner. The opportunity to provide employment is a privilege that has mutual benefits for owner and employee. As we most recently reflected on the Black Wall Street that was Tulsa Oklahoma in 1921 we celebrated the affluence of the Black businesses that we sustained by the community there. I have been excited about the Black Lives Matter movement in the United States. The movement brought expressed appreciation and value of our Black lives. Let’s celebrate that appreciation and value within our Black business community as well. Building a business as a Black person has its challenges. The struggle is real for Black business owners and we as a Black community should support our businesses. The access to capital is real and financial discrimination is still alive and well. Therefore, resources to grow are not as available. We should continue, if not start, to make the decision to invest by patronizing our Black businesses whenever possible. We should make the decision to invest by providing support through feedback when things are not produced as well as we would like. We should make the decision to support through word of mouth marketing when things are done well. Let’s provide our Black businesses opportunities to grow with feedback. Give the business owner an opportunity to improve. More often than not, the feedback will be welcomed. The return on the investment is real for the community. We are still better together! Aimee D. Griffin, Esq., The Griffin Firm, PLLC http://yourestateplanningattorney.com (855) 574-8481 5335 Wisconsin Ave NW Suite 440 Washington DC 20015 4041 Powder Mill Drive Suite 215 Beltsville MD 20705 100 International Drive 23rd Floor Baltimore MD 21202 4601 N. Fairfax Dr., Suite 1200 Arlington, VA 22203
more pronounced as more team members are now working remotely, with increased freedom and autonomy,” Flanagan noted. “The experience of working in isolation, along with a lack of appreciation, accelerates the process of disengagement and disillusionment from one’s work and might also result in burnout.”
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As noted in a report in the Harvard Business Review, in this moment of reckoning, “companies are becoming increasingly attuned to unintended racial effects.” But among employees who have been working remotely, white employees are seven times more likely than Black employees to report being interested in returning to
on-site work (21 percent versus 3 percent). According to the Harvard Business Review report, a big reason is that Black workers face a more negative in-person workplace environment. The report continued:
WORKERS Page 45 AUGUST 12 - 18, 2021 15
NATIONAL U.S. Senate Passes $1 Trillion Infrastructure Bill Dems Poised to Push Through $3.5 Trillion Budget Stacy M. Brown WI Senior Writer The U.S. Senate passed one of President Joe Biden’s most ambitious pieces of legislation, a $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure package, on Tuesday, Aug. 10. The bill, which now must pass
the House, counts as the largest federal investment in America’s public works system in more than 10 years. According to the Brookings Institution, from 2007 to 2017, total public spending on infrastructure fell by $9.9 billion in real terms. “While federal, state and local governments have spent nominal-
ly more on infrastructure in recent years, the rising cost of materials has reduced their real spending power. As a result, real infrastructure spending nationally has fallen over the past decade, from $450.4 billion in 2007 to $440.5 billion in 2017,” Brookings researchers wrote in a report. The Senate-passed infrastructure bill encompasses each part of the American economy and should strengthen the United States’ global warming response. The bill increases funding to modernize America’s power grid and it provides funds to better manage climate risks. Aging public works projects around the nation would receive hundreds of billions of dollars for repairs and replacements. “This infrastructure bill’s major investments in transit will connect many more Americans to opportunities,” stated Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. To gain bipartisan support, lawmakers reduced the original amount and scope of President Biden’s initial proposal for infrastructure. The President initially sought
The Washington Convention and Sports Authority (t/a Events DC) is soliciting Offers from qualified firms to provide for Commercial Window Shade Purchase/Replacement, Repair and Installation Services. Interested parties can view a copy of the Invitation For Bids (IFB) by accessing the Event DC’s E-procurement website at www. wcsapex.com and opening APEX BID # 21-S-011-697. Key Dates: IFB Release Date: August 2, 2021 IFB Questions Due Date: 5:00PM EST, Friday, August 20, 2021 IFB Response Due Date: 3:00 P.M. EST, Friday, September 3, 2021 Point of Contact: Briana Vaden, 202-369-1292 (bvaden@eventsdc.com) The Washington Convention and Sports Authority (t/a Events DC) is soliciting Offers from qualified firms to provide for Generator Service and Maintenance. Interested parties can view a copy of the Invitation For Bids (IFB) by accessing the Event DC’s E-procurement website at www.wcsapex.com and opening APEX BID # 21-S-011-696. Key Dates: IFB Release Date: August 2, 2021 IFB Questions Due Date: 5:00PM EST, Friday, August 20, 2021 IFB Response Due Date: 3:00 P.M. EST, Friday, September 3, 2021 Point of Contact: Briana Vaden, 202-369-1292 (bvaden@eventsdc.com) The Washington Convention and Sports Authority (t/a Events DC) is soliciting Offers from qualified firms to provide for Lift and Cart Equipment, Maintenance and Repair Services. Interested parties can view a copy of the Invitation For Bids (IFB) by accessing the Event DC’s E-procurement website at www.wcsapex.com and opening APEX BID # 21-S-011-695. Key Dates: IFB Release Date: August 2, 2021 IFB Questions Due Date: 5:00PM EST, Friday, August 20, 2021 IFB Response Due Date: 3:00 P.M. EST, Friday, September 3, 2021 Point of Contact: Briana Vaden, 202-369-1292 (bvaden@eventsdc.com)
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5 The U.S. Senate passed a $ 1 trillion infrastructure investment bill that would lead to long-awaited improvements to roads, bridges and public transit systems. (WI File Photo/Roy Lewis)
more than $2 trillion but the White House said the paired down plan still addresses major problems including American roads and transit. Still, following a United Nation’s panel of scientist issuing a “Code Red” alert on climate, Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), reminded her social media followers that $1 trillion isn’t enough. “This dire warning from the world’s scientists comes as the Senate is preparing to vote on an infrastructure bill that utterly fails to meet the scale of the climate crisis,” she argued. “Reconciliation is now our country’s best chance to help stop the worst effects of climate change.” It’s the reconciliation process which Democrats continue to attempt to push through a $3.5 trillion budget blueprint that includes more aid to protect the environment. The budget plan also would expand Medicare coverage to dental, vision and hearing benefits. It would lower Medicare’s eligibility age below the current 65 years old and expand the child tax credit beyond 2022, meaning the $300 monthly checks would continue. The budget also includes tax breaks for low-wage earners and for childcare. The package provides funding for health care, climate change, education and it would increase taxes on corporations and those considered wealthy.
It helps secure universal education for children, ages three and four, and makes community college free for two years. If passed, the budget plan would increase the Pell Grant award and invest in Historically Black Colleges and Universities, other minority-serving institutions and tribal colleges and universities. The bill would also accomplish a major goal of the Biden-Harris administration, installing the first federally-paid family leave program. Funds are also earmarked for home health care, housing, job training, child nutrition and to reduce the cost of health insurance and medication. Investments would go toward green and sustainable housing, production and housing affordability and workforce development. Also, millions of immigrant workers and families would gain a path to citizenship and the government would make “the largest one-time investment in Native American infrastructure projects,” a White House official stated. The Internal Revenue would see more money, enabling the agency added resources to collect unpaid taxes. It’s expected that Democrats will employ the reconciliation process, avoiding a GOP-led filibuster. WI @StacyBrownMedia
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NATIONAL D.C. Infrastructure Academy: An Essential Pipeline for Career Building Since Washington Gas partnered with DCIA three years ago, nearly 30 people, including Adams, have graduAfter months of training and inter- ated from the academy. They’ve done views, Southeast resident Roshia Ad- so after receiving hands-on training ams said she’s well on her way to ob- and gaining expertise about energy taining a job as a laborer that will place and the city’s underground pipelines. Despite the pandemic, Washington her on a path to eventually becoming a compliance safety and health officer. Gas has been able to continue along Adams, a veteran with experience this trajectory. The utility company’s next DCIA in communications and construction, lost her job during the pandemic. graduation ceremony has been schedWith encouragement from her coun- uled to take place at the D.C. Wharf selor at the Department of Veteran on Aug. 11. The newly minted cohort Affairs, she enrolled in the D.C. Infra- will join Adams and her peers in, most likely, replacing a workforce that’s structure Academy (D.C.IA). For more than two months, she and quickly approaching retirement age. “I realized the D.C. Infrastructure nearly a dozen other Black D.C.IA enrollees learned the basics of pipe- Academy gives me an opportunity to line installation under the auspices of help rebuild my city,” said Adams, 40. “I live here and I see other workers. Washington Gas contractors. The Occupational Safety and They definitely don’t look like me. Health (OSHA) certification por- They’re older white men coming to tion of the course took place online, fix your gas lines. They don’t live here, while participants conducted onsite but I do. Why can’t I fix my own city? work and professional development at I think they should have more prothe DCIA headquarters on Pomeroy grams [like this] to uplift ourselves and Q4 AMTRAK PRINT 1_Washingtonour Informer city.” (outlines).pdf 1 7/7/21 Road in Southeast. Sam P.K. Collins WI Staff Writer
MAKING ADJUSTMENTS DURING THE PANDEMIC
DCIA, in existence since 2018, grew out of the Bowser administration’s desire to develop a viable workforce in energy, construction and information technology fields,the nation’s fastest growing industries. The ultimate goal of DCIA centers on increasing the marketability of District residents in search of employment opportunities in the infrastructure arena.
To carry out this mission, DCIA partners with the Department of Employment Services (DOES)’ Office of Talent and Client Services, along with local employers, to provide training and experience to District residents. Training targets basic construction skills and longer programs done in conjunction with Pepco, Washington Gas, and Solar Works DC This arrangement also enables DCIA participants to develop as professionals in mock interviews, targeted hiring fairs, and individual placement services. The Bowser administration and its
After months of training and interviews, Southeast resident Roshia Adams said she’s well on her way to obtaining a job as a laborer that will place her on a path to eventually becoming a compliance safety and health officer.
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private partners have dedicated more than $22 million to this cause. DCIA didn’t respond to The Informer’s inquiry about the racial and gender composition of DCIA participants and graduates, or how many have since received and maintained infrastructure jobs. A month into the pandemic, when DCIA started offering hybrid instruction, the national unemployment rate reached levels not seen since the 1970s. By the end of 2020, the District’s year-to-date unemployment rate stood at two percentage points higher than what government officials recorded for 2019. While COVID-19 significantly decimated the hospitality, retail, transportation, and travel industries, the infrastructure industry, particularly the energy sector, remained resilient. DCIA officials, in meetings with its three advisory committees, reported seeing an uptick in demand for services related to energy/utilities, con-
ACADEMY Page 22
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AUGUST 12 - 18, 2021 17
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africa now
COMPILED BY OSWALD T. BROWN, WI CONTRIBUTING WRITER
Cental Launches Handbook on Liberia Anti-Corruption Statutes
A collection of Liberia Anti-Corruption Statutes has been launched by the Center for Transparency and Accountability in Liberia (CENTAL), the National Chapter of Transparency International (TI), AFRICA NOW NEWS reported on Sunday, Aug. 8. The book compiled all anti-corruption laws in Liberia into a single volume for easy access by researchers and the people of Liberia. Dubbed “A Compendium of Anti-Corruption Statutes”, the initial draft of the handbook was validated in May of this year at an event attended by diverse stakeholders in Monrovia, including but not limited to representatives from government, civil society, media, private sector, and public integrity institutions. The initiative was made possible by CENTAL with support from the Government of Sweden through the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA). Officially launching the book Thursday, Aug. 5, 2021 at the Bella Casa Hotel in Monrovia, the Head of Development Cooperation at the Embassy of Sweden, Johan Romare, said it was a laudable venture for CENTAL to work with other national stakeholders/partners to undertake such an innovative initiative that will further enhance the fight against corruption in Liberia. He said the Government of Sweden through its Embassy in Monrovia cherishes its partnership with CENTAL as the Organization continues to play a very critical role in the fight against corruption and integrity in Liberia. “Sweden is very happy to partner with CENTAL. We know that CENTAL is playing a very important role in the fight against corruption in Liberia,” Romare said. In remarks earlier, the Chairman of the Law Reform Commission (LRC), Counsellor Boakai N. Kanneh, said the compendium is a very useful tool for the fight against corruption as it allows auditors, investigators, and other actors to easily access different laws from a single document. WI
caribbean now Bahamas Proves it is a World Superpower In Sports
The Bahamas, a group of islands and cays extending from just off the coast of Florida to the northern tip of Cuba, is recognized internationally as one of the world’s leading tourist destinations. With a total population of slightly less than 400,000, globally it is a tiny nation in every sense of the word, but at the recent Olympic Games in Tokyo it demonstrated that it is among the world’s b3 On Friday, August 6, Shaunae Miller-Uibo won the women’s 400 meters, running a personal best of 48.36 seconds and defending her gold medal from the 2016 Rio Games. A day earlier, Steven Gardiner lifted the spirits of the entire nation, winning gold for The Bahamas in the men’s 400 meter race. By the time this appears in print in the Washington Informer, the gold-medal-winning duo the other members of the Bahamian Olympic team would have been welcomed back home with a giant motorcade through the streets of New Providence, where the Bahamas capital of Nassau is located. According to The Bahamas government’s remuneration program for Olympic gold medalists, both Gardiner and Miller-Uibo will receive $60,000 each for their winning performances. WI
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August 2021 Message from Department of Aging and Community Living DIRECTOR’S MESSAGE
Laura Newland Director D.C. Department of Aging and Community Living
you can join together. While we’ve been able to stay connected with you, there are so many older adults who may not be connected to our programs. DACL, our sister agencies, and our community partners are ramping up our outreach. But it takes an entire community to reach our residents who may be isolated and alone. My charge to you as we get back to in-person engagement is to help us reach those who need connection the most. Tell a friend or two about the incredible programs we have available throughout the city. Whether it’s a hula hoop class, a competitive game of Bingo, or an outdoor cardio class—we have something for everyone! Activities, great lunches, and friends are waiting for you!
If you started receiving frozen meals during the public health emergency, you should have gotten a letter with one of your deliveries. We’re celebrating the end of the public health emergency, and if you no longer need your meal deliveries, just give us call at 202-724-5626. We’re ready for you and excited to see you in person, but we’re also continuing virtual programming (check out our virtual events site at daclvirtualevents.splashthat.com). No matter how you stay connected, just stay connected! See you soon!
I’m so proud of how we’ve been able to keep connected during the public health emergency whether virtually, or through socially distanced, masked drive-up celebrations, and I’m so excited that I can see you in person for hugs, fist bumps, and lots of smiles.
The Mayor ended the public health emergency on July 25th! It’s been such a long road for all of us, and thanks to your tremendous sacrifices, DC is OPEN. We officially opened all our wellness centers in June and opened most of our dining sites in July. I’m so proud of how we’ve been able to keep connected during the public health emergency whether virtually, or through socially distanced, masked drive-up celebrations, and I’m so excited that I can see you in person for hugs, fist bumps, and lots of smiles. This past year and a half has taught me so much, but the most enduring lesson is that we need each other. Humans are profoundly social beings, meant to live in community, to love and to care for each other. I’m so grateful to be a part of this community. Thank you for sticking with us through these difficult 17 months, thank you for getting vaccinated, and most of all, thank you for keeping your connections with your friends and neighbors strong. If you’ve lost contact with some of your loved ones, now is a great time to reach out to them, invite them along to one of our dining sites, or activities, or bring them into our senior wellness centers. Give us a call at 202-724-5626 to learn more about activities WWW.WASHINGTONINFORMER.COM / THE WASHINGTON INFORMER
AUGUST 12 - 18, 2021 19
HEALTH COVID-19 UPDATE
The Real Deal About COVID-19: What You Need to Know Natalie C. Hockaday WI Staff Writer In recent weeks, there have been changes to recommended safety
precautions related to COVID-19 and scientific discoveries that provide greater insight to the impact of the Delta variant of the virus. Below readers will find updated
most frequently asked questions from members of our community. Q: Can you get COVID-19 if you are fully vaccinated? A: The likelihood of contracting COVID-19 is far greater if you are unvaccinated. Those who are fully vaccinated are also less likely to become ill and be hospitalized. Q: Does the vaccine protect you from the Delta variant? A: Yes. Those who are vaccinated with the COVID-19 vaccines are protected from having a severe illness caused by the COVID-19 Delta variant. While it is still possible to contract the virus, the likelihood of becoming severely ill is very slim. Q: Who is transmitting the virus the most? A: Those who are unvaccinated
information from the Centers for Disease Control [CDC] as well as insights gleaned from a conversation with former U.S. Surgeons General which answer some of the
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have shown to be the dominant transmitters for the COVID-19 virus. Q: Are vaccinations free? A: COVID-19 vaccinations are free and available at clinics, pharmacies and physicians’ offices. There are also community vaccination sites located throughout the city. A list of places where you can get vaccinated can be found on the D.C. Government’s Coronavirus website. Q: If I am fully vaccinated will I need to get a booster shot? A: Conversation and research surrounding booster shots are ongoing but there’s no concrete information that indicates that a booster shot is needed right now.
RUNOKO from Page 8 emeritus for Compton, met Rashidi in the early 1980s after Rashidi read Clegg’s essay about the African presence in the Americas before Christopher Columbus’ arrival. The pair would go on to collaborate on various projects, including Clegg’s “When Black Men Ruled the World” tape to which Rashidi contributed. With Clegg on the trustee board at Compton Community College, Rashidi participated in the African People’s Conference throughout the early 1980s. That annual event, launched and hosted by college faculty member Dr. Billie Moore, not only attracted the likes of Dr. Frances Cress Welsing, Dr. Ben Jochannan and others, but raised Compton Community College’s profile as an epicenter of Afrocentric history and culture. He said Rashidi’s scholarship was comprehensive. "There is no one currently among Black scholars who has travelled as extensively as did Rashidi, and who is as personally familiar with various Black populations around the world,” said Clegg. “First, Rashidi identified the people. He then conducted research regarding them,” Clegg continued. “Thereafter, he often visited the people, wrote about them and then presented graphic lectures about them and their various cultures and civilizations. In this regard, he was a great pioneer."
