The Washington Informer - December 24, 2020

WASHINGTON INFORMER Vol. 56, No. 10 • December 24 - 30, 2020

Remember the Reason for the Season ALSO INSIDE

• Asbury UMC Unveils New Banner • Contee Named MPD Chief • Kwanzaa Lifts Spirits Despite Pandemic • Four Stars for Wilson's 'Ma Rainey'

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Around the Region................4-11 Prince George's County.....12-13 Business................................14-15 National................................16-17 International............................ 18

3District Ranks Among the Most ‘Giving’ Cities

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OpEd....................................25-27 Lifestyle............................. 28-35 Dear Reader,

Capture the Moment ............ 36

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COMPILED BY D. KEVIN MCNEIR, WI EDITOR

and Acceptance law enforcement. theyUse threat,” she said.

Braveboy Joins Toy and She saidon had come together to bring a Among the programs Marlow Term Coat Drive for Kids sense of uniformity in theof way wants‘Latinx’ to see implemented are

By Tia Carol Jones WI Staff Writer

When L.Y. Marlow's 23-year- domestic violence victims and stricter restraining order policies, old Prince daughterGeorge’s told her County the fatherState’s Attorney Aisha survivors are treated. more rights for victim's families ofN.herBraveboy daughterhas threatened partneredherwith Revelation ofher Allown personal to intervene on behalf of a vic“She's using life, and the [ROAR] life of their child, Christmas story, her gifts own and personal pain to tim, a domestic violence assessResources to deliver she knew something had throughout to be push Davis-Nickens ment unit coupled with further new coats to children the forward,” community done.

Outin of heror frustration said about Marlow. training for law enforcement who are need who have been impacted by the with law enforcement's handling Davis-Nickens said anyone agencies, a Child's Life ProtecCOVID-19 pandemic.

of the situation, she decided who reads Marlow's “I’m excited and overjoyedtoto be a partner in this book will tion Act and mandatory counselstart the Saving Promise cam“get it.”

She wonderful initiative. We have an opportunity tosaid helpshe “puts the ing for batterers. paign. case in holiday such a seaway, the average “If we are ever going to eradisomeone in need during this challenging “It seems to be aAttorney vicious cycle person can get it.” She said at the cate domestic violence, we must son,” said State’s Braveboy. thatApproximately won't turn 50 mymembers familyof the endcommunity of the day, par-the book will look at both sides of the coin. loose,” Marlow said.

Marlow help people begin ticipated in ROAR’s Sponsor a Child for Christmasto have a dia- We need to address both the vicIn a recent published in The Atlantic, the shared her story with the audi- logue about domestic violence. tim article and the batterer,” Marlow initiative, where new unwrapped gifts and coats were ence at the District Heights writer, John McWhorter, a linguist at Columbia Also throughout present at the event was said. collected to be delivered to 60 children Domestic Violence Symposium Mildred Muhammad, the University, asked why thealso term “Latinx” hasn’t exMarlow would like to see the community. Other partners included: the Maryon May 7 at the District Heights wife of John Allen Muhammad, caught onprograms among Latinos the way African Ameridesigned to raise land National Capital Park Police; Prince George’s Municipal Center.

The sympowho was sentenced to six conseccan amongawareness Blacks in among the late children 1980s? in County Public School Tanya Smith, sium was sponsored bySystem; the and utive life terms without parole andtoprivate schools.

She distincLatinx, public fashioned get past the gender president, Family andROAR. Youth Services by a Maryland jury for histion role in feelsin children be educatencoded Latinoneed and to Latina, has not repliFor more http://twitter.com/ Center of thenews cityand of updates, District visitthe Beltway Sniper attacks about since domestic violence. catedinthated success its introduction, in 2014.

PGSAONEWS Heights and the National Hook- 2002. Mildred Muhammad “We have by to intellectuals, stop being pasIt hasisbeen celebrated journalists, Up of Black Women. the founder of After the Trauma, with poor chil- But in universitysive-aggressive officials and some politicians.

Marlow has written a book, an organization that helps onethe recentdren poll,about only 2domestic percent violence,” of America’s Lati“Color Me Butterfly,” which is a survivors of domestic violence Marlow said. the term. nos said they preferred story about four generations of and their children.

Marlow has workedtaken to break Latino was enthusiastically up as an aldomestic violence. The book is “I lived in fear for six years.

Six to theHispanic cycle of abuse in her term family, ternative and newer solved the inspired by her own experiences, years in fear is a long time.

It is created and is confident thethat policies she which problem by the fact Hispanic, and those of her grandmother, not an easy thing to come out is pushing for will start that centers language, refers to Spanish-speakers and her mother and her daughter. of,” she said. process. thus excludes people of Brazilian descent. MeanShe said every time she reads Mildred Muhammadwhile, said Latinx“Ipurports plan to take these policies to that of to solve a problem: excerpts from her book, she still people who want to help a Congress and implore them to gender. However, among the general pubcan not believe the words came domestic violence victimimplied must change our laws,” Marlow said. lic, only will admit they’re concerned about from her. “Color Me Butterfly” be careful of how they go into a“Ifew will not stop until these polithe bias encoded in gendered word endings. It won the 2007 National “Best the victim's life, and understand cies are passed.” seems the new term has greater use among the inBooks” Award. that she may be in “survival Tia Carol Jones can be reached telligentsiaatbut not within the Latino community.

“I was just 16-years-old when mode”. tiacaroljones@sbcglobal.net my eye first blackened and my “Before you get to 'I'm going lips bled,” Marlow said. to kill you,' it started as a verbal WI Elaine Davis-Nickens, president of the National Hook-Up of Black Women, said there is no consistency in the way domestic violence issues are dealt with by

Bowser Issues Order for Holiday Pause of Activities, Extends Public Health Emergency

“

SCLC CEO Steele Says He’s ‘Hesitant’ to Take COVID-19 WeVaccine have to stop being

During a recent with airing of poor passive-aggressive SCLC-TV with host Maynard Eaton, SCLC President/ children domestic Mayor Muriel Bowser has issued Mayor’s Order CEO Dr.about Charles Steele, Jr. 2020-127 to pause various activities in the District discussed why he and other from 10:00 p.m., on Wed., Dec. 23 violence. until Fri., Jan. Americans are "hesi- these IAfrican plan to take 15 at 5:00 a.m. Additionally, the order extends the tant" to take the COVID-19 state of emergency and public health emergency vaccine. argument in- and toHisCongress for the District through March 31, 2021. Evenpolicies for cludes a history in which those activities that are not paused by the order, Blacks were treated like lab specimens rather than the mayor strongly encourages residents to be cauimplore them to change our100 Black American citizens.

