The Washington Informer - December 23, 2021 by The Washington Informer

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Vol. 57, No. 10 • December 23 - 29, 2021

COVID-19 Surge Amplifies Calls for DCPS to Return to Virtual Learning Bowser Declares State of Emergency as Case Count Reaches Highest Point to Date Sam P.K. Collins WI Staff Writer

5 Seniors Celebrate Good Tidings D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser’s 23rd Annual Senior Holiday Celebration gives seniors from all over the District a fabulous luncheon and reason to kick up their heels at the Washington Convention Center on Wednesday, Dec. 15 in Northwest. (Roy Lewis/The Washington Informer)

For teachers who have been under the gun this year, the rise in COVID-19 cases and several schools’ recent return to virtual learning represent the culmination of poor policy decisions and unrealistic expectations placed on teachers amid staff shortages, large class sizes and the inclination of youth to challenge protocols. For music teacher David Ifill, he said it’s been business as usual at his middle school. Without clear guidance about whether students and

Stacy M. Brown WI Senior Writer

BETTER Page 29

QUARANTINE Page 38

Uproar Continues after Watkins Elementary Students Forced to Reenact the Holocaust

Manchin’s ‘No’ Kills President Biden’s Build Back Better Agenda White House officials said the short- and long-term benefits President Joe Biden envisioned for his Build Back Better plan went something like this: Linda, a pregnant working mother in Peoria, Illinois, plies her trade at a local manufacturing facility as a production worker who earns $40,000 annually. When her son, Leo, is born, Linda begins receiving monthly Child Tax Credits of $300 – or $3,600 annually – to help cover essential costs like groceries, rent and medicine. As Leo grows up, the government helps cover his daycare costs, guaranteeing that she doesn’t need to pay more than 7 percent of her income on childcare. When Leo turns three, he attends a high-quality Pre-K program free of charge. After graduating high school, Leo enrolls in a community college because of extended Pell Grants and investments in community colleges.

band members can play wind instruments, he has become increasingly concerned about how to maintain precaution, especially since the rise of the Omicron variant. “There’s been absolute inconsistency and confusion,” said Ifill, who’s also a member of the DC Caucus of Rank-and-File Educators. “There’s a lot of mixing of cohorts. This three-feet social distancing mandate has gone out of the window. Administrators say they’re supposed to be masks on at all times [but] there

D. Kevin McNeir WI Senior Editor

5 United States Holocaust Memorail Museum provides a history lesson for all Americans. (Courtesy photo)

Parents, DCPS officials and members of the D.C. Council continue to express both shock and anger, with allegations confirmed that on Friday, Dec. 17, the library media specialist at Watkins Elementary School in Southeast led third graders in a frightening reenactment of the Holocaust. Several parents reported that when their children came home from school on Friday, they appeared upset with some even crying. The children, all third graders, said during class at the library, they had to pretend to relive

HOLOCAUST Page 9

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5 Denzel Washington Black Facts / Page 6

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COMPILED BY WI SENIOR EDITOR D. KEVIN MCNEIR AND WI CONTRIBUTING WRITER BRENDA SILER

UDC Receives Record Donation from Anonymous Source

Text INFORMER to 22828 University of the District of Columbia [UDC] received a collective $2.3 million private gift from an anonymous donor to support Black, brown and economically disadvantaged UDC students. A donation of $300,000 was acquired earlier this year from the same

donor to support the DAWN [Developing America's Workforce Nucleus] initiative. The additional $2 million will establish two distinct scholarship programs through DAWN. The award represents the largest private gift UDC has received from a single donation. "We are so grateful to the anonymous donor for stepping forward with such a generous gift that ensures UDC continues to drive the social mobility of its students and develop the next generation of leaders," said UDC President Ronald Mason, Jr. The University's DAWN initiative seeks to increase STEMbased talent from underrepresented populations. The program started as a pilot in the District's Ward 8 community. "Through the newly-created DAWN Scholarships, the gift will allow more students to pursue their educational goals while reducing their financial burdens," Mason said. UDC, which serves as the only public university in the nation's capital and the only urban land-grant university in the U.S., also counts as a designated Historically Black College or University. WI

Mayor Bowser Unveils COVID-19 Action Plan

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

PUBLISHER Denise Rolark Barnes STAFF D. Kevin McNeir, Senior Editor, Copy Editor Ron Burke, Advertising/ Marketing Director Shevry Lassiter, Photo Editor Lafayette Barnes, IV, Assistant Photo Editor Dorothy Rowley, Online Editor ZebraDesigns.net, Design & Layout Mable Neville, Bookkeeper Tatiana Moten, Social Media Specialist Angie Johnson, Circulation REPORTERS Stacy Brown (Senior Writer), Sam P.K. Collins, Timothy Cox, Will Ford (Prince George’s County Writer), Hamil Harris, Curtis Knowles, Daniel Kucin, D. Kevin McNeir, Dorothy Rowley, Brenda Siler, Lindiwe Vilakazi, Sarafina Wright, James Wright

On Monday, Dec. 20, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser announced the District’s COVID-19 Action Plan, including the declaration of a public emergency; the expansion of testing, including new Test Yourself DC sites, the launch of the new Test Yourself Express Program and the use of rapid tests for students and staff as they return from winter break; reinstating of the indoor mask mandate; implementation of a DC government vaccine mandate to include boosters; and the creation of COVID-19 Testing and Vaccination sites.

idents with free at-home rapid Antigen COVID-19 tests. Beginning Wednesday, December 22, the rapid antigen COVID-19 tests will be available at eight District libraries, six days a week. District residents will be able to access a maximum of two kits per day, and proof of DC residency will be required, (e.g., a DC ID or a piece of mail with a DC address) to get a test. After using a rapid at-home test, residents should report their results to DC Health at coronavirus.dc.gov/overthecounter.

DC Health is expanding the availability of PCR tests. In addition, to the eight firehouse testing sites and the existing 27 Test Yourself DC pick-up and drop-off sites, the District is adding nine new sites to pick up and drop off at-home PCR tests – for a total of 36 sites. DC Health has also ordered 1,050,000 rapid antigen tests — 150,000 BinaxNOW and 900,000 iHealth Antigen tests. Of those tests, 42,000 are currently on-hand and 200,000 Antigen tests are in transit to Washington, DC. The Test Yourself Express program will provide res-

The Mayor also announced that beginning Tuesday, Dec. 21 at 6:00 a.m., the indoor mask mandate will be reinstated until January 31, 2022 at 6:00 a.m.

EXPANDED TESTING

INDOOR MASK MANDATE

DC GOVERNMENT VACCINE MANDATE

A new vaccine mandate has also been put in place, where all employees, contractors, interns and grantees of DC Government must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and must have a booster. There will be no test-out option.

HOT TOPIC Page 5

PHOTOGRAPHERS Shevry Lassiter, Roy Lewis, Jr., Robert R. Roberts, Anthony Tilghman

4 DECEMBER 23 - 29, 2021

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D.C. Council Set to Change Configuration of Wards 7 and 8 James Wright WI Staff Writer

The D.C. Council has in the works major changes to the city’s ward system through the redistricting process. On Dec. 7, the council voted 11-1 to support a ward redistricting plan supported by Chairman Phil Mendelson that slightly tweaked the blueprint a subcommittee submitted last month. The new redistricting plan left the subcommittee’s proposal largely intact except for major changes in Ward 6, 7 and 8. The revised plan puts predominantly-Black Ward 6 neighborhoods Kingman Park and Rosedale in Ward 7 and adds the Navy Yard area of Ward 6 into Ward 8. Mendelson said he has listened to residents throughout the process and feels the revised plan serves the city’s overall best interest.

HOT TOPIC from Page 4 DC Government will engage labor partners on a specific deadline.

COVID-19 TESTING AND VACCINATION CENTERS

COVID-19 Testing and Vaccination Centers will also give residents more certainty in where and when to find testing and vaccines and allow DC Health to flex hours as needed. The announced plan is for the Testing and Vaccination Centers to begin to come online in the second half of January with the goal of one center per ward. The District is also calling on property owners with potential sites to work with the DC Government to use those sites as Testing and Vaccination centers. Property owners interested in participating can reach out to DC Government at retailspace.dc.gov.

DCPS WINTER BREAK RETURN

The Mayor and Chancellor also announced that DC Public Schools will be closed for instruction on Monday, January 3 and Tuesday, January 4. Staff and families will use those days to pick-up rapid antigen tests. DC Public Schools will con-

“I have heard arguments that taking Kingman Park and Rosedale out of Ward 6 will make Ward 6 a white ward,” Mendelson said, at a Dec. 6 news conference. “I don’t think that is the case. I find that there is only a one percent reduction in the Black population of Ward 6 if those two neighborhoods go to Ward 7.” The council scheduled a final vote on the revised plan on Dec. 21. Wendell Felder, the chairman of the Ward 7 Democrats, co-led a coalition of ward leaders denouncing the subcommittee plan which would have Ward 7 as having the smallest population in the city. The revised plan has Ward 7 as the fourth largest ward in the city. D.C. Council member Vincent Gray (D-Ward 7) endorsed the revised proposal calling it “fair” and “equitable.” “The boundaries . . . circulattinue to update families on pick-up options for rapid tests and meals on those days.

ed by Mendelson signal that the council has heard the outcries from leaders across Ward 7 and responded appropriately,” Gray said. “Kingman Park is a neighborhood that has been an active and established community in Ward 7 for 20 years. I want to thank Chair Mendelson for working with me to include all of Kingman Park in Ward 7 and neighboring Rosedale and, as well, keep the Fields at RFK and Kingman Island in Ward 7.” Gray didn’t vote for the Mendelson plan or participate in the Committee of the Whole meeting because of illness. On Dec. 17, the Ward 7 Democrats sent out a message on its communication networks complimenting the revised proposal but urged the council to consider extending the ward’s boundaries further west in the Pennsylvania Avenue, S.E. area and past 16th Street., S.E. Ward 6 Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner Sondra

5 The Navy Yard will move from Ward 6 to Ward 8 under a new redistricting plan. (Courtesy photo)

Phillips-Gilbert, who represents Rosedale, has adamantly made it clear she wants her neighborhood to stay in Ward 6 and not go into Ward 7. D.C. Council member Kenyan McDuffie (D-Ward 5) voted against the plan because it took the Armed Forces Retirement

Home and the Washington Hospital Center away from his ward and moved them to Ward 1. The revised plan has a few blocks in Ward 6 move to Ward 2 in the Shaw neighborhood. Wards 3 and 4 remain unchanged. WI @JamesDCWrighter

DO YOUR PART: GET VACCINATED AND BOOSTED

Mayor Bowser reminds every resident five and older to get vaccinated, if they haven’t done so already. Anyone 16 or older who has received their second dose of Pfizer or Moderna on or before June 20, 2021, or who has received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine on or before October 20, 2021 is encouraged to get a booster dose as soon as possible. In addition, all District residents six months and older should get vaccinated with the flu vaccine to protect themselves and the health care system. Residents can get a COVID-19 vaccination in the District by doing the following: 1. Go to a doctor 2. Find a local pharmacy and schedule and an appointment (vaccines.gov) 3. Visit a DC Government walk-up location listed on vaccinate. dc.gov 4. Request a vaccination athome by calling 1-855-363-0333 WI

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1867 – African American entrepreneur, philanthropist and activist Madam C.J. Walker, considered the first Black woman millionaire in America, is born in Delta, Louisiana. 1919 – Inventor Alice H. Parker patents the gas heating furnace. 1935 – R&B singer Esther Phillips is born in Galveston, Texas.

DEC. 24

1832 – The Georgia Infirmary, the first hospital established for Blacks in America, is chartered in Savannah. 1898 – Irwin C. Molllison, the first Black to receive a federal judgeship in the U.S., is born in Vicksburg, Miss. 1951 – North African country Libya declares its independence as the United Kingdom of Libya.

DEC. 25

1760 – Poet Jupiter Hammon becomes the first published Black writer with his work, "An Evening Thought: Salvation by Christ with Penitential Cries." 1863 – Robert Blake, a Union sailor during the American Civil War, helps fend off an attack upon a naval gunboat by Confederate forces, actions which resulted in him being the first African

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American to be presented with the Medal of Honor. 1907 – Famed entertainer Cab Calloway is born in Rochester, New York. 1951 – Harry T. Moore and his wife, Harriette Vyda Simms Moore, both educators, are killed in a bombing of their home in Mims, Florida, by suspected Ku Klux Klan members. The two are the first NAACP members to be murdered for civil rights activism.

DEC. 26

1908 – Boxer Jack Johnson defeats Tommy Burns to become the first African American world heavyweight boxing champion. 1915 – Una Mae Carlisle, a jazz singer, pianist and songwriter, is born in Zanesville, Ohio. 1966 – Black professor Maulana Karenga creates Kwanzaa, a weeklong celebration of African heritage in African American culture. 1999 – Singer-songwriter Curtis Mayfield (top) dies from complications of Type 2 diabetes in Roswell, Georgia, at 57.

DEC. 27

1892 – The first Black intercollegiate football game is played between Livingstone College and Biddle College.

DEC. 28

1903 – Pioneering jazz pianist Earl "Fatha" Hines is born in Duquesne, Pennsylvania. 1954 – Academy Award-winning actor Denzel Washington is born in Mount Vernon, New York. 1977 – Karen Batchelor Farmer is nationally recognized as the first African American member of the Daughters of the American Revolution.

DENZEL WASHINGTON

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DEC. 29

1907 – Robert Clifton Weaver (above), the first African American to be appointed to a U.S. Cabinet-level position, is born in Washington, D.C. WI

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The World According to Dominic D. Kevin McNeir / WI Senior Editor

Some Things, Like Classic Films about Christmas, Just Get Better with Time

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The story behind the Christian tradition of Christmas – that is the birth of Christ – was etched into my memory decades ago. But for children, while Jesus may be the reason for the season, Christmas is all about family gatherings, taking trips to visit grandparents and of course, trying to keep their noses clean so that they remain on Santa’s “nice list.” However, after reaching the age during which St. Nicholas lost his hold over me and my every waking thought, there were other elements of the season that grew in both importance and relevance, most notably the sights, the sounds and the smells of Christmas. When I was a little boy, our family only had one color TV in the house – believe it or not. It was a very heavy RCA television that Daddy had placed in the living room. I guess we were lucky to have what was then a technological wonder since some of our relatives, in their exuberance to experience “color TV,” had taken their black and white components and placed strips of crepe paper across the screen for a unique “colorful encounter.” Indeed, necessity is the mother of invention. With my mother and most of my aunts being elementary school teachers, and with Momma having an unquenchable love for music and laughter, it was a foregone conclusion that when any of the Christmas movies

were being shown, we’d all converge in front of the television. I would be warm and cozy in my pajamas that featured “the feet” sewn in since I could never seem to keep up with both of my slippers. My parents would sip on their specially-concocted “eggnog cocktails” while I nibbled on Christmas cookies, sweet potato pie and homemade vanilla ice cream. But it was the movies that made those evenings with my parents and my older sister so unforgettable. More than 50 years later, I still remember every lyric, every phrase uttered by the characters – even most of the song-and-dance routines which were foundational to my favorite Christmas movies. My earliest memories are of “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” who learns that being different should not be viewed as something negative. We all have our unique gifts and talents. The point is embracing them and discovering how they can contribute to the larger community. I still know all of the words to those Burl Ives classics. “A Charlie Brown Christmas” also had several messages – lessons for both children and adults. It made me laugh. It made me cry. It made me shout. And with its beautiful music, it even gave me inspiration. After all, it was Schroeder playing versions of “Jingle Bells” and then Beethoven who inspired me to begin playing the piano. “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” always seemed rather silly to me. But after becoming a father and later a grandfather, I grew to understand the multiplicity of teachable moments that can be found and shared in this holiday classic. And by the way, just where did Cindy Lou Who and the rest of the Who people come from, anyway? And were there any Who people of color? That’s a thought I’ve had in recent years. A few films have become almost as important to me as prayer in the morning, quiet time for reflection after dinner and daily walks to the park with my two beloved girls, my boxer Baby Girl and the latest edition – a tiny Dachshund who we found aban-

doned in the park a few months ago who I’ve named Duchess. First, there’s the 1951 version of “A Christmas Carol.” All other versions pale in comparison to this one which I prefer seeing in its original black and white. Who needs Ted Turner’s “colorized” version? Some things are best if they remain as they were. This was my mom’s favorite holiday movie – this and “It’s a Wonderful Life.” They remind me of times when life was full of promise, when the world appeared to be a place filled with magic where all of my dreams could come true. After all, if Ebenezer Scrooge could change and if Tiny Tim’s future could be recast for the better, than certainly all things were possible. For laughs, there are two movies that stand out: “Home Alone” and “A Christmas Story.” Ironically, as a youth, the absence of little brown boys who looked like me in either of the films never bothered me. I’ve since concluded that if you understand the true meaning of Christmas, you understand that it’s not about the external trappings which we often allow to hold us back. It’s a spiritual encounter. Finally, there’s Whitney Houston and Denzel Washington who bring Black culture to the 1947 version of “The Bishop’s Wife” in roles originally portrayed by Loretta Young and the debonair Cary Grant – this time in “The Preacher’s Wife.” Whitney sang like she never sang before. And who could resist Denzel back in the day? Whitney should have gotten an Oscar just for being able to say, ‘No. Lest I forget, a new classic, just released this year, has joined my list: the Netflix original, “Jingle Jangle.” I take my hat off to John Legend who co-wrote the songs and served among the team of producers. It’s a beautifully written work with dancing, singing and powerful messages – replete with moments that will make you laugh and cry. Best of all, the young children featured in the movie are talented far beyond their years – and they look like my little bronze-colored grandson. These are a few of my favorite things. What are some of yours? wi

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HOLOCAUST from Page 1 the horrors suffered by Jewish men, women at the hands of the Nazis during the Holocaust. Activities in which they were forced to participate included: suffocating in a gas chamber; pretending to ride the trains leading to the gas chambers; shooting hordes of innocent people; and for one student, allegedly a Jewish boy, pretending to be Adolf Hitler and committing suicide, replicating the German leader’s final act. While DCPS has declined to confirm the identity of the employee, several publications, including The New York Times, have identified the staff member as Kimberlynn Jurkowski. She remains on leave according to a DCPS spokesperson while officials continue to investigate mounting allegations and complaints. According to the Washington Teachers Union [WTU], the staff member, a librarian, counts as a member of the union and despite the seriousness of the charges, “has a right to due process.” “That’s why the WTU supports a through investigation,” a STU spokesperson told a WUSA9 reporter on Monday.

DISTURBING DETAILS COMING TO LIGHT

The principal of Watkins Elementary, M. Scott Berkowitz, emailed a note to parents Friday evening to explain the “incident of hate and bias.” “Earlier today, we received a report of a classroom of students receiving a lesson that included portraying different perspectives of the Holocaust,” Berkowitz wrote. “Students should never be tasked with acting out any atrocity, especially genocide and war. Additionally, there were allegations of a staff member using hate speech during the lesson, which is unacceptable and not tolerated at our school.” Even before Friday’s incident, several disturbing aspects had come to light at the school including Jurkowski’s allegedly questionable teaching history compile in her former state of residence, New Jersey, as well as her being charged for the inhumane treatment of animals.