A GLOBAL LECTURER AND ORGANIZER
Throughout the 1980s and beyond, Rashidi would also go on to in-
20 AUGUST 12 - 18, 2021
Q: Do I have to wear a mask if I am fully vaccinated? A: In D.C., masks are mandatory indoors regardless of vaccination status. Q: How contagious is the Delta variant? A: According to the CDC, the Delta variant is twice as contagious compared to previous variants. Q: If you are fully vaccinated and test positive for COVID-19, can you spread the virus to others? A: Yes. According to the CDC, if you test positive with a Delta variant breakthrough infection the virus can be transmitted to others. However, people who are fully vaccinated are infectious for a shorter period of time. WI dependently advance his scholarship through keynote addresses at conferences and other events. The First All-India Dalit Writers Conference in Hyderabad, India counted among the first. Other notable events included the Diaspora Forum at the Fesman Conference in Dakar, Senegal in 2010 and the International Reunion of the African Family in Latin America in Barlovento, Venezuela in 1999. Last October, amid the pandemic, Rashidi spoke before affiliates of the North American Pan-African Federalist Movement during its virtual convention. Rashidi’s other appointments and accolades include a designation as traveling ambassador for the Universal Negro Improvement Association-African Communities League Rehabitliaton Committee 2020. He also received an honorary doctoral degree from Amen-Ra Theological Seminary in Los Angeles. Rashidi told Browder during the virtual “Brother 2 Brother” event that Black love stood at the root of how he navigated the world, and life. In studying and talking about Black people, he was advancing the work of those who came before him and showed him the ropes. “Once I started [traveling], I never wanted to stop,” Rashidi said on June 20. “It was like a treadmill. I love Black people and I’m proud of that. I want all of us to be proud of that. Never feel the need to apologize or whisper or make people comfortable at our expense.” WI @SamPKCollins
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HEALTH
Caregivers Tax Credit Bill Introduced in Congress James Wright WI Staff Writer A bill that would offer up to a $5,000 tax credit for family caregivers has been introduced in both chambers of the U.S. Congress. The Credit for Caring Act of 2021 has been authored in the U.S. House of Representatives by Rep. Loretta Sanchez (D-Calif.) and in the U.S. Senate by Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) and co-sponsored by Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Michael Bennet (D-Colo.) and Shelly Capito (R-W.Va.). The bill would give eligible family caregivers a 30 percent tax credit for qualified expenses above $2,000. The credit could be utilized to offset the cost of services like home care aides, adult day care and respite care—paying for others to care for relatives-- in addition to modifications such as ramps and smart technology designed to make caregiving easier and safer at home. “As the daughter of two parents diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease, I know the responsibility placed on family caregivers in similar situations across the country—and I know the personal sacrifices they make every day,” Sanchez said in a statement. “Especially during this pandemic, caregivers have been asked to juggle working from home and caring for a loved one, all while managing the financial responsibility associated with caregiving. The Credit for Caring Act will help alleviate some of that burden by providing a tax credit for services such as home care and adult day care. I am proud to work with colleagues on both sides of the aisle to find solutions for so many who need all the help they can get.” Sanchez’s dilemma as a working adult dealing with elderly, dependent parents has become a way of life for an estimated 48 million Americans, according to data from the American Association of Retired Persons. In the District, the AARP-D.C. Chapter reported more than 75,000 residents are unpaid caregivers. Various studies have revealed unpaid caregivers often have to sacrifice work hours or forgo employment to care for elderly relatives, with the result of lost wages and income. Putting relatives in nursing facilities often won’t work with an unpaid caregiver’s budget.
5 U.S. Rep. Loretta Sanchez is the author of The Credit for Caring Act of 2021 in the House. (Courtesy Photo)
According to Genworth’s Cost of Care Survey published in the June 22, 2021 edition of Seniorliving.org, nationally, a private room in a nursing home costs $290 per day or $8,821 per month and semi-private rooms average $255 per day or $7,756 per month. In the District, the Genworth survey reported a semi-private room in a nursing home costs about $12,741 per month and a private room, $14,357. The District offers some assistance with the District of Columbia Caregiver Institute reporting a flex account exists where expenses for unpaid caregivers can be reimbursed for up to $150 a month for such services as respite care. Additionally, an AARP analysis reveals that supporting unpaid caregivers could boost the national economy in the long term. The analysis reported assisting caregivers 50 and older in the workplace could grow the U.S. gross domestic product by $1.7 trillion in 2030. Nancy LeaMond, AARP executive vice president and chief advocacy and engagement officer, backs the legislation.
LOCAL SUPPORT FOR THE BILL
“Family caregivers are the back-
Put Vaccines On Your Back-to-School List Vaccines are the best protection against vaccine-preventable diseases. All DC students must have their immunizations up-to-date before the next school year begins. The COVID-19 vaccine is also available for eligible age groups.
dchealth.dc.gov/immunizations
bone of the long-term care system,” she said. “That’s why AARP is fighting to make life a little bit easier for unpaid caregivers and ease their financial concerns.” D.C. Councilmember Anita Bonds (D-At Large) serves as an ad-
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vocate for senior citizens among her colleagues. Bonds said she knows about the bill. “I know that on Capitol Hill the bill has been introduced and is making its way through the system,” Bonds said. “I think it is a great idea
to give a tax credit to caregivers because they really need it. Here in D.C., there are seniors who are taking care of seniors and that tax credit could definitely come in handy.” WI @JamesDCWrighter
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EDUCATION ACADEMY from Page 17 struction, and information technology. These developments, in turn, compelled DCIA to maintain its programming. In adherence to COVID-19 safety guidelines, DCIA split its cohorts into two groups that alternated between online and in-person instruction during the day. No more than 10 students occupied a single room at the academy on Pomeroy Road In its partnership with DCIA, Pepco led nearly 30 District residents through the academy during the pandemic. When not engaged in online coursework, students converged on Pomeroy Road where instructors showed them how to climb utility poles and walked
them through the intricacies of the meter and transformer shops. By September of this year, 40 DCIA participants, many of whom are in their 20s and 30s, are slated to graduate through Pepco. In total, Pepco has facilitated the development of 85 DCIA graduates since DCIA’s inception. Kelly DeCurtis, director of talent at Pepco, said they have all secured employment within the utility company, partner contractors of choice, or an industry organization. “We want to ensure we’re employing the people in our communities, so it’s been positive for Pepco,” DeCurtis said as she explained Pepco’s strategy in helping its DCIA participants establish successful careers. “We’re diversifying the pipeline of individuals coming in and spending 30 years with the com-
pany,” DeCurtis continued. “These are life-sustaining jobs. To make sure our cohorts coming in are successful, we have regular mentoring sessions [so] they’re successful and have partners within the organization.”
IS IT ENOUGH?
This spring, DOES reported a local unemployment rate of 7.8 percent -- a decrease of less than a percentage point from figures collected a month prior. Though lower than the rate reported last year, unemployment in the D.C. metropolitan region has been steadily rising again. Recent figures from the Bureau of Labor Statistics showed that, between May and June, the regional unemployment rate jumped nearly one percentage point. Amid the pandemic, education advocates have raised the question about the degree to which District residents, particularly young people, are prepared for careers in technologically advanced fields. For instance, Charles Boston, a one-time State Board of Education candidate, introduced a ballot measure that would compel the Office of the State Superintendent of Education to include and expand vocational
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5 DC Infrastructure Academy graduate Naomi Hawk currently installs solar panels in the District. (Courtesy photo)
programs at all public and public charter schools. The D.C. Board of Elections would later strike down that measure on the grounds that it violated aspects of the D.C. Home Rule Act. District residents 18 years and older can participate in D.C.IA once they attend an information session, fill out an application to express interest in a career pathway, and take the CASAS test. Applicants unable to show their math and reading proficiency on the CASAS have the option of enrolling in a remediation class. To raise awareness about DCIA, the academy works in conjunction with DOES’ public affairs team to produce email and text blasts, social media flyers and robocalls. Before the pandemic, DCIA representatives also attended ANC and church meetings, and collaborated with local organizations to host information sessions across the city. Other strategies include referrals via DOES’ American Job Centers. Naomi Hawk’s introduction to DCIA happened in 2018 when the United Black Workers Center told her about solar panel installation courses that Solar Works DC hosted at the academy. At the time, Hawk suffered unemployment and instability for nearly two years after leaving what she described
as a racially turbulent environment in the U.S. National Park Service. Upon completing the course, Hawk landed a job with New Columbia Solar and would later return to DCIA to teach others the skills she acquired. She said this career path has inspired dreams of one day teaching female returning citizens, launching a solar panel company of her own, and documenting Black industry workers through photography. Meanwhile, Hawk said she continues to struggle to make ends meet, even with a substantial increase in her income. Though she remains grateful for DCIA, she questions how the program could be more accessible to those with the greatest need. “This city is still expensive for no reason,” said Hawk, a 29-year-old D.C. resident who moved to Northeast two years after living in Southeast for most of her life. “It’s a double edged sword.” “Sometimes the language isn’t accessible and people will have a hard time understanding it’s for them,” said Hawk. “You got people who know but aren’t doing anything about it. Hell, I didn’t know anything about the D.C. Infrastructure Academy until I started at Solar Works DC. That’s when I found out there were more things you could do.” WI
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EDUCATION Librarians and Early Childhood Educators Clinch Budget Wins Sam P.K. Collins WI Staff Writer This budget season culminated in a finalized budget that not only ensures every District public school has at least one librarian but also increases compensation for thousands of early childhood educators. These outcomes follow weeks of on-the-ground organizing by teachers, librarians and advocacy organizations. To fund the compensation increase, the D.C. Council approved a tax bump on the District’s wealthiest residents. In what some have described as a surprising move, local lawmakers, instead of allocating more funds to D.C. Public Schools [DCPS], dedicated $3.25 million from the school system’s enrollment reserve to close the librarian gap at dozens of schools across the city. DCPS teacher Laura Fuchs applauded the latter move, telling The Informer that without a librarian, teachers often shoulder the additional responsibility of curating research materials for students and fostering a love of reading through extracurricular activities.
“More often than not, DCPS is funding private projects with outside vendors instead of investing directly in our students for the long-term,” said Fuchs, who teaches at H.D. Woodson High School in Northeast. “Strategically, giving DCPS more funds has allowed the bad behavior to continue. The D.C. Council has been too hands-off with how DCPS spends its money. This is not enough but it’s a start,” she said. Out of the nearly 40 District public schools lacking a full-time librarian, nearly half are located in neighborhoods east of the Anacostia River. Under its current enrollment-based budget model, DCPS allocates funds for librarians that principals can use at their discretion. In the past, principals, in tandem with the Local School Advisory Teams, have diverted those funds to meet other budgetary and staffing needs. On Aug. 2, D.C. Councilmember Janeese Lewis George’s office submitted an amendment to allocate $3.25 million toward filling full-time librarian positions at 36 schools. In her comments, Lewis George re-
flected on how librarians help students become acclimated to new virtual platforms and connect them to online resources. The Ward 4 councilmember also lamented the manner in which school principals, especially those in the most marginalized communities, made cuts to library staff under what she described as pressure to meet other budgetary needs and improve standardized test scores. “We can and should fix how D.C. decides which staff positions are required or optional for each school,” Lewis George said. “A few years ago, DCPS made librarians optional,” she said. “Since then predictable patterns of inequity have creeped in. We’ve got to stop that if we want our schools to be set up for full recovery and improvement in the long run.” At hearings throughout the year, D.C. council members echoed Lewis George’s sentiments, speaking about the need for a new funding structure that ensured consistency in staffing. During the same time period, lobbying groups representing early child
care workers highlighted a dilemma bubbling east of the Anacostia River where, without funding, education facilities and legacy businesses have struggled to retain high-quality staff. D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser’s FY 2022 budget proposal included a $6 million pilot program that would allot bonuses of $1,500 to early child care educators who stayed within the profession or gained a credential over the next year. However, early child care education advocates, particularly those affiliated with the DC Under Three coalition, wanted a more substantial and definite budget allocation. In speaking about the increase of early child care educators’ compensation, Dr. Bernida Thompson heralded it as the ideal way to retain a strong workforce. “It’s going to be much easier to recruit early childcare educators [because] they’re getting paid what they deserve, as opposed to them having to do something other than what they love,” said Thompson, principal of Roots Public Charter School. “I have a steady staff but this [in-
At hearings throughout the year, D.C. council members echoed Lewis George’s sentiments, speaking about the need for a new funding structure that ensured consistency in staffing. crease] allows my staff to be shown that they’re worthy and that their profession matters. That’ll make them stay and do the best job possible,” she said. WI @SamPKCollins
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AUGUST 2021 HEALTH WELLNESS & NUTRITION SUPPLEMENT
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A great bit of my work as a historian examines America’s fascination with developing its national character: its mottos, beliefs, fortitude, and body politic. The latter depended heavily on the construction of fitness and public hygiene but had to consider those on the periphery of citizenship: African Amer5 Dr. Shantella Sherman (Photo by India Kea) icans, immigrants. In short: the nation grappled with the might of Whiteness and the White man’s burden of managing those outside of that construct. Discrimination grew as a natural character flaw within the development of this great nation. …And America will always be a great nation. That greatness birthed innovation, ingenuity, tremendous wealth, and the global authority of a world power. With it though, came white mob violence, redlining, sundown towns, segregation, and a host of Jim Crow laws that embodied a fractured nationality. Perhaps no place has fracturing been more apparent than in the health of its citizens, whether based on conditions, life expectancy, or morbidity. It was no surprise, then, in May 2020, when former American Psychological Association president, Sandra L. Shullman, released a statement on the impact of racism on Black American health. “We are living in a racism pandemic, which is taking a heavy psychological toll on our African American citizens. The health consequences are dire. Racism is associated with a host of psychological consequences, including depression, anxiety and other serious, sometimes debilitating conditions, including post-traumatic stress disorder and substance use disorders,” she said. “Moreover, the stress caused by racism can contribute to the development of cardiovascular and other physical diseases.” Shullman’s impassioned plea for greater oversight went largely unchecked as data continued to pronounce graver health outcomes when Black patients faced the bias of health practitioners and lack of access alongside various ailments. Since Shullman’s statement, little has changed. In fact, the nation has seen an uptick in scientific racism played out most notably in the NFL use of “race norming” – a controversial medical practice which made theoretical assumptions that Black players had lower cognitive function than white players – in its dementia tests for brain injury settlements. In an interview with Vox, Harvard historian David S. Jones said of the race norming scandal, “Is it really likely that the average person of African ancestry is cognitively impaired when compared to the average white person? I can’t think of how that could actually be true. And the assumption that it is true just sounds like white supremacist racism to me. We need to subject any claims like this to really strict scrutiny.” Still, America seems unwilling to march full steam ahead into scrutinizing and then strategically setting aside the racist assumptions that fuel pubStill, America seems lic health policies. This is not only heavy lifting but would require acknowledging unwilling to march full steam the canons of our biology textbooks, medical understanding, and health practices, ahead into scrutinizing and then have made missteps and mistakes. Then strategically setting aside the too, this is America and if there is one place where the promise of change exists, racist assumptions that fuel it is here. Read, Learn, Grow. Dr. Shantella Y. Sherman
public health policies.
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Researchers Unlock Links Between Racism and Negative Health Outcomes Lindiwe Vilakazi WI Staff Writer “How does the lived and social experience of race turn into racial differences in health — into higher levels of Type 2 diabetes or cardiovascular disease or higher rates of infant mortality?” These questions sit at the center of several new studies undertaken by researchers like Amani Nuru-Jeter, a social epidemiologist at the University of California-Berkeley, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. Increasingly their data suggests that “lived experiences” – particularly those surrounding racial trauma and discrimination impact stress levels and play a role in health disparities. Rochelle P. Walensky, Centers of Disease Control and Prevention Director, noted that COVID-19 illuminated inequities that have existed for generations and revealed racism as an unaddressed parallel pandemic impacting public health. “What we know is this: racism is a serious public health threat that directly affects the well-being of millions of Americans. As a result, it affects the health of our entire nation,” Walensky wrote in CDC commentary. “Racism is not just the discrimination against one group based on the color of their skin or their race or ethnicity, but the structural barriers that impact racial and ethnic groups differently to influence where a person lives, where they work, where their children play, and where they gather in community.” Across the country, racial and ethnic minority populations experience higher rates of poor health and disease in a range of health conditions, including diabetes, hypertension, obesity, asthma, and heart disease, when compared to their White counterparts. The life expectancy among Black/ African Americans is four years lower than that of White Americans. “Just the fact that the nation continues to make comparisons between “racial” groups – as if diseases consciously work along our constructed labeling is problematic,” biology graduate student Georges Diop told the Informer. “Under the social bullying and frailty that make up white supremacy, sane professionals cannot sweep aside how being denied access to proper housing, employment – or those rights forged in our Constitution: life, liberty, and
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the pursuit of happiness – impact the mental and physical health of those groups. It also does not take into account the mental health of those denying others access.” A 2015 review by Trusted Source collated the results of almost 300 studies examining how racism affects the physical and mental health of Asian American, African American, and Latinx American people. Among their findings, Trusted Sourced found 1) considerable data that the stress associated with experiencing racism can have long lasting physical effects, 2) stress can elevate blood pressure and weaken the immune system, which, in turn, raises the risk of developing long-term health conditions, 3) stress as a result of racism can also lead to behaviors that may cause further risk to physical health. For example, research has found that discrimination is linked to higher rates of smoking, alcohol use, drug use, and unhealthful eating habits. “The research has been there for quite a while, but not taken into consideration within health communities,” said health analyst Ronda Smith. “There is no trickle down from the lab to the clinic, so we go about treating Black people as if they are genetically predisposed to conditions that are actually causal… they have their roots in trauma.” Smith points to a 2019 study that found racist experiences appear to increase inflammation in African Americans, raising their risk of developing chronic conditions such as heart disease and kidney disease. She notes that few physicians caring for African American patients for these conditions approach their treatment through stress relief or therapy. “Confronting the impact of racism will not be easy. We must recognize that we are working to overcome centuries of discrimination. We will only be successful in undoing the entrenched systemic and structural barriers if we work in collaboration with our public health partners, and deeply within our communities, across the country,” Walensky said. “I know that we can meet this challenge. I know that we can create an America where all people have the opportunity to live a healthy life. I know that we can do this if we each take responsibility and work together.” HS
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AUGUST 2021 HEALTH WELLNESS & NUTRITION SUPPLEMENT / www.washingtoninformer.com
Give Your Baby the Best Hope for a Healthy Start Abayea Pelt As a mom and director of Maternal and Child Health at Community of Hope, I’ve been reflecting on the healthy start that I work towards for my children and for the community around me. Too often, I’ve observed that it’s hard for people living in under-resourced communities to have access to quality and affordable healthcare. Historic inequities and ensuing disparities in access have contributed to these areas having high mortality rates for Black mothers and babies. At Community of Hope, we offer Healthy Start for families. This federal grant funded program, awarded to DC Health and sub-awarded to Community of Hope, is available for District residents and aims to improve health outcomes before, during, and after pregnancy, and reduce racial/ethnic differences in rates of infant death and adverse pregnancy outcomes. The program accom-
plishes this by focusing on providing care coordination support to those communities that have the highest rates of infant mortality and poor maternal health outcomes in the District, helping to strengthen linkages to care and birthing support. The Healthy Start program at Community of Hope brings together Perinatal Care Coordination and Doula services with our high-quality Midwifery and OB care and is offered specifically to families who live in Wards 5, 7, and 8. Our families in these areas are often long-term residents of DC who have lived here for generations and are rooted in the community. They are resilient in many ways. But unfortunately, the areas they call home are challenged with higher levels of maternal mortality and morbidity, as well as infant mortality. Healthy Start offers specialized support designed to address these disparities in health outcomes by helping bridge historic gaps in access through the provision of perinatal care coordination support and
Healthy Start works to assure access to culturally competent, family-centered, and comprehensive health and social services for women, infants, and their families, like Deette Henry. evidence-based Doula services. Healthy Start works to assure access to culturally competent, family-centered, and comprehensive health and social services for women, infants, and their families, like Deette Henry. Deette and her family receive medical care at Community of Hope’s Family Health and Birth Center in Ward 5 and entered the Healthy Start program in 2020 at the start of her second pregnancy with her son. “[Community of Hope’s staff and providers] make me feel wel-
come. They treat us good. Everyone knows us,” said Deette. Deette was assigned a Perinatal Care Coordinator who ensured she received the support she needed during pregnancy and the postpartum period through services such as CenteringPregnancy®, home visiting, referrals to other critical family support services, and basic wellness check-ins that helped mom and baby stay up to date with health appointments and visits. “We don’t talk all the time but when I do need something, she [care coordinator] is available to help.” Community of Hope has partnered with DC Health on the Healthy Start program since May 2020. Since then, we have served 228 participants (birthing parents, fathers/partners, and children). We
want our Healthy Start participants to feel prepared as parents to support the health, growth, and development of their babies. We are committed to serving young families to make sure moms and babies get a healthy start. Our team provides a whole range of prenatal care and supportive services for your whole family. Highlights of our services include midwives and OB providers, doula services, referrals to home visiting, free rides to OB appointments, 24hour medical advice, care coordination, health education, CenteringPregnancy sessions, breastfeeding support, and parenting classes including support services for partners and fathers. We have room for your family. Call 202.540.9857 to secure a Healthy Start today. HS
5 Deette Henry, pictured with her two children, was able to benefit from Community of Hope’s Healthy Start Program. (Photo courtesy of Deete Henry)
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Safeway’s Summer (Nutrition) Standouts Elaine Magee, MPH, RD Safeway Wellness Corporate Dietitian Summer is a time to rediscover your love for water sports, travelling and fruit! The produce section is never more colorful than in summer. The fruits that standout nutritionally generally follow these three color palates; purple/blue, red, and yellow/ orange. The plant compounds that give these fruits their color, tend to also contribute antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity. Three summer standouts, one in every color, are mango, watermelon and blueberries. Read more about what makes each of these summer fruits special and check out the easy recipes below.