Steele also joined tious this holiday season so as to limit the spread of Georgia clergy in an open letter to U.S. Senator COVID-19.

Loeffler decrying her attacks on the prophetic laws. IKelly will not stop until The full Order is available at coronavirus.dc.gov/ tradition of the Black church. phasetwo. these policies are passed.

“

SOMETHING NEW EVERYDAY

Women the Cycle of wi hotBreak topics Domestic Violence Latinos Hold Mixed Views State’s Attorney Aisha

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L.Y. Marlow

AROUND THE REGION Asbury United Methodist Church Replaces Banner Destroyed During Pro-Trump Rally Hamil Harris WI Contributing Writer Days after a “Black Lives Matter” banner in front of Asbury United Methodist Church was stolen and destroyed during a pro-Trump rally, the historic Black church in northwest D.C. held an event Friday morning to put up a new one.

Rev. Ianther Mills, Asbury’s senior pastor, was joined Friday by an ecumenical group of ministers during an outdoor service in front of the 184-year-old church.

D.C. police earlier this week released photos of the banner being burned on the street in front of the church during the pro-Trump demonstration Saturday, while religious leaders and city officials alike condemned the acts and vowed solidarity.

“That banner was removed by trespassers, that banner was removed by domestic terrorists, that banner was removed by those who promote hate,” said Bishop LaTrelle Easterling, the episcopal leader of the Baltimore-Washington Conference of the United Methodist Church. “They used fire to bring people to silence, but we will not be silent.”

Several other pastors in the city said signs at their churches also have been destroyed.

The department is investigating the incidents as potential hate crimes, said D.C. Police Chief Peter Newsham.

On Thursday, Enrique Tarrio, chairman of the far-right group Proud Boys, took responsibility for setting the fire at Asbury and dared authorities to arrest him for it.

While several African American pastors question whether D.C. police have done enough to protect their churches and prevent such incidents, Rev. Thomas Bowen, director of Mayor Muriel Bowser’s Office of Religious Affairs, said the mayor is strongly focused on keeping all churches safe.

“There were no permits issued for those who came into Washington, D.C. with hate,” said Bowen, adding that federal officials issue permits and none had been issued since the coronavirus pandemic. “We are a community of love, inclusion and diversity.”

Bowen, citing a famous quote

by Martin Luther King Jr., said, “When one is impacted directly, it impacts all of us indirectly.”

WI

Stay Informed!

5 A "Black Lives Matter" banner is placed in front of Asbury United Methodist Church in Northwest on Dec. 18, days after a similar one was stolen and destroyed during a pro-Trump rally in the city. (Hamil R. Harris/The Washington Informer)

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DECEMBER 24 - 30, 2020 5

AROUND THE REGION

black facts

SOURCE: BLACK AMERICA WEB

DEC 24 - 30, 2020

DEC. 24

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.

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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 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.

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1915 – Una Mae Carlisle (right), a jazz singer, pianist and songwriter, is born in Zanesville, Ohio.

1924 – Harmonica player DeFord Bailey becomes the first Black musician to perform on the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, Tennessee.

1966 – Black professor Maulana Karenga creates Kwanzaa, a weeklong celebration of African heritage in African American culture.

1999 – Singer-songwriter Curtis Mayfield dies from complications of Type 2 diabetes in Roswell, Georgia, at 57.

1903 – Pioneering jazz pianist Earl "Fatha" Hines is born in Duquesne, Pennsylvania.

1954 – Academy Award-winning actor Denzel Washington (top) 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.

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

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1892 – Physician Miles V. Lynk publishes the first Black medical journal.

1928 – Pioneering blues and rock 'n' roll singer and guitarist Bo Diddley is born in McComb, Mississippi.

1975 – Golf great Tiger Woods is born in Cypress, California.

1984 – Basketball icon LeBron James is born in Akron, Ohio.

WI

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"The Christmas Song" by Nat King Cole! Chestnuts roasting on an open fire … a true classic.

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DECEMBER 24 - 30, 2020 7

The World According to Dominic

All I Wanted for Christmas Was Good Health – ‘It’ Arrived Early

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When sharing their lists of special requests for what Santa should leave under the Christmas tree, several creative songwriters have suggested things like “my two front teeth,” “a hippopotamus” and “you.”

Of course, children have their own lengthy lists which include toys, hightech gadgets or envelopes filled with crisp dollar bills. Meanwhile, those who have long abandoned the youthful notion of a jolly old man delivering their heart’s desire on December 24th, the “All I Want for Christmas” list often bears a much bigger price tag: diamonds, furs, a sleek new car, a trip to a sun-drenched tropical paradise – even a new home or a partner with whom one can build a beautiful future.

Some of the hot ticket items I’ve mentioned above, I must admit, have been on my personal list in the past – sometimes even being featured repeatedly after my dreams failed to come true.

But this year, the gift which God gave to me – one which I certainly asked for and which I cannot say with assurance that I deserved because I had earned it – is good health.

This time last year, I went back home to Detroit for the Christmas holiday. It was trip to which I looked forward for several reasons: my firstborn child’s graduation ceremony

during which she received her master’s in education; playing with my loveable grandson – a precocious little boy who started school this year; reviving friendships with those I hadn’t seen for far too long; and recalling memories of my recently deceased mother with my sister and others whose lives had been touched

by Momma.

However, during my travels back home, I became suddenly and violently ill with what I thought at the time was simply a case of an intense mutation of the flu. But in the few hours between packing and preparing to board a flight back to the District, I became so cold, weak and confused that I would require a wheelchair, several thick blankets and plenty of fluids just to remain conscious.

In fact, during the flight, the senior flight attendant, after speaking with the pilot, said that they thought I should consider allowing them to turn the plane around and getting me to a hospital as quickly as possible. I continued to pretend that I was feeling better. I just wanted to get home.

It would be nearly two weeks later before I began to feel well enough to get out of bed and resume my hectic schedule. It would take even longer to regain my strength and recover the 10 pounds I had lost.