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Prepare for unexpected power outages with a Generac home standby generator 5 The perimeter fence of the Nazi concentration camp at Auschwitz. (Courtesy photo)

Berkowitz sent another email to the school community on Sunday, praising the students for reporting the incident and “courageously advocating for themselves which enabled processing to start as soon as it did.” The principal, who could not be reached for comment, conducted a virtual meeting on Monday, Dec. 20 with the DCPS hate and bias response team for parents and caregivers of children impacted by the lesson. In addition, Berkowitz announced that he would lead a school-wide meeting on Wednesday, Dec. 22. Ward 5 Councilmember Charles Allen, who represents the Capitol Hill community in which the school is located, expressed his concerns in a letter to DCPS Chancellor Lewis Ferebee. “The antisemitism and hatred described by students has no place in the District of Columbia and the hate and harm caused by these actions are difficult to put into words,” Allen wrote. Additionally, Allen has questioned Ferebee about whether the instructor had been subjected to a thorough background check prior to her hiring, if DCPS had been aware of her alleged criminal charges, convictions and teaching license revocation and how DCPS determined her suitability, if the information had been known by officials prior to her being hired. D.C. Council Chairman Phil Mendelson described the event as “shocking and beyond belief.” “What happened cannot be un-

done but what DCPS does about it now is critical,” Mendelson wrote in a statement. But in the most scathing of criticisms, Ward 5 Councilmember Kenyon R. McDuffie released the following comments in a press release on Monday. “The actions of the staff member who orchestrated this farce are disgusting,” McDuffie said. “There is obviously no educational value in this exercise. Rather, children were used as pawns in a demented, anti-Semitic charade.” “Human history is marred by atrocities and we must never forget them but careful consideration must be given to how we present these difficult subjects to students.” “I am calling on leadership at Watkins Elementary, DCPS Chancellor Ferebee and the State Superintendent of Education to thoroughly investigate this matter, ensure that it was an isolated incident and determine if proper background checks were conducted on the staff member assigned to care for these students.” “Nothing like this should ever happen again. The school must also take immediate steps to evaluate any emotional trauma or distress that the students may have suffered and provide counseling or other appropriate services.” “Every staff member responsible for allowing this horrible incident to occur must be held accountable. We have a collective responsibility to protect children and, when necessary, to punish those who harm them intentionally or recklessly,” he said. WI

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With Few Options, Undocumented Black Immigrants Face Difficult Choice Sam P.K. Collins WI Staff Writer

AN ISSUE UNITING BLACK PEOPLE OF VARIOUS ETHNICITIES

Haitians count among 4.2 million Black immigrants living in the U.S.,

IMMIGRANTS Page 30

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ers in Del Rio, Texas. Though Biden condemned the officers’ actions, his administration later ushered in the deportation of those Haitians. Critics have since pointed to Biden’s use of Trump-era legislation that has led to a surge of border patrol agents during the pandemic. As a cohort of undocumented and formerly undocumented Black immigrants, UndocuBlack Network has led several marches over years, including one in February to highlight the plight of Haitians. “We’ve been in the streets for Black Lives Matter, the women’s march and immigration while all still fighting for Black immigrant-specific issues [and] we’re very drained. [But] the march was very rejuvenating,’ said Yoliswa Khumalo Hadebe, UndocuBlack Network’s director of narrative and media. “The Haitians’ pain isn’t separate from [the pain] of collective Black oppression,” said Hadebe who hails from South Africa. “There are other Black migrants left behind at the border and in detention who’ve had the same experiences, which is why we’ve asked for an expansive understanding of the issue.”

marginalized in conversation about immigration reform. The latest juncture of UndocuBlack’s efforts involves the Build Back Better Act. On Dec. 15, UndocuBlack and other organizations led a march through Downtown D.C. to call for the inclusion of language that paves a pathway to a green card for millions of undocumented immigrants, including those hailing from Africa and the Caribbean. A provision of the Build Back Better Act, currently under debate in the Senate, protects undocumented immigrants who’ve lived in the U.S. for more than a decade and provides them with healthcare access and the ability to travel home without consequence. It has been estimated to affect 7 million illegal immigrants, many of whom count as essential workers, Temporary Protected Status recipients and DREAMers. Upon entering office, President Joe Biden (D) touted immigration reform among his administration’s top priorities. However, attempts to exercise executive power to make permanent policy changes have sparked pushback from federal judges. In Congress, Biden’s overhaul of immigration laws hasn't found much traction. Earlier this year, the Senate struck down his attempt to forge a path to permanent citizenship. Meanwhile, Black migrants, specifically Haitians, continue to feel the wrath of border patrol agents and U.S. immigration agencies. In September, photos surfaced of U.S. border patrol agents on horseback whipping Haitian asylum seek-

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Over the last several months, Ronnie and several other affiliates of UndocuBlack have organized to heighten awareness about the plight of undocumented Black immigrants, a constituency members say has been

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Upon immigrating to the U.S. from St. Lucia, Ronnie started an academic journey he thought would help him achieve his goals. However, more than 15 years after moving to Brooklyn, New York with his mother and brother, Ronnie said he continues to experience firsthand the drawbacks of his precarious immigration status. In 2011, his visa expired. When he graduated from an aviation high school several years later, instructors couldn’t determine how to help him begin pilot training without permanent residency. After acquiring his bachelor’s degree in 2019, Ronnie faced more disappointment when he had to pass up on a job on Capitol Hill. As a beneficiary of Deferred Action for Child Arrivals [DACA], Ronnie, who asked only to be identified by his first name, has temporary protection against deportation but no pathway to American citizenship. He, along with others covered by the 2012 program, has to reapply for protection nearly every two years in a process he describes as convoluted and increasingly costly. If he doesn’t complete the DACA renewal process by next year, Ronnie will have no safety net. “We’re living in the consequences of politicians who don’t act. I’m at a place where I have to dream less,” said Ronnie, who’s currently enrolled in a graduate program at CUNY City College. “I’m thinking about whether I would stay 15 more years with dreams of becoming documented or go to Canada where immigrants have more accessible pathways to citizenship. I’m disappointed in the trajectory the United States has taken. It’s a deeper articulation of race.”

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PRINCE GEORGE'S COUNTY Local Businesses Receive Grants to Hire Unemployed Prince George’s Residents William J. Ford WI Staff Writer The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported earlier this month the three Maryland counties of Calvert, Charles and Prince George’s recorded a 6.1% unemployment rate in October, the lowest figure this year. Since the coronavirus pandemic af-

fected the majority Black jurisdiction of Prince George’s last year, the county has lost about 30,000 jobs. Employ Prince George’s, a quasi-government agency, seeks to help boost the job market by distributing more than $326,000 in grants for 12 entrepreneurs who will hire unemployed county residents. The agency congratulated each

5 Charity Barrett talks about her company, Progeny Enterprises, Inc. based in Fort Washington, on receiving a grant to hire Prince George’s County residents. Barrett represented one of 12 local entrepreneurs to obtain a portion of more than $326,000 in grants from Employ Prince George’s. (William J. Ford/The Washington Informer)

business Thursday, Dec. 16 at the American Job Center at Tanger Outlets in Oxon Hill. “Anytime you can get money you don’t have to pay back is a major plus,” said state Sen. Obie Patterson (D-District 26) of Fort Washington. “This not only helps the small businesses but

also helps people get back to work and pay taxes. This is on the red carpet for Christmas. It couldn’t be a better time to show our love and appreciation for these small businesses.” The grants funneled from the state represent part of Employ Prince George’s COVID-19 rapid re-em-

Former Delegate Dereck Davis Sworn-In as Maryland Treasurer William J. Ford WI Staff Writer Dereck E. Davis, who spent nearly half his life representing Prince George’s County as a member of the House of Delegates, will officially represent the entire state of Maryland as its new state treasurer. House Speaker Adrienne Jones

DISTRICT24

ARETHA

and Senate President Bill Ferguson swore in Davis during a ceremony Friday, Dec. 17 inside the House chamber in Annapolis. Davis, 54, represents not only the second African American elected to the position after Richard N. Dixon, but also the first person from Prince George’s. The county native has represented the 25th Legislative District in the

5 Former Del. Dereck Davis places his left hand on a Bible as he reads the oath to become Maryland’s 24th treasurer on Dec. 17. House Speaker Adrienne Jones (left) presided. Davis was joined by his wife, Monique (right) and their son Dereck Davis, Jr. (Robert R. Roberts/The Washington Informer)

12 DECEMBER 23 - 29, 2021

House of Delegates since 1995 – the last 18 years as chair of the influential House Economic Matters Committee during which he has overseen policies that include economic development, alcoholic beverages and labor and employment. “It is bittersweet. I am thrilled for this new opportunity. It was time for me to move on,” he said during an interview after the ceremony. “I wasn’t married when I got here. Now I’ve been married for 26 years. I didn’t have any children. Almost every good thing that’s happened to me has happened since I’ve been a member of the House of Delegates. I’m going to miss this place,” Davis said.” Davis, of Mitchellville, began work Monday, Dec. 20. Some of his duties include managing state funds and property, issuing or authorizing agents to issue payments of state funds and overseeing financial institutions that invest in the state. One of his main priorities will be to serve on the three-member Board of Public Works with the comptroller and the governor, which decides on millions of dollars in procurement and

various state projects. He’s scheduled to attend his first Board of Public Works meeting Jan. 5. Former state treasurer Nancy Kopp, who held the position for 20 years, said Davis spoke to the treasurer office staff last week and made quite an impression. “When he left, you had a happy office of people who knew that they had a treasurer they can respect,” she said. “Dereck Davis is the right person at the right time and I couldn’t be more pleased.” Davis comes into the position as the state remains poised to transition into new leadership in less than 14 months. Term limits will expire in January 2023 for Gov. Larry Hogan to complete his two, four-year terms. Attorney General Brian Frosh will not seek a third term and will retire from public office after first serving in the House of Delegates in 1987. Comptroller Peter Franchot continues to campaign in efforts to secure the Democratic nomination for governor.

DAVIS Page 30

ployment program. As part of the application process, entrepreneurs needed to illustrate how their businesses became negatively affected since March 16, 2020. A program summary shows a new employee must start within 30 days of the business’s grant application. Charity Barrett, owner of Progeny Enterprises, Inc. of Fort Washington, said she closed a child-care center called Perfect Angels last year. The center reopened with about 20 children enrolled. It’s licensed to have up to 71 children, “so that gives you the idea of the hit that we took during the pandemic,” said Barrett, who became an entrepreneur at age 25 and established Progeny in 2005. Barrett’s company will receive $37,620 to hire five employees that includes three full timers and two parttime executive assistants. She currently has seven employees and up to six independent contractors. “We wouldn’t be able to make ends meet without getting some type of assistance,” she said of the grant. “This will be wonderful to help us . . . and to hire Prince George’s County residents. I am thankful.” Vianca Walker, who has owned “Veez Bizzy Beez” since 1996, received $4,000 to employ a teacher’s aide to work with children ages 5 to 12 years old enrolled in the child-care center before and after care program. “During this pandemic, this is the most I’ve ever seen the county helping out businesses,” she said. “This is a big deal.” Employ Prince George’s continues to host in-person and virtual jobs, career-readiness and veteran’s workshops and other activities. The agency, through its Transportation and Logistics Consortium program (TALC), will partner with the county executive’s office for returning citizens and young adults 18 to 24 to package and deliver food throughout the county Dec. 28. Each person participating will be paid and receive training on learning how to drive trucks, operate forklifts and other equipment. Walter Simmons, president and CEO of Employ Prince George’s, said the agency will manage a mobile job center traveling throughout the county starting next year. “You might see us at somebody’s cookout. If we see a group of people, we’re going to pull up. Just want to make sure everyone has a job,” he said. “That mobile job center is going to be a game changer.” WI @jabariwill

THE WASHINGTON INFORMER / WWW.WASHINGTONINFORMER.COM

Endorsements Roll Out in Governor's Race, But No Front Runner Emerges William J. Ford WI Staff Writer

One distinct feature Maryland Democrats in the state’s crowded gubernatorial race continue to highlight: who’s supporting their candidacy with the primary election six months away. Last week, author and former nonprofit CEO Wes Moore emphasized endorsements from former Gov. Parris Glendening, state Sen. Delores Kelley of Baltimore County and Baltimore City Council member Robert Stokes Sr. On the same day, Dec. 15, former U.S. Education Secretary John King, Jr. announced endorsements from two aldermen with the Annapolis city council and former Del. Alice Cain from that city. Two days prior, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-California) said in a video the best choice to lead Mary-

land will be Tom Perez, the former chair of the Democratic National Committee. “I saw how he stood up for voting rights and vigorously enforced our civil rights law while at the [U.S] Department of Justice,” Pelosi said in a video Dec. 13. “We need a partner in Maryland, a state that I care very much about, who will work to deliver for working families . . . I believe that partner is Tom Perez.” Todd Eberly, political science professor at St. Mary’s College in St. Mary’s, Maryland, said he wasn’t surprised by Pelosi’s support for Perez because of his work in the national Democratic Party. With the General Assembly’s special session ending two weeks ago and health officials continuing to battle the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, it been difficult for one candidate to break away from the pack. “I think more than anything it’s probably a reflection . . . you have

PRINCE GEORGE’S COUNTY

strong candidates that for the most part have the finances they need to stay in the race,” Eberly said. Although Baltimore City entrepreneur Mike Rosenbaum planned to fund most of his campaign, he bowed out of the Democratic race last month and decreased the list of candidates to eight. On Thursday, Dec. 17, Jerome Segal brought the total back up to nine with his announcement to seek the Democratic nomination for governor. Segal, 78, founded the Bread and Roses Party more than two years ago to establish socialist and progressive policies in Maryland. On Thursday, the party officially disbanded. A few policy proposals from the former philosophy professor and author include incorporating a fourday work week, eliminating taxes for the bottom third of households and increasing gas taxes to pay for free or

5 Former Maryland Gov. Parris Glendening (left) endorses Democrat and Maryland gubernatorial candidate Wes Moore during a press conference Dec. 15 at Lawyer’s Mall in Annapolis. (William J. Ford/The Washington Informer)

MOORE Page 20

A Message from Prince George’s County Chamber of Commerce

The Real Meaning of the Holidays Colorful lights abound in neighborhoods; Holiday movies make us smile; and reconnecting with family members is special. This is certainly a special time of year! These last, two years have been the most challenging we have experienced. COVID and its iterations have caused a roller-coaster ride of uncertainty where at times there is light at the end of the tunnel and now, we are experiencing yet another surge. However, our resiliency prevails, and, in this time, we must collectively join hands and see ourselves as part of a health community. Instead of gifts and luxurious foods, what we really need is community. Right now, an acrimonious debate, in this time of COVID, divides us on how every individual and community can reach optimum health. Resistance abounds on the simple request to wear masks and opposition prevails on whether to schedule booster vaccine shots. Assigned are dubious ideological fragmentation that block ideas and reason. You are either conservative or liberal, part of the left or right and somehow whichever side you are either a patriot or renegade. Borrowing from Peter Block, the author of “Community: The Structure of Belonging,” the gift we can give is to weave a sense of belonging through creating a social fabric. The social fabric connects what we have in common and what connects us in building an inclusive society. Our work, clubs, and family structures are lasting democratic learning environs that provide safe places for social exploration and dialogue. As we dialogue, we build social muscle that helps us to construct community. Building this does not eliminate discourse or even intense argument, but through discourse collaboration can emerge. This season, speak to someone with different ideas and different perspectives. Avoid prosecuting or judging ideas, listen for common engagement. Of course, there are fringe ideas that are incongruent with community – some those include racism, sexism, orientation judgement and classism. Getting back to our community health, can we come together as a community and commit to embracing strategies that cease the spread of this dreaded virus? This Holiday lets become a community of health. 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* WWW.WASHINGTONINFORMER.COM / THE WASHINGTON INFORMER

DECEMBER 23 - 29, 2021 13

BUSINESS

“I would go to North Tulsa, where the historic Greenwood community is located. That is where ‘Black Wall Street’ once existed. I just started knocking on doors and asking people how I could help.

D.C. Resident Brandon Andrews Champions Entrepreneurship Among Blacks James Wright WI Staff Writer Ward 5 resident Brandon Andrews owns or has become involved in a few District businesses that reveal his belief in the benefits of entrepreneurship. He says adamantly, that Blacks should take a chance and start their own firms. “Everybody can be an entrepre-

neur,” Andrews said in an interview with the Informer. “Everyone has the ability to open up a business or start a non-profit. The key is to meet a need. Anyone who wants to open a business should try to meet a need in the local community.” Andrews works as the co/founder and chief product officer of Gauge, an artificial intelligence enabled mobile market research firm and has responsibility for products, marketing

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Andrellos Mitchell

5 Brandon Andrews is a Ward 5 resident who owns and works for a few District businesses. (Courtesy photo)

and sales. He also serves as the CEO of The Inexorable LLC, a consulting firm specializing in management, scientific and technical fields. For Values Partnership, he works as a senior consultant. He also fulfills his duties as an advisory board member of Angels & Entrepreneurs which connects entrepreneurs with investors using tools such as crowd investing, venture capital industry analysis, regulatory commentary and tips on how to deal with angel investors. Andrews’s entrepreneurial pursuits serve as part of the District’s Black business landscape. An August 26, 2020 post on the website Technical.ly DC reports nearly 30% of all businesses in the city count as Blackowned, a larger percentage than Philadelphia, New York, Atlanta and Boston. The website noted District Black businesses brought in more revenue in 2017 than the four cities cited above.

WORKING WITH ‘SHARK TANK’ TV SHOW

Through his work at Values Partnerships, Andrews has managed to develop a relationship with the popular business television show “Shark Tank.” On “Shark Tank,” small businesses seek the funding of multi-millionaire and billionaire entrepreneurs such as Daymond John of the FUBU clothing company or Mark Cuban, owner of the Dallas Mavericks, respectively.

Andrews said he works with “Shark Tank” producer Mark Burnett to bring Black entrepreneurs on the show. “That show has about 30,000 applicants a year to appear on the show,” he said. “Needless to say, not all of those people get on. I organize events that reveal to people what it takes to get on the show. We work on their pitches and how to best answer the questions of the investors.” Andrews said his “Shark Tank” work has been fruitful and notes that a few business owners in the District have appeared on the show.

ON THE PATH TO ENTREPRENEURSHIP

Andrews, who comes from a small town in Alabama, made his way to Oral Roberts University in Tulsa, where he developed a sense of service to others. “I would go to North Tulsa, where the historic Greenwood community is located,” he said. “That is where ‘Black Wall Street’ once existed. I just started knocking on doors and asking people how I could help. I found myself fixing leaks and watching after people’s kids.” While Andrews didn’t start a business in Tulsa, his volunteerism led to an internship on Capitol Hill and a full-time job with U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.) after finishing Oral Roberts in 2008. Working with Inhofe, he delved into foreign policy and defense matters. His knowledge

gained by working in Inhofe’s office benefitted him as he would go on to become a part of the U.S. State Department’s speaker’s bureau, primarily on entrepreneurship, a few years later. “In 2020, before the pandemic shut the country down, I went to Mongolia to teach people about entrepreneurship,” he said. “I have also traveled to Kyrgyzstan and Europe to talk about American entrepreneurship. I look forward to doing that again when the pandemic slows down.” Advice for Black entrepreneurs Andrews said in order to be a successful entrepreneur, one doesn’t have to be a genius. “When we think of great business people we think of Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg or Daymond John and how they are portrayed in the media and you should model yourselves after them,” he said. “That isn’t what will make your business a success. As a business owner, you have to solve a problem. If you solve a problem and meet a need, you will be successful,” he said. He said if one decides to open a business, they should make sure their finances are solid for a few months, have plans on how to promote their business and get ready to work really hard. “Anyone can be an entrepreneur but how successful you are depends on you,” he said. wi @JamesDCWrighter

THE WASHINGTON INFORMER / WWW.WASHINGTONINFORMER.COM

BUSINESS

Ward 8 Activist Darrell Gaston Has New Cause: Chef and Eatery Owner James Wright WI Staff Writer Darrell Gaston has been involved in Ward 8 as a candidate for the D.C. Council and the state board of education position and has served as an advisory neighborhood commissioner and anti-violence community activist. But now he has a new gig: chef and restaurant owner. Gaston owns and serves as the chef of Kitchen Savages, a takeout located in the Good Foods Market located in the Bellevue neighborhood of the ward. He said food has long been a passion but he wanted to take it to another level with Kitchen Savages. “I have worked with at-risk young people and found that common ground could be reached when they are eating,” he said. “Food brings people together. So, I decided to do something about that.” With Kitchen Savages, Gaston offers residents of Ward 8 another food option but gives people, mainly at-risk individuals, the chance to learn about the culinary industry

and possibly establish a career in the field.

THE START OF KITCHEN SAVAGES

Gaston has worked for years trying to save young lives through his DC Young Emerging Leaders program, which he founded in 2013. His experiences with his non-profit revealed that many at-risk youth lack healthy foods in their homes, if there’s anything to eat at all. “I learned over time when I would fix something to eat for young people, they would eat my food and then compliment me on how it tasted,” Gaston said. Plus, Gaston said he helped family members prepare Sunday dinner. “It was during Sunday dinner that my family would discuss what is going on among us and out in the world,” he said. In 2018, Gaston made the decision to pursue entrepreneurship in the food business. He worked to prepare himself to be a chef and eventually a business owner. However, when the pan-

demic came to the District, he realized the importance of having healthy food options in Ward 8. “Because of where we are located in the city, it is difficult for DoorDash and other food delivery companies serve our people,” he said. “I decided to go ahead and get started on Kitchen Savages even though the pandemic was in full force. Ward 8 residents should be able to get healthy food without having to cross over the Anacostia River.” In his research, Gaston found the culinary industry in the District needed chefs of color. What better way to teach Blacks about the industry than to offer opportunities to work for him, gain experience and use what they learned to build a solid career, he asked. “I decided to create something with teaching and training together,” Gaston said. “So far it has worked out well.” In order to enjoy the items offered by Kitchen Savages, you’ll need to go to the Good Foods Market in Bellevue. “We are so thankful for Good Foods Market for allowing us to use their kitchen,” he said.

