VOL. 53, NO. 46 • AUGUST 30 - SEPTEMBER 5, 2018
Heatwave hits the District. Stay hydrated.
Gillum Stuns Opponents, Wins FL Democratic Primary
Nonviolence at the Center of Annual Cookout
Tallahassee Mayor Poised to Become State’s First Black Governor
By Sam P.K. Collins WI Contributing Writer @SamPKCollins In the year that he’s practiced boxing, Elijah Mitchell said his discipline and knowledge of self had increased substantially, crediting the sport as a means of channeling his energy and serving as an example those in his peer group who endorse deadlier ways to resolve conflict. The light welterweight’s mission continued last weekend as he joined other young boxers in the ring during an afternoon of fellowship, reflection and redemption at what’s been touted as one of the District’s most peaceful annual gatherings for more than a decade. “It starts from your youth. When [young people] are in the streets and adults don’t care, they do anything to get clothes and food,” Mitchell, 20, said as he sat among hundreds of Black men, women and children who converged Saturday, Saturday, Aug. 25 on Upshur Recreation Center in Northwest on during “Cease Fire, Don’t Smoke the Brothers and Sisters’” 11th annual cookout and amateur boxing tournament. As community members indulged in burgers, beef hot dogs, warm mac & cheese, baked beans and other summertime cookout delights, Mitchell sipped water and patiently waited his turn to jump into a large black boxing ring erected just feet away from where he sat, all the while relishing the opportunity to take part in a staple summertime event. “[A lot of young people] don’t have
COOKOUT Page 23
Don’t Miss the WI Bridge Center Section
By D. Kevin McNeir WI Editor @dkevinmcneir
5 Asphalt to Action is a dream realized by the communities of Wards 6 and 7 to activate a vast area of parking lots surrounding RFK Stadium in Northeast into multipurpose athletic fields -- a 6,000 square feet pavilion, a visitor’s center, and other amenities. Mayor Muriel Bowser, along with city officials, joined EventsDC for a groundbreaking of the property to be activated in March 2019. /Photo Shevry Lassiter
American for All Seasons Sen. John McCain Loses Battle with Cancer
By D. Kevin McNeir WI Editor @dkevinmcneir The death of longtime Sen. John McCain (R-Arizona) on Saturday, Aug. 25 came as little surprise given his battle with brain cancer and his family’s statement that indicated his termination of cancer treatments one day before he died. Still, many Americans, regardless of party affiliation, as well as leaders from around the world, continue to send their condolences to McCain’s while further expressing their admiration for a man known for rarely holding his tongue no matter what the personal or political cost and for his unwavering love for both his
country and its citizens whom he represented for more than 35 years. McCain, 81, died just days before his 82nd birthday and will lie in state in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda, Fri., Aug. 31 – becoming only the 13th former senator to be so honored. A memorial has been scheduled on Sat., Sept. 1 at Washington National Cathedral with his burial taking place on Sun., Sept. 2nd at the U.S. Naval Academy cemetery in Annapolis. The military veteran (Navy aviator) and former prisoner of war in [POW] Vietnam has been a fixture in Congress for the past three decades, said to be, accord-
MCCAIN Page 9
Progressive Democrat Andrew Gillum, 39, rode the wave of record-setting midterm voter turnout, with young adults and Blacks turning out in force, to pull off a stunning primary victory in the high stakes, swing state of Florida on Tuesday. With one more win in the November general election, a race that promises to be a showdown
GILLUM Page 26
‘I VOTED FOR ANDREW GILLUM.’
5 Our future is in the hands of children like Azariah Powell, pictured during the recent NAACP Defeat Hate. Vote! Rally in Fort Lauderdale, FL. /Photo courtesy Anthony Williams
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