Many months later in early November, my greatest fears would be confirmed. I learned that the virus which I had contracted just before Christmas last year was more than just a bad case of the flu – I had been stricken with COVID-19.

Of course, the American public had no knowledge that even as early as last December, this new virus was already in our midst. It would not be until March that the medical community would sound the clarion call, warning of a new and deadly force that has since been responsible for the deaths of over 300,000 people.

During my illness, I did what I usually do when I come down with the flu – something which only happens to me every two or three years: I drank a lot of herbal tea, sipped on heaping bowls of chicken noodle soup, ate fresh fruit whenever I could stand it, took plenty of hot baths and slept for long periods of time.

So, it’s one year later and Christmas is almost here. This year, I’m alone – well actually, I have my two little companions with me: Baby Girl and Duchess who are keeping me busy and grateful for life, health and strength.

On my list for gifts that I want, I suppose I should say that I put in my request a lot earlier than usual.

All I wanted for Christmas was good health – something that cannot be purchased at the shopping mall or ordered online. I didn’t realize how close I may have come to death. But the experience reminded me to take each day and make the best of it, to use my gifts and talents for good as if it were my last day on Earth and to be an obedient child of the King.

Yes, my Christmas gift – or blessing – came early this year.

In fact, it arrived special delivery on the wings of angels. WI

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AROUND THE REGION

Harry Thomas III Joins the Family Business Scion of Ward 5 Political Clan Wins ANC Seat James Wright WI Staff Writer Harry Thomas III, 25, realizes that he has a well-known name in District politics but wants to chart his own path as an elected official starting in January as the 5C06 advisory neighborhood commissioner.

Thomas’s grandfather, Harry Thomas Sr., served as a commissioner in Ward 5 and represented the ward on the D.C. Council from 1987-1999. His grandmother, Romaine Thomas, has served on the D.C. Democratic State Committee and has had stints as a commissioner. His father, Harry Thomas Jr., also has served as a commissioner in the ward and worked as its legislator from 2007-2012 but stepped down after pleading guilty to felony theft of government funds and falsifying tax returns.

Presently, Romaine and Harry Jr., represent Ward 5 on the D.C. Democratic State Committee.

While Thomas expresses pride in his kin’s accomplishments, he desires to establish himself in the “family business.”

“I have been around politics all of my life,” he said. “I remember hearing stories about how my grandfather helped people in the ward in their time of need. I know about my grandmother’s hard work in the community and have had the chance to see that first-

hand. I remember as a child going with my father to assist a resident who needed help, sometimes at 2 a.m. in the morning.”

He was surrounded by politics all his life, Thomas said, but added baseball was his passion. He played the sport in high school at St. John College High School, in the college ranks at Campbell University and played internationally in Europe and South America before coming back to the District at the onset of the coronavirus pandemic earlier this year. Thomas said he wanted to change his focus from the sport to politics and made the decision to run for commissioner in the Brookland-based neighborhood he grew up in.

“After coming back home from playing baseball, I decided to look at the next chapter in my life,” he said.

In the Nov. 3 general election, the voters in 5C06 elected Thomas to his first term with 50.59 percent of the vote. He is defeating Thaddeus James, who received 41.45 percent, and a few write-in candidates.

The district Thomas will represent encompasses the southern end of the Brookland neighborhood with the Rhode Island Avenue Metro Station on the Red Line close to its borders. “5C06 is the neighborhood I grew up in,” he said. “It is a snapshot of D.C. as a whole.”

“There’s a lot of development taking place in the neighborhood but there are also people who have needs,” he said. “As a commissioner, I will focus on areas such as Brookland Manor and Saratoga.

I want to focus on creating more green space in the district and help build more affordable housing.

This district is a good place for me to start my political career, it gives me the chance to serve my neighbors and to see how the District government works.”

Thomas, Jr. candidly admits to being a little concerned about his son becoming a politician.

“When he decided to run for the position, I was a little nervous,” Thomas said. “Politics can be a tricky and dangerous business and it is not always fair. However, he has the life experiences that will help him do well. He is a meticulous and methodical person and that should serve him well as a commissioner.”

Romaine Thomas said she supports her grandson’s aspirations, too.

“I think he will make a good commissioner,” she said. “He makes good decisions. We as a family stand behind him.”

When asked whether he will follow in the path of his grandfather and father and pursue the Ward 5 council seat, he said “I will take one year at a time.”

“I don’t know what will happen

5 Harry Thomas III is the grandson of former D.C. Councilmember Harry Thomas, Sr., and the son of ex-councilmember Harry Thomas, Jr. (Courtesy photo)

two years or six years down the road,” Thomas said. “For example, if six years down the road I feel that I am the best candidate to represent Ward 5 on the council,

then I will run for it. I will never rule anything out.”

WI @JamesDCWrighter

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Families pre-registered to receive toys at the Toys for Tots program held on Saturday, Dec. 19th with the Prince George’s County Public Safety agencies in partnership with the US Marine Corp. (Robert R. Roberts/The Washington Informer)

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WORDS TO LIVE BY “I am a woman that came from the cotton fields of the South. I was promoted to the washtub, the cook kitchen and I promoted myself into the business of manufacturing hair goods and preparations. Everybody told me I was making a mistake by going into this business but I know how to grow hair as well as I know how to grow cotton.”

– Madame C.J. Walker

[Sarah Breedlove], Speech, 1912; born Dec. 23, 1867; first Black female millionaire in the U.S. 10 - DECEMBER 24 - 30, 2020

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AROUND THE REGION

District's Mayor Bowser Selects Robert Contee as New MPD Chief Sam P.K. Collins WI Contributing Writer D.C Metropolitan Police Assistant Chief Robert Contee, 31-year veteran and D.C. native, was named police chief by D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser (D) on Dec. 22.

Bowser’s actions scuttled the planned nationwide search to replace Chief Peter Newsham, who’s leaving MPD for the Prince William’s County top cop slot in 2021.

“I’m a hometown kid; this is the city that birthed me,” Contee told The Washington Post hours before Bowser’s formal announcement.

“I went to school here. I raised my family here.”

District officials had planned to embark on a nationwide search amid assertions from local residents that they should be involved in the process of finding the next chief for the 3,700-member police force, as tensions have deepened between police and residents over what they say are heavy-handed policing tactics.