In Spring 2022, Gaston will formally open Kitchen Savages as a sitdown restaurant for 40-45 people in the MLK Gateway located in Historic Anacostia. He said Bo Menkiti, the founder and chief executive officer of The Menkiti Group, and his staff worked with him to secure a lease in the MLK Gateway’s eastern building which will house the restaurant and culinary school. Additionally, Gaston received a grant from the Bowser administration designed to spur food establishments in Ward 8 earlier this fall. Gaston said since establishing his takeout, he has had 668 sales in the past month. Popular items on the menu include: honey blackened salmon and crab cake egg rolls and shrimp in different offerings. Gaston said the banana pudding cheese cake has emerged as his most popular item with the peach cobbler cheese cake a close second. “The most important thing is that we offer our customers good healthy food to consume,” he said. WI @JamesDCWrighter

5 Ward 8 political activist Darrell Gaston is the owner and chef of Kitchen Savages. (Courtesy photo)

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DECEMBER 23 - 29, 2021 15

NATIONAL Remembering Bobby Grier, Sr., First Black to Play in Sugar Bowl University of Pittsburgh Football Player Changed History in 1956 Timothy Cox WI Contributing Writer The name Robert "Bobby" Grier, Sr. has finally become wellknown among sports enthusiasts, particularly those who follow NCAA football history. After a successful 1955 season, the University of Pittsburgh football squad earned a chance to play Georgia Tech in the 1956 Sugar Bowl in New Orleans. Grier, a standout fullback and linebacker, counted as one of only

two Blacks on the team. When Georgia governor, Marvin Griffin, learned that Grier was on the Pitt team, Griffin immediately told the Georgia Tech Board of Trustees to forfeit the game, assuming that Grier would be allowed to play. At the time, Jim Crow laws in the South prohibited Blacks from overall integration activities, including college athletics. Meanwhile, Grier not only had support from his fellow Pitt teammates and the student body,

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5 Robert "Bobby" Grier, Sr. (Courtesy photo)

but players and students from the Georgia Tech Yellowjackets faithful also joined in the protest of “No Grier, No Game.” Even Georgia Tech’s president, Blake Ragsdale Van Leer, rejected Gov. Griffin’s request – urging that his team participate in the game. Ultimately, Grier suited up for the game and on Jan. 2, 1956, became the first African American to play in the Sugar Bowl. While Pitt lost the game 7-0, the victory margin occurred in a disputed pass interference call on Grier. Photographic evidence later strongly indicated the referee’s call to be both biased and incorrect. Recently speaking from his home in suburban Pittsburgh, Bobby Grier, Sr., now 89, rests comfortably in his laurels, with his son Rob Grier, Jr., and a granddaughter, Camille. After earning a business degree from Pitt, the older Grier served as an Air Force captain, also spending time working as a foreman at a Pittsburgh area steel mill. He retired as an administrator at Community College of Allegheny College in Pittsburgh. A cousin, Ed Grier, 88, recalls Bobby Grier’s exploits while playing for the vaunted Massillon (Washington High School) Tigers football program in Massillon, Ohio. During Bobby Grier’s three-year career in Massillon, the school won three consecutive Ohio state football titles, beginning in 1949, including a national title in 1951.

The Massillon Tigers football teams were coached by Paul Brown, the legendary former head coach and founder of both the Cleveland Browns and Cincinnati Bengals. Horace Gillom, a punter and another member of the legendary Massillon Tigers, played for Paul Brown’s Cleveland Browns in the 1940s. Raphael Cox, 76, of Canton, Ohio and Eddie Jefferies, 75, of Duquesne, Pa., vividly recall Bobby Grier’s impact on American sports. Both men spent their childhood years in the Pittsburgh area during the time in which Grier made national news. Cox, now a minister, was in the fourth grade in Beaver Falls, Pa. while Jefferies, a retired New Pittsburgh Courier sports editor, was in the third grade at Crawford Elementary School in Duquesne when Grier’s story drew national attention. “Bobby was just an all-around athlete,” said Ed Grier, himself a star Massillon High School basketball guard and baseball pitcher. “Bobby could play any position and was just as smart with the books. Racist policies stopped him from being recruited by Big 10 schools and other majors. Fortunately, Pitt recruited him. He got his degree and became an Air Force officer.” “He was a good student in high school, and most important, was coachable,” recalled Ed Grier, co-founder and treasure of the Massillon Benchwarmers, an ad-

vocate group for current Massillon High School athletes with college potential. Last summer, at Massillon’s first game, Bobby Grier, Sr. would be inducted into the high school’s “Wall of Fame.” In October, he was also inducted into Pitt’s Sports Hall of Fame. Why did it take so long for Bobby Grier to be properly recognized? “I don’t understand it,” Ed Grier said. “I had been urging the folks at our high school and eventually the Massillon football coach, Nate Moore, helped make it happen. Coach Moore also credits Massillon Boosters President Gary Vogt for the Boosters’ support. “We always knew about Bobby Grier’s exploits and his place in history,” Vogt said. “We’re very proud he’s a Massillon Tiger.” Grier's participation in the 1956 Sugar Bowl, as well as the support he received from various communities, count among many as a milestone in American race relations. His son, Rob Grier, Jr., a Duquesne University graduate and drone-engineering entrepreneur, noted that negotiations leading toward a major film about his father continue to be in the works that would star New Orleans native, Anthony Mackie, portraying the senior Grier. “I realized Dad was someone special when I saw Satchel Paige come up to him and excitedly start a conversation,” said Rob Grier, Jr., now 55. His wife of 59 years, the late Dr. Dorothy (Pridgen) Grier, was a retired educator at Pitt. Along with Rob, Jr., he has a daughter, Cassandra, who lives in Washington, D.C. and one granddaughter, Camille, a 2021 Pine-Richland High School (Pa.) graduate. Bobby Grier, Sr. noted that his family ties also has ties several other “famous Griers” including actress Pam Grier, NHL star Mike Grier, NFL coach Bobby Grier and NFL legend Roosevelt “Rosey” Grier. Bobby Grier, Sr. vividly recalls competitive games against Penn State’s Rosey Grier and Syracuse University’s Jim Brown. In 2019, Bobby Grier, Sr. would be elected as a member of the Sugar Bowl Hall of Fame in New Orleans. WI

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NATIONAL

Former Police Officer Kim Potter Admits Duante Wright Posed No Threat

Defense Rests While Social Media Explodes in Commentary and Critique Stacy M. Brown WI Senior Writer Former police officer Kim Potter, who shot and killed Duante Wright during a traffic stop because the young Black man had an air freshener dangling from his rear-view mirror, testified in her own defense. The disgraced officer’s time on the witness stand allowed astute social media observers to react with visceral observations. As she described reaching for her Taser but instead pulling out her gun and shooting Wright, Potter broke down in tears leading to a break in the proceedings. But many observers didn’t buy the tears. “Kim Potter tryna do her best Rittenhouse impression on the stand right now,” Bree Newsome Bass, an artist, activist and grassroots organizer tweeted. The tweet counted as an apparent reference to Kyle Rittenhouse, who a jury acquitted weeks earlier following testimony in which he appeared to break down on the stand. His “crying” was also sans tears. Social media users also dragged Potter for not acknowledging Wright. “Kim Potter has yet to say Daunte Wright’s name. It’s either ‘he,’ ‘him,’ or ‘driver.’ This is important because she has yet to acknowledge him. He’s just another person she saw as a criminal and killed. She cried in fear of prison and not remorse,” Sheridan Lair, a self-described cynical humor enthusiast, tweeted. Public defender and Law Crime Network analyst Olayemi Olurin went further. “Black people lose their lives in situations white people could never imagine even being in,” Olurin wrote. “Duante Wright was pulled over because Kim Potter said his air freshener was hanging incorrectly. Imagine even being pulled over

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5 Daunte Wright, before his death, holding his infant child. Former Police Officer Kim Potter will soon learn her fate after emotional testimony in her murder trial of Wright. (Courtesy photo)

for that pretextual reason, let alone shot and killed for it.” Potter only took the stand because “she knows how powerful white women’s tears can be,” wrote activist Ebony Noor. “White women’s tears have cast a powerful spell. She is guilty and needs to go jail.” Potter had worked for the Brooklyn Center Police Department for 26 years when she said she mistook her gun for a Taser and used to kill Wright, 20. Wright appeared to have resisted arrest from another officer who revealed he had tried to arrest the young man for missing a court date on a previous gun charge. Body camera videos of the shooting showed Potter shouting that she would use her Taser on Wright. “Taser! Taser! Taser!” Potter yelled but fired her service weapon instead. Prosecutors argued that Potter acted recklessly and dangerously. The former officer faces charges of first-degree and second-degree manslaughter. If convicted, she faces as much as 25 years in prison. Potter admitted that Wright posed no real threat during her testimony and that she had not seen

Enter non–winning holiday tickets at dclottery.com for a chance to win over $50,000 in total cash prizes! DC Scratcher games may continue to be sold even when all the top prizes have been claimed. | 1/2 pgProsecutor V | 5.85” x 9.5” | New him with a weapon.Washington Informer they?” Erin| 4c Eldridge Perhaps one of the most damn- asked. ing parts of her testimony occurred “Yes,” Potter responded. when the prosecutor displayed “You stopped doing your job photos of her gun and Taser. completely . . . you were focused “These items look different, don’t on what you had done because you

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Eldridge argued. Following her testimony on Friday, December 17, the defense rested its case. WI

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Zimbabwe Retraces Liberation Brotherhood with Tanzania Zimbabwe has joined Tanzania in strengthening calls for the preservation of African liberation history to safeguard the continent’s decades-long heritage. Under a collaboration with the Tanzania Ministry of Culture, Information, Broadcasting and Publicity Minister Senator Monica Mutsvangwa visited liberation sites that housed African luminaries such as the late former President Robert Mugabe, Mozambican founding father Samora Machel, Namibian Founding principal Sam Nujoma, the late South African President Nelson Mandela and Zambia’s founding father Kenneth Kaunda among others. Researchers agree that Tanzania birthed the spirit of Pan Africanism through its leader the late Julius Mwalimu Nyerere, providing a base for exiles from all countries and assisting political leaders out of places where their lives were at risk. Important individuals such as President Emmerson Mnangagwa and Vice President General Retired Constantino Chiwenga spent some time in Dar es Salaam in areas such as Morogoro and Kongwa. The strong relations created from the support of the liberation struggle have stood the test of time. Preserving this heritage has become a priority for the two nations. WI

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18 DECEMBER 23 - 29, 2021

Jamaica’s Courtenay Rattray Appointed Chief of Staff to UN Secretary General

Secretary General António Guterres on Friday, December 17, announced the appointment of Courtenay Rattray of Jamaica as his chief of staff. Rattray succeeds Maria Luiza Ribeiro Viotti of Brazil. A news release from the UN said Guterres expressed his profound appreciation to Ribeiro Viotti, saying that he particularly admires her exemplary leadership in steering the work of the United Nations through some of the greatest tests in the organization's history, including the novel coronavirus pandemic, a potentially crippling financial crisis and one of the organization's biggest internal reforms. Rattray has been high representative for the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States since July 2021. Prior to this appointment, he served as Jamaica's permanent representative to the United Nations in New York, during which time he was also co-chair of the Group of Friends of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Financing; Children and the SDGs; and the Group of Friends of Decent Work. He previously served as Jamaica's ambassador to China (2008-2013); director of the Bilateral Relations Department in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade in Kingston (2005-2008); deputy chief of mission, Embassy of Jamaica in Washington, D.C. (2001-2005); special adviser to the minister for foreign affairs and foreign trade (2000-2001); and special adviser to the minister for industry and investment (1999-2000). WI

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Moving forward together We’ve been through a lot together and have proved to be resilient. The approaching new year brings with it new possibilities to help our clients, communities and teammates move forward and prosper — safely. Using our industry-leading digital tools, like mobile check deposits, Erica,® CashPro® and access to Zelle,® individuals and businesses are finding it easier to do their everyday banking. Across the country, the expertise of our specialists and our teammates in financial centers is helping clients meet all their financial needs at every stage of their lives. In our communities, we continue to collaborate with local partners, business leaders, experts and academics across the public and private sectors to fuel job growth and financial stability. More than $400 million of our $1.25 billion commitment to advance racial equality and economic opportunity is already supporting diverse small businesses and partners, including many recipients here in the DMV who provide job skilling and hiring programs. We’ve also increased resources to support our teammates’ emotional and financial well-being. Recently, we raised our minimum hourly wage for U.S. employees to $21 per hour, moving closer to our goal of $25 by 2025. My teammates and I look forward to growing existing partnerships and creating new ones as we work together to make a difference. Have a safe and happy holiday season. What would you like the power to do? ®

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DECEMBER 23 - 29, 2021 19

HEALTH meaning that for a family of four patients earn $26,500 dollars per year or less, according to HealthCare.gov. “People need abortions for many reasons. But at the end of the day regardless of the reason, everyone has a right to control their body which allows them to control their life and their future,” Dr. Floyd said. The debate has fueled more national attention in recent months and left people like Janna Parker, a pro-choice activist from Maryland, disappointed with the instability of policies. “It’s disappointing that we’re fighting something that was established several years ago for the betterment of women’s health,” Parker said. “There are definitely people on both sides of the position that feel as though their opinion and their space is right about this. But the focal point has to be about the person who is carrying this

child, the situation surrounding it and their choice to continue on with that particular process in regard to pregnancy.” Most of the people who receive abortions at PPMW pay out of pocket, Dr. Floyd noted and the cost of this service does not come cheap. Options for patients include the abortion pill (around $500) or a medical procedure whose cost does not remain fixed. “We know abortion is safe. It has a less than one percent complication rate, especially when we’re talking about the first trimester which is when approximately 90% of abortions occur. We’ve also known that abortion is safe even beyond the first trimester. And it’s important to highlight that it’s safer than carrying a pregnancy to term and that we know from evidence,” Dr. Floyd said. Dr. Floyd said financial assistance

remains available with programs at PPMW and in the community that help with abortion payments and at times fees for the service may be waved at the discretion of the provider. “The perception is this is an issue that only affects white women but the reality is it [particularly] impacts women of color [and] and the poor, period. It is an economic reality that, to access reproductive contraception and maternal health, there is a racial disparity,” said Melanie Campbell, President/ CEO, National Coalition of Black Civic Participation. According to a report by the Centers for Disease Control [CDC] released in 2019, 53.4% of those who had an abortion were Black women. Within the U.S., Black women held the highest percentage among other races and ethnicities in 2019, according to the CDC. “I think when you talk about abortion and Black women, there are other parts you have to bring into this space,” Parker said. “The argument of women having control over their bodies for Black women in America has been going on since we stepped foot on this land. This is not a conversation of Black America that is new. It is a conversation that is new in the context of how one would view it.” Floyd maintains abortion should remain an individual decision. “The decision about whether and when to become a parent is deeply personal and is one that should only be up to an individual, their partner, their family, regardless of where they are in their pregnancy. Individuals need to be in charge of their medical decisions throughout their pregnancy and they need to have the freedom to make decisions and consultations with the provider based on their own unique circumstances,” Dr. Floyd said. WI

MOORE from Page 13

County Executive Rushern L. Baker III; former nonprofit executive Jon Baron; former Maryland Attorney General Doug Gansler; Maryland Comptroller Peter Franchot; and former Obama Administration official Ashwani Jain. The four Republican candidates include: Del. Daniel Cox, who represents portions of Carroll and Frederick counties; perennial candidate Robin Ficker; state Commerce Secretary Kelli Schultz; and Joe Werner of Baltimore County. David Lashar of Annapolis represents the Libertarian Party and the 14th gubernatorial candidate.

Candidates have until Feb. 22 to declare their candidacy. Besides the $2 million from his campaign reported early this year, Eberly said Franchot has one major advantage leading up to the June 28 primary: name recognition. “In many respects, there are few things that can quite compare to someone going in to vote and seeing a name on the ballot that they recognize and for whom they voted for in the past,” he said. “The office may change, but the familiarity with the candidate doesn’t.” WI @jabariwill

Black Women Disproportionately Affected By Disparity in Access to Abortion Natalie C. Hockaday WI Staff Writer The right to choose – a subject that has resumed its debate in politics with butting heads from those who oppose abortion and those who support choice has festered more controversy since new term-limit restrictions became law in Texas in September. “Just because something is a right does not make it a reality, particularly when speaking about economically and socially disadvantaged people who don’t have the privilege that some of us have,” said Dr. Serena Floyd, medical director, Planned Parenthood Metropolitan Washington, D.C. [PPMW]. “So, regardless of the legal right, if

you are an individual with a low income or living in a rural area, if you are a BIPOC [Black, Indigenous or person of color] individual, someone who identifies as LGBTQIA+, if you are a young person that right to abortion really doesn’t mean anything if you can’t access the care either where you live or elsewhere,” Dr. Floyd said. She said about half of the people who identify as women who receive abortions are Black and about one-infive women are Hispanic, patients are generally 20 to 29 years old followed by those 30 to 34 years old. PPMW has three locations, one in the District and two in Maryland. Just over 50 percent of their patients live 100% under the federal poverty level,

5 (Courtesy photo)

new forms of public transportation. “It is much harder to build a third party. Voters, given the stakes involved, often see voting for a third party as throwing away their vote,” Segal, who currently works as a director of a non-profit organization called The Peace Consultancy, said in a statement. “And even in a safe election, if there is a Democratic victory in the offing, progressive voters want to be part of it.” The other Democratic candidates include: former Prince George’s

20 DECEMBER 23 - 29, 2021

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HEALTH Omicron Variant Continues to Spread During the Holidays

Natalie C. Hockaday WI Staff Writer

As the winter begins, the COVID-19 Omicron variant’s rapid surge has the nation in a heightening sense of fear and trepidation with many saying, “No, not again.” In a blog posted by Dr. Francis Collins, the Director of the National Institutions of Health, he said there remain several means of protection against the Omicron variant with current vaccines. However, he further explained, “there appears to be a significant decline in neutralizing antibodies against this variant in people who have received two shots of an mRNA vaccine.” Those who receive the booster shot, or third shot of the COVID-19 vaccine, have been deemed better protected as it will help prevent those who are fully vaccinated from getting a breakthrough infection, Dr. Collins further explained. The Omicron Variant which

was discovered in South Africa in November has spread around the world with 22 states reporting cases of the Omicron variant as of Dec. 8, according to the CDC. It is still unknown how much easily the variant may spread compared to the Delta variant and whether those who have the Omicron variant are able to spread it to others regardless of vaccination status and symptoms. The CDC further stated that current vaccines will protect people from experiencing severe illness, hospitalization and death from the Omicron variant but breakthrough cases are still likely for those fully vaccinated. In a statement released by Pfizer and BioNTech, they suggest that a third dose of the Pfizer BioNTech vaccine neutralizes the Omicron variant and that only two doses of the vaccine “show significantly reduced neutralization titers.” “Ensuring as many people as possible are fully vaccinated with the

first two dose series and a booster remains the best course of action to prevent the spread of COVID-19,” said Dr. Albert Bourla, chairman and CEO, Pfizer. Earlier this month, DC Health confirmed the first four cases of the Omicron variant in DC. All four cases were people who were fully vaccinated but whose booster status was unknown. On Dec. 17, Bowser urged those who aren’t vaccinated to get vaccinated and for those who are feeling sick to “stay home.” Bowser also re-invoked a mask mandate, requiring people to wear masks indoors in public areas. “If you are going to social events, you might want to think about if you need to go or not. Limit those events. Stay in a closer bubble. B:8.75" that includes Wear a mask indoors, in public spacesT:8.75" [and] that includes in private homes and other settings where you’re not sure,” Bowser said. WI

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SPORTS SC State Pulls Off Huge Upset over Jackson State in Celebration Bowl Deion Sanders’ Team Shocked in 31-10 Defeat by Underdogs Ed Hill WI Contributing Writer It was supposed to be a celebration for the Jackson State football team and its dominance in HBCU football this season. After all, they boasted the FCS (Football Championship Subdivision)

National Coach of the Year in Deion "Coach Prime" Sanders, the national freshman of the year in Shadeur Sanders and they came in riding a ninegame win streak to boot. South Carolina State, on the other hand, was given little or no chance coming into the contest after winning

5 South Carolina State Celebrates Upset Win Over Jackson State in Cricket Celebration Bowl. (Photo courtesy Joe Faraoni, ESPN)

the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference and posting a 6-5 record. But like they say, "the game is played on the field, not in the media or among fans." And South Carolina State and their veteran coach, Oliver "Buddy" Pough, proved just that, silencing the prognosticators with a convincing 31-10 win over the Tigers in the Cricket Celebration Bowl at the Mercedes Benz Stadium before almost 50,000 and a nationally-televised audience. It did not appear that way early on when Jackson State (11-2) scored on its second possession to take a 7-0 lead. Given how the nationally-ranked Tigers defense had played all season, it was a safe bet that the Bulldogs (75), who relied on their stout defense much of the season would be unable to score. Their first four possessions resulted in three-and-outs as they never crossed midfield. But Jackson State's offense had problems of its own and were bogged down following the early score. Sanders, the son of Coach Prime, was rendered ineffective as the Bulldogs de-

fense hounded him into errant throws while the running game never materialized. SC State held Jackson State to 19 yards rushing for the game. The resilience of the Bulldogs paid off late in the second quarter when they forced a fumble by Sanders that gave them possession deep into Jackson State territory. SC State's Shaquan Davis, a 6-5 sophomore wide receiver, made them pay as he and junior quarterback Corey Fields, Jr. hooked up for a six-yard TD with a little over two minutes before halftime to tie the score. The discombobulated Tiger offense turned it over again on their ensuing possession to give SC State a short field that resulted in a 26-yard field goal that helped them take a 10-7 at intermission and provided momentum. "They kind of stopped what we wanted to do on offense," said Pough in his 19th season with the Bulldogs. "We thought if our defense could keep them out of the end zone and force them into long drives with our kicking game get a short field, we would have a chance. That series of