Eat More Mango
One of the most popular fruits in the world is one of the most nutrient-packed. Mangos are one of our yellow/orange superfruits because they are packed with compounds (including polyphenols and flavonoids) that may offer antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer
activity in the body. Mangos also add over 20 vitamins and minerals, including vitamins A and C, many of which have been linked to possible improvements in heart and immune health and brain function. One-half cup mango adds so much flavor and color to your dish plus 50% of the Daily Value for vitamin C and about 18% for vitamin A, with only 50 calories and 12 grams of carbs.
Watermelon Brings More Than Water
Chilled watermelon is the ultimate refresher on a hot day! Red fruits tend to have certain plant compounds that come with the color red, many of which may have antioxidant and immune boosting activity. When you enjoy a bowl or a slice of watermelon you are getting many of these antioxidant compounds (like lycopene) plus several key vitamins including vitamins B6, A and C. A 90-calorie, 2-cup serving of watermelon is both filling and hydrating, thanks to it being made up over 90% water and being a great source of the electrolyte potassium. Enjoy water-
Watermelo
n Paradise Have fun m Pizza aking and e n jo yi S e n rv melon on its own or in a fruit salad, g this fruity e it as a snac tro k, a side dis h or even de pical twist on pizza! blend it up for a slush, smoothie or Makes 4 serv ss ert! ings (about 3 beverage. wedges each ) / Prep Time: Nutritional In 10 minutes formation: C alories 139, Fat .2 g, Mon Get a Boost with Total Fat 4.3 ounsaturated g , Saturated Fa Fat 2.6 g, Chol Total Carboh t 1.5 g, Polyu Blueberries esterol 2 mg ydrates 21 g, nsaturated , Sodium 16 D ie ta ry Fi b er m These little powerhouse berries INGR 2 g, Potassium .1 g , Su gars 16 g, Prot EDIENTS: 260 mg, ein, 5.5 g may help with heart health, cancer 5.3 oz container (1/2 cup) Open N prevention, and bone and brain 1 tsp fi ature™ plain nel nonfat Greek health. Blueberries have a lot going 1/2 tsp y chopped orange zest yogurt van for them nutritionally but much of 2 tsp h illa extract oney (another syrup can be their health benefits can be tied to 2, 8-inch subst slices seedle ss watermelon ituted) the antioxidant plant compound (1/2-inch thic k) that gives blueberries their blue Toppings: 1 cup blueberri color—anthocyanin. Several es, washed an berry researchers have recently 2 TB chopped roasted mac d drained ad suggested eating 4-5 servings of 2 TB O Organics® Unswee amia nuts (toasted pecans tened Cocon can be subst ituted) ut, toasted or berries each week, although the DIRECTIONS untoasted as : desired protective effects of berries on 1. In small bow humans is still being studied. whisk or l, stir together yogurt, oran spoon; set as ge zest, vanill ide. a and honey Blueberries can be stirred into 2. Blot both with sides of water melon slices w yogurt, oatmeal, or cereal, fea- 3. Spread hal ell with paper f of the yogu towel to remov rt mixture ov turedinsmoothiesorshakes,fold Dot the yo e extra moi er each gu ed into muffins or pancake evenly over rt with blueberries then sp slice, like you would sauce sture. ri n on th kle macadam ia nuts and co a pizza. batter, or sprinkled over 4. Cut each sl e top of each slice. conut ice into 6 wed ges and serv salads or waffles! Get a dose P e! RO TIP: To to ast unsweete of watermelon and bluened coconut, heat. Add coco place in nonst nu berries with this recipe for ick frypan ov with a spatula t and coat with canola cook er medium-lo as the coconu in Watermelon Paradise Pizza. w t turns golden g spray. Continue to gen tly stir mixture . HS
We put the pro in produce.
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AUGUST 2021 HEALTH WELLNESS & NUTRITION SUPPLEMENT / www.washingtoninformer.com
Recent & Recommended Books on Racial Stress Lee Ross WI Staff Writer
Get Covered. Stay Covered.
Restorative Yoga for Ethnic and Race-Based Stress and Trauma by Gail Parker Presenting ways in which Restorative Yoga can contribute to healing emotional wounds, this book invites yoga teachers, therapists and practitioners to consider the psychological impact of ethnic and race-based stress and trauma. It aids in the process of uncovering, examining, and healing one’s own emotional wounds and offers insight into avoiding wounding or re-wounding others. The book considers the implications of an increasingly racially and ethnically diverse and global yoga community, as well as the importance of creating conscious yoga communities of support and connection, where issues of race and ethnicity are discussed openly, non-defensively and constructively. Unequal Treatment: Confronting Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Health Care by Institute of Medicine, Board on Health Sciences Policy Racial and ethnic disparities in health care are known to reflect access to care and other issues that arise from differing socioeconomic conditions. There is, however, increasing evidence that even after such differences are accounted for, race and ethnicity remain significant predictors of the quality of health care received. In Unequal Treatment, a panel of experts documents this evidence and explores how persons of color experience the health care environment. The book examines how disparities in treatment may arise in health care systems and looks at aspects of the clinical encounter that may contribute to such disparities. Patients’ and providers’ attitudes, expectations, and behavior are analyzed.
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How to Survive the Stress of Still Being Black in America: Recognizing Race-Based and Racism-Related Stress in 21st Century America and Strategies for Active Coping by Joseph R. Gibson Racism is not over. “This system of Whites as dominant and people of color as subordinated” that we all, as Americans, live in “has become so ingrained in our society that it is virtually invisible,” explained Sheri Schmidt,” but it certainly exists. Contemporary racism can be experienced as systemic, individual, institutional, cultural, unconscious, aversive, every day, anticipated, perceived, internalized, or microevents, which radically increases the probability and regularity of experiencing it in some form as a stressor. Race, Work, and Leadership: New Perspectives on the Black Experience by Laura Morgan Roberts, Anthony J. Mayo, David A. Thomas Race, Work, and Leadership is a rare and important compilation of essays that examines how race matters in people’s experience of work and leadership. This groundbreaking book shines new light on these historical and present-day dynamics of race in the workplace. Contributions from top scholars, researchers, and practitioners in leadership, organizational behavior, psychology, sociology, and education test the relevance of long-held assumptions and reconsider the research approaches and interventions needed to understand and advance African Americans in work settings and leadership roles. HS
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Sisterhood Is A Key To Wellness: Diabetes Education for African American Women In Wards 7 And 8 Ruth T. Perot, Summit Health Institute for Research and Education, Inc. (SHIRE) – www.shireinc.org Kimberly Fogg, Global Sustainable Partnerships (GSP) – www.gspartnerships.org “When ‘I’ is replaced by ‘we’, even illness becomes wellness.” When Malcolm X spoke these words, he shared a powerful truth, whether he spoke of the state of our community as a whole, or he referred to our physical well-being. Over 20 years, SHIRE has promoted togetherness as a tool to advance health and wellness. We have affirmed the importance of knowing about diabetes and other chronic conditions. We have underscored the importance of healthy eating, physical activity, and reducing our stress. We have helped community members understand the importance of interacting with health providers as informed partners. Our most important message
however, throughout our years of service in Ward 8, Ward 7, and other areas of the District of Columbia has been the need for “we”. That has been the key to the success of the Wellness Circles we have conducted in partnership with the District of Columbia government and AmeriHealth Caritas District of Columbia. SHIRE has created “safe places” where men, women, and even children can come together to support each other, listen to each other’s challenges, applaud lifestyle changes and celebrate improved health outcomes. We have cried together, laughed together, and prayed together. Coming to the table as individuals challenged by illness, we have seen many of our sisters and brothers leave the circles as empowered companions on the road to wellness. Gratefully, despite the onset of COVID-19, SHIRE has continued to build communities supporting health and wellness. Since April this year, we have worked in partnership
with Global Sustainable Partnerships (GSP) and their strategic partner, CareFirst, to conduct a Diabetes Wellness Education Program to support Advancing Equitable Health to Reduce Diabetes. Launched initially to promote the empowerment of women in Africa, due to COVID, GSP pivoted their efforts to focus on African American women in Wards 7 and 8 who have diabetes or are pre-diabetic. Educational sessions are conducted for groups of women each Saturday morning for a month by Zoom. GSP also arranges for outdoor activities to supplement these weekly educational sessions. SHIRE’s role is to help build a sense of community among each group of women by connecting them with SHIRE peer educators who stay in close communication with them throughout the month, encouraging their participation. GSP reinforces the sense of togetherness, (“I want for my Sisters what I want for Myself”) by soliciting active participation
Supporting your efforts to find balance America’s beverage companies are working together to deliver more choices, smaller portions, and less sugar. Today, 55% of our beverages have zero sugar and two-thirds are low or no calorie. We’ve also added signs on coolers and vending machines to help remind consumers about these choices. See what else we’re doing at BALANCEUS.ORG.
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during Zoom sessions and sharing of experiences. We urge participants to see themselves as a “Sisterhood” where we support and inspire each other as we gain information about tools to use to take charge of diabetes, our health, and our lives. This is how we can move, in Malcolm’s words, from Illness to Wellness. GSP and SHIRE are recruiting African American women with diabetes/pre-diabetes for monthly sessions beginning again in September. To register, call any one of the following numbers: 202-246-2429
202-378-0349 202-840-5306 We welcome our sisters to continue the journey to Wellness together! HS
Get Your COVID-19 Vaccine Questions & Concerns Answered By Whitman-Walker Health Being an active participant in caring for people during the COVID-19 pandemic, we at Whitman-Walker Health are reaching out in hopes of keeping the communities we serve safe and healthy. As COVID-19 cases continue to rise around the globe, nationally and in the district, we wanted to share information about the COVID-19 vaccine and information on how to keep yourself and your family healthy if you are choosing not to get a COVID-19 vaccine. We understand the different reasons that folks have for not wanting to get vaccinated. Whether it’s fear, a lack of trust in the vaccines and healthcare system, or you are concerned with side effects, your concerns are valid. If you have questions about the COVID-19 vaccine, call our Whitman-Walker Health team at 202.207.2480. We want to hear your concerns and provide any answers that we can. While we all enjoy these warmer months when many of us can be out-
side and unmasked with family and friends, colder weather is coming. This colder weather will force many of us to be inside and keeping a 6-ft distance can be hard when indoors. Folks who are unmasked, indoors and unvaccinated have greater chances of getting COVID-19. If you are not currently interested in getting a vaccine, please be sure to wear a mask that covers both your nose and mouth, keep a 6-ft distance from others and avoid indoor and crowded spaces where it is hard to keep a 6-ft distance. If you must be indoors and around others, especially while unvaccinated, it is important you wear your mask correctly over both your nose and mouth – consistently. The COVID-19 variants today have evidence of being more transmissible than the original COVID-19 viral strain that we experienced in early 2020. This is because these variants are causing higher viral loads in people who test positive for COVID-19 – including in people with mild symptoms or no symptoms of COVID-19.
5 HIV/STI testing and the COVID-19 vaccine are being administered at The Max Robinson Center
Having a higher viral load means that there is more virus in an infected person’s nasal passages (in their nose) and respiratory particles (from their nose and mouth). This is why it is so important to continue wearing masks that cover both your nose and mouth to help prevent new cases of COVID-19.
GET YOUR COVID-19 VACCINE WITH US! Ask ANY questions you have about the vaccine. Our Whitman-Walker Health care team is here to help.
Vaccines are available each week at our Max Robinson Center on the corner of Martin Luther King, Jr. Avenue, SE and Chicago Street, SE. Please remember to wear a mask that covers both your nose and mouth. Call 202.207.2480 to get your questions answered and to schedule your FREE vaccine appointment. Whitman-Walker at 1525 1525 14th Street, NW www.whitman-walker.org
Max Robinson Center 2301 Martin Luther King, Jr Ave, SE
The COVID-19 vaccines are safe and effective at preventing severe illness, hospitalization, and death from COVID-19. They do not prevent vaccinated people from getting COVID-19, but they do help keep vaccinated people alive and out of the hospital. Becoming infected with COVID-19 after being fully vaccinated is very unlikely. Breakthrough COVID-19 infections in fully vaccinated people represent less than 1 percent of every 100 cases of COVID-19. On the flip side, COVID-19 infections in unvaccinated people happen to 99 out of every 100 unvaccinated people. If you have questions about the COVID-19 vaccine, please don’t hesitate to call our Whitman-Walker Health team at 202.207.2480. We are here to help share information about the COVID-19 vaccine and information on how to keep safe if you are choosing not to be vaccinated. Here are a few reasons you might call Whitman-Walker Health about the COVID-19 vaccine at 202.207.2480: • You have questions or concerns about the COVID-19 vaccine and side effects. The COVID-19 vaccine can lead to some side effects like body aches and fatigue, but many people have also reported experiencing very few or barely any side effects. • You know our nation’s medical history includes race-based malpractice and you’re wondering what’s changed this time. Research today requires community leadership and input. Since the SARS outbreak back in 2003, scientists have studied mRNA vaccines. Although this
COVID-19 vaccine is new, the makeup and science of the vaccine is not new. • You have concerns about how the vaccine could affect your chances of being pregnant. The COVID-19 vaccine has not been shown to harm pregnant people. Healthy babies have been delivered by vaccinated people during the pandemic. • You are not sure the vaccine is effective against COVID-19 variants. Data shows that all the vaccines, including the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, are providing good immunity, and protection against COVID-19. • You don’t want to lose another family, friend or community member and want tools how on to speak to them about getting a COVID-19 vaccine. We don’t want to lose anyone else either. Call us at 202.207.2480 for tools on how to talk to others about getting a COVID-19 vaccine. Whitman-Walker Health is here to help and we’re just one phone call away! We hope you’ll give us a call. To access HIV/STI testing or to get your COVID-19 vaccine at Max Robinson Center, or another Whitman-Walker location, call 202.797.4439. HS
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SAVE THE DATE
MAX ROBINSON CENTER
IS MOVING C O M E S E E U S AT S T. E L I Z A B E T H S C A M P U S I N 2 0 2 3 !
Whitman-Walker Services Available at St. Elizabeths’ East Campus will include: Primary Medical Care | Pharmacy Services | Dental Services Behavioral Health (Psychiatry, Mental Health & Substance Use Treatment) | Advocacy HIV/STI Screening and Treatment | Community Health and Wellness | Youth Services Legal Services and Public Insurance Navigation | Research | Health Care Education Learn more about Whitman-Walker’s Max Robinson Center move at whitmanwalkerimpact.org/stelizabeths.
whitmanwalkerimpact.org
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Teens: Back on Track for School Submitted by AmeriHealth Caritas District of Columbia Getting back into the routine of school can be hard for both students and their parents or caregivers. Most kids feel nervous on the first day back. The change in school schedules during the COVID-19 pandemic could make students feel even more wobbly. Start preparing a couple weeks before school to be ready. Eating right and getting enough sleep and exercise help teens be at their best. 1 Get bedtimes and routines back on track. A couple of weeks before school starts, help your teen push bedtime back by 15 minutes each night. Experts suggest teens need eight to 10 hours of sleep. But only seven teens out of 10 get the right amount of sleep.2 Talk with your teen about the value of sleep, including its impact on mental health.
Try to set limits together about the use of technology and light exposure before bed. You may both decide it’s best to keep electronics out of the bedroom. If mealtimes or other routines have changed, help your teen reset those, too. You might want to add a little extra time in the morning before school for any extra stress. Encourage your teen to eat right and stay fit. Help them choose healthy breakfasts and lunches to help with mood and focus, and remind them to limit junk food. AmeriHealth Caritas District of Columbia (DC) enrollees can take virtual healthy cooking classes at no cost. To see our monthly schedule, visit www.amerihealthcaritasdc.com. Exercise can help your teen focus, raise self-esteem, and improve mood. Being active can help your teen sleep and feel better.1 Find ways to bond and connect.