A group tasked with developing police reform recommendations has implored D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser (D) to include the most marginalized and policed of District residents in the search for Newsham’s replacement.

In a letter sent to the mayor’s office earlier this month, the D.C. Police Reform Commission called for the formation of a selection committee that would host meetings in each ward, and develop a set of selection criteria with community members.

Ron Hampton, a retired police officer and commission member, said the mayor should “allow the community to be in that process so they would play a role in the selection,” added Hampton. “Ultimately, the D.C. Council has to confirm that person, so they would need the support of District residents.”

In the aftermath of George Floyd’s death, the council passed emergency legislation, not only reducing MPD’s budget but forming the D.C. Police Reform

Commission. As the District’s homicide numbers continue to rise however, Newsham, Bowser, and others have remained adamant about the need for aggressive, on-the-ground policing tactics.

Critics said that mindset set the stage, in September, for 18-year-old Deon Kay’s police-involved shooting death in Southeast. More than a month later, protesters would converge on MPD’s Fourth District Station after 20-year-old Karon Hylton-Brown succumbed to injuries sustained in a crash while trying to evade officers chasing him for not wearing a helmet while driving a moped.

The D.C. office of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU-DC) has also been at work.

Last year, the organization sued MPD on behalf of Denise Price for its unlawful search of her Deanwood yard a week after her son, Jeffery Price, died in a dirt bike collision with a police cruiser.

This week, ACLU-DC supported the D.C. Police Reform Commission’s call for a transparent police chief selection process.

Executive Director Monica Hopkins went further in suggesting that Newham’s successor not come from within MPD’s ranks.

The ultimate goal, she said, should center on the installation of a police chief who, not only reflects the will of the people, but embraces widespread calls for defunding police and other reforms.

“The mayor could take a huge step forward to bring the community into her thinking for her vision about the next police chief,” said Hopkins.

“In other jurisdictions where these things happen, there’s a slate of candidates with people to meet in town hall presentations where the community asks them questions and facilitates the selection of a good candidate to get confirmed by the council. These decisions could have an effect on our city for decades to come.”

WI

D.C Metropolitan Police Assistant Chief Robert Contee, 31-year veteran and D.C. native, was named police chief by D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser (D) on Dec. 22.

5 Robert Contee (Courtesy photo)

D.C. PREPARATORY ACADEMY REQUESTS FOR PROPOSALS Environmental

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@SamPKCollins

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DECEMBER 24 - 30, 2020 11

PRINCE GEORGE'S COUNTY State Unveils Strategy for Early Childhood Learning William J. Ford WI Staff Writer Yetunde Ijaodola ensures the coronavirus pandemic doesn’t negatively affect her family, especially when it comes to the safety and education of her three children.

While the two youngest children are at a local day-care, her oldest child, a son in the third grade at Whitehall Elementary in Bowie, works in a quiet,

organized setting at home.

But the virtual learning environment has its challenges.

“The opportunities for socialization are limited,” said Ijaodola, who’s able to work at home for the U.S. Food Drug and Administration. “It is needed in some form of capacity in learning outside of the books.”

With school buildings closed in Prince George’s County because of the rise in COVID-19 confirmed

5 Early childhood education remains a focus in Maryland. (Photo courtesy of state of Maryland)

cases, students may continue learning from a laptop, computer or other technology devices for the rest of the school year.

Most parents and guardians with elementary school children in Maryland are forced to be at home to help guide their children through diverse technology programs.

That’s why the state released a five-

year strategy through 2025 in a plan called “Maryland Ready: A Path to School Readiness and Success.”

The plan, orchestrated by the state departments of Education, Health and Human Services, is geared toward early childhood education, specifically children up to eight years old.

The drive is fueled by a $26.8 million federal grant to help boost services

not only in elementary schools, but also early childhood centers, Head Start and other learning centers.

An overarching theme: make sure all families receive adequate resources at home to help teach and prepare their children for a formal school environment.

LEARNING Page 13

Amid COVID-19, New Business Still Coming to Maryland William J. Ford WI Staff Writer @jabariwill Jeff Brown has been a trainer and fitness enthusiast for more than 25 years.

Brown’s passion to maintain a healthy lifestyle led him to become owner of the first franchise in the D.C. area and entire state of Maryland named after boxing champion Floyd Mayweather Jr. The 3,200-square-foot Mayweath-

5 Jeff Brown stands outside Mayweather Boxing & Fitness in Bowie. Brown plans to open the fitness center by February 2021. (Antony Tilghman/The Washington Informer)

12 - DECEMBER 24 - 30, 2020

er Boxing & Fitness center in Bowie plans to open next month or in February with six full and part-time employees.

“Prince Georges County is the ideal location to have and support a blackowned business,” Brown said in an email Dec. 15. “There [is] a wealth of opportunities here and the residents deserve services and amenities that are local and relevant to their needs and interests.”

According to the Mayweather Boxing & Fitness website, about 18 are open nationwide at locations such as Chicago, Los Angeles and Tampa, Fla. Mayweather retired in 2017 and launched the franchise a year later.

Mayweather, considered one of the best fighters of all time with a career record of 50-0, will be inducted in the International Boxing Hall of Fame in June 2021.

Some of the exercises at the Bowie gym will include “bag work,” a class that features boxing techniques used

by Mayweather.

Through the advice of health officials, state and local lawmakers have instituted certain protocols to combat

the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

Locally in Prince George’s County, Brown’s business is to open after the county’s COVID-19 restrictions are scheduled to end Jan. 16. One of them includes decreasing the indoor capacity from 50 percent to 25 percent at retail businesses, fitness centers and the MGM casino and resort at National Harbor.

The pandemic hasn’t stopped some job growth in the state of Maryland, according to preliminary data released Friday, Dec. 18 by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The federal agency states Maryland added 24,100 jobs and the unemployment rate decreased to 6.8 percent in November, the lowest since the pandemic began.

The top three fields that experienced the highest gains came from the professional and business services sector at 7,200 jobs; trade, transportation and utilities increased by 6,700 jobs; and education and health services by 4,800 jobs.

Although leisure and hospitality jobs showed an increase by 3,000 jobs, the pandemic still affected thousands

of business owners in Maryland.

Gov. Larry Hogan announced last week in Annapolis an economic relief package of $180 million.

Some the funding includes $50 million for hotels, motels and other hospitality businesses toward payroll expenses, rent and utilities.