This week’s Kid Scoop page features the skill of reading an analog clock. Games and Activities make it fun. Each week, Kid Scoop brings students interactive games, activities, puzzles and more in a bright & bouncy, award-winning feature kids and their family members can enjoy together. PUBLICATION DATE HERE

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22 DECEMBER 23 - 29, 2021

5 SC State Wide Receiver Shaquan "Shaq" Davis was named MVP after catching three TD passes in Celebration Bowl. (Photo courtesy Joe Faraoni, ESPN)

plays just before the half were big." Following another JSU interception, it took the Bulldogs three plays for Davis to again connect with Fields, this time from 16 yards to increase the margin to 17-7. "We always count on our defense a lot," said Davis, who was named game MVP after catching five passes, three of which went for TDs. "When they make plays, it gives us a short field and that allows us to punch it in quicker instead of having to drive the whole field. They were a huge part of this win." Less than four minutes later, the Bulldogs struck again, this time from Fields, who threw for four touchdowns, to Richard Bailey from 16 yards to increase the deficit to 24-7. Facing a sense of urgency, the Tigers managed a 36-yard field goal from Raborn Bailey near the end of the third quarter to cut the deficit to 24-10. But the Bulldogs were not to be denied on this day. SC State would close out the scoring and post its first ever Celebration Bowl title. "I have been trying to get to this thing for 10 years," said Pough, in his 19th season as at the helm in Orangeburg. "When you have been around the game for 40 years, they pretty much all run together. But I can tell you this one ranks up there,” he said. As for Jackson State, the loss does not tarnish what it accomplished, especially the attention it brought to all HBCUS under Coach Prime. "They flat out kicked our butts," said Sanders. "Congratulations to South Carolina State for an incredible win in the Celebration Bowl. We will learn from this and prayerfully return next year." WI

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EDUCATION Rhodes Scholar Credits DCPS, Charter School Education for Milestone Sam P.K. Collins WI Staff Writer Years before becoming a Rhodes Scholar, Samantha O’Sullivan fostered a love for math and science at BASIS DC Public Charter School and School Without Walls. At both schools, she encountered several adults, including her teacher Edward Ismail and counselor Hafsatu Iro, who encouraged her immersion in the coursework. As she embarks on the next leg of her journey to becoming a research physicist, O’Sullivan continues to reflect on those experiences and a unique District upbringing that inspired a period of academic growth and activism at one of the nation’s most exclusive higher education institutions. “BASIS DC Public Charter School is very rigorous in math and science education; that school built my confidence in those skills and made me feel like I could achieve anything,” said O’Sullivan, a senior who majors in physics and African-American studies at Harvard University. “When I got to School Without Walls, I took advantage of the multivariable calculus and linear algebra courses at George Washington University. Those opportunities boosted my interest in physics at Harvard,” she added. The Rhodes Scholarship, named after British mining magnate and colonial leader Cecil Rhodes, allows students from across the world to pursue postgraduate studies at the University of Oxford in the field of their choice. Founded in 1902, it’s the oldest postgraduate scholarship in the world and one of the most coveted.

The 2022 class represents more than 60 countries. Shortly before Thanksgiving, the Rhodes Trust announced O’Sullivan and 31 other people from the U.S. as the newest, and most diverse, class of Rhodes Scholars from the United States. O’Sullivan and her peers received endorsements from their college or university. They also navigated a lengthy application process in which they had to demonstrate a propensity for academic achievement, social change and collaboration. After matriculating to Harvard in 2018, O’Sullivan founded and led an African-American student organization with the guidance of historian and Harvard professor Henry Louis Gates, Jr. She also published articles on slave codes and bias against young Black women. O’Sullivan’s research about plasma physics and astrophysics briefly took her to Princeton and Carnegie Institute of Astrophysics respectively. At Oxford, O’Sullivan plans to study condensed matter physics and attempt to figure out how to channel efficient energy sources. She also expressed enthusiasm about building relationships within Oxford’s global Black community. “If there’s a Black student presence, it will be international,” O’Sullivan said. “I’m excited to go to Oxford with my class of scholars [and] explore the options, even if it’s far away.” Another aspect of O’Sullivan’s academic experience involved the Carolinas, the home of Gullah Geechee language and culture. Since the fall of 2019, O’Sullivan has expanded her knowledge of

that world as part of an effort to better understand how language connects to people’s perception of the physical universe. O’Sullivan’s Gullah language instructor, Sunn m’Cheaux, said he respects how O’Sullivan highlighted a discipline that’s rarely explored in academic spaces. As a person who wrote a recommendation letter on O’Sullivan’s behalf, he not only knew about her endeavor early on but fervently cheered her on from the sidelines. “Samantha expressed her ambition, goals and ideas and involved me in some of those,” m’Cheaux said. “I developed a trust for her intuition and idea about what should be next [in her career.] I hope that what she saw for herself would come to fruition on her terms. I’m confident it would be positive because that’s her energy.” WI @SamPKCollins 4 Rhodes Scholar and DCPS alumna Samantha O’Sullivan (Courtesy photo)

#WinterReadyDC Offers Free Weatherization Kits for DC Residents #WinterReadyDC offers free weatherization kits for DC residents

The Public Service Commission of the District of Columbia (DCPSC) launches its annual #WinterReadyDC campaign to help DC residents and businesses prepare for winter. Since its inception in 2015, #WinterReadyDC has provided information and resources to help District residents manage their utility bills amidst the changing weather. Free weatherization kits are available for District residents on a ﬁrst come, ﬁrst serve basis at our website.

The Public Service Commission of the District of will also include a series of instructional demonstration “We are proud to its continue the#WinterReady#WinterReadyDC campaign forhow the sixth year,the ” said Interim videos on to use four piece weatherization kit. Columbia (DCPSC) launches annual Emile C. Thompson. “We will continue to provide District residents with the tools, The kits contain the following items: DC campaignChairman to help DC residents and businesses information, and resources required to ensure they avoid high utility bills this winter. We 1. Door/window weatherstripping prepare for winter. Since its inception 2015, #Winencourage consumers to visitin our #WinterReadyDC webpage to sign up for their weatherization kit and access additional aboutand assistance programs and energy-saving ” 2. Foam pipetips. insulation terReadyDC has provided information resources 3. kit Foam switch outlet gaskets insulation to help District residents utilitytheir bills After signing up,manage residents their will receive weatherization via mail. Theand #WinterReadyDC webpageweather. will also include a series of instructional videos on how to shrink use the kit four 4. Window insulation amidst the changing Free weatherization kits demonstration piece weatherization kit. The kits contain the following items: are available for District residents on aweatherstripping first come, first 1. Door/window Residents may see a reduction of heating and cooling serve basis at our website. 2. Foam pipe insulation Foam switch outlet gaskets insulation costs upwards of 20% from use of the kit. The Environ“We are proud to3. continue the and #WinterReadyDC 4. Window insulation kit mental Protection Agency estimates that homeowners campaign for the sixth year,” said Interimshrink Chairman Emile C. Thompson. “We will to of provide can save average 15% onuse heating Residents may seecontinue a reduction heatingDisand cooling costsan upwards of of 20% from of the and kit. cooling costs Protection Agency estimates that homeowners can save an average of 15% on by air sealing their homes and adding insulation in attrict residentsThe withEnvironmental the tools, information, and resourcheating and cooling costs by air sealing their homes and adding insulation in attics, ﬂoors over es required tocrawl ensure they high utility bills this tics, floors over crawl spaces and basements. spaces andavoid basements. To learn more about the #WinterReadyDC campaign, winter. We encourage consumers to visit our #WinterTo learn more about the #WinterReadyDC campaign, or for more information about having or for more information about having #WinterReadyDC ReadyDC webpage to sign up for their weatherization #WinterReadyDC at a community event or meeting, contact us by email. kit and access additional about assistance programs at a community event or meeting, contact us by email. The Public is an independent agency established by The Public Service Commission of the District of Columand energy-saving tips.”Service Commission of the District of Columbia Congress in 1913 to regulate electric, natural gas, and telecommunications companies in the District of After signing up, residents will receive their weath- bia is an independent agency established by Congress in Columbia. erization kit via mail. The #WinterReadyDC webpage 1913 to regulate electric, natural gas, and telecommunications companies in the District of Columbia.

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EDITORIAL

History Lessons May Be Startling But Should Not Be Traumatic Our hearts go out to the children at Watkins Elementary School in Southeast who learned the hard way about the tragic events which led to the deaths of millions of innocent Jewish men, women and children during the Holocaust. The children, all third grade students, were led in an activity by a school librarian, which forced them to reenact the horrors actually experienced by the Jewish community in Germany as they were corralled into trains, taken to gas chambers and suffocated. Parents and caregivers must now hold their children closer and try to help them overcome the emotional and psychological damage that has occurred because of the incident which took place last Friday. Beyond the anger and amazement which all adults continue to voice, we find two questions that simply cannot be ignored. The first: how did an instructor with such a questionable track record even become hired by DCPS? The second, however, may be a bit more nuanced. It’s difficult to understand how an elementary school teacher could ever believe that reenacting an incident of such horror and depravity could be of benefit to children who have yet to reach puberty. In these days of cancel culture and revisionist history, with statues and monuments being toppled and destroyed, it’s essential that we continue to teach our children about the events that have shaped our nation and the world – from both the past and the present. And while history lessons may sometimes be startling and eye opening, they should not be traumatic in their presentation. DCPS has some explaining to do. And we’ll be there listening intently. WI

Take Time to Count Your Blessings

Christmas is the season to be jolly and share joy, love and laughter with our closest friends and family members. It’s the season to share good cheer with others whose names we’ll never know. It’s the season of fulfilling the wishes of little ones who’ve prepared lists or, better, PowerPoint presentations of the gifts for which they have desired. Most important, it’s the season of saying “thank you” to those who sent cards, gifts, or a message with sentiments of “Merry Christmas or Happy Holidays” to let you know how special you are to them. It’s the season to count your blessings. However, this is also the season to reconnect with our cultural roots, to remind us of the principles and values that define who we are or should become. The eight-day Jewish tradition of Hanukkah celebrates the values of leadership, freedom, hope, light, community, giving, resilience and belief. The seven-day African-American Kwanzaa tradition celebrates the principles of unity, self-determination, collective work and responsibility, cooperative economics, purpose, creativity and faith. In Ward 8 in D.C.’s southeast quadrant, residents established a community code celebrating respect, responsibility, accountability, support and hard work. At the same time, families use this season to recommit themselves to family values, including kindness, honesty, integrity, fairness and mutual respect, to name a few. It’s the season to count your blessings. We also acknowledge the blessing our readers bring to us this season. Your letters, subscriptions, clicks, views, advertising, donations and news – positive news – mean everything to us. That’s why we count each one of you as our blessing and say, “Thank you!” We wish you a happy holiday season and hope you’ll take the time to count your blessings. WI

In Ward 8 in D.C.’s southeast quadrant, residents established a community code celebrating respect, responsibility, accountability, support and hard work.

TO THE EDITOR ‘Tis the Season

Bad Influences

Happy holidays to The Washington Informer Newspaper’s staff and all its readers. I look forward to more news and great stories in 2022!

The story “Study Reveals Racial Pay Gap in Influencer Marketing” surprises no one. If we make roughly 60 cents for every $1 they earn in general, why wouldn’t it apply to things like “influencer marketing.” Yet another example of unfairness and inequality we shoulder in this white-run, capitalistic society. Just my opinion.

Marlene Tompkins Washington, D.C.

Lynette Sanders Washington, D.C.

Readers' Mailbox

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The Washington Informer welcomes letters to the editor about articles we publish or issues affecting the community. Write to: lsaxton@washingtoninformer. com or send to: 3117 Martin Luther King Jr Ave., SE, Washington, D.C. 20032. Please note that we are unable to publish letters that do not include a full name, address and phone number. We look forward to hearing from you. DECEMBER 23 - 29, 2021 25

OPINIONS/EDITORIALS Guest Columnist

Ray Curry

Organized Labor is Again Flexing its Muscles

Jobs. Racial justice. Workplace safety. Equity. These issues, front and center in the minds of millions of Americans for years, were deeply intensified by the pandemic of 2020 and 2021. As the pandemic took full effect, devastating job losses hit minority workers and their families especially hard and the critical role of health and safety protections were never more clearly at the forefront of our conversations

than during this terrible pandemic. But as 2021 took hold and a new administration began its work, the long overdue fight to improve working conditions and labor rights was set into motion by President Joe Biden in first days in office. Always a friend to working men and women, President Biden has made it clear that he is committed to labor and to those Americans who are struggling. And we are seeing that more and more Americans view unions and the labor movement more favorably.

Guest Columnist

LABOR AT THE FOREFRONT

A survey last fall by Gallup found that 68% of respondents have a positive view of unions — up from only 48% in 2009. Tomorrow's workforce is an even bigger supporter of unions, with 77% of individuals 34 and younger supporting unions. These statistics present great opportunities for the labor movement. At the UAW, we have long known that our strength is found in our solidarity, and we've seen in so many recent examples that this is a moment of great opportunity to build on this momen-

tum. From the addition of thousands of new members, including the 17,000 student researchers at the University of California, to the voices heard loud and strong during the John Deere strike, 2021 has been a year to hear from the American worker. Only a year ago, we ended 2020 with less than 11% of workers represented by unions, roughly half the number of organized workers on the job in 1983 (when the Labor Department started tracking the figure.) But with Biden, we inaugurated a president self-described as the “most pro-union president in the history of the country.” And we're seeing the results.

Let's take a look at just a few key developments.

THE PEOPLE IN CHARGE

We have seen dramatic change in the makeup of the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) under President Biden. Two former counsels to the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) — David Prouty and Gwynne Wilcox — were named to the NLRB while Peter Ohy was named NLRB general counsel and Jennifer Abruzzo became permanent general counsel.

CURRYPage 45

Marian Wright Edelman

Caring for Children This Holiday Season

During this holy season, as those of us who are Christian celebrate the birth of a poor, homeless child, let's commit to standing up and caring for the millions of poor, homeless, hungry children living in our wealthy nation today. The poor baby in a manger often gets lost like so many poor babies all over America needing food, shelter, safety, edu-

cation and hope for the future. This year, Congress took significant steps towards reducing child poverty, including the one-year expansion of the Child Tax Credit which lifted millions of children out of poverty and helped families meet their children's basic needs, weather unexpected expenses and plan for the future. It has been a moment of opportunity and hope. The Build Back Better Act represents a generational chance to build on this hope for children. The

Guest Columnist

House of Representatives included the expanded Child Tax Credit in their version of the bill passed in mid-November, which would provide families with children up to $300 a month per child to help them afford the basics and get ahead. The Build Back Better Act would also cover the rising cost of child care (one of the biggest costs families face), make health insurance more affordable, accessible and stable for children and families, help people with low incomes afford housing

and avoid evictions and homelessness, and more. It puts America's most marginalized children and families first and advances racial equity. But the Senate has not yet passed the bill. In a time of ongoing economic uncertainty, families need this help more than ever. It's critical that the Senate pass the House version of the Build Back Better Act — without watering it down or making changes — to protect children and families.

"After decades of struggle and a year of our leaders choosing the Jim Crow filibuster over our voting rights, our time is now. On this day of action, I call on Congress and the White House to eliminate the filibuster and pass voting rights to protect millions of Black and brown voters. The arc of the moral universe is long. Join me on

26 DECEMBER 23 - 29, 2021

EDELMAN Page 45

Marc H. Morial

King Family And Justice Organizations Urge: No MLK Day Celebration Without Voting Rights Legislation January 17 to demand that it bends toward justice." — Martin Luther King III More than five and a half decades ago, Martin Luther King Jr. led 2,000 marchers to the Edmund Pettis Bridge in Selma, Alabama, where they knelt and prayed for an end to voter suppression. This MLK Day, his children will lead marchers to the Frederick Douglass Memorial Bridge in Washington, D.C., to culminate a weekend

Unless and until the Senate takes action, the Child Tax Credit expansion will expire and many families will stop receiving much-needed monthly payments after December. The Center for Budget and Policy Priorities estimates 9.9 million children could fall back into poverty or deeper into poverty if this critical support is not renewed, and Black, Latino and Native American children will be hardest hit.

of action in defense of democracy. Throughout MLK Day weekend, marches will take place around the nation on bridges, not only to recall the 1965 Selma to Montgomery marches and the historic "Bloody Sunday" attack on the Edmund Pettus Bridge, but also to contrast lawmakers' inaction on voting rights with their success in enacting a $1 trillion infrastructure measure for roads, airports, seaports, and bridges.

If Congress can deliver for bridges, it can deliver for voting rights. Martin Luther King III, Arndrea Waters King and Yolanda Renee King, alongside more than 90 national and grassroots organizations, including the National Urban League, this week announced mobilizations on Martin Luther King Jr. Day to restore and expand voting rights to honor Dr. King's legacy. The actions will call on President Biden and the Senate

to urgently pass federal voting rights legislation, including the Freedom to Vote Act and the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, and ensure the Jim Crow filibuster doesn't stand in the way. Dr. King's legacy reminds us that our right to vote was not easily won and it must be vigorously defended. It is a right that is foundational to our democracy. Last year, we saw what happens when we make voting more

MORIAL Page 45

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OPINIONS/EDITORIALS Guest Columnist

E. Faye Williams

Let's Get Right to It!

There's an obvious scheme afoot to return the United States to a period in time where we lived with a completely different social construct and contract. There are those who are diligently working to return us to a time before many of the hard-fought and recently won constitutional protections we (supposedly) now enjoy. The very ones who think we benefit disproportionately are the ones working

overtime to steal our hard-earned gains. They pretend not to understand when we point to their efforts to oppress and diminish those rights. They seem to nonchalantly say, "We didn't really intend for non-white people to ever become equal." There is one political party that has fully embraced the political and social philosophies of white supremacy. Every time we see news reports, we know which political party that is! They've even found help among select people of color who have been adequately reward-

Guest Columnist

ed to "move on up and live high on the hog" as payment to deny the circumstance which the masses protest. They know better, but, at the expense of our people, are willing to go along for a self-serving purpose! Sadly, the other political party seemingly does not recognize the current and on-going threat to our democracy. Their infighting and constant focus on two recalcitrant members provide the perfect example of an unforced, self-induced error. I do not negate the importance of the progressive work be-

ing done, but there is an unacceptable naivety of blindly working for progressive outcomes while the mechanics of their destruction are being codified daily by political opponents in increasing numbers of states. Even a blind man can see that Republicans are committed to converting our democracy into a fascist, permanent majority. True to his word, the disgraced, twice-impeached ex-president's three appointees to the Supreme Court are intent on establishing a pathway to the elimination of Roe v. Wade. Although I value the

sanctity of life, I equally value the right of a woman to make cogent decisions about her health and life. As an attorney, I see no clearer indication of their true intent than their allowing the Texas abortion law to stand, concurrently, in contradiction to decided law (Roe). Almost daily, we are witness to the imposition of new laws giving Republicans the authority and means to override voter outcomes that are unfavorable to them. In their flagrant attempt to overturn

er suppression and election subversion measures, Congress and the White House need to get new federal voting rights laws passed, signed, and put into effect before next year's elections. And that's not all. In the year since the violent attempt to stop Congress from certifying President Joe Biden's victory in the presidential election. Trump and his allies have done everything possible to deny what happened. But the truth is coming out anyway.

We can be grateful for good investigative reporting. And thankful for the determination of Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and the bipartisan House committee that is investigating the Jan. 6 insurrection. We now know that multiple lawyers working for Trump helped him pressure former Vice President Mike Pence to block congressional certification of Biden's win. We know that a PowerPoint

WILLIAMS Page 46

Ben Jealous

Defending a Democracy in Flames

I woke up this morning with my mind stayed on freedom. And how we can preserve it. Our freedom is threatened. We all need to be paying attention and preparing to take action next year. Look, I know that Christmas and New Year's are around the corner. Millions of us are looking forward to time off work and time spent with loved ones. I can just

hear people saying, "Ben, the last thing I want to think about right now is politics." Well, let's think bigger than that. Let's think about freedom. All year long, the freedom to vote has been under attack in dozens of states. In 2020, many states made voting more accessible in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. That was a good thing. We had record voter participation in 2020. But because millions of those voters rejected former President Donald Trump, Republican

Askia-At-Large

legislators are rolling back access to the ballot box and imposing new restrictions on voting. And sad to say, new voter suppression laws are not the only threat to our freedom. Donald Trump's henchmen have some other schemes up their sleeve. They're getting themselves in positions to oversee elections at the local and state levels. They're creating ways for legislators and election officials to count the votes they want to — and ignore the ones they disagree with. To combat this onslaught of vot-

JEALOUS Page 46

Askia Muhammad

Don't Discount Possibility of Civil War in the U.S.