Be present. Often teens will want to talk after their school day, but it may take them a while to open up. Walks, car rides, and meals together are chances to connect. You might grab any chance you get to exercise with your teen! Notes tucked into book bags or cheerful text messages can also help get your teen through the day. Make sure your teen knows you are ready and willing to talk with them if they have concerns about school, relationships, or other parts of their life. If your child could use further help, AmeriHealth Caritas DC offers enrollees ages 13 – 20 access to MindRight, a behavioral health service that can help give support by text. Whenever they need it, teen enrollees can get guidance and emotional support on their
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Find us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/amerihealthdc. • Find us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/amerihealthcaritasdc. • ind us on Instagram at www.instagram.com/amerihealthcaritasdc.
#BestMe
Rewards Program
I got a gift card for getting my diabetic eye exam. You can too. You can get a $25 gift card if you: • Are 18 – 75 years old • Are an AmeriHealth Caritas District of Columbia enrollee • Have type 1 or 2 diabetes • See your eye doctor for a retinal eye exam
Visit www.amerihealthcaritasdc.com/member/eng/ healthy-living/reward-program.aspx to learn more. Note: An enrollee cannot get more than $75 in incentives each year. Certain limitations and restrictions may apply. ACDC-201001070-3
www.amerihealthcaritasdc.com
All images are used under license for illustrative purposes only. Any individual depicted is a model.
AmeriHealth Caritas District of Columbia complies with applicable federal civil rights laws and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, disability, or sex.
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CONTINUED FROM PAGE HS12 smartphones to help them navigate the challenges they face each day. AmeriHealth Caritas DC offers MindRight at no cost to enrollees. To sign up for MindRight or learn about other behavioral health services, enrollees can call Enrollee Services at 202-408-4720 or 1-800-408-7511. Make sure your teen has a healthy school-life balance, with time for homework and personal time, time with friends, clubs, sports, and other activities.
HELP IS AVAILABLE NOW
The D.C. Department of Behavioral Health Hotline is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, at 1-888-793-4357. If you or someone you know is thinking of suicide or having a mental health emergency, get help now by calling the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1‑800‑273‑8255. Sources. 1. “Back to School Mental Wellness: Tips for Parents/Caregivers of Teens,” Mass Public Health Blog, https://blog.mass.gov/publichealth/mental-wellness/back-to-school-mental-wellness-tips-forparentscaregivers-of-teens. 2. “Sleep in Middle and High School Students,” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, https://www.cdc.gov/healthyschools/features/students-sleep.htm All images are used under license for illustrative purposes only. Any individual depicted is a model
#BestMe
Back-to-School Checkups Summer is a great time to get teens and other kids ready for the upcoming school year by scheduling wellness checkups. Yearly checkups help your child’s health care provider find and treat any health conditions your teen may have before they become worse. During a checkup, your teen will get physical, behavioral, dental, hearing, and eyesight screenings, as well as any vaccines they need. If your teen is an AmeriHealth Caritas DC enrollee, you can find a provider by going to www.amerihealthcaritasdc.com or by calling Enrollee Services at 1-800-408-7511. AmeriHealth Caritas DC enrollees under age 21 can get yearly checkups at no cost. Enrollees can get rides to and from health care visits at no cost by calling 1-800-315-3485.
HEALTHY MOUTHS
Your teen is assigned a primary dental provider, or PDP, when they become an AmeriHealth Caritas DC enrollee. Having a PDP lets your teen form a relationship with one dentist whom they visit regu-
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larly. This also helps the dentist better know your teen’s dental care needs.
CHECKUPS AT SCHOOL
Seven high schools in the District of Columbia have school-based health centers (SBHCs). These clinics provide primary care, dental care, and behavioral health services for students at these schools and children of students. There is no cost to students or their children to get care at an SBHC. To enroll your teen in their school’s SBHC, fill out the SBHC Consent Form found at https://dchealth.dc.gov/service/ school-based-healthcenters.
AUGUST 2021 HEALTH WELLNESS & NUTRITION SUPPLEMENT / www.washingtoninformer.com
Exercise can help your teen focus, raise self-esteem, and improve mood. Being active can help your teen sleep and feel better.
Get the Facts about Weight-Loss Surgery Submitted by Adventist HealthCare Adventist Medical Group Obesity is a chronic disease resulting from multiple environmental and genetic factors. If you’ve been struggling with losing weight and keeping it off, bariatric surgery, also known as metabolic surgery, can offer you a tool to lose weight, maintain weight loss and reduce your risk of early death. It can also improve or resolve chronic health conditions such as Type 2 diabetes, hypertension and high cholesterol. Tuesday F. A. Cook, MD, a board-certified bariatric surgeon with Adventist HealthCare Adventist Medical Group in Fort Washington, Maryland provides more information on which patients qualify, procedures available and what you can expect after weight-loss surgery.
QUALIFICATIONS FOR SURGERY
Weight-loss surgery is an excellent
option for people who are diagnosed as obese and struggling to maintain a healthy weight. According to Dr. Cook, you may be a candidate if you: n Have a body mass index (BMI) 40 or greater, that is, more than 100 pounds overweight n Have a BMI of 35 or greater with weight-related conditions such as diabetes, high blood pressure or sleep apnea n Are unable to achieve and maintain weight loss through diet and exercise alone You will also meet with a team of professionals including a registered bariatric dietician, behavioral health specialist, exercise physiologist and bariatric surgeon to prepare you for life after weight loss surgery. Depending on your medical problems, you may need to see additional medical specialists to optimize your health preoperatively. “Your team of healthcare providers are here to work with you to ensure that you’ll use this tool to achieve success,” says Dr. Cook.
FINDING THE OPTION BEST FOR YOU
Together, you and your surgeon will review your health history and determine which operation is best for you. Sleeve Gastrectomy: This operation removes about 80% of your stomach. The remaining stomach is smaller and restricts the amount of food you can eat at once, making you feel full sooner. By removing the stomach that produces the most “hunger hormone”, the surgery reduces food cravings, improves blood sugar control and helps maintain a healthy weight. Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass: By dividing the stomach and small intestine, food enters a small pouch, decreasing your portion size. The meal then bypasses a segment of the stomach and small intestine, causing your body to absorb fewer calories. The impact on hormones and metabolic health often results in the improve-
Find Your Path to Better Health with Adventist Medical Group in Fort Washington
Introducing Tuesday F.A. Cook, MD Board Certified Bariatric Surgeon As a board certified, fellowship-trained laparoscopic and bariatric surgeon, Dr. Cook specializes in invasive foregut gastrointestinal surgery and the treatment of obesity. She is passionate about the treatment of metabolic diseases by management of obesity through an integrative, patient-centered approach. Dr. Cook is dedicated to ensuring health equity and increasing access to care for people of color throughout the world.
ment of adult-onset diabetes before any weight loss occurs. Patients experiencing heartburn may also see improvement in symptoms. Adjustable Gastric Band: A small, adjustable silicone band is placed around the upper part of the stomach creating a small pouch above the band. Through adjustment of your band via access to a port underneath the skin with a needle, the meal portion size can increase or decrease. The impact on obesity-related diseases and long-term weight loss is less than with other procedures.
WHAT TO EXPECT AFTER SURGERY
Depending on the type of operation, you’ll spend one to two nights in the hospital and will have minimal pain. Initially, you will need to follow a specific diet that will be gradually advanced the further out you are postoperative. “Immediately following surgery, the most important thing is to remain hydrated and walk,” states Dr. Cook. “For maximum success, each patient will need to stick to the guidelines they were taught before their operation and continue to follow up closely with their bariatric surgery team.” Most weight loss is experienced in the first few months and continues for 12 to 18 months after surgery. “Around 90 percent of patients lose 50 percent of excess body weight and keep this extra weight off long-term,” says Dr. Cook. Your surgeon can help you determine a more accurate range depending on your starting weight and the type of surgery you undergo.
ENSURING SAFETY
Today’s weight-loss operations are safe and performed using minimally invasive techniques. “This allows for patients to have a better experience with less pain and complications, as well as a faster return to normal activities,” says Dr. Cook. As with any surgery, there are potential risks that
may vary with each patient. One way to ensure your safety is to keep follow-up appointments with your medical team. This way, they can monitor your progress and make sure you are doing well from a surgical and nutrition standpoint. Dr. Cook adds, “Weight loss surgery is as safe as gallbladder surgery. This operation doesn’t just treat obesity; it treats over 20 other medical conditions, including infertility associated with weight. Bariatric surgery greatly reduces the risk of death from cancer and has been shown to lower a person’s risk of death from any cause by over 40 percent.”
ACHIEVING LASTING SUCCESS
Bariatric surgery can provide excellent, long-term success. However, it requires making ongoing lifestyle changes since it is only one aspect of counteracting obesity. “Surgery is only a tool and patients must be willing to continue their behavior modifications long term,” says Dr. Cook. “If these lifestyle changes aren’t followed, patients could regain the weight. If that happens, we are always here to help as it’s a lifelong journey we take together.” HS
Call to schedule an appointment at 240-724-6018. 10709 Indian Head Highway, Suite D Fort Washington, MD 20744 AdventistMedicalGroup.org
Adventist Medical Group
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FIND YOUR PATH TO BETTER HEALTH TAKE THE FIRST STEP TOWARD A HEALTHIER YOU
Reconnect with an expert healthcare provider who can support your journey to well-being. Adventist Medical Group is ready to help with:
• Telehealth • Convenient locations • Easy online scheduling • Safe in-person care To make an appointment, visit AdventistMedicalGroup.org/Healthy
Primary Care Locations College Park • Fort Washington Germantown • Montgomery Village Rockville • Silver Spring
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Forward. For all of us.
See how we’re moving health care forward. An inner voice calls us forward. So we listen. We imagine. We care. Not just for us. But for all of us. hopkinsmedicine.org/forward
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OPINIONS/EDITORIALS
EDITORIAL
Renters Saved Until Eviction Moratorium Ends
A lifeline was thrown to millions of renters across the country on July 31 when the Centers for Disease Control announced it would extend the federal moratorium on evictions to Oct. 3. Even with unemployment rates declining, and the economy growing, too many Americans are still economically insecure and most have not rebounded from the devastating losses of jobs and income due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In D.C., more than 15,000 residents are reportedly at-risk of becoming homeless when the eviction moratorium is lifted. And, according to D.C. officials, not enough of them are tapping into the rental assistance provided by the federally funded STAY DC program aimed at preventing residents from being evicted from their homes. Mayor Muriel Bowser has left no stones unturned in her efforts to promote the $352 million fund to ward off evictions and to help pay for utilities. The bottom line, however, is that she can’t make them apply. Efforts have been made to reduce the barriers and to make the eviction application process more user-friendly. Still, what D.C. doesn’t spend for rental assistance will have to be returned to the federal government, so the pressure is on to help every resident who needs it, and by doing so, it also helps every small landlord that needs help, as well. What the CDC understands is that massive evictions would lead to an exacerbated public health crisis. The delta variant signals the need for more Americans to get vaccinated in order to stop the spread of the more infectious disease spreading among adults who are unvaccinated and children too young to be vaccinated. “This moratorium is the right thing to do to keep people in their homes and out of congregate settings where COVID-19 spreads,” said CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky. “Such mass evictions and the attendant public health consequences would be very difficult to reverse.” There may be another eviction extension in October, but we urge renters not to wait and see. Take charge of your affairs now and go hard on getting the financial assistance you need. Don’t allow the goodheartedness of federal and local officials to be a reason to relax, or the pandemic to be an excuse for not taking care of your business. The landlords, the lawyers, the courts and the marshals are prepared to proceed when the eviction moratorium is lifted. Make sure they won’t be coming for you. WI
Yes, You Have the Right Not to Be Vaccinated, But What Rights Do Children Have? The COVID-19 pandemic continues to cause fear and trepidation among Americans as the highly-contagious Delta variant forces the nation to change courses once again. While the various vaccines have been instrumental in reducing infections and deaths, the new variant, particularly among those who remain unvaccinated, has been sweeping across the country. Once again, we’re struggling with the unknown with many Americans on opposite sides of the fence on what to do to keep people safe. Meanwhile, millions of Americans, standing on their constitutional rights, say they will not take the vaccine and will not be bullied into getting the shot. But there’s a greater problem that must be addressed. Among the unvaccinated, the U.S. has a segment of citizens who have little say in the matter: an estimated 50 million children younger than age 12. Across the U.S., pediatric cases of COVID-19 are skyrocketing in lockstep with cases among unimmunized adults. Child hospitalizations recently reached an all-time pandemic high. In the last week of July, nearly 72,000 new coronavirus cases were reported in children – nearly onefifth of all total known infections in the U.S. – doubling the total of the previous week. Last week, the number climbed to nearly 94,000. Still, children remain at much lower risk of getting seriously ill with the coronavirus, particularly in comparison to unvaccinated adults. But as the numbers soar among children, it’s evident that lower risk does not translate to no risk. Schools are already beginning to open their doors for the fall and many children will return with no protection from COVID-19 because they cannot receive the vaccine.
TO THE EDITOR The Conventional Choice
Robbed of Their Youth
I think it's really smart that they put a Ben's Chili Bowl in the D.C. Convention Center. It's a great way for visitors to have a taste of the iconic eatery without having to leave from their events and conferences. Since I work down the street, that will be a new go-to as well.
What a powerful photo of the young man Jamal Gomez on your cover last week for the story "Family and Friends of Murdered Youth Seek End to Violence." It saddens me that these young men have to mourn the deaths of their friends and advocate against violence. They should be enjoying their youth and not saddled with trauma! Something's got to change.
Patricia Holmes Washington, D.C.
Ulysses Canter Lanham, Md.
To add to this vulnerable population, there will be other children, 12 and older, who will also return without being vaccinated because their parents are either fearful of the vaccine or just adamant in their refusal, choosing to exercise their right to say “No.” But children don’t have the same rights as
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their parents and guardians. Somehow, that just isn’t fair. We can only hope and pray that thousands of children will not suffer the fate of sheep being led to the slaughter. One preventable death would be one death too many. WI
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OPINIONS/EDITORIALS Guest Columnist
Stephen Beaudoin
No Shot, No Show: The Need for a Regional, Coordinated Strategy
The worst, it seems, is far from well behind us. Studies from Limelight Insights and Wolf Brown/AMS Analytics paint a sobering picture: as hopeful as our performing arts industry is for a jubilant return to live in-person performances this fall, our audiences are anxious, concerned and cautious. That’s much as expected. Live arts audiences are some of our most community engaged citizens. Last week’s head-snapping sto-
ry from DC Metro Theater Arts on the latest Limelight Insights study reports that only half of D.C. theatre-goers surveyed are ready to return to live performance starting this October. And the well-regarded and much-discussed market research for orchestras from Wolf Brown shows additional cause for concern: back-sliding in patron comfortability in attending in-person cultural events as the Delta variant rages; growing concern over breakthrough infections; and a persistent segment of arts audiences – a full one-third in the Wolf Brown research – simply waiting for conditions to improve before going
Guest Columnist
out again to in-person cultural events. In July, only 20% of those surveyed by Wolf Brown had attended an in-person cultural event, eithers outdoors or in, within the last two weeks. We have a long, long road to welcoming back our audiences at their pre-COVID attendance levels. But there’s reason for hope. What’s moving the needle for these patrons in both studies? Proof of vaccination. A full seventy percent in the Limelight study favored allowing only audience members vaccinated against COVID-19 to attend live performance events, while Wolf Brown’s research showed that, on the coasts, over
two-thirds of those surveyed are more or only likely to attend with proof of vaccination policies in place. The Wolf Brown study also shared another interesting finding: 95% of respondents identified as having been fully vaccinated. Ninety-five percent! That is yet another indicator of the intelligence and care of our audiences. This issue is at our collective door, and in some regions, cultural venues are out in front, rolling out robust COVID-19 vaccination policies to promote optimally safe experiences for all who participate and attend. So it begs the question: where are our D.C. regional cultural venues and
organizations in this conversation on vaccine requirements? And how could a regionally coordinated strategy be encouraged? We are, after all, the fifth largest arts-vibrant community in the country, with audiences shuttling across Virginia, D.C. and Maryland to attend world-class arts events. The question of venue requirements for proof of vaccination is especially acute for the hundreds of regional nonprofit cultural organizations like The Washington Chorus, where I serve as executive director,
ing the number of bubbles released by a bar of soap were mere indicators of the respect accorded to the rights of Blacks. After 1965, as long as African Americans and other people of color offered no real threat to the power and authority of the white establishment, they could "play" the game of voting. Ultimately, the usefulness of gerrymandering as a control against the demands for equal rights began to erode. We now see an unapologetic, full-blown racist attack on the voting rights of people of color and a
perversion of the democratic principles fundamental to this nation. They understand that we have learned to effectively use the most powerful tool in any democracy. Thursday, July 29, 2021, was my chosen day to get arrested. I stood in protest for the restoration of voter rights established under the For the People Act and the John Lewis Act. Inaction is unacceptable! Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, Dr. Johnet-
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E. Faye Williams
Scott v. Taney
When presented without context, the name Roger Brooke Taney means little to most contemporary Americans. Taney was born in Calvert County, Maryland, very close to Washington, D.C. He was an attorney, served in the Executive and Judicial Branches of the U.S. government, was a member of the Democratic Party, and is infamous, as the chief justice
of the Supreme Court, for authoring the equally infamous Dred Scott decision. To provide context, in addition to being the Chief Justice of SCOTUS, Taney was pro-slavery and a southern sympathizer during the Civil War. His legacy of racism would live for over a hundred years. Some, like me, say that his legacy yet lives on. Taney's decision held that no Black, free or enslaved, had ever enjoyed the rights of citizenship under the Constitution. He argued that Blacks were "regarded as
Guest Columnist
beings of an inferior order, altogether unfit to associate with the white race … and so far inferior, that they had no rights which the white man was bound to respect." I would argue that, consciously or not, his decision is ingrained in the psyche of white America and is used as justification for all forms of racial discrimination. I submit that the current pattern of race-based voter suppression is rooted in the same mindset that Taney used to reach his decision. Counting the number of jelly beans in a jar or guess-
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Roach Brown
Man’s Inhumanity to Man Makes Me Wanna Holler
In February of this year, Lavance “Pance” Green was released from Federal Prison after serving 50 years. Who has served more years than anyone in the history of DC Dept of Corrections? He was convicted and sentenced to 35 years to life for shooting and killing a U.S. Marshall who was returning his brother back to prison after attending the funeral for his father.