About $40 million will provide a boost in temporary cash assistance slated to help 66,000 families and another $40 million to disability care providers that will help more than 17,000 people.

The other funding includes: • $30 million for restaurants.

• $15 million for the Main Street program through the state Department of Community Housing and Urban Development.

• $5 million to help “socially or economically damaged businesses,” with a specific focus for those located in rural counties.

“We will continue to take every action we can at the state level to help those most in need,” Hogan said.

WI @jabariwill

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PRINCE GEORGE’S COUNTY

Some Will Take the Vaccine – Some Say They Will

William J. Ford WI Staff Writer

While the COVID-19 vaccines are being administered to some health care workers and staff and residents at nursing homes in Maryland, the general population will have to wait at least a half-year before taking a shot in the arm.

Some Prince George’s County residents interviewed aren’t too keen about having that medicine flow through their bodies.

“I just don’t know right now. I want to see what is going on and see the results from the vaccine,” said Dunston Melville, who owns an auto body shop in Beltsville.

Faye Martin Howell of Landover would take the vaccine, except if the ingredients include penicillin which she’s allergic to.

“If it doesn’t have that in it, then I would be willing to take it,” said Martin Howell, who serves on the county’s Democratic Central Committee. “I am willing to do whatever I can to keep myself and others safe.”

According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration ingredient list

LEARNING from Page 12 “With the early years as the most critical period for brain development, the investments we make to support our youngest learners now provide the foundation for lifelong learning and achievement,” public schools Superintendent Karen Salmon said in a statement Dec. 16. “This strategic plan provides the foundation to build upon and leverage federal, state, local and non-governmental resources to align and strengthen the equity and delivery of programs so that each child can flourish.”

The 23-page report at https://bit. ly/34fB6o7 outlines six goals such as strengthen availability and access, improve and support program quality, deepen family engagement, ensure successful transition experiences, expand and enhance workforce opportunities and improve systems for infrastructure, data and resource management.

Underneath each goal are dozens of strategies and action steps that include: • Increase the number of slots in home visiting programs, including in rural areas.

• Assess state and local data to identify and address equity and diver-

for the Pfizer vaccine at https://bit. ly/2WtGMqd, penicillin isn’t listed.

But the FDA has warned in extensive backgrounds documents about potential side effects from the vaccine.

The majority Black jurisdiction continues to account for the highest number of confirmed coronavirus cases in the state. Johns Hopkins University’s dashboard at https://bit. ly/38iuNkP recorded Prince George’s among the top 60 counties and cities of confirmed cases in the nation.

Some in the Black community remain skeptical in taking a vaccine that some believe was produced too quickly.

They link white disdain and ambivalence to black health with two documented examples of white maltreatment of blacks in the health care arena. In one episode, set in the rural south, public health officials in Tuskegee, Ala. deliberately mislead Black men to believe they were being treated for syphilis in when they were, in fact, being monitored as untreated syphilis sufferers between 1932 until 1972.

In another case, in 1951, doctors at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore

harvested cells, without permission, from Henrietta Lacks, a Black woman being treated for cancer. The cells possessed a rare and remarkable trait and continued to produce for decades outside her body, resulting in scores of medical research breakthroughs for which Lacks and her family were thinly compensated.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, COVID-19 became first identified in Wuhan, China, in December 2019.

The agency described it as a novel, or new, coronavirus because it’s never been previously seen in humans but animals.

Health officials determined the virus spread quickly throughout America because of human droplets from the mouth. Recommendations, and in some cases mandates, for Americans to wear masks, maintain six feet of distance from each other and wash hands, or use hand sanitizer when a sink isn’t available.

As of Friday, Dec. 18, about 17.5 million Americans contracted the virus and more than 318,000 have died.

On the same day, the FDA autho-

sity trends in various across programs and services.

• Host an annual statewide Family Engagement Summit.

• Create a universal application process that allows families to apply for multiple services and programs across state agencies with a single application.

“A renewed commitment to Maryland’s vision is now needed from vari-

ous stakeholders…” according to the document. “All of Maryland’s children deserve the best that we can provide so they can thrive, no matter the circumstances.”

Several items in the report mirror those approved by state lawmakers this year within an annual $3.8 billion education plan based on recommendations from a group nicknamed the Kirwan Commission.

Two of those focused on increasing enrollment in prekindergarten for 3and 4-year-old children from low-income families, and professional development for educators that include cultural competency and equity.

Back in Bowie, Ijaodola continues to aid her son in virtual learning. She’s even found humor when her son’s teacher asked students “don’t be late” for a presentation to prepare them for a virtual field trip a few days later.

“At first I was like, ‘Don’t be late for what? To go downstairs?’” she said, laughing. “I understand she wants the children to be on time to log in for class. When my oldest gets to be my age, he’s going to tell stories about the experience he had with [virtual learning].”

WI @jabariwill

Several items in the report mirror those approved by state lawmakers this year within an annual $3.8 billion education plan based on recommendations from a group nicknamed the Kirwan Commission

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rized a second company, Moderna, to produce and distribute a COVID-19 vaccine. Pfizer received approval one week prior.

Black health care workers in hospitals and clinics and even the U.S. Surgeon General Jerome M. Adams received the first doses of the Pfizer vaccine. Health officials said a second dose should be taken in about three weeks. A second dose of the Moderna vaccine can take it four weeks later.

“That trust comes from a historical place, but we also have to explain to people that we put protections in place,” Adams said on CNN on Friday. “We now have many people looking to make sure these vaccines are safe.”

Some people still have no confidence in the vaccine.

“I don’t have a lot of trust in the government, especially with the last four years of the lies being told by you know who,” Charlotte Spencer, 62, of Landover, said about the Trump administration’s “Operation Warp Speed” vaccination program. “I have a hard time with it, especially with that warp speed. I am in the slow in the lane. Anyone who wants to get in front of me can go right ahead.”

OUTREACH EFFORTS

To boost trust in taking the vaccine, Blacks such as former President Barack Obama said he would take the injection when it becomes available.

Maryland two top elected officials, Gov. Larry Hogan and Lt. Gov. Boyd Rutherford, will receive the vaccine publicly.

State and health officials are working on an outreach campaign to work with local officials and community leaders that include minority and rural populations.