For weeks and weeks, I've been warning that calamity and war are on the horizon in this country. I may have even said that we are in a "Cold War" stage, that is engaging in all the hostilities, without shooting, although a lot of shots are taken at Black people daily. So, here come three retired U.S. Army generals who are warning of

an insurrection or even civil war if the results of the 2024 presidential election were not accepted by some in the military. If that's true, that's mutiny. The appetite for such rebellion was demonstrated with the Jan. 6, U.S. Capitol insurrection, a civilian mutiny. If armed elements under a central command break off the way white civilians and vigilantes have already demonstrated, that will amount to an open civil war. The soldiers — former Maj. Gen.

Paul Eaton, former Maj. Gen. Antonio Taguba and former Brig. Gen. Steven Anderson — wrote in The Washington Post recently that they were "increasingly concerned" about the 2024 election and the "potential for lethal chaos inside our military." That's all these Proud Boys, Three Percenters and other groups, all racist and xenophobic, that's all they want, lethal chaos. The good news is that these would-be dictators are not now substantially in power in this country.

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The bad news is that those who are in power are not sufficiently alarmed about the threat from white nationalists. Their gangs were in the prisons, but that was no cause for alarm. They were among the ranks of police and fire-fighters, still no alarm. Judges and now the entire Repugnikkkan caucus in the U.S. Senate, and all but two GOP members in the House are sworn to the hateful policies which say "No. No. No." to pressing human domestic needs, and the same

to every potential international resolution short of war or surrender. Twice-impeached, one-term former President Donald Trump is hardly the brains behind this movement, although he has always been "smart enough" to always express his approval of whatever the white haters have done in public. As a result of his making white hatred fair-seeming, now the majority of white Americans

ASKIA Page 46 DECEMBER 23 - 29, 2021 27

LIFESTYLE "Beautiful" Delivers Unforgettable R&B Memories The Songs of Carole King Continue to Be Loved Brenda C. Siler WI Contributing Writer Top R&B hits from the 60s and 70s often lead fans to think of Motown Records in Detroit, Stax Records in Memphis and Philadelphia International in the

28 DECEMBER 23 - 29, 2021

City of Brotherly Love. But the Brill Building in New York City served as another R&B music stable, cranking out hits by The Drifters, The Shirelles, The Chiffons, Little Eva and the Righteous Brothers. Carole King composed many

5 Carole King and Gerry Goffin wrote hits for The Shirelles played by (l to r) Jamary A. Gil, Sarah Sigman,

Rosharra Francis and Danielle Herbert. The group is featured in "BEAUTIFUL – The Carole King Musical," the true story of King's remarkable rise to stardom as part of a hit songwriting team with her husband, Gerry Goffin. The musical is at The Kennedy Center until January 22. (Courtesy photo) chart-topping hits in the Brill Building which led to her successful career and serves as the subject of the award-winning production "Beautiful, The Carole King Musical," now

on stage at The Kennedy Center through Jan. 22. . Sara Sheppard plays the role of Carole King, born Carol Joan Klein. The musical follows King as a 16-year-old college freshman and aspiring songwriter who becomes one of America's most successful composers and singers. "Beautiful" opens with King's mother, Genie Klein, played by Rachel Coloff, trying to steer her daughter into a more practical career choice of being a teacher. The road traveled by King was not smooth, and through Sheppard's performance, the audience feels every bump. While at college, King meets her first love, Gerry Goffin. She becomes pregnant and the college coeds marry. With King's music and Goffin's lyrics, the couple served as a perfect musical match. After a few moderately successful compositions, the songwriters reached No. 1 with the Shirelles' "Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow." It was the first No.1 hit by a Black female group. Philadelphia native Danielle Herbert portrays one of the Shirelles. Like other ensemble cast members, Herbert takes on multiple roles. Several costumes and hair changes happened with split second proficiency. "Half of the cast has already done this," said Herbert, who also played Lucille, a Brill Building executive assistant to music executive Don Kirshner. "Beyond being a Shirelle, as Lucille, I had a lot of specific things to do with that character." In the interview with Herbert, she admitted not being too familiar

with King beyond King's hit "It's Too Late." "It wasn't until I got into the show that I learned so much about her life," said Herbert, who has also been a backup singer for Jill Scott. "I was amazed by this living legend." Songs composed by King and Goffin illustrated the good and not so good King/Goffin marriage. The Drifters' hit "Up on the Roof" was where Goffin could escape to clear his head. "One Fine Day" was the image of the good times of the King/Goffin personal and professional collaborations. "Natural Woman," the 1967 Aretha Franklin hit, was the joy of love King felt with Goffin. "Chains" by The Chiffons spoke to the couple's declining relationship. The competitive music industry also remains on display in "Beautiful." Composers and lyricists Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil, played by Ryan Farnsworth and Sara King, served as competitors to King and Goffin. In the musical, the Mann and Weil characters provided ample comic relief. The couples became good friends and supporters. Weil and Mann also scored their own hits with "On Broadway" by The Drifters, "Uptown" by The Crystals, "Walking in the Rain" by The Ronettes and "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'" by the Righteous Brothers. Kirshner stoked the competition. He later became the late-night pop music television host of "Don Kirshner's Rock Concert." The primarily boomer-aged au-

BEAUTIFUL Page 30

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LIFESTYLE

2022

5 West Virginia Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin has held fast in not

supporting President Biden’s Build Back Better plan, effectively killing any chance of passage in 2021. (Official photo)

BETTER from Page 1 “Thanks to his community college training, Leo lands a good-paying, union job as a wind turbine technician. His job is one of four million new jobs a year supported by President Biden’s economic plan,” officials report. However, like many ambitious dreams, visions of making life easier for the millions of Americans including Linda and Leo, appear to have been cast to the wind – dying, it seems, like the President’s Build Back Better plan. At least for now. With no Republican support and opposition from Democrats Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Kirsten Sinema of Arizona, many of President Biden’s supporters have quietly acknowledged defeat. The President and Manchin recently held lengthy discussions and it’s believed that the West Virginia Democrat wants to cut the child tax credit provision from the $1.75 trillion economic and climate package. Reports suggested that Manchin has expressed how the overall cost of the child tax credit impacts the entire package. The bill as it stands would extend the credit for one year, affecting more than 35 million Americans for households earning up to $35,000 per year. According to CNN, Manchin

said temporary programs do not reflect the actual cost to taxpayers. Asked why not just vote against future extensions of the child tax credit and agree to a one-year extension now, Manchin said: “I want to make sure that we’re upfront, transparent with the public. That’s all,” CNN reported. Another source called talks between Manchin and Biden “very far apart.” While Democratic leaders had expressed a desire to push the legislation through before 2022, it’s believed they will try and tackle the bill again sometime after the new year. Through the $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief bill earlier this year, lawmakers enacted the child tax credit for 2021 only. The credit provides up to $3,600 for each younger child and $3,000 for each older one per year. The entire credit goes to heads of households earning up to $112,500 a year and joint filers making up to $150,000, after which it begins to phase out. Through the bill, $300 monthly payments are distributed to each child under the age of 6 and $250 per month for children ages 6 to 17. Economists have generally agreed that the monthly payments have significantly reduced child poverty in America. WI

AN EVENING WITH BRANFORD MARSALIS

AMY HELM

JAN 26 + 27 | 8 PM

FEB 17 | 8 PM

MAVIS STAPLES

ALLISON RUSSELL

FEB 21–23 | 8 PM

MAR 6 | 7:30 PM

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VIEW FULL SCHEDULE AT

Stay Informed! www.washingtoninformer.com

DECEMBER 23 - 29, 2021 29

LIFESTYLE 2022 Urban Journalism Workshop Learn print, radio, television & digital The Washington Association of Black Journalists encourages Washington, D.C. -area high school students to apply to its 2022 winter/spring Urban Journalism Workshop (UJW). Longtime Chicago Tribune and St. Louis Times Dispatch reporter George Curry started the D.C. program in 1986. UJW gives students the opportunity to learn the fundamentals of print, radio, TV and online news. Current and former journalists with The Washington Post, USA Today, NPR, The Washington Informer and other outlets volunteer to teach and mentor participants. Seniors who enter the program’s essay contest compete for a scholarship.

•

Sessions are held for eight consecutive Saturdays, 9am - 4pm, from March - April, ﬁnishing with a certiﬁcate ceremony in early June.

•

High School students, grades 9-12, in the greater D.C.-area are eligible to apply.

•

Scholarship criteria includes an essay, stories produced in the workshop, class attendance and participation in all eight sessions.

To download the application, learn more about the Urban Journalism Workshop and/or the essay contest and scholarship, visit www.ujwonline.org or contact UJW Coordinator Trina Williams at ujwdc@aol.com.  Applications and required materials must be received by January 16, 2022.

DAVIS from Page 12 “Today is really a symbol of stability that this state can, and at our best, represent,” Ferguson said during the ceremony. “Dereck Davis is a man who knows this place, knows this state, knows the priorities and the people of Maryland.” Several fellow Prince Georgians attended the swearing-in ceremony Friday to honor Davis. State Sen. Melony Griffith (D-District 25) of Upper Marlboro recalled when she and Davis competed in 1994 for a seat in the House of Delegates. “Then four years later, I was able to join him along with [other] colleagues in the House of Delegates. He has had an incredibly distinguished career and he is going to go to higher heights in this new position,” she said. “He’s a young African-American man serving in this role. It’s just a great day historically, but more than that, he’s qualified to do the job.” In the meantime, someone will need to replace Davis and complete his term which expires next year. The county’s Democratic Central Committee will schedule a public hearing to solicit comments from interested candidates. The committee will vote to recommend that person for appointment by Gov. Larry Hogan. The chosen candidate will join delegates Darryl Barnes and Nick Charles to represent the 25th district which includes the city of District Heights, the town of Morningside and portions of Upper Marlboro. The Maryland General Assembly’s 90-day session begins Jan. 12. WI @jabariwill

NOTICE TO ESTABLISH A BRANCH Notice is hereby given that Industrial Bank whose main office is located at 4812 Georgia Avenue NW Washington, D.C. 20011, has made application to the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation to establish a branch, to be located at 550 Frelinghuysen Avenue Newark, N.J. 07114. Any person wishing to comment on this application may file his or her comments, in writing, with the Regional Director of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation at its New York Regional Office at 350 Fifth Avenue, Suite 1200, New York, New York 10118-0110, not later than January 7, 2022. The nonconfidential portions of the application are on file in the regional office and are available for inspection during regular business hours. Photocopies of the nonconfidential portion of the application file will be made available upon request. 30 DECEMBER 23 - 29, 2021

5 Sara Sheperd as "Carole King" in "BEAUTIFUL – The Carole King Musical."

The production is an inspiring true story of King's remarkable rise to stardom as part of a hit songwriting team with her husband, Gerry Goffin. The musical continues at The Kennedy Center through Jan. 22. (Courtesy photo)

BEAUTIFUL from Page 28 dience at the musical swayed sideto-side with every song. The cast represented a tightly-disciplined unit working hard while enjoying audience approval. The final ovation had the entire cast and audience singing "I Feel the Earth Move" from King's Grammy Award-winning album "Tapestry," one of the most successful albums in Billboard history now celebrating its 50th anniversary this year.

IMMIGRANTS from Page 11 many of whom arrive in need of asylum or as refugees. Even though Black immigrants account for nine percent of those who arrived illegally, the Black Alliance for Justice Immigration estimates that one out of five illegal immigration cases involve Black people. Research shows that the majority of foreign-born Black people come from Africa and the Caribbean and tend to have a better command of English than their counterparts from Latin America and other parts of the world. The lack of a language barrier, in part, has been identified as a reason why Black immigrants’ strife hasn’t been deemed as dire as that of Latino immigrants. Juliette, Ronnie’s mother, called on Americans, particularly Black Americans, to better empathize with Black immigrants who enter the U.S. to improve their lives and that of their families. Several years ago, before sending for Ronnie and his brother, Ronnie’s mother left St. Lucia for North Carolina, and later New York. She, too, rose

Looking for an evening of nostalgia with a superb cast? The audience at the Kennedy Center enthusiastically approved "Beautiful." "It's such an uplifting show. It helps you get through because the music is stellar night after night," said Herbert. "The bows are the part I love. It feels like a rock concert every night." For tickets, visit The Kennedy Center website, https://www.kennedy-center. org WI through the ranks of the American education system but not without being denied a driver’s license and academic scholarships and forced to endure the prejudice of employees in the university bursar’s office. However, Ronnie’s mother continued to press on, working 80-hour weeks and paying for her education out of pocket, all while supporting her children and family members in her native country. Two years into her graduate program, she remains confident that she can eventually acquire the tools needed to help Black immigrants facing trouble along the U.S. border. “People look at us as coming in and taking what’s theirs but we’re doing the jobs they won’t do and we do it for less pay,” Ronnie’s mother said. “We’re not here to cause problems. We want to get into the system and achieve the American dream. We’re being ostracized because of the color of our skin. Our Black brothers and sisters need to identify with us more and understand we’re not here to fight but to improve the system.” WI @SamPKCollins

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D.C. Churches Build Equity For Black Homeowners Black churches launch Black Equity Through Homeownership association to galvanize Black native Washingtonians seeking homeownership. One church member left the church her home in a will, allowing a father and son to become homeowners in the same neighborhood. Aja Beckham WI Contributing Writer D.C. churches launch Black Equity Through Homeownership alliance to provide Black renters, particularly Black native Washingtonians, permanent housing during gentrification. “The story of the United States of America is a story of land. Natives had it, but by violence, by lie, by law, through policy, a people killed and took what they wanted,” says Reverend William Lamar of Metropolitan African Methodist Episcopal Church. Metropolitan African Methodist Episcopal Church is a member church of Washington Interfaith Network, 5 Pastor Anthony Miner, in front of the First Rock Baptist a community of hundreds of D.C. area multi-faith Church in Southeast D.C.. (Anthony Tilghman/ congregations that addresses concerns through organizThe Washington Informer) ing and contacting elected officials. Now, Washington Interfaith Network is focusing more intentionally on Black homeownership by establishing the Black Equity Through Homeownership, an alliance of 50 churches seeking to build homes for Black residents, create a fund for inherited homes that need repair, facilitate homeownership workshops, and advocate for affordable housing, including rental properties. Celeste Bryant, co-chair of Black Equity Through Homeownership, says about a year ago when the group formed a main concern was “the history of exclusion that led to the wealth income gap.” A typical White household in D.C. reportedly had a net worth of $284,000 compared to $3,500 for Black households in 2013 and 2014. A lack of Black homeownership is the main reason 5 Barbra Leathers in front of her home which she purchased 5 The Joseph W. King Senior Center was built by the White households in D.C. reported a net worth 81 times greater First Rock Baptist Church. (Anthony Tilghman/The with the assistance from the First Rock Baptist Church. (Anthan the city’s U.S.-born Black households. Washington Informer) thony Tilghman/The Washington Informer) The group is interested in building homes for Black residents to purchase. Through Homeownership initiative because it’s led by the Washington Interfaith Net“What we want is land that we either are able to receive free and clear or purchase at an work, which Minter co-chairs. extremely ridiculously low rate. We want to use that land in partnership with developers One current Southeast renter is hopeful as well. who are friendly, well-prepared, and who have the history and capacity to build homes D.C. native, Curtis “Coach Peedy” Monroe, 46, was born, raised, and currently lives in a that are affordable,” says Bryant. Benning Terrace apartment complex with his sister because the rent is more affordable to split. Reverend Anthony Minter of First Rock Baptist Church, co-chair of the Washington “I’ve been interested in homeownership for 10 years, but I feel stuck because of my Interfaith Network, purchased vacant lots from the city at salary. I’m not sure where to start,” he says. a discounted rate and built homes for Black residents, he Bryant says that the network’s intended demographic are “average people” such as “a says. police officer who could not afford to live in the District, school teachers, even the janiFirst Rock Baptist Church built fifteen homes and a setor who makes a decent enough salary,” she says. nior home with more than 70 units in the Benning Ridge Minter says the Black Equity Through Homeownership network also plans to also neighborhood. The construction process started in the earreach “D.C. natives who helped build the city” such as Coach Peedy who has led violy 90’s and ended in 2004, says Reverend Minter. lence interrupter programming since 1993 to improve safety in the District, as well as Barbra Leathers, 56, says that the opportunity allowed mentoring players on the Benning Terrace Soldier football team. her to become a homeowner at 28-years-old, receive assis“It’s a hurt feeling that I’ve invested in the area, but I still may not get a house. It’s a tance as the church paid the down payment and her conhurt feeling,” he says. “Even my football players are leaving the program because their tribution was $500 total for the home, and build generafamilies have to move out of state to afford [housing].” tional wealth because her son will inherit the home. Reverend Minter says he will advocate for Black native Washingtonians being pushed “It was amazing. It was God-led because there was no out to other areas. way I thought about being a homeowner, and being able “No one should have to move states to find housing, even if it’s the DMV. At most to buy it for $500,” says Leathers. people should move to different neighborhoods,” he says. Bryant says she’s optimistic about the Black Equity

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DECEMBER 23 - 29, 2021 31

32 DECEMBER 23 - 29, 2021

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LIFESTYLE

A Year Outside the Museum Walls

Melanie A. Adams, PhD Director Smithsonian’s Anacostia Community Museum

Gospel Music Superstar John P. Kee Drops Unique Xmas Album Rare Product Offers One Song, 16-Track Holiday Penned by the Artist D. Kevin McNeir WI Senior Editor Gospel music legend John P. Kee has dropped a one-song, 16-track holiday album just in time for the season entitled, “No Christmas Without You” (Kee Music Group/ Tycsot). The one-of-a-kind recording features 16 unique versions of the feel good yuletide track which Kee wrote and produced. Kee, a gold record-selling artist, has penned many of today’s gospel music standards including “Show Up!,” “Standing in the Need” and “Jesus is Real,” among many others. Each of the renditions of the song bears its own distinct mark. For example, the first version will remind the listener of a “We Are the World” kind of vibe and features “The Family,” comprised of most of the artists who also perform individually on the album. The next version features John P. Kee himself, turning in a warm,

contemporary R&B-flavored track about enjoying the holiday with loved ones. Other solo versions by gospel heavyweights can be heard featuring Kim Burrell, Gene Moore and Jason Nelson. Other contributors include R&B star, Susan Carol, who delivers an acoustic rendition while Frank McComb tickles the ivories on his version which bears a Smooth Jazz flavor. R&B singer, Lachardon, another R&B singer, uses the bass guitar as accompaniment for her sultry ballad. Corvius Scott serves up a falsetto which takes the listener back to the days of the Stylistics and their lead vocalist, Russell Thompkins, Jr. Meanwhile, there’s George Leggett, who steals the show with his tenor tones, as well as Mekahla D. Smith’s, a talented soprano who employs elements of country music in an urban setting. Stream the link at https://smarturl.it/dn4moc. WI

In 2021, as the country continued to grapple with the health effects of Covid and the legacy of racial inequality, the Anacostia Community Museum took the streets of DC to tell the stories of those furthest from justice and the organizations and individuals trying to make a difference. Instead of looking for inspiration inside of our walls, the museum turned outward and found a way to make the city our museum in a way that was innovative and Covid safe. In February 2021, the museum installed Men of Change: Taking it to the Streets in the Deanwood neighborhood. With the assistance of community partners such as the Ron Brown School for Boys, the Deanwood Recreation Center, Deanwood DC, and the Deanwood Citizens Association, the museum placed its first outdoor exhibit. This exhibit, focusing on the lives of African American men, reminded visitors that the lives of African American men are complex and an important part of the American narrative from literature to politics to sports. Visitors to the exhibit expressed appreciation for seeing men from the community being recognized as everyday heroes and having the exhibit outside expanded access to people who may not visit museums. Building upon the success of Men of Change: Taking it to the Streets, the museum’s next outdoor exhibit was Food for the People: Eating and Activism in Greater Washington, located on the museum plaza. This exhibit focuses on the people and organizations that are working to eliminate food inequality in the region which was exacerbated by the ongoing pandemic. The exhibit visually demonstrates the grocery store gap and the level of food waste in the country alongside the people working tirelessly for change. The outdoor exhibit is one part of the story. The second part of the exhibit opened inside the museum in August and focuses on the legacy of food inequali-

5 A family explores the community section which highlighted men of change from Deanwood during “Men of Change: Taking it to the Streets”. (Photo Courtesy: Smithsonian’s Anacostia Community Museum)

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5 “Food for the People: Eating & Activism in Greater Washington” on display now at the Smithsonian’s Anacostia Community Museum (Photo Courtesy: Smithsonian’s Anacostia Community Museum)

ty and what people can do today to help build a more equitable system for all. Divided into five sections, the exhibit tells the stories of everyday people advocating for their rights to healthy and affordable food. With a focus on the food system, the exhibit exposes the inequalities designed into the system and at the end of the exhibit, encourages visitors to reimagine the components of a just food system. As the country continues to acclimate to a new normal, the museum plans to continue to work with community partners and to find ways to take our programs outside of the museum walls. In February 2022, the museum will unveil a new outdoor projection system which will allow us to project images on the museum walls. We added new educators who will work both on site and out in the community developing programs. In March, we will release a new online exhibit looking at the history of Barry Farms/Hillsdale and the importance of housing to African American communities. Over the summer, we will release a virtual reality experience in the Southwest neighborhood that looks at the change in the neighborhood over time. For almost 54 years, the Smithsonian’s Anacostia Community Museum has served the people of the Washington region by telling the stories of ordinary people doing extraordinary things. We have focused on those furthest from justice and how they advocated to secure rights that most people take for granted such as access to healthy food, clean water, and quality schools. We brought to light people that have always been doing the work but were relegated to the background. As we move into 2022, ACM will continue to find creative ways to tell these stories both inside the museum and outside in the community. We will continue to work with community partners who add richness, relevancy and a sense of urgency to the issues we address in our programs and exhibits. 2022 will be an exciting year for the Anacostia Community Museum and I hope you will check out all we have to offer. Happy Holidays and Happy New Year from the ACM staff.