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During his 50 years of incarceration, Lavance saved two correctional officers’ lives, according to a letter written by one of the officers who he assisted during a riot in Lorton Correctional Complex. He mastered more than six trades, served as a mentor, big brother and father to hundreds. He became pro efficient and respected as a jail house lawyer. During his numerous parole hearings, he had the backing of more than a dozen correctional officers and staff who appeared on his
behalf from the U.S. Bureau of Prisons stating, “that he is a reformed, model inmate.” Green was released from incarceration on a motion seeking Compassionate Release. The DC City Council passed this law in 2020. ”The court shall modify a sentence . . . due to extraordinary and compelling reasons, if defendant has a terminal illness . . . 60 years old or older and has served at least 20 years.” Green fits the criteria given his ad-
vanced age (72) and his then current and numerous medical conditions: cancer, congestive heart failure, tuberculosis, abdominal hernia and shingles. Green appeared before the U.S. Parole Commission on six occasions but was denied each time, even though the Director of the DC Dept of Corrections, Margaret Moore, Mayor Marion Barry, along with several D.C. Councilmembers, all supported his release. The U.S. Marshall Service consistently opposed his release.
At every parole rehearing, regardless of his deteriorating health and extraordinary circumstances like COVID-19 and his exceptional institutional record, Greene’s case only highlights the need for the District to have its own DC Board of Parole and have the authority of the custody and treatment of its own prisoners. Green was released in February with no gate money (money given
BROWN Page 45
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OPINIONS/EDITORIALS Guest Columnist
Ben Jealous
To Protect Democracy, We Have to Fix the Supreme Court
It's been more than six months since the Biden-Harris administration began, ushering in an era of hope after four bitter and disheartening years. We have much to celebrate. At the same time, there are ways in which our future is wavering on a knife's edge: will we fulfill the promise of a more inclusive democracy, or be dragged backward by the same forces that
tried to reverse the presidential election on Jan. 6? Will our federal government step up to protect voting rights, or will more and more states suppress them? Can we protect and expand health care? I am proud of the commitment of advocates who are pushing the Biden-Harris administration and the new leadership in Congress to be their best. But there is another critically important step we have to take if we want voting rights, or health care, or workers' rights, reproductive rights, LGBTQ rights, or any of the rights we are fighting
for to survive. We have to fix our Supreme Court. For decades now, the same farright forces that are fighting justice and equal rights for all our citizens have been working to pack our federal courts. Their crowning achievement has been the capture of the Supreme Court, now dominated by ultraconservatives. The Supreme Court has dealt devastating blows to the Voting Rights Act. It has made it easier for companies to violate the rights of working people. It opened our elections to unlimited spending by corporate
Guest Columnist
interests. And it is undermining health and safety regulations. This matters greatly because even as we welcome the opportunities for change that we voted for in electing the Biden-Harris administration and Democratic leadership in Congress, there is a real risk that laws passed now — for progress that real people want — could be eviscerated by a farright Supreme Court. We can't let that happen. Fortunately, there are solutions on the table. President Biden has formed a Presidential Commis-
sion on the Supreme Court of the United States to study ideas for reforming the court. They include a first-ever code of ethics for Supreme Court justices — a good idea in any era. They also include proposals that would address the unique moment we are in now, when the court has been so politicized and distorted by partisan interests. One idea is to set term limits for justices. Another is to add more seats to the court, which would have a direct impact in
JEALOUS Page 46
A. Peter Bailey
Professor Clingman Warns Black Folks to Stop Being 'Putty'
One of the most knowledge-expanding, challenging columnists, especially in the arena of collective economics, is Prof. James Clingman. Though illness has prevented him from continuing his valuable column, "Blackonomics," one can still learn much from reading his past columns, many of which are included in his must-read book, "Black Money Matters."
I recently reread one of them, titled "Blacks are Today's Putty People," which was first published in 2015. It includes the following: "We are such a pliable people and the dominate society knows that all too well. We will jump on any superfluous issue the media presents to us and neglect the substantive ones. We are like putty in the hands of folks about whom we complain." Those he noted includes "disingenuous politicians, greedy retailers, pompous preachers posing as everything but real preachers and surrepti-
tious interlopers." Professor Clingman also warns, "As we continue to major in the minor, constantly allowing ourselves to be dragged down into nonsensical and nonproductive discussions and held hostage by talking head puppets on TV, the world is moving forward at a very fast pace. Our people are being killed at an alarming rate, not only by cops and fanatics but also by other Black folks." Many, if not most, may believe that Professor Clingman is overstating his position, but it cannot be denied that
Askia-At-Large
we as a people are not nearly focused enough on the most effective and productive ways to promote and protect our group interests in the arenas of health, economics, culture, education, technology, politics and communications. In each of those arenas we should have talented and committed Black folks who will keep us on top of things in his or her arena. And it should be national. There is a sizable number of Black folks working in these arenas in local areas. They should be thanked for their vision and much needed efforts but our
need in 2021 is a national organization that oversees the activities in the aforementioned arenas. If we do this we will definitely avoid being putty in the hands of others. There is absolutely no reason for a group of people who have tenaciously dealt with what we and our ancestors have had to deal with in this country to be putty in anyone's hands. That's why we should pay close attention and act on the warning given to us by Professor Clingman. WI
for violence if Dude isn't back in the White House soon. "Some conspiracy theories associated with reinstating former President Trump have included calls for violence if desired outcomes are not realized," the DHS bulletin, obtained by ABC News, said. Hundreds of like-minded people are facing prosecution while thousands more are hiding from the law for their "Lord of the Flies" maypole at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6. They are no longer hiding, cam-
paigning in secret. Even certain doomsday-shelter ideas are fodder for reality TV. The language used on all sides has gotten coarse, grim. "I never expected to say I'd be scared sh-tless on CNN, but that's how I feel," election law expert Richard Hasen said on CNN's "New Day" on Aug. 5. "I think that we dodged a bullet in 2020, but the way things are lining up, I'm very concerned about our
Askia Muhammad
Elections are Relics of the Past
There was a time when outcomes mattered, when truth mattered, when integrity, fair play, mattered. Not anymore. Now, it's all about winning, and power, especially for white folks. Otherwise, they would be embarrassed at the way other white folks behave. How else can you explain widespread, popular support for a
philandering, twice-impeached, often bankrupted, one-term, son of a klansman who reigns like a vice lord down in Mar-a-Lago, Florida. Liberal or conservative, wacky or profane, that putrid human being is too much of a lowlife to be the leader of any cause, and yet here we are, half of the U.S. Congress shamelessly defending him. Him. Loathsome him. There was a time when truth, integrity, reputation mattered. Not anymore.
In recent weeks, dozens of outraged people, including members of Congress, were arrested at the U.S. Capitol and Reagan National Airport, protesting for the right to vote, and sadly, we hardly noticed. Our attention instead, is spent on forest fires out of control, early in the season. Oh, the rumors are extant. There will be an imminent return to the presidency by The Flawed One, Donald J. Trump, himself. He will be reinstated. His supporters have increased their calls
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ASKIA Page 46 AUGUST 12 - 18, 2021 27
LIFESTYLE
Fittingly, the song cycle which Gaye produced that showcased his soulful, passionate vocals will be performed in a tribute concert at Wolf Trap by an R&B vocalist often compared to the great Marvin Gaye: D.C.’s own Raheem DeVaughn.
Raheem DeVaughn and Friends Bring ‘Marvin [Gaye] Used to Say’ to Wolf Trap
Special Tribute to Commemorate 50th Anniversary of Gaye’s ‘What’s Going On’ Album D. Kevin McNeir WI Senior Editor Fifty years ago, Marvin Gaye released his eleventh studio album that would become his masterpiece and an immediate commercial and critical success: “What’s Going On.” The concept album, with most of its songs segueing into the next, serves as a narrative told from the perspective of a Vietnam veteran that reveals his utter shock upon his return home. He witnesses abject suffering, hatred and injustice experienced by veterans, Blacks, the poor and others – all Americans denied their Constitutional rights. But Gaye’s insightful lyrics also explore other themes that continue to remain relevant and unresolved five decades later including drug abuse, generational poverty and the ecology issue. Fittingly, the song cycle which Gaye produced that showcased his soulful,
passionate vocals will be performed in a tribute concert at Wolf Trap by an R&B vocalist often compared to the great Marvin Gaye: D.C.’s own Raheem DeVaughn. The concert entitled “Marvin Used to Say,” will feature DeVaughn and friends for one night only, August 14 at The Filene Center (Wolf Trap) in Vienna, Va. Presented by Tonesetters LLC, DMG and Wolf Trap Foundation for the Performing Arts, the performance will also mark Wolf Trap’s ongoing celebration of its 50th anniversary season. Fans can expect to hear Gaye’s classics from “What’s Going On” and “Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology)” to “Inner City Blues (Make Me Wanna Holler).” But DeVaughn says there’s no way he can leave out other Gaye standards like “I Heard it Through the Grapevine” and “Let’s Get It On.” And to help him, he’ll be joined
6 Images of Raheem DeVaughn (Photos courtesy Raheem DeVaughn)
28 AUGUST 12 - 18, 2021
5 Raheem DeVaughn (Photo courtesy Raheem DeVaughn)
by some of his colleagues in the music industry: Daley, Eric Roberson, Yahzarah, Bee Boisseau, Attinshun Band, Micah Robinson and the Chuck Brown Band. He said the show represents a very special moment in his life. “This began as an idea within my own team,” he said. “Fortunately, Wolf Trap liked it. I guess great minds do think alike. And it will celebrate the 50thanniversary of both Marvin Gaye’s iconic album as well as Wolf Trap’s five decades of bringing unforgettable performances to the stage. The planets definitely have aligned for this opportunity in my career.” As mentioned earlier, DeVaughn, an award-winning singer and songwriter who’s been steadily climbing to the top after his debut album, “The Love Experience” (2005), made critics and fans take notice, remains one of the most talented and hardest work-
ing entertainers in the business. He recently paid tribute to Gaye with the song “Marvin Used to Say” on his album “What a Time to Be In Love” (2020). But his newest album “Lovesick” (2021) also illustrates DeVaughn’s svelte style that would be legendary as part of Gaye’s vocal arsenal. “If you listen to my catalog, there are several songs that reflect the heavy influence Marvin has had on my life, especially my harmonies,” DeVaughn said. “Being compared to him is humbling and an honor. It’s a beautiful thing. But I could never fill his shoes.” DeVaughn, known in the Greater Washington Area for his philanthropic endeavors which he provides under the auspices of his foundation, said he gets just as much pleasure helping
those in need as being on stage. “I just want to make sure people are happy and able to better enjoy life,” he said. “Butmusic has always been one of the most important parts of my life.” DeVaughn has kept his nose to the grindstone, despite the challenges we have all experienced due to the pandemic. He said he’s still dabbling in acting after being featured in several movies and hopes to eventually get an opportunity to star in a Netflix or Hulu series what would provide him with a recurring role. “I put out two albums in the last two months and they’re both doing quite well,” he said. “And I was one of the first artists to do a drive-in concert back in 2020. I also experimented with online concerts and other platforms before they became popular.” “I’m one of those ‘stay ready’ kind of guys who’s always been good at adapting to challenges. Of course, COVID-19 has forced us to change in a lot of new and unprecedented ways because of the magnitude of the pandemic.” “But I’m going to always find a way to connect my art with the world. I’m going to find a way to keep doing what I love to do,” he said. For ticket information, visit:www. Wolftrap.org WI
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AUGUST 12 - 18, 2021 29
LIFESTYLE “It was for me a no brainer because at the time there was a lot of unrest in the world, especially in America with [Black Lives Matter] and the storming of the capital.”
Tito Jackson New CD Targets Civil Unrest, Features Host of Superstars Stacy M. Brown WI Senior Writer Kim Kardashian, Khloe Kardashian, Bobby Rush, Kim Fields, Magic Johnson, UB40 and Smokey Robinson count as just some of the names featured on Jackson 5 legend Tito Jackson’s latest CD, “Under Your Spell.” In addition to an army of superstars, Jackson also enlisted members of his famous family. The blues-infused record streaming on all download platforms from the SRG ILS label imprint contains the hit single, “Love One Another.” The song features George Benson, Eddie Levert, Bobby Rush, Marlon Jackson and Stevie Wonder. Brian McKnight, Deborah Cox, Kim Kardashian, Kim Fields and Chris Tucker join Jackson in the accompanying video which contains cameos. Family members featured include matriarch Katherine Jackson, sisters Janet and Latoya, brothers Jermaine and Jackie and a host of nieces and nephews. “It was for me a no brainer because at the time there was a lot of unrest in the world, especially in America with [Black Lives Matter] and the storming of the capital,” Tito Jackson mused.
“My partner and I felt that it was a good time to write something to tell the people to come in peace and love each other. We are better than this. That was the basic principle of the song,” he said. “Under Your Spell” counts as Jackson’s sophomore blues album. The Jackson Five lead guitarist’s “innate abilities as a singer, songwriter, guitarist, producer and arranger shine through brilliantly, creating a spectacular record destined for airplay and rave reviews in many formats,” label officials wrote in a news release. Renowned songwriters Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff came out of retirement to write “All in The Family Blues” for Jackson, featuring Eddie Levert. Jackson honors his friend BB King on the CD, covering King’s 1964 classic, “Rock Me Baby.” King’s daughter, Claudette King, joins Jackson on the track. Primarily, Jackson highlights the need for world peace. “It’s a thing with the Jacksons that we’ve always tried to go for harmony, peace and love throughout the world,” Jackson said. “This is just another limb on that tree.” WI @StacyBrownMedia
United Planning Organization has issued an RFP for Supply & Delivery of Meals & Snacks for 17 Early Head Start Centers in the District. For more information, you can go to the UPO website (www.upo. org/work-with-us/#_rfp) or download the package from either of the following links: bit.ly/3ArD7eC or www.upo.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/CACFP-Supply-Delivery-of-Meals-RFP-2021-06.pdf Closing date is August 25, 2021 by 2:00 pm EST. Incomplete and late bids will not be considered.
30 AUGUST 12 - 18, 2021
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7/27/21 12:57 PM AUGUST 12 - 18, 2021 31
LIFESTYLE
Dennis Thomas, Kool & the Gang Co-founder, Dies
A TRIBUTE TO MARVIN GAYE
FEATURING
RAHEEM DeVAUGHN AND FRIENDS
DALEY, ERIC ROBERSON, YAHZARAH, BEE BOISSEAU, ATTINSHUN BAND, MICAH ROBINSON, AND CHUCK BROWN BAND
AUG
14
5 Dennis "Dee Tee" Thomas. (Courtesy photo)
WI Staff Report
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32 AUGUST 12 - 18, 2021
Dennis “Dee Tee” Thomas, an alto saxophonist and founding member of the band Kool & the Gang, died in his sleep Aug. 7 in New Jersey. He was 70. An architect of one of the bestknown groups to blend soul, funk, jazz, pop and R&B, Thomas, was born in Orlando, Fla. and raised in the Lafayette section of Jersey City, N.J. He started the band with five friends, all accomplished jazz musicians, who switched genres in efforts to reach the larger audiences that drove popular entertainment in the 1960s and 1970s. The result was a fusion that won acclaim in concerts, the recording studio and film. Among the group’;s greatest hits were “Celebration,” ”Jungle Boogie,” “Hollywood Swinging” and “Ladies Night,” with Thomas dominating on alto saxophone, flute and percussion. “We learned that we had to simplify -- that most simple music will grab a wide part of the audience,” he told the New York Times of the decision to create a unique sound that thrived for five decades. “Everybody in the group
was a jazz musician at heart but we knew we had to play R&B to make money.” The result would be decades of success. “Get Down on It” remains one of the most streamed songs on Spotify. Meanwhile, “Celebration,” an anthem of spontaneous joy, was inducted into the Library of Congress National Recording registry of the 25 songs that best showcase American music. Thomas, known as Dee Tee, kept track of the band’s cash in their early days and, with an eye on how “Kool and the Gang” presented themselves, made sure the group “always looked fresh,” according to a statement released by a spokesman for the group. Their music was also featured in films, including ‘Saturday Night Fever” for which they won a Grammy in 1978 and “Pulp Fiction.” The group received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2015 for their contribution to the world of entertainment and was inducted into the Songwriters' Hall of Fame in 2018. His last public appearance with the group occurred on July 4 in Los Angeles. WI
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Chase Launches Business Mentorship Program for Business Owners of Color Sam P.K. Collins WI Staff Writer Four years after launching MLK Deli, Tyrone White has reached a level of success where he employs 30 people at three locations and brings in seven figures annually. Even so, White has been unable to secure a business loan, for reasons initially unbeknownst to him. However, with the help of business consultants from Chase, he has boosted his business acumen and improved aspects of MLK Deli’s operations that make it more attractive to lenders. “It’s bigger than just making $1 million,” White told The Informer. “You have to show your taxes and financial statements. If you’re claiming everything [on your taxes], you can’t show how you can pay off that money.” White just completed the first month of a six-month program Chase coordinated to help Black and Latinx business owners expand their businesses. This endeavor, part of a $30 billion movement for racial equity, covers 13 cities where entrepreneurs connect with coaches. Businesses that qualify must have been in existence for more than two years and generated at least $100,000 in revenue. Each week, White, one of 100 local business owners expected to participate in the program this year, meets with Chase business coaches Kristina Sicard and Darla Harris. This duo helps White analyze his venture and develop long-time business goals. In doing so, White explores cash flow management, business development, operations and other intricacies of running a business. “I wasn’t taught the operations part of the business,” White said. “You can make a lot of money and still not make it because you don’t know how to work your working capital. That’s really big for me.” A 2020 report examining the business density in D.C. and four other East Coast cities found that Black people owned 30 percent of District businesses. However, they generated less revenue than their racial counterparts, although they performed better than Black businesses in New York, Philadelphia and Atlanta. To tackle this issue, Chase has not only maintained a presence in the community through business coaching but also in collaborations with community development financial institutions. These partnerships coalesce into events where business consultants discuss topics of interest to Black and Latinx business owners. These workshops, one of which Chase conducted with the Anacostia Business Improvement District earlier this year, often focus on grant writing and cash management, and building a strong budget portfolio. Sicard, Chase’s senior business consultant, vice president, described the arrangement as the ideal relationship a financial institution should have with the community. Over the next few months, she’ll meet with more than two dozen business owners. “We’ve found that often there is a lack of education, such as what’s needed to get a loan. That’s something we are trying to correct with this new program,” Sicard said. ‘This is the bank’s way of acknowledging the disparities and inequities that have been in place. There are opportunities to bring everyone up and form an inclusive economic environment where people can strive for success.” Throughout the pandemic, businesses owned by people of color struggled to acquire Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans. Last year, less than one out of five applicants of color received the amounts they requested. Even with changes to application requirements, a significant number of Black and Latinx-owend businesses, especially those with no relationship to a banking institution, haven’t been approved for a PPP loan. Harris, who also serves as a senior business consultant, vice president at Chase, said the circumstances suggest greater forces at play that must be rectified with education. She too will help more than two dozen businesses meet their financial goals over the next three months. “Business owners missed out on the PPP loan because they didn’t have the right financial package or information ready,” Harris told The Informer. “Business is now something we can help them with. [We can talk about] cash flow management. How do you get money in and out of your business? This has been left out of the community.” @SamPKCollins
- Tyrone White, owner of MLK Deli, is receiving help from Chase business consultants to help expand his business. (Shevry Lassiter/The Washington Informer) (top) - Kristina Sicard and Darla Harris, VP, Sr. Banking Consultants for a new Chase for Business program focused on minority entrepreneurs at the Chase Skyland Community Branch. (courtesy of JPMorgan Chase)
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AUGUST 12 - 18, 2021 33
LIFESTYLE
Black Hair is Explored at National Exhibition Emotions Stirred from Displays of Photos, Tools and Hair Products Brenda C. Siler WI Contributing Writer
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The path that many Black women have followed on the road to beautiful hair is littered with hot combs and curling irons and paved with hair care compounds and bags of hair. In case they’ve forgotten, The Black Hair Experience (TBHE), now at National Harbor in Oxon Hill, Md. brings back a lot of memories in an exhibition with 15 neon and pastel-colored sections and walls decorated with afro picks, rattail combs, plastic rollers and covers from every possible magazine targeting Black women. The exhibition began in Atlanta and is at National Harbor until the end of this year. TBHE then travels to Texas for viewings in Austin, Dallas and Houston. The exhibit is the brainchild of Alisha Brooks and Elizabeth Austin-Davis, long-time friends, who pulled it together two years ago in Atlanta, Ga. The idea started with Austin-Davis, a photographer, while working on a project about Black women and their hair. “We both have faced discrimination based on our hair,” said Austin-Davis about TBHE. “We wanted to make it fun and in celebration of us.”