“They’re providing input now in terms of how we should roll out our campaign and what kind of messages and we are taking that input very seriously,” said Dr. Jinlene Chan, the state’s acting deputy health secretary.

“We’re not doing it alone, by any means. We’re really engaging with as many partners as we can across the state.”

Three organizations – National Governors Association, COVID Collaborative and Duke-Margolis Health Policy Center – released a report this month at https://bit.ly/3mAzRGl

5 Charlotte Spencer, 62, a Landover resident, is apprehensive about getting inoculated against the coronavirus. (Roy Lewis/The Washington Informer)

with suggestions on meeting the challenges of distributing the vaccine.

“Given the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on these populations, states should consider targeted strategies to ensure that vaccines will be equitably and effectively distributed to BIPOC (Black, Indigenous and other people of color) communities at high risk,” the document states.

Both Pfizer and Moderna recorded more than 94 percent efficacy rates against COVID-19 among various races and genders.

Chan outlined some of the side effects from both vaccines that include pain at the injection site, muscle and joint pain and fever.

Once those with underlying conditions, first responders and elderly residents receive the vaccine, then Ric Gordon of Greenbelt will take it, too.

“Once they get it and is ready for me, then I will take it,” said Gordon, 38, who works for the U.S. Department of Transportation and is running for a city council seat. “I just want [officials] to do not just what’s in the best interest of themselves, but what’s in the best interest of public health. We have to think broadly as one community, as one people.”

WI @jabariwill

DECEMBER 24 - 30, 2020 13

BUSINESS Coalition of Major Companies Vows to Hire One Million African Americans in High-Paying Jobs Stacy M. Brown WI Senior Writer OneTen, a coalition of leading executives, has pledged to hire 1 million African Americans into family-sustaining jobs with advancement opportunities over the next decade.

The coalition joined forces to upskill, employ, and advance the hires as a method to chip away at the economic barriers plaguing

African Americans.

The announcement comes as one million new unemployment filings were recorded last week, and a total of 10 million more Americans are now without work.

In an analysis of finances and the pandemic completed this week by Zillow found that Black women face disproportionate housing impacts due to unemployment, housing tenure and healthcare.

14 - DECEMBER 24 - 30, 2020

Black women were hardest hit by the pandemic, and the year-over-year change in unemployment claims for women in general was ten 3times higher than the count for men.

“This is a moment in time for Americans to move past our divisions to come together and reach our full potential as a nation,” Ken Frazier, the chairman and CEO of Merck and a OneTen founder stated.

“Our country’s workforce of the future will be an increasingly diverse one,” Frazier proclaimed.

“Through the creation of one million jobs for Black Americans over the next ten years, OneTen has the potential to address persistent inter-generational gaps in opportunity and wealth,” Frazier remarked further.

That announcement might provide a glimmer of hope for Candita Hinds, a single Black District mother who recently lost her job of helping people cope with mental health struggles.

The therapist told USC Annenberg Media that she now finds herself working through her own anxieties as she tries to manage caring for her 10-year-old son during these uncertain financial times.

“My mental health has been like being on a roller coaster and I’m still on it and I haven’t come off of it as of yet,” Hinds, 32, said. “I had to do what everyone else was doing, which is apply for unemployment due to loss of wages and also for food stamps.”

It is individuals like Hinds that OneTen is seeking to provide hope.

“In this moment when all Americans share an aspiration for greater economic opportunity, leading executives and employers across industries are taking action to make a meaningful, measurable and lasting systemic impact on racial and economic justice and to create a more equitable society,” Frazier noted.

In addition to Frazier, other OneTen founders include Ken Chenault, chairman and managing director of General Catalyst and former chairman and CEO of American Express; Charles Phillips, the managing partner of Recognize and chairman of the Black Economic Alliance; Ginni Rometty, executive chairman and former CEO of IBM; Kevin Sharer, a former chairman and CEO of Amgen and former faculty member at Harvard Business School.

Each of the founders serves on the Board of OneTen – Frazier and Rometty --serve as co-chairs.

OneTen connects employers with talent partners, leading non-profits, and other skill-credentialing organizations that sup-

5 Candi Hinds and her son, Samar (Courtesy photo/Johnny Dorcil, via USC Annenberg)

port diverse talent development.

“OneTen links our companies with the critical work we know we need to do to improve racial equity in America,” Rometty added.

“This will not only help our individual companies, but by removing structural barriers that have disproportionately hindered Black Americans from joining the middle-class, it will also help lift all Americans,” Rometty continued.

OneTen members include Accenture, ADP, Allstate, American Express, Amgen, Aon, AT&T, Bain & Company, Bank of America, Cargill, Caterpillar, Cisco, Cleveland Clinic, Comcast, Deloitte, Delta Air Lines, Eli Lilly, General Motors, HP Inc., Humana, IBM, Illinois Tool Works, Intermountain Healthcare, Johnson & Johnson, Lowe’s, Medtronic, Merck, Nike, Nordstrom, PepsiCo, Roper Technologies, Stryker, Target, Trane Technologies, Verizon, Walmart and Whirlpool Corporation.

The organization noted that it is looking forward to welcoming additional members, including small and medium-sized businesses, which power much of the U.S. economy.

In a statement, the founders pledged that OneTen would work with employers, education partners,

and upskilling partners to design educational and employment solutions.

Together, these partners will better develop, retain, and advance diverse and underrepresented talent, more broadly, but with an explicit commitment to hire or promote Black Americans without four-year degrees, the founders added.

OneTen’s role in the talent ecosystem will be local, reflecting the workforce development landscape, and focus on reducing exclusionary hiring practices, identifying robust and new talent sources, and ensuring that adequate and equitable career pathways for advancement exist.

In January 2021, the organization will begin working with partner employers to improve workplace inclusivity practices and will connect talent providers to partner employers shortly after that, the founders continued.

“By bringing together a coalition of key leaders and asking them to make long-term commitments, we have the ability to change employment practices and help break down systemic barriers opening the door to full participation in our economy,” Rometty said.

WI @StacyBrownMedia Facebook/StacyBrownMedia

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BUSINESS

The District Ranks Among the Most ‘Giving’ Cities in America Stacy M. Brown WI Senior Writer

With the "Season of Giving" in full swing, a growing consensus opines that generosity is needed more than ever, with COVID-19 destroying so many households’ economic security.

Food pantries reportedly have miles-long lines of cars around the nation, with many of the hungry needing help for the first time.