DECEMBER 23 - 29, 2021 33

Re-Think Holiday Gift-Giving:

Memory Jar Gift

Make a Gift from a T-shirt! ave you outgrown a favorite T-shirt and you don’t want to get rid of it? You can turn it into a gift for a friend or family member and give it a new life!

Make a Reusable Shopping Bag

1. Cut the sleeves off the T-shirt by cutting along the seams.

How many T-shirts do you see?

1. Clean out a jar. 2. Use paints and stickers to decorate the jar and the lid. 3. Tape these instructions on the inside of the lid: TO:

2. Cut out the collar in a 3. Cut little strips along the bottom of the square shape. shirt. Use a ruler for spacing.

4. Tie double knots along bottom of the shirt matching with back.

This is your 2022 Memory Jar! Each day, write down at least one good thing that happened on that day and place the slip of paper in this jar. If you’re having a bad day, open the jar and relive a happier memory. At the end of the year, you’ll have at least 365 reasons to smile as you look back at 2022! FROM:

Put these apples in the bag.

FAVORITE REUSABLE SHOPPING OUTGROWN HOLIDAY FRIEND SQUARE SHIRT BRAID KNOTS GIFT TOYS NEW DOG OLD

F G N I P P O H S O

A E I B R A I D U H

V O L D O G E T T H

O T L B I R G O S O R R I F A R Y T D L I

I T U D S O A Y I

T H Q W G N U G O D

E S N I K F W E N A T D N E I R F S R Y

Standards Link: Letter sequencing. Recognize identical words. Skim and scan reading. Recall spelling patterns.

Make a Gift for a Dog Here’s how old T-shirts can be turned into dog toys: 1. Cut T-shirt into strips about 1 inch wide and 1 foot long.

Newspaper Search Game Gift Can you find the two T-shirts that are exactly the same? C

Standards Link: Reading Comprehension: Follow simple written instructions.

B A

2. Divide strips into 3 groups to make 3 braids. Save 2 strips for step 3. 3. Braid the 3 braids together and use the last 2 strips to tie the ends.

Create your own newspaper scavenger hunt game. For example: Smile search, Sports search, Animal search, etc. Then give the game instructions and a newspaper as a gift.

T-Shirt Twins

4. Play with dog!

How many of the following can you find in today’s newspaper? ❏ Christmas Tree ❏ Reindeer ❏ Elves ❏ Wrapped packages ❏ Happy faces ❏ Cookies Standards Link: Research: Use the newspaper to locate information.

Holiday Jokes and Riddles

Write down some of your favorite holiday jokes and riddles to share with your family and friends.

KID SCOOP IS SPONSORED BY

34 DECEMBER 23 - 29, 2021

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LIFESTYLE

wi book review "Unexpected Bravery: Women and Children of the Civil War" By A.J. Schenkman c.2021, Globe Pequot $19.95 191 pages

horoscopes

DEC 23 - 29, 2021

ARIES Although it might run counter to your independent nature, you'll be craving a sense of camaraderie early in the week. Work with your colleagues to get an ambitious project across the finish line or spend time with an organization or club you feel connected to. The experience can be emotionally gratifying and lead to a successful result. Lucky Numbers: 7, 19, 30 TAURUS If you've been putting your nose to the grindstone on a major project and feeling like you haven't been receiving well-deserved recognition, that's about to change. Higher-ups can't help but notice your work ethic. And the more forward thinking you can be now, the better the result. Your appetite for flirtation, sensual physical play, old-fashioned gestures like flowers, and magical date nights are all elevated later in the week. Lucky Numbers: 9, 14, 37 GEMINI Early in the week, you're more than happy to follow through on your work responsibilities but you're itching for a shake-up. You're in need of an eye-opening experience. Putting in for vacation time and investing in a course to hone your skill set and ultimately advance your career are just two routes you could go. Now is absolutely the time to follow your gut. Lucky Numbers: 17, 30, 38

Terri Schlichenmeyer WI Contributing Writer You really want to help. Another pair of hands is a good thing, right? You're determined to pitch in, even when they tell you "no." Even when they don't know where to assign you. Even if the job is dangerous, you're not sitting it out. As in the new book "Unexpected Bravery" by A.J. Schenkman, no way you're not getting involved. Back in 1865, when the population of the United States was about 32 million people, four million of them were "human beings owned as property." This was a problem, so there was war in which "roughly six hundred thousand soldiers perished …" A surprising number of those soldiers never should've been on the battlefield: they were children too young for battle or they were women, for whom military service was "illegal." Young Johnny Clem, ran away at age 10 to enlist in the 3rd Ohio Volunteer Infantry. They may have tried to send him home, but Clem was undaunted: he instead joined with 22nd Michigan Infantry, and became a drummer. Officially, he became a soldier in 1863. As a slave, Susie King Taylor learned to read and write and was quietly educated by a series of teachers because her grandmother saw her intelligence. In 1862, at age 13, Taylor was asked to teach freed African Americans living on an island just off the coast of Georgia. She taught children by day and adults at night, and she later took on nursing duties and cared for the wounded of the 33rd United States Colored Infantry Regiment. Lyston and William Howe both joined with the Union when they were teens, first as drummers. Officials accused Cuban-born Don Mauricio Sanchez of being a Confederate spy; he wasn't, but his teenage daughter, Lola, was. Fifteen-year-old Rashio Crane died in Andersonville Prison, a POW. Albert D.J. Cashier fought for three years in the 95th Illinois Volunteer Infantry but kept a secret for the rest of his life. And, says Schenkman, at least one unnamed woman died on the battlefield, fighting while pregnant. Imagine any average preteen you know, maybe your child or grandchild. Now imagine him or her on the battlefield, guns blazing, cannons blasting, and you'll understand what'll sit just off to one side of your mind while you're reading "Unexpected Bravery." Indeed, the stories that author A.J. Schenkman shares are relatable, in the sense that we all know brave women, and children the same age as the soldier-kids about which he writes. Yes, it's jaw-dropping but let yourself be amazed, too, at the reasons for why these women and kids went to war. Schenkman's explanations are a boon for readers who are not fans of textbook history; instead, he tells individual stories without a lot dates-and-battles info. You get enough to anchor each tale — and with what you'll learn, that's really enough. And yet, it's not. This book may send you looking for more, because it's eye-opening and well-told. Civil War buffs and unique-story lovers need "Unexpected Bravery." You can't help but like it. WI

CANCER A burst of creativity and social energy makes it easy to take a work project to the next level early in the week. If you've been feeling stuck, this momentum boosts your confidence. Share and celebrate your success with colleagues! Lucky Numbers: 23, 31, 41 LEO At the start of the week, the spotlight shines on you in a warm and lovely way, making you feel radiant, charismatic, and especially attractive. You'll want to get out of your comfort zone and enjoy quality bonding time with best friends and your lover, or, if you're single, put yourself out there in a way that could lead to meeting someone special. Later, the cosmos is fueling your efforts to step up your side hustle or take on new clients or projects. Lucky Numbers: 4, 18, 24 VIRGO When the week begins, meditation, journaling, or enjoying your favorite self-care routine comes easily. You're perfectly content to spend time alone, reflecting on and caring for your emotional and mental well-being. This quiet, restorative moment can have you feeling like you're glowing from the inside out. Lucky Numbers: 1, 27, 38 LIBRA As the week starts, you'll be itching to express yourself in a creative, perhaps even quirky way to your partner or a potential lover. Letting go of any premeditated plans and going with the flow can make it easier to communicate how you really feel and, in turn, strengthen your connection from an incredibly genuine, sweet place. Lucky Numbers: 7, 8, 31 SCORPIO At the start of the week, you could feel like it's finally time to set solid boundaries on the job in order to achieve better work/life balance. While pinpointing the best way to do this, and then actually getting it done, might initially feel intimidating, your motivation is high because you know you're on the brink of physical and emotional burnout if you don't make concrete changes now. Lucky Numbers: 3, 20, 48 SAGITTARIUS Heading out on a road trip or planning an adrenaline-pumping date (think rock climbing or an amusement park) could be all you've been dreaming of early in the week. Giving into your desires now can boost the chemistry with your love or, if you're unattached, lead you to someone exciting. Lucky Numbers: 3, 26, 49 CAPRICORN Early in the week, you'll be focused on how you can best address your personal needs and still fulfill your responsibilities on the job. You could come to a tough but necessary realization: the assumption that work must come first is no longer serving you, and you deserve to take a long-overdue time-out to focus on routines that boost your well-being. Lucky Numbers: 17, 35, 47 AQUARIUS If you feel like others haven't been recognizing your hard work and how much you've been juggling lately, you might find you're feeling a bit moody early in the week. You'd do well to toot your own horn, showcase your most creative work, and celebrate your accomplishments in a more vocal way. Others are sure to take note, and you deserve the accolades! Lucky Numbers: 3, 7, 50 PISCES Taking a new workout class or inviting friends to join you in working toward a major fitness goal could be a smart move at the start of the week. You'll be feeling especially focused and driven to boost your vitality and excited to bring friends along for the ride. Their company and support has you feeling like you can hit that finish line and then keep on going! Later, you might feel like prioritizing rest, relaxation, and self-reflection. By hitting pause on your daily grind, you'll get a chance to recharge and feel even stronger and more focused in the days and weeks ahead. Lucky Numbers: 13, 28, 34

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DECEMBER 23 - 29, 2021 35

CAPTURE the moment

For more photos, visit www.washingtoninformer.com

Senior Holiday Celebration 5 Vanella Alise Jackson-Crawford, 2021 Queen of the District of Columbia, with her court pose at Mayor Muriel Bowser's 23rd Senior Holiday Celebration at the Washington Convention Center on December 15 in Northwest. (Roy Lewis/The Washington Informer) 3 Mayor Muriel Bows-

3 Councilman

er's 23rd Annual Senior Holiday Celebration hosting seniors from all over at the Washington Convention Center on December 15 in Northwest. (Roy Lewis/The Washington Informer)

Trayon White, Ward 8, speaks to seniors at Mayor Muriel Bowser's 23rd Annual Senior Holiday Celebration at the Washington Convention Center on December 15 in Northwest. (Roy Lewis/The Washington Informer)

3 Johnnie Steele and the Steele 4Real Band & Show play some of their old-school standards for seniors at Mayor Muriel Bowser's 23rd Annual Holiday Celebration at the Washington Convention Center on December 15 in Northwest. (Roy Lewis/The Washington Informer)

36 DECEMBER 23 - 29, 2021

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DECEMBER 23 - 29, 2021 37

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38 DECEMBER 23 - 29, 2021

DEMANDS INCREASE TO RETURN TO VIRTUAL LEARNING

D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser (D) recently reimposed an indoor mask mandate, starting on Tuesday, Dec. 21 and extending through Jan. 31. While schools haven’t been shuttered before winter break, DC Public Schools [DCPS] Chancellor Ferebee revealed on Monday that buildings will be closed on January 3 and 4 to provide families enough time to conduct rapid antigen testing. Over the weekend, DCPS announced that McKinley Technology High School in Northeast, Turner Elementary School in Southeast and Bard High School Early College DC, also in Southeast, made the move to virtual learning. This followed a similar decision made by administrators at Whittier Elementary School in Northwest to implement a schoolwide transition to virtual learning that would last until December 22. The decision has angered parents and teachers at other schools who made the call for system-wide closures. Ida B. Wells Middle School reported seven COVID cases within a week. Other schools that reported COVID-19 cases included Simon Elementary School, Janney Elementary School, J.O. Wilson Elementary School, Anacostia High School and School Without Walls. A petition currently circulating online demanded that DCPS pivots to virtual learning during the week leading to the holiday break. Some people who signed the petition called for the extension of virtual learning until at least the first half of January. In a December 16 letter sent to Ferebee, D.C. Council Chairperson Phil Mendelson called for the expansion of virtual learning and access to personal protective equipment, along with DCPS’ plan of action. However, Mendelson stopped short of advocating for school closures. Days later, Prince George’s County Public Schools [PGCPS] announced a full return to virtual learning in response to rising COVID-19 cases which elicited concerns about additional pressures placed on District teachers with students enrolled in PGCPS. At the beginning of the month, COVID-19 cases recorded in D.C.’s public, public charter and private schools surpassed 2,000, with el-

(Coourtesy photo)

ementary students representing a significant portion of those who tested positive for the virus. On Dec. 16, DC Health reported 844 new COVID cases within a day, which brought the District’s total to more than 71,000. These developments follow the ascent of the Omicron variant and Bowser’s initial reversal of mask mandate. Though Bowser and Ferebee have remained adamant about keeping schools open, DCPS central office has reportedly allowed school administrators discretion in deciding whether to pivot to virtual learning. In a December 15 tweet about Whittier’s transition, Ferebee espoused a commitment to maintaining consistency. “The health, safety and well-being of our DCPS community is my top priority,” Ferebee said. “This is not a decision we made lightly, as we know the benefits of in-person learning for our students. We continue to monitor the increased number of cases at schools and robustly implement our health and safety protocols.”

“THE MAYOR AND CHANCELLOR HAVE NO IDEA . . . ”

The degree to which the aforementioned statement rings true has been challenged by several teachers, administrators and public officials, most recently at a D.C Council hearing about teacher and principal turnover. Steve Donkin said his colleagues at Cardozo and other middle and

high schools across the District have found difficulty tending to their job and upholding COVID-19 protocols. This rings especially true when it comes to student COVID-19 testing because students often eat and drink within an hour of a scheduled salvia test, which compromises the test’s accuracy. Other times, the contractor conducting the test cancels at the last minute. Though he emphasized the benefits of in-person learning for instruction and student morale, Donkin said several hurdles have impeded schools’ ability to keep young people safe. With the onus often placed on teachers, he said the higher ups have ignored how staffing shortages have stretched teachers thin and drained them as they attempt to juggle their academic responsibilities and fidelity to COVID-19 protocols. “The mayor and chancellor clearly have no idea what’s happening in schools,” said Donkin, a science teacher and Washington Teachers’ Union building representative at Cardozo. “Students like to get close to each other,” Donkin said. “They don’t like to wear masks all day. It’s a universal experience to keep reminding students to cover their face and we get tired of it. City leaders led the public to believe that the rules would be easily enforced with fidelity. We knew from the get-go it would be impossible but they kept repeating this myth.” WI @SamPKCollins

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RELIGION the religion corner WITH LYNDIA GRANT

Women's Wing Serving Children and Families for Christmas! Are you looking for a way to give back during this Christmas season? Look no more — here is just the project for you, your church, sorority, club, fraternity or anyone interested in helping children of those in prison. The children didn't ask to come here, and they didn't do anything wrong. Let's not let them be punished unnecessarily because of the actions of a parent. It is amazing how a couple toys can bring joy to the face of a child! For the past 14 years, inmate reform and support group Women's Wing has provided comprehensive transformational services, skills training, providing coaching, intervention and reentry services to current and formerly incarcerated persons, which has been the ultimate goal of the founder, Saymendy Lloyd. In addition to providing services to inmates, the group provides a wide-ranging of support for the children. Such services include empowerment services, life skills, coaching, mentoring, and love, which is needed so badly for children who are separated from their mother or father. Each year, Women's Wing hosts numerous events that help solidify the familial connection between incarcerated parents and their children. Their signature event is the "Tidings N Joy" winter holiday party, at which youth participants are offered a chance to engage in a warm environment with food, entertainment and fun-centered activities. Over the past decade, Women's Wing has served thousands of children and families to find joy during Christmas. This year they

are preparing for an estimated 677 children of incarcerated parents alone. However, this group is facing a tough time with the rise in COVID-19 cases. Services to those incarcerated and their children will continue, though, regardless. All volunteers will be following compliance and regulatory guidelines with the current CDC health and safety. The program will have two components — gift pickup, which was conducted from Dec. 11-20 by appointment only, and gift delivery, which started on Dec. 12, and continues through Christmas Day. Two years ago, the community rallied around this support group after someone stole all of the toys. Lloyd said that while out gift shopping for the kids, she returned to her truck to drop off some purchases in the trunk, but found only wrapping paper inside where all of the gifts had been. Thanks to Ward 5 Council member Kenyan McDuffie, the holiday party received hundreds of pleasant surprises in the days following the theft. Community members from around D.C. donated dozens of bags filled with toys to the Women's Wing after McDuffie held a donation drive outside of his office.

Efforts to help out the holiday bash and support the children also came from crowdsourcing, where over $,3500 was raised on GoFundMe. This is a project close to my heart. Scripture says in Matthew 19:14, "But Jesus said, suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven." Proverbs 19:17 says, "Whoever is kind to the poor lends to the LORD, and he will reward them for what they have done." And Galatians 6:2 says, "Carry each other's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ." Your tax-deductible contribution is needed in order to serve every child on the Women's Wing wish list. Toys are needed (unused only, please), two per child. Gift cards of $20 or $25 are needed, as are volunteers to help us deliver gifts door to door. For more information, please call or text Saymendy Lloyd at 202-827-5117. At this column's publication time, you will still have time to support this project. Merry Christmas to all of you out there, and happy new year too. May God bless you and your family, friends and significant others with all of your dreams and desires. WI

(301) 864-6070

www.jmlaw.net

(301) 864-6070

jmccollum@jmlaw.net

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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DECEMBER 23 - 29, 2021 39

RELIGION The Miracle Center of Faith Missionary Baptist Church

Pilgrim Baptist Church

Bishop Michael C. Turner, Sr. Senior Pastor

Rev. Louis B. Jones II Pastor

9161 Hampton Overlook Capitol Heights, MD 20743 Phone: 301-350-2200 / Fax: 301-499-8724

700 I Street, N.E. Washington, D.C. 20002 (202) 547-8849

Service and Times Sunday Worship Times : 7:30 AM 7 10:00 AM Communion: 1st Sunday Sunday School: 9:00 AM Bible Study: Wednesday, 12 Noon Bible Study in homes: Tuesday 7:00 PM Website: www.themiraclecenterFMBC.com Email: Miraclecenterfmbs@gmail.com Motto: “We Walk by Faith, Not by Sight”

Service and Times Worship Sundays: 7:30 & 11:00 AM 5th Sundays: 9:30 AM 3rd Sundays: Baptism & Holy Communion Prayer & Praise: Wednesdays @ Noon & 6:30 PM www.pilgrimbaptistdc.org

Covenant Baptist United Church of Christ

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

Service and Times Sunday School: 9:30 AM Sunday Morning Worship Service: 11:00 AM Communion Service: First Sunday Prayer Service/Bible Study: Tuesday, 6:30 PM www.blessedwordoflifechurch.org E-mail: church@blessedwordoflifechurch.org

Services and Times Sundays: 10:00am Worship Services Bible Study: Wonderful Wednesdays in Worship and the Word Bible Study Wednesdays 12:00 Noon; 6:30 PM (dinner @ 5:30 PM) Sunday School: 9:00 AM – Hour of Power “An inclusive ministry where all are welcomed and affirmed.” www.covenantdc.org

Campbell AME Church Rev. Dr. Henry Y. White 2562 MLK Jr. Ave., SE - Washington, DC 20020 Adm. Office 202-678-2263 Email: Campbell@mycame.org Service and Times Sunday Worship Service: 10:00 AM Sunday Church School: 8:45 AM Bible Study Wednesday: 12:00 Noon Wednesday: 7:00 PM Thursday: 7:00 PM “Reaching Up To Reach Out” Mailing Address : Campbell AME Church 2502 Stanton Road SE - Washington, DC 20020

Twelfth Street Christian Church Reverend Dr. Paul H. Saddler Senior Pastor (Disciples of Christ) 1812 12th Street, NW - Washington, DC 20009 Phone: 202-265-4494 Fax: 202 265 4340 Service and Times Sunday Worship Service: 11:00 AM Communion every Sunday: 11:00 AM Sunday School: 10:00 AM Bible Study Tuesday: 12 Noon Pastor’s Bible Study Tuesday: 6:30 PM Motto: “Discover Something Wonderful” Website: 12thscc.org / Email: Twelfthstcc@aol.com

Mount Carmel Baptist Church

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

“We are one in the Spirit” www.ssbc5757.org / E-mail: ssbc5757@verizon.net

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

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

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

901 Third Street N.W. Washington, DC. 20001 Phone (202) 842-3411 Fax (202) 682-9423

1306 Vermont Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20005

40 DECEMBER 23 - 29, 2021

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

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

Reverend John W. Davis Pastor

John F. Johnson Reverend Dr.