BLACK HAIR VIBES FROM CITY TO CITY
Valerie Amafujo Simmons, who
prefers to be called “Ama,” is a 64-yearold native New Yorker. As a child, her hair was pressed. She would go to the hair salon when her mother went. Simmons moved to the D.C. area in the late 90’s and immediately noticed a cultural difference with Black women and their hair. Simmons has yet to visit TBHE but is intrigued by the concept. “In New York I lived more of an artist’s life. The corporate life was more liberal. I had a loc ponytail with my sides shaved,” said Simmons, now a Silver Spring resident. “When I moved to DC, it was a whole different vibe. I cut off my locs which were down to my waist. My locs had a lot of energy, but I wanted to be more available in the workforce.”
TEEN GIRLS ARE SCHOOLED ON PRIDE IN BLACK HAIR
A group of girls, ages 10-15 from Hampton, Va.. called “Sisters in Unity Incorporated” learned about hair during a recent visit. Their mentor, Irene Peoples, arranged for a visit after learning about it from the TBHE website and arranged for a “We Care” workshop at TBHE focusing on selflove and how that feels through their hair. “They were really intrigued with the creativity and how it celebrated Black women. I wanted to give them the op-
5 Magazine covers targeting Black women are spread on a wall at one of the installations at The Black Hair Experience, an exhibition at National Harbor in Oxon Hill, Md. now through the end of 2021. (Robert Roberts/The Washington Informer)
portunity to see just how proud they should be,” said Peoples about visiting to TBHE. “They looked forward to posing for pictures at the exhibition when they arrived.”
HAIR Page 44
THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA HOUSING AUTHORITY REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS (RFP) SOLICITATION NO.: 0015-2021 FIRE ALARM and SECURITY SYSTEMS & ACCESS CONTROL PREVENTIVE MAINTENANCE and REPAIR SERVICES The District of Columbia Housing Authority (DCHA) requires Preventive Maintenance and Repair Services of Fire Alarm and Security Systems & Access Control at various DCHA public housing properties. SOLICITATION DOCUMENTS will be available beginning Monday, August 9, 2021 on DCHA’s website at www.dchousing.org under “Business” and “Solicitations”. SEALED PROPOSAL RESPONSES ARE DUE ON OR BEFORE Thursday, September 30, 2021 at 12:00 PM. Email LaShawn Mizzell McLeod, Contract Specialist at LMMCLEOD@dchousing.org with copy to business@ dchousing.org for additional information. THE WASHINGTON INFORMER / WWW.WASHINGTONINFORMER.COM
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AUGUST 12 - 18, 2021 35
LIFESTYLE The 17th Annual
Mahogany Bookstore extends its reach
SEPTEMBER 1-5, 2021 Details at dcjazzfest.org I Follow us @dcjazzfest
Capital Sounds, Global Reach
Regina Carter John Scofield Joshua Redman Maria Schneider Orchestra
D-Nice Spanish Harlem Orchestra Orrin Evans’ Terreno Comum Sirintip Phasuk
Laurin Talese
Kevin Toney
CarrKeys
Marco Pignataro Jazzet The EJB Quartet Ernest Turner Trio
Shaun Martin
Pedrito Martinez Group Lakecia Benjamin and Pursuance Immanuel Wilkins Quartet
Chuck Redd Quartet
Janelle Gill Trio
Langston Hughes II Herb Scott
A Grand Night for Strings: Starring Regina Carter feat. Jenny Scheinman, The String Queens, and the Michael Bowie Trio
5 (L-R) Author Gordon James, Mahogany Bookstore Owners Derrick and Ramunda Young, Authors Jason Reynolds, Christine Platt and Kwame Alexander at the opening of the new bookstore in National Harbor on August 7. (Courtesy photo/Kellie Digidu)
Celebrating Billy Taylor’s Centennial: Feat. Cyrus Chestnut, Allyn Johnson, Afro Blue, Winard Harper, and Chip Jackson Tribute to the Legendary Saxophonist Andrew White: Feat. Kevin Toney, Steve Novosel, Keith Killgo, Antonio Parker, and special guest Marcus Strickland DCJazzPrix Finals: Camilla George, Giveton Gelin Quintet, Dayramir Gonzalez, and Habana enTRANCé Free General Admission-Standing, Seated, and VIP Club Tickets Available Lineup subject to change
FOR ARTISTS AND COMPLETE SCHEDULE, VISIT DCJAZZFEST.ORG MAJOR SUPPORTERS
5 Author Jason Reynolds signs books for nine-year-old Kobe Alexander with his mother, Tatiana of Clinton, who met the author at the opening of the newest location of Mahogany Bookstore at National Harbor. (Shevry Lassiter/The Washington Informer)
The DC Jazz Festival®, a 501(c)(3) non-profit service organization, and its 2021 programs are made possible, in part, with major grants from the Government of the District of Columbia, Muriel Bowser, Mayor; the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities, the National Capital Arts and Cultural Affairs program and the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts; and with awards from Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, National Endowment for the Arts, Galena-Yorktown Foundation, The Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation, Compass of Greater Washington, Gillon Family Charitable Fund, The Leonard and Elaine Silverstein Family Foundation, The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, The Dallas Morse Coors Foundation for the Performing Arts, The Max and Victoria Dreyfus Foundation, and The Venable Foundation. ©2021 DC Jazz Festival. All rights reserved.
Stay Informed! www.washingtoninformer.com
36 AUGUST 12 - 18, 2021
5 David Crownson, whose comic books include Harriet Tubman Demon Slayer, drew a line of customers at the opening of the newest location of Mahogany Bookstore at National Harbor. (Shevry Lassiter/The Washington Informer)
THE WASHINGTON INFORMER / WWW.WASHINGTONINFORMER.COM
LIFESTYLE
wi book review "Horse Girls: Recovering, Aspiring and Devoted Riders Redefine the Iconic Bond" Edited by Halimah Marcus c.2021, Harper Perennial $17 304 pages
By Terri Schlichenmeyer WI Contributing Writer You were determined not to get bit. But in a totally different meaning of the word, you were equally determined that your horse would accept one. Without a bit in his mouth, he wouldn't turn, slow down, or stop when you wanted to ride — and of course, as in "Horse Girls," edited by Halimah Marcus, the ride's the thing. Or is a sense of freedom the best part of owning a horse? Many girls think so, while others just want their very own Flicka or Ginger or Pie. Whatever it is, Marcus says that there's a difference between "horse girls" and "a horsewoman." The latter, she writes, is "tough, no-nonsense … riding every day … unsentimental about horses but devoted to them for life" — unlike many of the women in this book who gave up riding as young women and reestablished their love for it later in life. But what makes a horse girl? Marginalization, in the stories here. These horse girls often felt shame for not fitting the norm, for being queer, Black, "chubby" or poor — but they still loved horses. Some of the writers are lesbians, but they didn't understand it until their girlhoods were over. Alex Marzano-Lesnevich writes of cross-dressing cowboys in history; Sarah Enelow-Snyder writes about Black cowboys and of "curly Afros shoved into unaccommodating cowboy hats." C. Morgan Babst writes of cruelty and anorexia, a two-pronged part of her childhood. Horse girls worry. A lot. They worry about where their horses went after they were sold or given away. On the day she got it, Adrienne Celt worried about how she was going to bury her horse if it died. They worry about disappointing horse-loving parents, and they fret about the best way to introduce their daughters to riding. They ride with joy. They met spouses through horses. They remember the smell of a box that once contained a plastic horse — because, says T Kira Madden, "the thing about a horse is, it's never about the horse." Nope, it's also about stories. Fifteen of them, to be exact, all inside "Horse Girls," but unless you're the horsey-type, you grew up in a saddle, or your shelves once held plastic 1:9-scale horses, you can just mosey along. In that case, you'll haaaaate this book and that's OK. It's not for you anyhow. If you fit the former, though, pommel, stirrup, and all, then editor Halimah Marcus offers stories you'll devour, stories of loving horses, even when (especially when!) doing so made you an anomaly. There's strength in that but loss also looms large here, particularly loss of childhood, innocence, or imagination. Fortunately for many of these storytellers and for the readers invited along on this ride, though, recollections are resolved, reasons for them are reconciled, and the endings are mostly satisfying. If you ever trotted around the yard, pretending to be a horse, or if you actually spent your girlhood in a saddle, this book will bring back memories. "Horse Girls" is a book you won't want to miss, not even a little bit. WI
horoscopes
AUGUST 12 - 18, 2021
ARIES On Monday, you express yourself clearly without having to think about it. On Tuesday, those pies start smacking into things and splattering everywhere. Cleaning and emotional clearing are the order of the day on Wednesday. Thursday grants you enough free time for a brief trip to the moon — that is, some kind of adventure marked by heart-stopping excitement and drama Lucky Numbers: 3, 7, 26 TAURUS Even if you win this race, you aren't guaranteed to win the tournament. So don't exhaust yourself too early. A cautious pace is the smarter way to proceed at the beginning of the week. Air your strategy among friends and be open to their input. You will be surprised how inspiring their ideas are. Thursday will lack inspiration almost entirely and Friday will test your tolerance further. Lucky Numbers: 23, 34, 57 GEMINI You may not feel like you're getting a lot done at the start of the week, but you're laying the foundation for a fantastic future. You're also flirting heavily with someone, even if you don't exactly realize it. Toward the middle of the week, money is all you can think about, but on Thursday someone snaps you out of it with a great debate. Lucky Numbers: 7, 8, 16 CANCER Your irritability may cause you to break out of your rut, do things differently and shrug off your usual routine as too usual, too routine. Tuesday and Wednesday, you see your place in the world differently, and consequently, you find yourself facing more possibility than ever before. Thursday finds you feeling huge — in keeping with this spirit, you may buy yourself something huge as well. Lucky Numbers: 6, 9, 32 LEO A brainstorming session with your friends is in order; there are some brilliant ideas floating on the horizon. A social gathering on Monday could be a productive place to get things sorted out. Warmth and pride are major themes in your life — and an ideal inspiration for some deep thinking. On Thursday someone will pay you a compliment that makes your heart soar. Whatever you have going on, your creativity comes in handy on Friday — as does a certain amount of confidence and willpower. Lucky Numbers: 3, 5, 24 VIRGO The most complicated problems are a snap for you on Monday. Your friend or coworker hasn't even finished explaining the nuances of a situation before you have a solution — a good solution — ready. You've hit some kind of stride. Your advice is stellar. You should be a consultant. Midweek, your energy comes from other people, which may lead you to want to be around as many people as possible. By Thursday, the social quotient may get a bit out of hand. If you're feeling overwhelmed, retreat. Lucky Numbers: 2, 11, 31 LIBRA What you need on Monday is someone you can spill your guts to. Someone unshockable. You are entering a new mental territory, and you need to talk things through with someone who can inspire you to share. Expect emotional flooding this week. Midweek the water level is so high, you may not want to come outside. But Thursday you wake up buoyant and ready to take on anything. Lucky Numbers: 24, 36, 40 SCORPIO A funny little detail may turn into a big problem on Monday. Tuesday and Wednesday are, happily, the kind of days when everything goes your way without much effort on your part — in fact, the more you let go, the better. But a clash with the boss on Thursday requires your full attention. Even after it's settled, you'd do well to be low-key on Friday. Lucky Numbers: 8, 34, 41 SAGITTARIUS The more cakes you have in the oven on Monday, the better. You never can tell how a cake is going to turn out. Tuesday and Wednesday, you'll have little patience for flour and eggs, what with all the deep thinking you're doing. But after a long day's contemplation, knowing there's a cake in the fridge for dessert if you want it, is a true pleasure. Lucky Numbers: 8, 29, 39 CAPRICORN The best thing you can do for yourself on Monday is call a moratorium on small talk. Tuesday and Wednesday, you're similarly in charge of the social dynamic. When an issue arises, you shoot it out of the air. With panache. You're brilliant. But Thursday and Friday are less than brilliant days. Illusions and instances of greediness abound. It's frustrating, but all will be righted again by the weekend. Lucky Numbers: 9, 14, 51 AQUARIUS Every once in a while this happens to you, and it never gets old: a sudden, beautiful, undeniable upsurge in your romantic life. Whether it's a 'hot as the surface of the sun' affair or a Jamesian deepening of your an existing intellectual connection, you will be on cloud nine. Sadly, as you have experienced before, cloud nine is a place you visit, not a place you live. Midweek sees you readjusting to real life. But the opportunity to flex your creative muscles brings you some satisfaction on Friday. Lucky Numbers: 22, 30, 41 PISCES It's understandable that you'd want all the facts at your disposal before you move forward, but that's not how the cards fall on Monday. You have to look into the future. You have to project. And then you have to step forward with as much confidence as you can muster. Tuesday and Wednesday, that future begins to unfold, beginning with a problem in a partnership. This graduates to full-fledged emotional upheaval on Thursday, but by Friday you've turned the tables on the situation. Lucky Numbers: 4, 29, 33
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AUGUST 12 - 18, 2021 37
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eviction tsunami. In this three-part series, we examine the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on housing security through the stories of tenants, landlords and policy leaders who occupy the front lines of protecting and preserving safe and affordable housing for D.C. renters. Natasha Riddle-Romero has lived at the Franklin Arms in Northeast in an apartment she has shared with a roommate for almost a year. The D.C. resident said she lost her job as a server at a restaurant in Mt. Pleasant, Md. last March when COVID-19 forced the city’s restaurants, hotels and other businesses to shut down. While she applied for unemployment she describes her attempts to secure the $300 per week payment as uncertain. She says the last time she checked, she owed her landlord an eye-popping sum. “I owe a lot. I don’t even know. I think it’s about $7,000,” she said. “At first, it made me very nervous but now I’m angry. I lost [my job] in September but was lucky enough to get another that allowed me to pay rent. My roommate has been unemployed longer than me. We were getting an extra $300 a month but the unemployment process has been so volatile.” Riddle-Romero, an activist and member of the D.C. Cancel Rent Coalition, said she’s been so concerned about the precarious situation renters and tenants in D.C.
face that she decided to join the campaign. She stopped paying her rent in solidarity with the growing number of D.C. residents at risk of being evicted. Across town, at The Woodner, which sits in a wealthy neighborhood of the District’s Gold Coast in Northwest, almost 200 protestors, armed with placards, posters and painted banners, demonstrated in front of the apartment building demanding that property owners cancel rent. Not far from the gathering, dozens of officers from the Metropolitan Police Department remained poised, maintaining a watchful eye. Some officers sat in vehicles while others cycled in tight circles or stood almost motionless in a semi-circle. “When I say ‘cancel rent,’ you say ‘D.C.!’ When I say ‘power,’ you say ‘tenant!!’”one activist shouted repeatedly while standing in front of tables on which sat an assortment of foods including potatoes, apples, cheese, milk, onion, cereal and canned goods for residents to take as needed. Sierra Ramirez, a Woodner Tenant Union [WTU] activist and Woodner resident for nearly three years, rallied the crowd along with other colleagues. “Pretty early on, I wanted to organize with my neighbors because management has never respected residents and that became more evident after COVID,” Ramirez said. “We have rats, cockroaches,
mice and bedbugs. Most residents are paying nearly $1,300 now; I pay $1,200 for a studio. But I was paying $800 in 2015.” While holding a bullhorn, Ramirez told the crowd she received a rent bill that morning indicating that she owed $13,810. In resolute terms, she urged the crowd to refuse to pay rent in protest of the property managers and owners who’ve been pressuring them to pay rent even though many of them are unemployed and most are living in deplorable conditions. “People don’t have any other choice. Anything that we can do to bring more democracy to where we live and work, that’s what we need to focus on,” she said. Ramirez said residents’ responses to requests to join the cancel rent campaign have been mixed. “People are very afraid. We have a lot of undocumented folks and those who have a very precarious life. They’re super scared of being retaliated against, losing their housing,” she said. There are growing fears among housing advocates. Food security researchers, government officials, policymakers and others warn that if left unchecked, residents in the District of Columbia and cities across the country will be washed away in an eviction tsunami brought on by an inevitable moratorium that’s just months away. WI @bsalmondc
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RELIGION the religion corner WITH LYNDIA GRANT
Michigan's Only HBCU Founder Honored with Highway Designation
On Aug. 25 at 11 a.m., there will be a memorial highway sign unveiling ceremony in Detroit to honor Dr. Violet T. Lewis, founder of Lewis College of Business, a nonprofit, historically Black institution. Held at the College of Creative Studies Campus (207 E. Kirby St.), this event pays homage to Lewis' more than 80 years of service to the city of Detroit. Lewis College of Business, designated as Michigan's only HBCU, served tens of thousands of students over several generations. State Sen. Marshall Bullock (D-Detroit) will be in attendance, as will former state Sen. Ian Conyers, who sponsored the bill during his time in office. The legislation was unanimously approved by the Senate and House of Representatives and signed by Gov. Rick Snyder in 2018. A portion of the John C. Lodge Freeway (M-10) in Detroit will be renamed Violet T. Lewis Memorial Highway, after the legendary educator. The Lewis portion of the well-traveled freeway that links downtown Detroit to 8 Mile Road, the city's northern border, would consist of the section between Meyers Road and West Outer Drive. The work of Lewis, who died in 1968 from cancer, lived on for several generations after her death, continued by her two daughters, President Dr. Marjorie Lewis Harris and Dean, Dr. Phyllis Lewis Ponders. The last president was her
granddaughter Dr. Violet Ponders, who will be in attendance to represent the family. In 1929, Lewis, an African American, founded the Lewis College of Business in Indiana. She began a second school in Detroit in 1939. The institution, primarily for women, was the only designated historically Black college in Michigan. It gave tens of thousands of women the opportunity for career development and advancement and included the establishment of two sororities — Gamma Phi Delta and Tau Gamma Delta. Conyers' interest in the college's founder started as a child while growing up in the northwest
Honored as an active business and civic leader as well, Lewis established the March of Dimes Extravaganza Committee in 1953.