Homeless camps also are experiencing increases as many Americans struggle to pay for housing amid layoffs and furloughs.

A new report shows that Americans – particularly District residents – are stepping up. Philanthropy News Digest reported that “total donations made through June equaled 47.3 percent of total giving for all of 2019.”

Officials this week at LawnStarter, which has locations in the District, Baltimore, and Alexandria, Virginia,

compared the 150 biggest U.S. cities across 12 key indicators of philanthropic behavior, from volunteering rates to the prevalence of food banks.

They found that the nation’s capital finished eighth most generous out of the 150 big cities it compared.

Minneapolis, Minn., St. Paul, Minn., Portland, Ore., Salt Lake City, Utah, Vancouver, Wash., Boston, Mass., Seattle, Wash., were the only cities to finish ahead of Washington, D.C. Tacoma, Wash., and Baltimore rounded out the top 10.

The report also revealed that the District counted among the tops in having the most shelter beds per 100,000 residents, and among the largest share of residents who improved their neighborhoods.

Further, the city also counted among the tops in the category of residents who donate $25 or more to charity.

For those who cannot donate money, LawnStarter experts did offer suggestions on some of the ways to show generosity toward others.

“Time is often more valuable than money — volunteering, especially in the pandemic when many people have stopped their usual volunteering — is vital for many organizations,” said Alexandra Graddy-Reed, an assistant professor of Public Policy at the University of Southern California.

“Stocking food pantry shelves, giving blood, and offering your skills like sewing or writing are great examples.

Sharing about organizations and their needs through social media is also a great way to help out at no cost,” Graddy-Reed concluded.

Dr. Susan A. MacManus, a Distinguished University Professor Emerita at the University of South Florida, added that residents could focus on acts of kindness. “[Especially] to those who are lone-

WWW.WASHINGTONINFORMER.COM / THE WASHINGTON INFORMER

(Courtesy photo/LawnStarter)

ly, forgotten, and ignored — a phone call, a card, a handwritten note, or drawing, sing songs or play music, offer to read, take a walk, share a good story, make a cake, bring a pet, offer to go to the grocery for them,” Dr. MacManus stated.

“It’s the simple things that so many people take for granted that are missing in needy people’s lives. It is also

important to feature givers of all ages and from diverse socioeconomic backgrounds. Feature recipients filled with joy and gratitude at unexpected help from both friends and strangers,” she offered.

WI @StacyBrownMedia Facebook.com/StacyBrownMedia

DECEMBER 24 - 30, 2020 15

NATIONAL Kwanzaa – Lifting Spirits in a Pandemic

Curtis Knowles WI Contributing Writer

With the end of the year nigh, and a ravenous plague surging throughout the world, people have turned to their end of year festivities to lift spirits. Kwanzaa is a celebration that brings people together.

The observance of Kwanzaa this year will be disrupted due to the pandemic. Being a community-based holiday, the social restric-

tions have caused many to take a different approach to celebrating the holiday.

One of the core values of Kwanzaa is the celebration of community. The disruption of this core element is readily felt by those that celebrate the holiday.

Kelly Davidson, owner of Kelly Maven Media has celebrated Kwanzaa for 18 years. She normally goes to Kwanzaa events held in and around the DMV area.

This year however is not the case

as restrictions prohibit large gatherings of people.

When asked what Kwanzaa meant to her, Davidson said the holiday is “a center to where people can base their lives in. Kwanzaa is the foundational principle that I want to live by and want to raise my family by.”

Organizations that attempt to host Kwanzaa celebrations have had to face a new set of challenges due to the pandemic.

Substantial Arts and Music, a multimedia organization was planning on hosting their 2nd annual Kwanzaa celebration, that had to be made virtual due to the pandemic. This had led to a damper on participation in the celebration.

Stan “Substantial” Robinson, a co-founder of Substantial Arts and Music said “doing things in that space (virtual) can be very different from doing things in person.

Kwanzaa contains elements of call and response and involving people in the space. It is very much an interactive holiday.”

The organization however has pointed out ways in which they can still hold the celebration as

President-Elect Biden Picks Black Man to Head U.S. EPA Stacy M. Brown WI Senior Writer President-elect Joe Biden continues to honor his campaign pledge for a diverse staff and cabinet.

On Thursday, Dec. 17, Biden picked Michael Regan, a Black man, to lead the Environmental Protection Agency.

If confirmed, the historically Black North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University graduate would be the first African American to lead the EPA. Regan, who currently heads North Carolina’s environmental agency, also holds a master’s degree from George Washington University.

“Boom,” exclaimed Deitra Matthews, who holds an MPA in Public Policy. “An HBCU grad.” North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper, who hired Regan for the state job, told the Associated Press on Wednesday that Regan was “a consensus builder and a fierce protector of the environment.”

“He’s been part of a strong, diverse cabinet in North Carolina. And if the

president-elect selects him, I have no doubt that he will do the same kind of job for our country,” Cooper stated.

Regan previously spent a decade at the federal EPA, including managing a national program for air-pollution issues.

He has served as an associate vice president for climate and energy issues at the Environmental Defense Fund advocacy group and as head of his own environmental and energy consulting firm.

According to his biography, Regan also founded M. Regan & Associates, LLC, a firm dedicated to helping organizations find transformational solutions to complex energy, environmental and economic challenges.

Regan has served on several boards and commissions focused on pollution control and environmental protection. They include the UNC School of Law Center for Climate, Energy, Environment and Economics, Green 2.0, N.C. Commission on Global Climate Change, N.C. Energy Policy Council and the Executive Steering Committee of Envision Charlotte.

16 - DECEMBER 24 - 30, 2020

5 Michael Regan (Courtesy photo)

A native of Goldsboro, N.C., Regan has a bachelor’s degree in Earth and Environmental Science from N.C. Agricultural & Technical State University and a master’s degree in Public Administration from George Washington University.

Regan and his wife, Melvina, and their son, Matthew, live in Raleigh.

WI @StacyBrownMedia

5 Stan and Rachelle Robinson, co-founders of Substantial Arts and Music participate in Kwanzaa which begins Dec. 26. (Courtesy photo/Kelly Davidson Maven Media)

well to reach a larger audience.

“The great thing about this being a cultural program is that no event will be the same. Everybody brings in their own spice… their own vision” says Rachelle Etienne-Robinson.