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

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RELIGION Shabbath Commandment Church Bishop Adrian A. Taylor, Sr. Pastor 7801 Livingston Road Oxon Hill, MD 20745 301-534-5471 Service and Times Sabbath School 9:30 a.m. – 10:30 AM Service 11:00 AM Praise & Worship Preaching 11:30 AM – 1:30 PM Motto: “A Church Keeping It Real for Real.” Website: Shabbathcommandmentchruch.org Email: Praisebetoyhwh@gmail.com

Zion Baptist Church Rev. Keith W. Byrd, Sr. Pastor 4850 Blagdon Ave, NW - Washington D.C 20011 Phone (202) 722-4940 - Fax (202) 291-3773 Service and Times 9:00 a.m. – Sunday School 10:15 a.m. – Worship Service Wed. Noon: Dea. Robert Owens Bible Study 7 PM Pastor’s Bible Study Ordinance of Baptism 2nd Sunday, Holy Communion 4th Sunday Mission: Zion shall: Enlist Sinners, Educate Students, Empower the Suffering, Encourage the Saints, And Exalt our Savior. (Acts 2: 41-47) www.zionbaptistchurchdc.org

St. Luke Baptist Church Rev. Aubrey C. Lewis Pastor 1415 Gallatin Street, NW Washington, DC 20011-3851 P: (202) 726-5940 Service and Times Sunday Worship: 11:00 AM Sunday School: 9:15 AM Holy Communion: 11:00 a.m., 3rd Sun. Bible Institute: Wednesday - 1:30 PM Prayer Meeting: Wednesday - 12:00 Noon

All Nations Baptist Church Rev. Dr. James Coleman Pastor 2001 North Capitol St, N.E. - Washington, DC 20002 Phone (202) 832-9591 Service and Times Sunday Church School – 9:30 AM Sunday Worship Service – 11:00 AM Holy Communion – 1st Sunday at 11:00 AM Prayer – Wednesdays, 6:00 PM Bible Study – Wednesdays, 7:00 PM Christian Education / School of Biblical Knowledge Saturdays, 9:30 AM – 11:00 AM, Call for Registration Website: www.allnationsbaptistchurch.com All Nations Baptist Church – A Church of Standards

Israel Baptist Church

Rev. Daryl F. Bell Pastor 2324 Ontario Road, NW Washington, DC 20009 (202) 232-1730 Service and Times Sunday School: 9:30 AM Sunday Worship Service: 11:00 AM Baptismal Service: 1st Sunday – 9:30 AM Holy Communion: 1st Sunday – 11:00 AM Prayer Meeting & Bible Study: Wednesday -7:30 PM “Where Jesus is the King”

Dr. Earl D. Trent Senior Pastor

2409 Ainger Pl.,SE – WDC 20020 (202) 678-0884 – Office / (202) 678-0885 – Fax “Moving Faith Forward” 0% Perfect . . . 100% Forgiven!

623 Florida Ave.. NW - WDC. 20001 Church (202) 667-3409 / Study (202) 265-0836 Home Study (301) 464-8211 / Fax (202) 483-4009

Service and Times Sunday Worship: 8:00 AM & 10:45 AM Baptism/Holy Communion: 3rd Sunday Family Bible Study Tuesdays – 6:30 PM Prayer Service: Tuesdays – 8:00 PM www.emmanuelbaptistchurchdc.org

Sermon On The Mount Temple Of Joy Apostolic Faith

Lincoln Park United Methodist Church Rev. Richard B. Black Pastor

Elder Herman L. Simms Pastor

1251 Saratoga Ave., NE Washington, DC 20018 (202) 269-0288

1301 North Carolina Ave. N E Washington, D C 20002 202 543 1318 - lincolnpark@lpumcdc.org www.lpumcdc.org

5606 Marlboro Pike District Heights, MD 20747 301-735-6005

Service and Times Sunday Worship Service: 10:45 AM Sunday School: 9:15 AM Holy Communion1st Sunday: 10:45 AM Prayer Service: Wednesday at 6:30 PM Bible Study: Wednesday at 7:00 PM Bible Study: Tuesday at 10:30 AM

Mount Moriah Baptist Church Dr. Lucius M. Dalton Senior Pastor

Service and Times Sunday Worship: 10:00 AM Holy Communion: First Sunday 10:00 AM Sunday School: 9:00 AM Bible Study: Wednesday @ 12 noon and 6:30 PM Motto: "Faith On The Hill"

Service and Times Sunday Apostolic Worship Services 11:00 A.M and 5:00 PM Communion and Feet Wash 4th Sunday at 5:00 PM Prayer/Seeking: Wednesday at 8:00 PM Apostolic in Doctrine, Pentecostal in Experience, Holiness in Living, Uncompromised and Unchanged. The Apostolic Faith is still alive –Acts 2:42

New Commandment Baptist Church

Eastern Community Baptist Church Damion M. Briggs Pastor

Rev. Stephen E. Tucker Senior Pastor

1636 East Capitol Street, NE Washington, DC 20003 Telephone: 202-544-5588 - Fax: 202-544-2964

8213 Manson Street Landover, MD 20785 Tel: (301) 322-9787 Fax: (301) 322-9240

13701 Old Jericho Park Road Bowie, MD. 20720 (301) 262-0560

Service and Times Sunday Worship Services: 7:45 AM and 10:45 AM Holy Communion: 1st Sundays at 7:45 AM & 10:45 AM Sunday School: 9:30 AM Prayer & Praise Service: Tuesdays at 12 noon & 6:30 PM Bible Study: Tuesdays at 1 pm and 7 PM Youth Bible Study: Fridays at 7 PM

Service and Times Early Morning Message: 7:30 AM Sunday Morning Worship Service: 10:00 AM Sunday Church School: 9:00 AM Holy Communion: 1st Sunday 7:30 AM & 10:00 AM Prayer, Praise and Testimony: Wednesday 7:00 PM Bible Study: Wednesday 7:30 PM

Service and Times Sunday Worship: 11 AM Sunday School: 10 AM Wednesday Mid-Week Worship, Prayer & Bible Study: Wed. 7 PM

Rehoboth Baptist Church

Reverend Peter R. Blue Sr. Pastor

Rev. Curtis l. Staley Pastor

2001 Brooks Drive District Heights MD. 20744 240.838.7074

621 Alabama Ave., S.E.- Washington, D.C. 20032 P: (202) 561-1111 - F: (202) 561-1112

Service and Times Sunday Worship Experience: 10:15am Sunday School: 9:00am Holy Communion: 3rd Sunday Morning Noontime Bible Study: Tuesday @ 12:00pm Prayer Meeting/Bible Study: Tuesday @7:00pm Theme: "Building On A Firm Foundation"

Service and Times Sunday Service: 10:00 AM Sunday School for all ages: 8:30 AM 1st Sunday Baptism: 10:00 AM 2nd Sunday Holy Communion:10:00 AM Tuesday: Bible Study: 6:30 PM Prayer Meeting: 7:45 PM

Email: revprbstmbc@gmail.com Website: www.stmatthewsbaptist.org

Motto: “Where God is First and Where Friendly People Worship”

“Real Worship for Real People” Website: www.easterncommunity.org Email: ecc@easterncommunity.org

“A Church Where Love Is Essential and Praise is Intentional”

Foggy Bottom - Founded in 1867 728 23rd Street, NW - Washington, DC 20037 Church office: 202-333-3985 - Fax : 202-338-4958

Shiloh Baptist Church

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

Matthews Memorial Baptist Church

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

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

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. 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 “

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

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.

DECEMBER 23 - 29, 2021 41

LEGAL NOTICES

Washington, D.C. 20001-2131

SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA PROBATE DIVISION Washington, D.C. 20001-2131

2021 FEP 000131

2021 FEP 135

2021 FEP 133

2021 FEP 134

March 17, 2017

February 26, 2019 Date of Death

October 8, 2020 Date of Death

April 27, 2021 Date of Death

Geraldine Brown

Milada Bozena Gessman aka Milada Gessman Name of Decedent

James Monroe Hairston, Jr. Name of Decedent

Ruby Thellma Gould Name of Decedent

NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT OF FOREIGN PERSONAL REPRESEN-

NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT OF FOREIGN PERSONAL REPRESENTATIVE AND NOTICE TO CREDITORS

Jennifer Anne Wilson aka Jennifer Anne Booker whose address is 6133 Redwood Lane, Alexandria, VA 22310, was appointed personal representative of the estate of Milada Bozena Gessman aka Milada Gessman, deceased, by the Circuit Court for Fairfax County, State of Virginia, on September 16, 2019. Service of process may be made upon Kristen Booker 2351 R Street, SE, Washington, DC 20020 whose designation as District of Columbia agent has been filed with the Register of Wills, D.C. The decedent owned the following District of Columbia real estate. 12351 R Street SE, Washington, DC 20020. 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.

Jeanne Middleton Hairston whose address is 1105 Arbor Vista, Blvd., Jackson, MS 39209 was appointed personal representative of the estate of James Monroe Hairston, Jr., deceased, by the Chancery Court for Hinds County, State of Mississippi, on 1/21/2021. Service of process may be made upon Robert P. Newman, Esq. 801 Wayne Avenue, Suite 400, Silver Spring, MD 20910 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. 1301 Delaware Avenue, SW, Apt. N224, Washington, DC 20024. 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.

Natasha Gould whose address is 7003 Taylor St., Hyattsville, MD 20784 was appointed personal representative of the estate of Ruby Thellma Gould, deceased, by the Orphans Court for Prince Georges County, State of Maryland, on 6/23/2021. Service of process may be made upon Michelle Thornton: 2101 L Street, NW, #800, Washington, DC 20037 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. 2904 11th Street, NW, Washington, DC 20001. 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: December 9, 2021

Date of first publication: 12/9/2021

Date of first publication: December 9, 2021

Jennifer Anne Wilson aka Jennifer Anne Booker Personal Representative

Jeanne Middleton Hairston Personal Representative

Natashia Gould Personal Representative

Nicole Stevens Register of Wills

Washington Informer

SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA Probate Division Washington, D.C. 20001-2131

2021 ADM 1475

2020 ADM 000834

2021 ADM 001436

2021 ADM 001428

Carlton Edwin Jackson Decedent

Delores Thomas Swinson aka Delores Elizabeth Swinson Decedent

SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA Probate Division Washington, D.C. 20001-2131 2021 ADM 000347

NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS Diane Kennedy, whose address is 406 36th St., NE, Washington, DC 20019, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Raynard C. Kennedy, Sr. who died on December 22, 2020 without a Will, and will serve without Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance in this proceeding. Objections to such appointment shall be filed with the Register of Wills, D.C., 515 5th Street, N.W., Building A, Third Floor Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before 6/9/2022. 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 6/9/2022, 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: 12/9/2021 Diane Kennedy Personal Representative

Date of Death

Name of Decedent

TATIVE AND NOTICE TO CREDITORS

Dorothy Lee Brown Zamora, whose address is 960 Tamary

Way, Landis NC 28088 was appointed personal representative

of the estate of Geraldine Brown, deceased, by the Clerk of Superior Court for Mecklenburg County, State of North Carolina, on May 10, 2021.

Service of process may be made upon Romola Mullins

3653 Bangor Street, SE Washington, DC 20020 whose

designation as District of Columbia agent has been filed with the Register of Wills, D.C.

The decedent owned the following District of Columbia

428 Oakdale Place NW, Washington, DC 20001. Claims

real estate.

against the decedent may be presented to the undersigned

and filed with the Register of Wills of the District of Columbia,

515 5th Street, NW, Third Floor, Washington, D.C. 20001 within 6 months from the date of first publication of this notice. Date of first publication: 12/9/2021

Dorothy Lee Brown Zamora Personal Representative Nicole Stevens

Henry I Johnson Decedent

Nicole Stevens Register of Wills Washington Informer

42 DECEMBER 23 - 29, 2021

Estate of Rose Lewis Smith NOTICE OF STANDARD PROBATE

NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS Antwanne Johnson, whose address is 1810 Alabama Ave. SE, Washington, DC 20020, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Henry I Johnson who died on 9/24/2021 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 6/9/2022. 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 6/9/2022, 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: 12/9/2021 Antwanne Johnson Personal Representative

Notice is hereby given that a petition has been filed in this Court by Steward W. Smith 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. In the absence of a will or proof satisfactory to the Court of due execution, enter an order determining that the decedent died intestate grant the Petition of Steward W. Smith to be recognized as the son by equitable adoption of decedent Rose Lewis Smith and to be appointed unsupervised personal representative Date of first publication: 12/9/2021 Laura M. Richards 3524 Carpenter St., SE Washington, DC 20020 Petitioner/Attorney: TRUE TEST COPY

TRUE TEST COPY TRUE TEST COPY

LEGAL NOTICES

SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA PROBATE DIVISION Washington, D.C. 20001-2131

SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

Leta M. Jackson, Esq. Legal Counsel for the Elderly 601 E. Street, NW Washington, DC 20049 Attorney

LEGAL NOTICES

PROBATE DIVISION

In God We Trust Declaration of Nationality Notice of Special Appearance : I am that I am: ‘‘Sonja Michele Sands© ’’, in full life, in propria persona, sui juris, in solo proprio, Haqdar by natural issue, the beneficiary and heir of: ‘‘SANDS, SONJA MICHELE© ’’, corp.sole Dba.: ‘‘SONJA MICHELE SANDS© ’’, 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: ‘‘ Sonja Michele Sands© ’’, from this day forward, in harmony with my Nationality / Status / Jurisdiction, shall be known as: ‘‘ sonja michele sands-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 OF FLORIDA - FLORIDA DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH - BUREAU OF STATISTICS, STATE FILE NUMBER : 109-68-031757, ‘‘ SONJA MICHELE SANDS© ’’, to the depositor: ‘‘ sonja michele sands-el© ’’, nom deguerre: ‘‘ Sonja Michele Sands© ’’. 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: ‘‘ sonja michele sands-el© ’’, nom deguerre: ‘‘Sonja Michele Sands© ’’, as a special deposit order in lawful money. This special deposit is to be used exclusively for the benefit of : ‘‘Sonja Michele Sands 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.

Raynard C. Kennedy, Sr. Decedent

LEGAL NOTICES

Nicole Stevens Register of Wills Washington Informer

Julius Terrell 1455 Pennsylvania Ave., NW Suite 400 Washington, DC 20004 Attorney NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS Brandon Edwin Turner, whose address is 2335 14th Street, NE, Washington DC, 20018, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Carlton Edwin Jackson who died on November 20, 2003 without a Will, and will serve without Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance in this proceeding. Objections to such appointment shall be filed with the Register of Wills, D.C., Building A, 515 5th Street, NW, 3rd Floor Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before 6/9/2022. 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 6/9/2022, 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: 12/9/2021 Brandon Edwin Turner Personal Representative

Nicole Stevens Register of Wills

TRUE TEST COPY

Washington Informer

Nicole Stevens Register of Wills Washington Informer

NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS Victor William Swinson, Sr., whose address is 954 Southern Ave., SE, #204, Washington, DC 20032, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Delores Thomas Swinson aka Delores Elizabeth Swinson who died on April 26, 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 6/9/2022. 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 6/9/2022, 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: 12/9/2021 Victor William Swinson, Sr. Personal Representative

TRUE TEST COPY Nicole Stevens Register of Wills Washington Informer

THE WASHINGTON INFORMER / WWW.WASHINGTONINFORMER.COM

LEGAL NOTICES

SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA Probate Division Washington, D.C. 20001-2131

2021 ADM 001501

2021 ADM 001229 John Paul Smith Decedent

Estate of William Vernell Wood NOTICE OF STANDARD PROBATE Notice is hereby given that a petition has been filed in this Court by Robert L. Schmidt and Joseph L. Johnson for standard probate, including the appointment of one or more personal representatives. Unless a responsive pleading in the form of a complaint or an objection in accordance with Superior Court Probate Division Rule 407 is filed in this Court within 30 days from the date of first publication of this notice, the Court may take the action hereinafter set forth. Admit to probate the Will dated January 10, 2007 exhibited with the petition upon proof satisfactory to the Court of due execution by affidavit of the witnesses or otherwise

Date of first publication: 12/9/2021

NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS Jeffrey K. Gordon, Esq., whose address is 5335 Wisconsin Avenue, NW #700, Washington, DC 20015, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of John Paul Smith who died on April 17, 2000 without a Will, and will serve with 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 6/9/2022. 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 6/9/2022, 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.

E. Regine Francois Williams 9701 Apollo Drive Suite 301 Largo MD 20774 Petitioner/Attorney:

Date of first publication: 12/9/2021

TRUE TEST COPY

Nicole Stevens Register of Wills

Washington Informer

In God We Trust Declaration of Nationality Notice of Special Appearance : I am that I am: ‘‘Willie Edward French Jr© ’’, in full life, in propria persona, sui juris, in solo proprio, Haqdar by natural issue, the beneficiary and heir of: ‘‘FRENCH JR, WILLIE EDWARD© ’’, corp.sole Dba.: ‘‘WILLIE EDWARD FRENCH JR© ’’, 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 AlMaurikanuus 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: ‘‘willie edward french jr© ’’, from this day forward, in harmony with my Nationality / Status / Jurisdiction, shall be known as: ‘‘willie edward french II-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 OF GEORGIA GEORGIA DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH - BUREAU OF STATISTICS, STATE FILE NUMBER : 110-74-012962, ‘‘ WILLIE EDWARD FRENCH JR© ’’, to the depositor: ‘‘ willie edward french II-el© ’’, nom deguerre: ‘‘Willie Edward French Jr© ’’. 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: ‘‘willie edward french II-el© ’’, nom deguerre: ‘‘Willie Edward French Jr© ’’, as a special deposit order in lawful money. This special deposit is to beused exclusively for the benefit of : ‘‘Willie Edward French 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.

SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA Probate Division Washington, D.C. 20001-2131 2021 ADM 1054 2021 Will #000609

Jeffrey K. Gordon, Esq. Personal Representative

LEGAL NOTICES SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA Probate Division Washington, D.C. 20001-2131

NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS Jacqueline Valentine Cofield, whose address is 5908 Robin Lane Suitland, MD 20746, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Mondell J. Valentine aka Mondell Jonathan Valentine who died on April 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 6/16/2022. 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 6/16/2022, 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: 12/16/2021 Jacqueline Valentine Cofield Personal Representative

TRUE TEST COPY Nicole Stevens Register of Wills Washington Informer

SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA Probate Division Washington, D.C. 20001-2131

LEGAL NOTICES

Washington Informer

In God We Trust. Declaration of Nationality. Notice of White Flag Surrender. Notice of Special Appearance : I am that I am: " Clifford William Broughton© ", in full life, in propria persona, sui juris, in solo proprio, Haqdar by natural issue, the beneficiary and heir of: “CLIFFORD WILLIAM BROUGHTON ", corp.sole Dba.:" CLIFFORD W BROUGHTON© ", 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, Estados al-Marikanos, 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: " Clifford William Broughton© ", from this day forward, in harmony with my Nationality / Status / Jurisdiction, shall be known as: " clifford broughton sr© ". 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: 32, 45, 46, & 47. Notice of Claim pursuant to Public Law 87846, 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 OF SOUTH CAROLINA : STATE FILE NUMBER: 139 82 024832 " CLIFFORD WILLIAM BROUGHTON© ", is as a special deposit order conveyed to "CWBII 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: " clifford broughton sr©, nom deguerre: " Clifford William Broughton© ", as a special deposit order in lawful money. This special deposit is to be used exclusively for the benefit of : "CWBII 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

2021 ADM 1470

2021 ADM 000586

2021 ADM 000399

David L. Monosson aka David Lawrence Monosson Decedent

Margaret J. Hayden Decedent

James Perry, Jr. Decedent

2021 ADM 001430 George Jackson Decedent Murray D. Jackson Whitman-Walker Legal Services 1377 R St. NW Suite 200 Washington, DC 20009 Attorney NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS India Maria Saunders, whose address is 2850 Hartford St., SE, Apt. 104, Washington, DC 20020, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of George Jackson who died on 11/11/2017 without a Will, and will serve without Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance in this proceeding. Objections to such appointment shall be filed with the Register of Wills, D.C., 515 5th Street, N.W., Building A, Third Floor Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before 6/9/2022. 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 6/9/2022, 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: 12/9/2021 India Maria Saunders Personal Representative

Mondell J. Valentine aka Mondell Jonathan Valentine Decedent

LEGAL NOTICES

2021 ADM 001401 Gregory Anthony Wells Decedent

NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS Antoinette C. Wells, whose address is 5335 16th Street, NW, Washington, DC 20011, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Gregory Anthony Wells who died on April 5, 2020 without a Will, and will serve without Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance in this proceeding. Objections to such appointment shall be filed with the Register of Wills, D.C., 515 5th Street, N.W., Building A, Third Floor Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before 6/9/2022. 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 6/9/2022, 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: 12/9/2021 Antoinette C. Wells Personal Representative

TRUE TEST COPY

Nicole Stevens Register of Wills

Washington Informer

Peggy A. Miller 5130 7th Street, NE Washington, DC 20011-2625 Attorney NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS Shirley Brown, whose address is 113 T Street, NW, Washington, DC 20001, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of David L. Monosson aka David Lawrence Monosson who died on 9/22/2021 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 6/16/2022. 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 6/16/2022, 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: 12/16/2021 Shirley Brown Personal Representative

NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS Stephanie L. Barnes, whose address is 3206 Curtis Drive, #204, Temple Hills, MD 20748, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Margaret J. Hayden who died on 07/22/2020 without a Will, and will serve without Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance in this proceeding. Objections to such appointment shall be filed with the Register of Wills, D.C., 515 5th Street, N.W., Building A, Third Floor Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before 6/16/2022. 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 6/16/2022, 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: 12/16/2021 Stephanie L. Barnes Personal Representative

Valerie Edwards, Esq. 1725 DeSales St., NW Suite 600 Washington, DC 20036 Attorney NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS Anthony W. Perry, whose address is 5907 Croom Station Rd., Upper Marlboro, MD 20772, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of James Perry, Jr. who died on April 2, 2018 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 6/16/2022. 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 6/16/2022, 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: 12/16/2021 Anthony W. Perry Personal Representative

TRUE TEST COPY

Nicole Stevens Register of Wills

Washington Informer

TRUE TEST COPY Nicole Stevens Register of Wills Washington Informer

Washington Informer

WWW.WASHINGTONINFORMER.COM / THE WASHINGTON INFORMER

DECEMBER 23 - 29, 2021 43

LEGAL NOTICES SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA Probate Division Washington, D.C. 20001-2131 2021 ADM 1610 Rosa M. Colclough aka Rosa Mae Colclough Estate of NOTICE OF STANDARD PROBATE Notice is hereby given that a petition has been filed in this Court by Hilda Marie Burton for standard probate, including the appointment of one or more personal representatives. Unless a responsive pleading in the form of a complaint or an objection in accordance with Superior Court Probate Division Rule 407 is filed in this Court within 30 days from the date of first publication of this notice, the Court may take the action hereinafter set forth. Admit to probate the Will dated February 21, 1996 exhibited with the petition upon proof satisfactory to the Court of due execution by affidavit of the witnesses or otherwise Date of first publication: 12/23/2021 Hilda Marie Burton 8402 26th Place Hyattsville, MD 20783 Petitioner/Attorney: TRUE TEST COPY Nicole Stevens Register of Wills Washington Informer

In God We Trust. Declaration of Nationality. Notice of White Flag Surrender. Notice of Special Appearance : I am that I am: " Gordon Henry Chrichlow Jr© ", in full life, in propria persona, sui juris, in solo proprio, Haqdar by natural issue, the beneficiary and heir of: “GORDON HENRY CHRICHLOW JR ", corp.sole Dba.: " GORDON H CHRICHLOW JR© ", 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, Estados al- Marikanos, 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: " Gordon Henry Chrichlow Jr© ", from this day forward, in harmony with my Nationality / Status / Jurisdiction, shall be known as: " gordon henry chrichlow jr© ". 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: 32, 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 OF NEW YORK : STATE FILE NUMBER: 156-88-132292 " GORDON HENRY CHRICHLOW JR© ", is as a special deposit order conveyed to "Gordon Chrichlow 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: " gordon henry chrichlow jr©, nom deguerre: " Gordon Henry Chrichlow Jr© ", as a special deposit order in lawful money. This special deposit is to be used exclusively for the benefit of : "Gordon Chrichlow 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.

44 DECEMBER 23 - 29, 2021

LEGAL NOTICES SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA PROBATE DIVISION Washington, D.C. 20001-2131 2021 FEP 141 April 23, 1992 Date of Death James T. Hall Jr. Name of Decedent NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT OF FOREIGN PERSONAL REPRESENTATIVE AND NOTICE TO CREDITORS Geneva J. Hall whose address is 7704 Bock Rd., Fort Washington, MD 20744 was appointed personal representative of the estate of James T. Hall Jr., deceased, by the Orphans Court for Prince Georges County, State of Maryland, on October 15, 2021. Service of process may be made upon Jaimee A. Hall 3326 N Street, SE Washington, DC 20019 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. 513 Irving Street, NW, Washington, DC 20010. 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: 12/23/2021 Geneva J. Hall Personal Representative Nicole Stevens Register of Wills Washington Informer

In God We Trust. Declaration of Nationality. Notice of White Flag Surrender. Notice of Special Appearance : I am that I am: " King Chrichlow© ", in full life, in propria persona, sui juris, in solo proprio, Haqdar by natural issue, the beneficiary and heir of: “ KING CHRICHLOW ", corp.sole Dba.: " CHRICHLOW, KING© ", 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, Estados al-Marikanos, 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: " King Chrichlow© ", from this day forward, in harmony with my Nationality / Status / Jurisdiction, shall be known as: " king chrichlow© ". 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: 32, 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: THE CITY OF NEW YORK : STATE FILE NUMBER: 156-88-132292: " KING CHRICHLOW© ", is as a special deposit order, conveyed to " Gordon Chrichlow 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: " king chrichlow© ", nom deguerre: " King Chrichlow© ", as a special deposit order in lawful money. This special deposit is to be used exclusively for the benefit of : " Gordon Chrichlow 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.

LEGAL NOTICES SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA Probate Division Washington, D.C. 20001-2131 2021 ADM 000677 Vester L. Chandler aka Vester Lee Chandler Estate of NOTICE OF STANDARD PROBATE Notice is hereby given that a petition has been filed in this Court by Akia J. Turner for standard probate, including the appointment of one or more personal representatives. Unless a responsive pleading in the form of a complaint or an objection in accordance with Superior Court Probate Division Rule 407 is filed in this Court within 30 days from the date of first publication of this notice, the Court may take the action hereinafter set forth. Admit to probate the Will dated March 6, 1988 exhibited with the petition upon proof satisfactory to the Court of due execution by affidavit of the witnesses or otherwise

Date of first publication: 12/23/2021 Akia J. Turner 631 71st Avenue Capitol Heights, MD 20743 Petitioner/Attorney: TRUE TEST COPY Nicole Stevens Register of Wills

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In God We Trust Declaration of Nationality Notice of Special Appearance : I am that I am: ‘‘Pinene Veneta Knight Bey© ’’, in full life, in propria persona, sui juris, in solo proprio, Haqdar by natural issue, the beneficiary and heir of: ‘‘BINNS, PINENE VENETA© ’’, corp.sole Dba.: ‘‘PINENE VENETA KNIGHT© ’’, 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 AlMaurikanuus 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: ‘‘pinene veneta knight bey© ’’, from this day forward, in harmony with my Nationality / Status / Jurisdiction, shall be known as: ‘‘pinene veneta knight 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: REGISTRAR OF JAMAICA – REGISTRAR GENERAL’S DEPARTMENT - BUREAU OF STATISTICS, STATE FILE NUMBER : MN 1400, ‘‘PINENE VENETA BINNS© ’’, to the depositor: ‘‘pinene veneta knight-bey© ’’, nom deguerre: ‘‘Pinene Veneta Binns© ’’. 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: ‘‘pinene veneta knight-bey© ’’, nom deguerre: ‘‘Pinene Veneta Binns© ’’, as a special deposit order in lawful money. This special deposit is to be used exclusively for the benefit of : ‘‘Pinene Veneta Binns 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.

In God We Trust. Declaration of Nationality. Notice of White Flag Surrender. Notice of Special Appearance : I am that I am: “ Shanta Shaniqua Chrichlow© ”, f.k.a., “ Shanta Shaniqua Erskine© ”, in full life, in propria persona, sui juris, in solo proprio, Haqdar by natural issue, the beneficiary and heir of: “ SHANTA’ SHANIQUA ERSKINE© ”, corp.sole Dba.: “ SHANTA’ S ERSKINE© ”, and “ SHANTA’ SHANIQUA CHRICHLOW© ”, corp.sole Dba.: “ SHANTA’ S CHRICHLOW© ”, the natural clan mother of: “ King Chrichlow© ”, the beneficiary and heir of: “ KING CHRICHLOW© ”, 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 our tribal intention to be as our pedigree subscribes, as: Moorish Americans, but not a citizens of the United States. We declare permanent, and unalienable, allegiance to The Moorish Empire, Estados al-Marikanos, 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 our nationality in good faith as: Moorish Americans. I am that I am: “ Shanta Shaniqua Chrichlow© ”, from this day forward, in harmony with my Nationality / Status / Jurisdiction, shall be known as: “ shantá chrichlow© ”, and “ King Chrichlow© ”, from this day forward, in harmony with our Nationality / Status / Jurisdiction, shall be known as: “ king chrichlow© ”. 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: 32, 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 OF NEW YORK : STATE FILE NUMBER: 156-21-001242, “ SHANTA’ SHANIQUA ERSKINE© ”, is as a special deposit order conveyed to “ Shanta Chrichlow Trust© ”. This is also a separate order to preserve legal and equitable title, and to reserve all rights, title, and interest, in the property, Re: DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND MENTAL HYGIENE, City of New York: STATE FILE NUMBER: 156-93-015212, “ KING CHRICHLOW© ”, is as a special deposit order conveyed to: “ King Chrichlow Trust© ”, with a 50% interest retained by Trustee: “ gordon henry chrichlow jr© ”, &, a 50% interest retained by Trustee: “ shantá chrichlow© ”. All interest is to remain fully intact until the sole beneficiary, “ king chrichlow© ”, reaches the age of majority. 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 / Trustee: “ shantá chrichlow© ”, nom deguerre: “ Shanta Shaniqua Chrichlow© ”, and/or, “ gordon henry chrichlow jr© ”, as a special deposit order in lawful money. Re: “ SHANTA’ SHANIQUA ERSKINE© ”, “ SHANTA’ S ERSKINE© ”, “ SHANTA’ SHANIQUA CHRICHLOW© ”, and, “ SHANTA’ S CHRICHLOW© ”, this special deposit is to be used exclusively for the benefit of: “ Shanta Chrichlow Trust© ”, an Inter Vivos Unincorporated Divine Grantor Trust. Re: “ KING CHRICHLOW© ”, this special deposit is to be used exclusively for the benefit of: “ King Chrichlow Trust© ”, an Inter Vivos Unincorporated Divine Grantor Trust. All deposits are not to be commingled with general assets of any bank, nor depositary / trustee / agent / bailee / donee /debtor. All deposits are not limited to, but include: discharge and set off, of any and all outstanding liabilities as accord and satisfaction. Inter alia enact fuit. All Rights Reserved. Deo volente.

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CURRY from Page 26 Abruzzo immediately began encouraging the board to reinstitute the Joy Silk Mills doctrine, which allows organizing elections to be decided by card-check instead of needing to go to a full vote, providing a real boost for organizing efforts. Also, under Biden, longtime labor advocates entered the president's Cabinet with Marty Walsh appointed as Labor Secretary and Julie Su as deputy. Former Boston Mayor Walsh's history includes being a union leader and head of the Metropolitan Building Trades, while Su headed the California Department of Labor and is an ongoing advocate for workers' rights. Likewise, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) also has new faces — longtime civil rights and immigrant activists Charlotte Burrows, and Jocelyn Samuels, who worked for years on policies to attain equality for sexual and gender minorities, have joined its ranks.

WAGES AND SAFETY

As more and more states enact minimum wage legislation, raising the legal minimum to $15, federal workers also saw an executive order creating a $15 minimum wage by March 2022. In addition, Minnesota Building and Construction trades council alum, Jessica Looman, was chosen to lead the federal

EDELMAN from Page 26 A season focused on giving, sharing and caring is not the time to turn our backs on our nation's

MORIAL from Page 26 accessible for all, and we were inspired. Those unpatriotic members of state legislatures who would seek to undermine voting rights saw it too, and it scared them. State lawmakers have introduced and enacted hundreds of antidemocratic voter suppression and election subversion bills since the 2020 election. These anti-democracy bills — introduced in direct response to Black and brown voters showing up in record numbers — close polling centers, purge voter rolls, eliminate early voting and gerrymander Black and brown voters into predominantly white districts. Furthermore, the Supreme Court's July decision in Brnovich v. DNC further gutted the Voting Rights Act, one of Dr. King's signature achievements.

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division ensuring employers pay proper wages, including meeting minimum wage and overtime requirements. Workplace safety also saw a boost with a former steelworker now leading the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). James Fredrick now leads the agency, which was immediately tasked with creating a COVID Safety Standard. Keeping workers safe on the job is his top priority. Additionally, among the many pro-labor details in President Biden's Build Back Better legislation, the bill will create strong penalties for employers who violate labor law, including safety, discrimination, wages and workers' rights.

EQUITY

The historic American Rescue Plan (ARP) was signed into law by executive order. The ARP directs agencies to increase its procurement from small, disadvantaged businesses, including Black-owned businesses, by 50%. The bill also provides cash relief directly to low- and middle-income Americans. It is projected to cut the child poverty rate by more than 50% by the end of this year. The ARP also fights the recent surge in laws that made it harder for Black Americans to vote, and promotes much-needed access to voter registration and voting.

KEEPING JOBS IN THE U.S.

We are also seeing numerous actions directed at keeping manufacturing — and therefore jobs — in the U.S. These include Buy American rules requiring at least 60% (eventually increasing to 75%) of purchased products being made in the United States. As new industries develop, strong efforts to create new unionized jobs are also being planned. In the renewable energy industry, legislative plans will create a possible 44,000 jobs in development and construction, and 33,000 more jobs in supporting sectors within the next 10 years as part of the American Jobs Plan. The current Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill, passed in early November, invests more than $1 trillion into infrastructure. The areas covered range from upgrading the U.S. electrical grid, developing and implementing a national automobile charging network, and repaving roads and fixing bridges. This bill will create tens of thousands of equitable union jobs over the next decade. These actions, appointments and legislation are a huge step in the right direction, and you can be sure that unions and workers will continue to make their voices heard loud and clear to keep this momentum going strong in 2022 and build back union strong. WI

neediest children. Their needs will not take a break over the winter vacation and our leaders should not rest until children's needs are met.

Take action with the Children's Defense Fund today and tell your senators: No recess until you pass the Build Back Better Act! WI

Federal voting rights legislation will help overturn these Jim Crow-era state bills and put key protections in place. The Freedom to Vote Act expands opportunities to vote, thwarts voter suppression, limits partisan gerrymandering, prevents election sabotage, and promotes election security. The John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act would restore a requirement in the Voting Rights Act that jurisdictions with recent histories of discrimination secure federal "preclearance" before altering their voting laws, and will enhance the ability of the U.S. Department of Justice and other stakeholders to challenge discriminatory voting laws. President Biden and members of Congress can no longer stand by and allow American democracy to crumble. They must set a new national standard for voting and restore the

Voting Rights Act of 1965 to its full strength, even if that means reforming or eliminating the filibuster. Standing on the shoulders of Dr. King, Coretta Scott King, Whitney M. Young and many others, we must hold them accountable for doing so. The MLK Day mobilizations will begin in Arizona on Jan. 15, Dr. King's birthday, where the King family and local groups will rally supporters across Phoenix, in alignment with the Arizona Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration Committee. On Jan. 17, the family and hundreds of others will cross the Frederick Douglass Memorial Bridge and join the annual D.C. Peace Walk: Change Happens with Good Hope and a Dream. For more information about the weekend of mobilizations, visit www. deliverforvotingrights.com. WI

DECEMBER 23 - 29, 2021 45

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46 DECEMBER 23 - 29, 2021

WILLIAMS from Page 27 the 2020 elections, Republicans have assigned the label of "illegitimate" votes and voters in areas occupied by voters of color. Their voter suppression laws and activities shout their belief that the votes of people of color matter less than those of their "white base." Left unchallenged, the outcome is clear. We may not know how far some will choose to take us, but we understand the direction they will want to go. You must protest these negative eventualities. You don't need flowery rhetoric or a well-designed script. We have no time to waste! Write or send your emails to: · Sen. Charles Schumer, US Senate, Washington, DC 20510

JEALOUS from Page 27 presentation circulated among Trump's inner circle claiming that the election was compromised by foreign powers and that Trump could declare a national security emergency to stay in power. It has been reported that the author of that memo, a retired Army colonel, met with former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows multiple times after the election. Republican members of Congress were briefed on the claims on the eve of the insurrection. Given that so many of Trump's allies were willing to ignore the

ASKIA from Page 27 are comfortable with Trump's dog whistle-turned-sirens, hate-mongering schemes intended to make life more miserable for BIPOC. But there remains a ruling consensus of this country as headed toward becoming a "multicultural democracy." The problem is that's exactly what most white people object to. They want consensus around what's best for "Karen" and "Ken" and not for "Latasha" or "Tyrone." It "looks like" a functioning democracy, but the government barely survived Jan. 6, 2020 and those who want that authoritarian state, are plotting now to make sure it comes about, with voter suppression efforts going wild against Black voters all over the country, and then, if all else fails, chaos, warfare. And just who are these potentially warring hordes? In a recent Politico/Morning Consult poll, nearly

· Sen. Mitch McConnell, US Senate, Washington, DC 20510 · Sen. Joe Manchin, US Senate, Washington, DC 20510 · Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, US Senate, Washington, DC 20510 · The Honorable Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the House, US House of Representatives, Washington, DC 20515

· Congressman James Clyburn, US House of Representatives, Washington, DC 20515 Explain that you support the John R. Lewis Voter Rights Act and want it passed into law, even if it requires a "carve-out" of the Senate filibuster. The future is critical. We can't wait for others to act. WI

You must protest these negative eventualities. You don't need flowery rhetoric or a well-designed script. We have no time to waste!

Constitution and overturn the will of the voters, it's not exactly surprising that they are also willing to defy legal efforts to get at the truth. One after another of Trump's political strategists and former aides have been stonewalling the Jan. 6 committee. Meadows and right-wing political operative Steve Bannon have simply refused to comply with legal subpoenas to testify and now face charges of criminal contempt of Congress. Here is the brutal bottom line: Trump has never accepted his loss. He and his allies are showing us that they are more committed to

getting and keeping power in their hands than they are to accepting the will of the voters. They are ready to sacrifice democracy on the altar of right-wing authoritarianism. That is not a pleasant thought at Christmastime — or any time. We don't have the luxury of looking away. We have to face these threats and what it will take from all of us to defeat them in the months and years ahead. In this season of gift-giving, think of the time and energy you spend defending democracy as a gift to your family and friends — a future of freedom. WI

70 percent of Republicans said they want The Donald to run again in 2024. Let's remember, a majority of white voters — male, female, and most age-demographic groups — voted for Trump in 2020. He lost because a plurality of white voters, and vast majorities of Black and other non-white voters, turned out against him. The way the political map is shaping up, White Americans are choosing GOP values. Democrats are afraid that loyalty to whiteness and to historically racist policies will attract away their members, almost guaranteeing the GOP will win back the House in 2022 and the White House in 2024 — without even having to "cheat." "We won the first time, and the second time we won by even more," Trump said at an event in Florida recently, repeating his false claim that the 2020 election was stolen from him. So, it looks like we have to think

about him running a third time. Imagine: He was impeached twice! He is a bum, a whoremonger, and a failed businessman, and clever conman. As a result, 70 percent of the GOP believes he should be president again??!! And then, if he loses despite their efforts to rig the outcome in his favor, many of them are prepared to take up arms, in order to cause "lethal chaos" in order to obtain the outcome they desire. You talk about a need to be "woke"? Folks need to wake up and smell the seeds of rebellion smoldering among the white tribe if their soiled candidate does not win. Absent charges that stick in any of the numerous state and federal probes into the grifter's conduct, he gets a political "clean bill of health." What worse than what is already known — about his taxes, about his effort to overthrow the 2020 election — about him? Besides, who cares? He's Trump. WI

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DECEMBER 23 - 29, 2021 47

M AYO R M U R I E L B O W S E R P R E S E N T S T H E 8 T H A N N U A L F R E S H S TA R T

2022 WALK

RUN

JA N UA RY 1 , 2 02 2 Kick-off your New Year right at Mayor Muriel Bowser’s #FITDC Fresh Start 5K! As part of the #FITDC initiative, we are inviting people of all ages to join us for this fun fitness activity. Whether you want to run, walk, or just cheer folks on, this will be a fun event for all!

ANACOSTIA PARK – 1500 ANACOSTIA DR REGISTRATION 9AM | 5K BEGINS 10AM REGISTER AT: FITDCFreshStart5k.com 48 DECEMBER 23 - 29, 2021

GOVERNMENT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

MURIEL BOWSER, MAYOR

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