Detroit neighborhood where the institution was located for many years. He first offered a Senate resolution honoring Lewis in March 2017. "We started meeting people and realized that we wanted to do something more permanent to recognize her contribution," Conyers stated. Honored as an active business and civic leader as well, Lewis established the March of Dimes Extravaganza Committee in 1953. During her years at the helm, it raised almost $1 million for the March of Dimes Foundation. Lewis died in 1968. "I recognize that in our country women are the head of many households," said Conyers, who left the state Senate in an unsuccessful bid to succeed his great-uncle, former U.S. Rep. John Conyers (D-Detroit). "And in the African-American community, many times, they are the only head of households. We wanted to celebrate that." This Friday, tune in to "The Lyndia Grant Show" to hear Sen. Conyers and Bobby Lawrence tell listeners all about this exciting project. It all happens on Radio One, Spirit 1340 WYCB Washington, at 6 p.m. WI
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Adams Inspirational A.M.E. Church Dr. E. Gail Anderson Holness / Senior Pastor Rev. Ali Gail Holness-Roland / Assistant & Youth Pastor 12801 Old Fort Road • Ft. Washington, MD 20744 Office (301) 292.6323 • FAX (301) 292.2164 Service and Times Sunday Worship 10:15 am Sunday Church School 11:00 am Youth Sunday every 4th Sunday Prayer Call @ Noon every Tuesday & Thursday 978.990.5166 code: 6166047# Virtual Bible Study Wednesday Facebook & Zoom 7:00 pm “A Growing Church for a Coming Christ” www.adamsinspirationalamec.org
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AUGUST 12 - 18, 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
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
Website: www.themiraclecenterFMBC.com Email: Miraclecenterfmbs@gmail.com Motto: “We Walk by Faith, Not by Sight”
www.pilgrimbaptistdc.org
Covenant Baptist United Church of Christ
Blessed Word of Life Church
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
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
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
“An inclusive ministry where all are welcomed and affirmed.” www.covenantdc.org
www.blessedwordoflifechurch.org E-mail: church@blessedwordoflifechurch.org
Campbell AME Church
Twelfth Street Christian Church
Rev. Dr. Henry Y. White
Reverend Dr. Paul H. Saddler Senior Pastor
2562 MLK Jr. Ave., SE - Washington, DC 20020 Adm. Office 202-678-2263 Email: Campbell@mycame.org
(Disciples of Christ) 1812 12th Street, NW - Washington, DC 20009 Phone: 202-265-4494 Fax: 202 265 4340
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
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
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 AUGUST 12 - 18, 2021
Mount Carmel Baptist Church
“We are one in the Spirit” www.ssbc5757.org / E-mail: ssbc5757@verizon.net
www.thirdstreet.org Live Stream Sunday Worship Service begins @ 12:00 noon www.thirdstreet.org
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
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
Reverend John W. Davis Pastor 5101 14th Street, NW / Washington, DC 20011 Phone: 202-726-2220 Fax: 202-726-9089 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. “A Church with a past to remember – and a future to mold” www.mtzbcdc.org
headline and photo for Mount Olivet LIF - MALCOLMXLutheran Church DAY John F. Johnson Reverend Dr.
901 Third Street N.W. Washington, DC. 20001 Phone (202) 842-3411 Fax (202) 682-9423
1306 Vermont Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20005
themcbc.org
“Ambassadors for Christ to the Nation’s Capital”
Rev. Dr. Alton W. Jordan Pastor
Isle of Patmos Baptist Church
Mt. Zion Baptist Church
Reverend Dr. Paris L Smith, Sr. Senior Pastor
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
Services and Times Sunday School: 9:30 AM Sunday Worship: 11:00 AM Sunday Community Worship Service: 8:30 AM
Crusader Baptist Church
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
THE WASHINGTON INFORMER / WWW.WASHINGTONINFORMER.COM
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.
AUGUST 12 - 18, 2021 41
LEGAL NOTICES
LEGAL NOTICES
In God We Trust. Declaration of Nationality. Notice of White Flag Surrender. Notice of Special Appearance : I am that I am: " Zechariah Edward Dolphin El© ", in full life, in propria persona, sui juris, in solo proprio, Haqdar by natural issue, the beneficiary and heir of: " DOLPHIN EL, ZECHARIAH EDWARD© ", corp. sole Dba.: " ZECHARIAH EDWARD DOLPHIN EL© ", & "DOLPHIN, ZECHARIAH EDWARD©", corp. sole Dba: "ZECHARIAH EDWARD DOLPHIN©", having reached the age of majority, being aboriginal to the northwestern and southwestern shores of Africa, the Atlantic Islands, the continental Americas, being duly certified, hereby affirms to declare my tribal intention to be as my pedigree subscribes, as a: Moorish American, but not a citizen of the United States. I declare permanent, and unalienable, allegiance to The Moorish Empire, Societas Republicae Ea Al Maurikanuus Estados, The Constitution for the united States of America, Article III Section 2, The Lieber Code, Hague Conventions of 1899 & 1907, The Geneva Conventions, [ United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples ], and all natural laws governing moors, and hereby declare and proclaim my nationality in good faith as a: Moorish American. I am that I am: " Zechariah Edward Dolphin El© ", from this day forward, in harmony with my Nationality / Status / Jurisdiction, shall be known as: " zechariah edward dolphin el© ". Notice of White Flag Surrender: as "hors de combat", pursuant to The Geneva Conventions, Article III, as a minister of The Moorish Empire, and Internationally Protected Person. Notice of: LAWS AND CUSTOMS OF WAR ON LAND ( HAGUE, IV), ARTICLE: 45, 46, & 47. Notice of Claim pursuant to Public Law 87-846, TITLE II, SEC. 203. Notice of Bailment Merging of Legal Title with Equitable Title : This order is to preserve legal and equitable title , and to reserve all rights, title, and interest, in the property, Re: : State File Number 1200119129309, " ZECHARIAH EDWARD DOLPHIN© ", is as a special deposit order conveyed to " Creative Fate Trust© ". All property of the same issue and amount, in like kind and specie, is to be returned fully intact , as a Special Deposit order of the Depositor / Beneficiary / Bailor / Donor / Principal / Creditor: " zechariah edward dolphin el© ", nom deguerre: " Zechariah Edward Dolphin El© ", as a special deposit order in lawful money. This special deposit is to be used exclusively for the benefit of : " Creative Fate Trust© ", an Inter Vivos Unincorporated Divine Grantor Trust. This deposit is not to be commingled with general assets of any bank, nor depositary / trustee / agent / bailee / donee / debtor. This deposit is not limited to, but including: discharge and set off, of any and all outstanding liabilities as accord and satisfaction. Inter alia enact fuit. All Rights Reserved. Deo volente. Notice of Reference : 0112358-13
In God We Trust. Declaration of Nationality. Notice of White Flag Surrender. Notice of Special Appearance : I am that I am:" Melshonda Patrice Buchanan© ", in full life, in propria persona, sui juris, in solo proprio, Haqdar by natural issue, the beneficiary and heir of: " BUCHANAN, MELSHONDA PATRICE© ", corp.sole Dba.: " MELSHONDA PATRICE BUCHANAN© ", having reached the age of majority, being duly certified, hereby affirms to declare my tribal intention to be as my pedigree subscribes, as an: Moorish American National, but not a citizen of the United States. I declare permanent, and unalienable, allegiance to the united States of America, The Lieber Code, Hague Conventions of 1899 & 1907, The Geneva Conventions, and all natural laws governing moors, We the People, and hereby declare and proclaim my nationality in good faith as a: " Moorish American ". I am that I am: " Melshonda Patrice Buchanan© ", from this day forward, in harmony with my Nationality / Status / Jurisdiction, shall be known as: " melshonda buchanan© ". Notice of White Flag Surrender: as " hors de combat ", pursuant to The Geneva Conventions, Article III, as a minister of Ahayah's covenant: Law of the People, and Internationally Protected Person. Notice of: LAWS AND CUSTOMS OF WAR ON LAND ( HAGUE, IV), ARTICLE: 45, 46, & 47. Notice of Claim pursuant to Public Law 87-846, TITLE II, SEC. 203. Notice of Bailment Merging of Legal Title with Equitable Title : This order is to preserve legal and equitable title , and to reserve all rights, title, and interest, in the property, Re: " State File Number 109-1983-086812 ", " MELSHONDA PATRICE BUCHANAN© ", is as a special deposit order conveyed to " Melshonda-Patrice:Mangham Trust© ". All property of the same issue and amount, in like kind and specie, is to be returned fully intact , as a Special Deposit order of the Depositor / Beneficiary / Bailor / Donor / Principal / Creditor: " melshonda buchanan© ", nom deguerre: " Melshonda Patrice Buchanan© ", as a special deposit order in lawful money. This special deposit is to be used exclusively for the benefit of : " Melshonda-Patrice:Mangham Trust© ", an Inter Vivos Unincorporated Divine Grantor Trust. This deposit is not to be commingled with general assets of any bank , nor depositary / trustee / agent / bailee / donee / debtor. This deposit is not limited to, but including: discharge and set off, of any and all outstanding liabilities as accord and satisfaction. Inter alia enact fuit. All Rights Reserved. Deo volente.
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 FEP 000070
2021 ADM 000773
7/18/2020 Date of Death
Darrell Cook aka Darrell Donnel Cook Estate of
Emmanuel Chizobam Obasiolu Name of Decedent
NOTICE OF STANDARD PROBATE
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 000767
2021 ADM 000765
2020 ADM 000324
2021 ADM 000728
2021 ADM 000723
Patricia E. Kearney Decedent
Jewell J. Saunders Decedent
Ronald Amechee Matthews Decedent
Peggy A. Miller, Esq. 5130 7th St., NE Washington, DC 20011-2625 Attorney
Ethel Mitchell 8403 Colesville Road Suite 1100 Silver Spring, MD 20910 Attorney
Aimee D. Griffin, Esq. 5335 Wisconsin Avenue, NW Suite 440 Washington, DC 20015 Attorney
Barbara Anne Brisby Petty aka Barbara A. Petty Decedent
NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS
NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS
NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS
Calvin Kearney, whose address is 124 Michigan Ave., NE, Apt. M22, Washington, DC, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Patricia E. Kearney who died on 3/6/2021 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., 515 5th Street, N.W., Building A, Third Floor Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before 2/12/2022. 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 2/12/2022, 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.
Mary Hewlett, whose address is 808 Brandywine Road, Downingtown, PA 19335, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Jewell J. Saunders who died on 10/22/19 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 (or to the probate of decedent’s Will) shall be filed with the Register of Wills, D.C., 515 5th Street, N.W., Building A, Third Floor Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before 2/12/2022. 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 2/12/2022, 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: 8/12/2021
Date of first publication: August 12, 2021
Date of first publication: 8/12/2021
Calvin Kearney Personal Representative
Mary Hewlett Personal Representative
Wanda Renee Burke Personal Representative
TRUE TEST COPY
TRUE TEST COPY
TRUE TEST COPY
TRUE TEST COPY
Nicole Stevens Register of Wills
Nicole Stevens Register of Wills
Nicole Stevens Register of Wills
Nicole Stevens Register of Wills
Washington Informer
Washington Informer
Washington Informer
Washington Informer
Serena Louise Burke Decedent
Wanda Renee Burke, whose address is 4428 20th St., NE, Washington, DC 20018, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Serena Louise Burke who died on June 7, 2021 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., 515 5th Street, N.W., Building A, Third Floor Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before 2/12/2022. 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 2/12/2022, 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.
42 AUGUST 12 - 18, 2021
LEGAL NOTICES
NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT OF FOREIGN PERSONAL REPRESENTATIVE AND NOTICE TO CREDITORS Yu Wang, whose address is 9032 Moving Water Ln., Columbia, MD 21046 was appointed personal representative of the estate of Emmanuel Chizobam Obasiolu, deceased, by the Orphans Court for Howard County, State of Maryland, on September 2, 2020. Service of process may be made upon Branden Nettles, 1202 Euclid Street, NW, Washington, DC, 20009 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. 1202 Euclid Street, NW, Washington, DC 20009. 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: 8/5/2021 Yu Wang Personal Representative Nicole Stevens Register of Wills Washington Informer
LEGAL NOTICES
Notice is hereby given that a petition has been filed in this Court by Lula Blackwell-Burrus 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. Order any interested person to show cause why the provisions of the lost or destroyed will dated November 13, 2019 should not be admitted to probate as expressed in the petition
Date of first publication: 8/5/2021 Lula Blackwell-Burrus 213 Carver Street Waco, Texas 76704 Petitioner/Attorney:
LEGAL NOTICES SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA Probate Division Washington, D.C. 20001-2131 2021 ADM 000701 Annie Mae Davis Barnett Decedent
NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS Franklin Roosevelt Davis, Sr., whose address is 212 Madison Street, NW, Washington, DC 20011, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Annie Mae Davis Barnett who died on December 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., 515 5th Street, N.W., Building A, Third Floor Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before 2/12/2022. 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 2/12/2022, 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: August 12, 2021 Franklin Roosevelt Davis, Sr. Personal Representative
TRUE TEST COPY Nicole Stevens Register of Wills Washington Informer
Joan M. Wilbon 1120 Connecticut Ave., NW Suite 1020 Washington, DC 20036 Attorney NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS Patricia Petty Morse aka Patricia L. Petty, whose address is 1354 Leegate Rd., NW, Washington, DC 20012, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Barbara Anne Brisby Petty aka Barbara A. Petty who died on 2/22/2021 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., 515 5th Street, N.W., Building A, Third Floor Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before 2/12/2022. 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 2/12/2022, 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: 8/12/2021 Patricia Petty Morse Personal Representative
TRUE TEST COPY Nicole Stevens Register of Wills Washington Informer
Iris McCollum Green, Esq. 1730 M Street, NW Suite 609 Washington, DC 20036 Attorney NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS Novella Elizabeth Matthews, whose address is 1376 Underwood Street, NW, Washington, DC 20012, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Ronald Amechee Matthews who died on January 6, 2021 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., 515 5th Street, N.W., Building A, Third Floor Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before 2/12/2022. 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 2/12/2022, 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: 8/12/2021 Novella Elizabeth Matthews Personal Representative
THE WASHINGTON INFORMER / WWW.WASHINGTONINFORMER.COM
LEGAL NOTICES SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA PROBATE DIVISION Washington, D.C. 20001-2131
LEGAL NOTICES SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA Probate Division Washington, D.C. 20001-2131 2021 ADM 000706
2021 FEP 000074
Lillie Bell Minick Decedent
3/13/2014 Date of Death Saxfield Chatmon Jr. Name of Decedent NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT OF FOREIGN PERSONAL REPRESENTATIVE AND NOTICE TO CREDITORS Monica L. McEaddy whose address is 10009 Huxley Drive, Lanham, MD 20706 was appointed personal representative of the estate of Saxfield Chatmon Jr., deceased, by the Orphans Court for Prince Georges County, State of Maryland, on 8/1/2014. Service of process may be made upon Aimee D. Griffin, Esq., The Griffin Firm, PLLC, 5335 Wisconsin Avenue, NW, Suite 440, Washington, District of Columbia 20015 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. 718 Kentucky Avenue, 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: 8/12/2021
Suren G. Adams, Esq. Adams Law Office, LLC 4201 Northview Drive, Suite 401 Bowie, MD 20716 Attorney NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS Linda Washington, whose address is 3939 R. Street, SE, Washington, DC 20020, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Lillie Bell Minick who died on March 13, 2021 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., 515 5th Street, N.W., Building A, Third Floor Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before 2/12/2022. 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 2/12/2022, 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: August 12, 2021 Linda Washington Personal Representative
Monica L. McEaddy Personal Representative
TRUE TEST COPY
Nicole Stevens Register of Wills
Nicole Stevens Register of Wills
Washington Informer
Washington Informer
Public Notice Declaration of Nationality Notice of Reference: 0112358-13
Public Notice Declaration of Nationality Notice of Reference: 0112358-13
In God We Trust. Declaration of Nationality. Notice of White Flag Surrender.
In God We Trust. Declaration of Nationality. Notice of White Flag Surrender.
Notice of Special Appearance: I am that I am: " Frederick Nicholas Crespo© ", in full life, in propria persona, sui juris, in solo proprio, Haqdar by natural issue, the beneficiary and heir of: " CRESPO, FREDERICK NICHOLAS© ", corp. sole Dba.: " FREDERICK NICHOLAS CRESPO© ", having reached the age of majority, being aboriginal to the northwestern and southwestern shores of Africa, the Atlantic Islands, the continental Americas, being duly certified, hereby affirms to declare my tribal intention to be as my pedigree subscribes, as a: Moorish American, but not a citizen of the United States. I declare permanent, and unalienable, allegiance to The Moorish Empire, Societas Republicae Ea Al Maurikanuus Estados, The Constitution for the united States of America, Article III Section 2, The Lieber Code, Hague Conventions of 1899 & 1907, The Geneva Conventions, [ United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples ], and all natural laws governing moors, and hereby declare and proclaim my nationality in good faith as a: Moorish American. I am that I am: " Frederick Nicholas Crespo© ", from this day forward, in harmony with my Nationality / Status / Jurisdiction, shall be known as: " zakai bey© ". Notice of White Flag Surrender: as "hors de combat", pursuant to The Geneva Conventions, Article III, as a minister of The Moorish Empire, and Internationally Protected Person. Notice of: LAWS AND CUSTOMS OF WAR ON LAND (HAGUE, IV), ARTICLE: 45, 46, & 47. Notice of Claim pursuant to Public Law 87-846, TITLE II, SEC. 203. Notice of Bailment Merging of Legal Title with Equitable Title: This order is to preserve legal and equitable title , and to reserve all rights, title, and interest, in the property, Re: CITY OF PASSAIC VITAL STATISTICS: 1834, " FREDERICK NICHOLAS CRESPO© ", is as a special deposit order conveyed to " House Of Crespo Trust© ". All property of the same issue and amount, in like kind and specie, is to be returned fully intact, as a Special Deposit order of the Depositor / Beneficiary / Bailor / Donor / Principal / Creditor: " zakai bey©", nom deguerre: " Frederick Nicholas Crespo© ", as a special deposit order in lawful money. This special deposit is to be used exclusively for the benefit of: " House Of Crespo Trust© ", an Inter Vivos Unincorporated Divine Grantor Trust. This deposit is not to be commingled with general assets of any bank, nor depositary / trustee / agent / bailee / donee / debtor. This deposit is not limited to, but including: discharge and set off, of any and all outstanding liabilities as accord and satisfaction. Inter alia enact fuit. All Rights Reserved. Deo volente
Notice of Special Appearance: I am that I am: " Keith Alfonso Frey© ", in full life, in propria persona, sui juris, in solo proprio, Haqdar by natural issue, the beneficiary and heir of: " FREY, KEITH ALFONSO© ", corp. sole Dba.: " KEITH ALFONSO FREY© ", having reached the age of majority, being aboriginal to the northwestern and southwestern shores of Africa, the Atlantic Islands, the continental Americas, being duly certified, hereby affirms to declare my tribal intention to be as my pedigree subscribes, as a: Moorish American, but not a citizen of the United States. I declare permanent, and unalienable, allegiance to The Moorish Empire, Societas Republicae Ea Al Maurikanuus Estados, The Constitution for the united States of America, Article III Section 2, The Lieber Code, Hague Conventions of 1899 & 1907, The Geneva Conventions, [ United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples ], and all natural laws governing moors, and hereby declare and proclaim my nationality in good faith as a: Moorish American. I am that I am: " Keith Alfonso Frey© ", from this day forward, in harmony with my Nationality / Status / Jurisdiction, shall be known as: " yusef bey© ". Notice of White Flag Surrender: as "hors de combat", pursuant to The Geneva Conventions, Article III, as a minister of The Moorish Empire, and Internationally Protected Person. Notice of: LAWS AND CUSTOMS OF WAR ON LAND ( HAGUE, IV), ARTICLE: 45, 46, & 47. Notice of Claim pursuant to Public Law 87-846, TITLE II, SEC. 203. Notice of Bailment Merging of Legal Title with Equitable Title : This order is to preserve legal and equitable title , and to reserve all rights, title, and interest, in the property, Re: New Jersey Vital Statistics, State File Number: 19750057695, " KEITH ALFONSO FREY© ", is as a special deposit order conveyed to " International Frey Tribal Trust© ". All property of the same issue and amount, in like kind and specie, is to be returned fully intact, as a Special Deposit order of the Depositor / Beneficiary / Bailor / Donor / Principal / Creditor: " yusef bey© ", nom deguerre: " Keith Alfonso Frey© ", as a special deposit order in lawful money. This special deposit is to be used exclusively for the benefit of : " International Frey Tribal Trust© ", an Inter Vivos Unincorporated Divine Grantor Trust. This deposit is not to be commingled with general assets of any bank, nor depositary / trustee / agent / bailee / donee / debtor. This deposit is not limited to, but including: discharge and set off, of any and all outstanding liabilities as accord and satisfaction. Inter alia enact fuit. All Rights Reserved. Deo volente.
CL ASSIFIEDS
CL ASSIFIEDS
CL ASSIFIEDS
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ABUSE from Page 1 placed on administrative leave or mandated to have no contact with the public. Their case has been referred to the U.S. Attorney’s Office with administrative action soon to follow. Sunday’s incident in Anacostia culminated a violent weekend in the District during which three people lost their lives. The homicides occurred on 53rd Street, 49th Street and Nelson Street, all in Southeast.The victims’ ages ranged from early 20s to late 60s. In total, MPD has recorded 118 homicide victims for this year -- a four percent increase from figures recorded a year ago. On Monday, Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) Chief Robert Contee designated firearms as the common denominator in the violent crimes engulfing the District. Contee, a veteran police officer and native Washingtonian, took the helm for the police department earlier this year pledging to simultaneously tackle violent crime and foster positive police-community relations. In regards to the viral video, Contee said the officers’ actions don’t help to advance that goal. However, he did not reply to our inquiry about the number of police harassment/abuse complaints that MPD has received since the start of his tenure as chief. “I’m embarrassed, discouraged and ashamed,” Contee told reporters on Monday at MPD headquarters. “We’re an agency of over
On Monday, Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) Chief Robert Contee designated firearms as the common denominator in the violent crimes engulfing the District. 3,500 officers and I assured the community this is not consistent with our training tactics, policies and procedures nor is it consistent with our agency’s values.” Citing community demand for an increased police presence, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser (D) recently requested $11million in the FY 2022 budget for the hiring of 170 additional police officers. However, the D.C. Council only allocated $5 million toward that goal with the other $6 million funding violence prevention and wraparound programs. Days later, experts continue to cite that turn of events as part of a dilemma facing the Bowser administration and the police department amid rampant violence
and growing anti-police sentiments. D.C. Councilmember Trayon White (D-Ward 8), who’s reportedly meeting with the young man’s family on Monday, commended MPD Chief Contee for his transparency and eagerness to hold members of his force accountable. In addition, he acknowledged that increased police activity will not suffice in curbing violent crime. “We’ve got to put people and resources in place [like] recreation centers, mentors, substance abuse counseling and especially housing,” White said. “We’ve got to address the social ills in our community. I’ve never seen this amount of violence on women and kids. This is a new phenomenon.” WI
HAIR from Page 34
and to feel good about yourself.” Chiquita Laurie, from Leesburg, Va.. came to TBHE with her sister-in-law Bonita Dralle from Richmond, Va.. Dralle admitted she was apprehensive. “Coming in, I loved the atmosphere because it celebrates Black hair, Black excellence and Black women. I’m glad we came,” said Dralle. “For so many years we were told our hair was not beautiful,” said Laurie who admitted she recently changed her hair style to sister locs ten months ago, “This experience gives the atmosphere to rock it with my sister locs and be proud of it.” White sums up who should come to the exhibition. “It doesn’t matter whether you have a big top, locs, a perm, kinky curls, a big 'fro or little 'fro,” said White. “Regardless, whatever it is, however it’s growing, it’s yours and it’s beautiful.” WI
BLACK HAIR IS INSPIRING
5 A wall of pressing combs and curling irons is one of the sections at The Black Hair Experience, an exhibition at National Harbor in Oxon Hill, Md. now through the end of 2021. (Robert Roberts/The Washington Informer)
44 AUGUST 12 - 18, 2021
Jordan White, a senior at North Carolina A&T State University in Greensboro, NC. is an intern at TBHE. Working at the exhibition is a big leap for the animal science major with a minor in chemistry, but it made sense for her. “I felt this was my calling,” said White who lives in Prince Georges County. “What I learned during COVID was to pursue my passion. I decided to take this creative route.” Another intern from Prince George's County, Alanna Webb is a junior mass media major at Clark Atlanta University in Atlanta, Ga. “I got emotional,” said Webb when learning about TBHE. “I love the goal and mission to make this a safe space
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WORKERS from Page 15
BEAUDOIN from Page 26
“When working from home, 64 percent reported being better able to manage stress and 50 percent reported an increase in feelings of belonging at their organization.” Another racial dimension to consider: Although Black and Latinx employees make up approximately 30 percent of the labor force, they represent 50 percent of people who left or lost a job in the past month to care for children, according to the most recent census household pulse survey. Harvard Business Review added that people of color have also faced much more severe consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic. Black, Latinx and Indigenous Americans are about three times more likely than white Americans to face hospitalization and twice as likely to die from COVID-19. For this reason, Black and Latinx parents are less enthusiastic about returning to in-person schooling and on-site work. “It will be more important than ever that inclusive leaders take a human approach and have compassion for those who are working remotely, understanding that there are likely personal circumstances that have led them to make this choice,” said Renu Sachdeva, a certified leadership and inclusion coach, facilitator and consultant with Talking Talent. Some companies have resorted to a hybrid system. Still, if incorrectly implemented, it could lead to the worst of both worlds by creating a twoclass system where the in-office workers are constantly favored over remote workers, warned Christelle Rohaut, the CEO and founder of Codi. “Remote work discrimination, like all discrimination, is a policy choice and one that can be avoided,” Rohaut asserted. “The first step is to kill the old central HQ and move to a local workspace benefit that provides all employees access to a flexible work hub, whether it is in rural Georgia or downtown Manhattan. Ultimately, how organizational cultures adapt will determine how much of an issue remote work discrimination becomes,” Rohaut said. WI @StacyBrownMedia
who produce in venues that we do not own. We rent concert halls, churches, performance spaces and theatres to produce concerts and community programs that reach over 25,000 audience members every season and – on this and other important safety considerations – are beholden to the decisions of our friends who own and operate these important venues. Broadway has announced a vaccination and masking requirement. Carnegie Hall has published their proof of vaccination policy. In the last few weeks, a rush of San Francisco Bay Area music venues have rolled out vaccination requirements.
WILLIAMS from Page 26 ta Cole (NCNW president), Faya Rose Toure (Alabama), Arlene Holt (AFL-CIO), Jarrett Sawyer (Morehouse University) and I were arrested for allegedly blocking the entrance to the Hart Senate Building. When given the option to pay a fine or request a court date, I chose the latter. The fed-
BROWN from Page 26 upon release). Every Dept. of Corrections has a gratuitous fund for those being released. But he was not given medication for pain or prescriptions for his various medical conditions, no referral to a medical facility, no clothing except the clothes on his back, no social security card and no reentry assistance or contacts for emergency assistance. We got in the car and I told Green to put the seat belt on. He said, “What’s a seat belt?” He didn’t know how to put it on as he hasn’t ridden or been inside a car in decades. I asked why he hadn’t called me. He said he walked and walked and couldn’t find a phone booth. Green’s situation isn’t isolated. Men and women have been and are being released with virtually nothing. How can they navigate this highly technical society and be expected to live and survive with no support living in a correctional coma, suspended in time? During his four months on the street, he was hospitalized on several occasions and he died from cancer. He spent 50 years spent in prison and died within four months after being released! There’s no need to ask why there’s such a high recidivism rate. This is one of the main causes of recidivism.
And yet, as of this writing, only a few theatres in the D.C. region have announced a proof of COVID-19 vaccination requirement. What about other cultural venues? Some believe this primarily to be a legal question, or perhaps more germanely, a financial one. To me, this is a character question. It’s a matter of respect. It’s vital we give our artists, technicians, staff and audiences the full respect they so richly deserve. The respect of peace of mind, knowing that we take their personal health and safety, and that of their families, seriously. The respect evidenced by welcoming those who likewise respect themselves and their communities - and have the vaccination card to prove it. The respect of an
optimally safe environment to experience the transformative power of live performance together. The last 17 months have been emotionally shattering and economically devastating for all of us dedicated to live entertainment and the arts. For American performing arts workers, it’s meant some of the deepest earnings losses of any workers in any industry. Last week I sat in a room, live and in person in downtown Washington D.C. with 80 singers from The Washington Chorus, all of whom had presented proof of COVID-19 vaccination in order to gain access to our first indoors, in-person rehearsal since early March of 2020. Tears rolled down my cheeks as the chorus warmed up
and raised their voices in emotionally evocative music from Mozart, Mendelssohn, and this perfectly selected spiritual from Melanie DeMore: “You gotta put one foot in front of the other,” the chorus bellowed out with real emotion, “and lead with love.” The data couldn’t be clearer: in the D.C. metro region – there’s only more business upside than down to requiring proof of COVID-19 vaccination at cultural venues. Our audiences and artists are increasingly ready to return and have overwhelmingly done the right thing by getting vaccinated. The thing rooted in respect. Now our venues across the D.C. region should very carefully consider doing the same. WI
eral magistrate will hear my concerns on Nov. 24. Considering the struggles of the past, this experience was relatively uneventful. There were no batons. There were no firehoses. There were no horses or dogs. There was a sense of urgency! We all knew that action could not be deferred for a later date. We all know that for the sake of survival we must mobi-
lize in greater and increasing numbers. We have no time to waste!! On Aug. 3, 1857, the same year as the Dred Scott decision, Frederick Douglass delivered what some consider to be his greatest speech. From that speech came the words, "If there is no struggle, there is no progress." Who would be free, themselves must strike the blow.
"Power concedes nothing without a demand," Douglass said. "It never did and it never will. Find out just what any people will quietly submit to and you have found out the exact measure of injustice and wrong which will be imposed upon them, and these will continue till they are resisted with either words or blows, or with both." WI
Willie Ingram-Bey was also just released 90 days ago, after serving 48 years in prison. He was serving a sentence of 35 years to life for a rape and robbery. One of the first things he said to me was “Roach, I didn’t do this crime.” I last saw Willie in 1975 in Lorton Correctional Facility. He had resigned himself to die in prison after being in for 48 years. He, too, was released under the Compassionate Release provision. He was called into the office and told he was being released within 48 hours following a court order. He went into shock. They gave him a bus ticket and a $50 debit card (which were not in existence 48 years ago). Riding the bus from Terre Haute, Indiana, at each stop he got off the bus and stood beside the bus driver, asking “Are they coming to get me yet?” He had only the clothes on his back. Family and practically everyone he knew had died since his incarceration. He has a sister in Prince George, Virginia, who he planned to live with but was told he couldn’t live with his sister because her son, Ingram-Bey’s nephew, had a felony conviction over 20 years ago. He had two options: go to a shelter or live on the street. He was given permission to move with his sister but only for two weeks during which time he had to find another place to live in the same county. Now,
at 77, he has never lived in that county, doesn’t know anyone, has no ID, no source of income and no social security card. But he was asked by his parole officer “What employment prospects do you have?” He’s been ordered to give urine once a week. During the 48 years of his incarceration, he never once tested positive for any drug. He lives more than 30 miles from the testing facility and doesn’t have a license or a car, no can he drive. He hasn’t ridden in a vehicle in over four decades. There’s no nearby public transportation where he’s staying and if he misses his weekly drop, he will be in violation of his conditions for release and supervision and possibly be sent back to prison. Additionally, he has a daily 9 p.m. curfew, reminiscent of old racist practice of the Sunshine law when Blacks had to leave the white part of town when the sun went down. He must actively seek employment despite his advanced age but he’s never had a job in his life. When Willie applied for a government ID, he was told his prison ID was insufficient and he would need to provide his original birth certificate from 78 years ago. This type of insensitive, inconsiderate and inhuman treatment remains consistent with the majority of those who are on supervision. We need a complete coordination of all government, corporate, busi-
nesses, colleges, religious community, Wall Street and community resources to address this growing crisis of people being dumped back on the streets of D.C. after serving decades in prison. We need a reentry safety net that would provide pre- and post-release emergency transitional services consisting of housing, medical services, social security, employment and mental health assistance. We need to implement a reentry hotline from MORCA (Mayor’s Office on Returning Citizens Affairs). We need the Biden administration to include the Bureau of Prisons in its criminal justice reform and the Biden administration’s legal team needs to decide which inmates will be required to return prison after the COVID-19 pandemic comes to an end. Hundreds of men and women are facing being returned back to prison. This is outrageous. Biden campaigned on giving people a second chance. There are two options for President Biden to correct this gross injustice. He can issue an executive order or Congress could pass legislation mandating those released on Compassionate Release (home confinement) remain free. There but for the grace of God go I. WI
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WILLIAMS from Page 27 easing the current crisis of a "captured court." There will be lively debate over these proposals, including pushback from traditionalists who think we should not mess with the makeup of the court. But the number of seats on the court has been changed before — not once, but half a dozen times. It's also important to remember that we didn't get here though a traditional or normal course of events. The current court makeup was achieved by cynical political machinations of Mitch McConnell, the former Senate majority leader. McConnell refused to hold hearings for President Obama's SCOTUS nominee Merrick Garland, thereby stealing the seat for Neil Gorsuch. He did this on the flimsy pretext that it was too close to a presidential election. Then, proving conclusively that he has no shame, McConnell forced through Amy Coney Barrett's confirmation for the late Justice Ginsburg's seat even though vot-
ASKIA from Page 27 elections going forward, especially 2024 and the possibility that we're not going to have an election where the official results reflect what voters actually want." Put another way: The United States is on the verge of collapsing into a minority-ruled, apartheid state, with white Republicans openly ruling in behalf of their interests alone, and there is very little that can be done to prevent the future domination of the society by right-wing forces. "I think that we are amidst right now a full-blown crisis of minority rule and the avenue by which Americans have to defeat this are shrinking rapidly," David Daley, author of "Ratf**ked… The True Story Behind the Secret Plan to Steal America's Democracy," told me in an interview on WPFW-FM's "Monday Morning QB." It's irrefutable, from the Elec-
The Roberts Supreme Court is losing the confidence of the American people, if it hasn't lost it already. In its current form it is becoming a political body incapable of protecting the rights of all, interested only in those of the privileged and powerful. ing had already begun in the next presidential election. So there are clear wrongs to be remedied. The Roberts Supreme Court is losing the confidence of the American people, if it hasn't lost it already. In its current form it is becoming a political body incapable of protecting the rights of all, interested only in those of the privileged and powerful. And that means Supreme Court reform needs to be an integral part of our campaigns for justice
and equity on all fronts. We are fighting too hard for justice to see progress wrecked on the shoals of a rock-solid conservative court. Let's raise our voices for term limits and more Supreme Court seats at the same time we're calling for the For the People Act and John Lewis Voting Rights Act, the Equality Act, immigration reform, reproductive rights, health care and fair pay. Let's not trust our future to a captured court. WI
toral College to the Senate, the white, conservative minority has wielded political power, far beyond its numbers throughout U.S. history. And now, all over the country — such as in Texas where only a walkout by Democratic state legislators has prevented their approval — Republican-dominated state governments have already passed hundreds of laws to tighten their grip on political power by making it harder for those who disagree with them to vote, so they won't be voted out. "Democrats need to understand this might be the last chance they have to do anything about this for a decade," said Daley, who is a senior fellow at FairVote and former editor of Salon. "And that our democracy demands that they act now to fix these problems and to attempt to inject some fairness and responsiveness back into our democracy before it's too late." Too late. The principles of this country's
representative democracy have become much less fair and responsive and equitable according to many government critics. It's plain to see. For the governor of Texas to jam through a new draconian suppression of voting rights is designed to guarantee that Republicans will never lose another election. It's simple. Minority government. White minority government. You have an Electoral College system that twice in the past 20 years has made the winner of the presidency the person who won fewer votes. Say it ain't so! What matters is what matters to white folks. Right? Well, some white folks tryna steal y'all's democratic electoral system, right before your very eyes. Will anyone stop that runaway express? Can anyone stop them? Truth matters. Integrity matters. Honor. Word. Bond. Some may say I'm a dreamer. But I'm not the only one. One Love. Black August. WI
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