Mrs. Etienne-Robinson is also a co-founder of Substantial Arts and Music.

With everything being in a virtual space to coincide with pandemic restrictions, people are still finding ways to connect and celebrate the people and events they hold dear. The holiday of Kwanzaa still has its patrons that are willing to keep the tradition alive and spread it to others as well.

The holiday was created by Maulana Ndabezitha Karenga in 1966 to be the first pan-African holiday. The holiday pulls from African traditions of the harvest.

The name stems from the Swahili phrase “Matunda ya Kwanza” which roughly translates to the “first fruits of harvest”. The holiday is celebrated between Dec. 26 through Jan 1.

The celebration is centered around Nguzo Saba, which means seven principles of African Heritage. Each value is celebrated on a different day. A Kinara (Swahili for candelabra) holds seven candles, three red, one black, and

three green. The black candle in the center is burned first with a subsequent red or green candle burned each night until all seven are lit. The seven principles are; Umoja(Unity), Kujichagulia(Self-determination), Ujima(Collective Work), Ujamaa(Cooperative Economics), Nia(Purpose), Kuumba(Creativity), and Imani(Faith).

On the sixth night, the Karamu Ya Imani (Feast of Faith) is held.

Dishes for Kwanzaa stems from the entire African diaspora. Some symbolic foods are the Mazoa, or the fruits and vegetables symbolizing the bounty of the harvest. The Muhindi or ears of corn which represent the number of children still present in the home. The Kikombe Cha Umoja is a special chalice used in the Tambiko ritual of honoring the ancestors.

The final night is an exchange of gifts. The gifts are usually based on the principles of the celebration.

The celebration originated in the 1960s and serves as a pathway for African Americans to reconnect with their origins and selves. The traditions still hold true as even a global pandemic as not stopped those that wish to celebrate with their community.

WI

THE WASHINGTON INFORMER / WWW.WASHINGTONINFORMER.COM

NATIONAL

Push is On to Gain African-American Confidence in Vaccine Stacy M. Brown WI Senior Writer Former President Barack Obama has vowed to take the new COVID-19 vaccination on live television. Dr. Ebony Hilton, a physician in the critical care and anesthesiology department at the University of Virginia Health, is also publicly taking the vaccine and documenting how she’s coping on YouTube.

On day 1 of the availability of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine, Queens, New York, critical care nurse Sandra Lindsay received the first dose of the two-shot vaccine at about 9:20 a.m. EST on Monday, Dec. 14.

What Obama, Dr. Hilton, and Lindsay have in common is that they are African American.

Intentional or not, the rollout has featured prominent Black people.

The mistrust in medicine and science in the Black community remains palpable for lots of well-founded reasons.

“Truth and transparency are going to start with me,” Dr. Hilton declared. “I want you to see me in real-time as I undergo this process, and as my body adapts as I have this medicine in my body.”

Former Washington Nationals manager Dusty Baker, an African American, also urged Black people to get vaccinated.

2021 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 annual Urban Journalism Workshop (UJW). The winter/spring 2021 session celebrates 35 years. Longtime Chicago Tribune and St. Louis Times Dispatch reporter George Curry, former Washington Post reporter Athelia Knight and others started the 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, 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.

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Sessions are held for eight consecutive Saturdays 9am - 4pm from 27 February – 17 April, finishing with a closing ceremony in early June.

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

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

Baker praised Meharry Medical College President Dr. James Hildreth, one of the world’s leading immunologists and an African American who sat on the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s panel that approved the rollout of Pfizer’s coronavirus vaccine.

“There was an African American doctor that was in charge of the vaccine,” Baker, who is currently manager for the Houston Astros, said during a video call.

“I felt more comfortable that he and other African Americans were on the boards to come up with the vaccine. And he guaranteed that it wouldn’t be another Tuskegee kind

of experiment. And he urged Black Americans to use the vaccine.”

Because of the Tuskegee experiment, the notorious 40-year study that began in 1932, where U.S. Public Health officials misled African Americans about their health status, Black people have held a mistrust in medicine and medical science.

The study’s participants were infected with syphilis and health officials withheld treatment, such as antibiotics, leaving some to die.

“The Tuskegee Experiment ended ten years before I was born, and

PUSH Page 43 (Photo courtesy of Pexels)

ASSOCIATION FOR THE STUDY OF AFRICAN AMERICAN LIFE AND HISTORY®

THE 2021 BLACK HISTORY MONTH

VIRTUAL FESTIVAL CELEBRATING THE 95TH ANNUAL BLACK HISTORY THEME

The Black Family: Representation, Identity, and Diversity Monday, February 1, 2021

Wednesday, February 24, 2021

FREE COMMUNITY EVENT - OPEN TO PUBLIC Announcement of the Black History theme and Introduction of ASALH’s Inaugural Virtual Black History Month Festival

FREE COMMUNITY EVENT - OPEN TO PUBLIC Diving with a Purpose

Saturday, February 6, 2021 12:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. EST

FREE COMMUNITY EVENT - OPEN TO PUBLIC ASALH Prince George’s County Truth Branch Event Featuring a conversation with Dr. Bernice King

FREE COMMUNITY EVENT - OPEN TO PUBLIC From the Continent to the Americas: Foodways, Culture and Traditions in the African American Family

Wednesday, February 10, 2021 FREE COMMUNITY EVENT - OPEN TO PUBLIC Presentation of the Inaugural ASALH Book Prize

Applications and required materials must be received by 30 January 2021.

Sunday, February 28, 2021 12:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. EST

Sunday, February 28, 2021 7:00 p.m. EST FREE COMMUNITY EVENT - OPEN TO PUBLIC ASALH and PBS Books Present: A Conversation with Ngugi Wa Thiong’o and Sundiata Cha-Jua

Marquee Event

Saturday, February 20, 2021 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. EST (TICKETED EVENT: $50.00) Finding Our Roots in African American History A Conversation with… Henry Louis Gates and Evelyn Brooks Higginbotham

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.

5 Dusty Baker (Courtesy photo)

Henry Louis Gates, Jr.

Evelyn Brooks Higginbotham

Acclaimed for his scholarship, his documentary films about African, Afro-Latin, and African American History, and his popular television series, “Finding Your Roots,” Henry Louis Gates, Jr., has brought fascinating African American family stories to the wider public. The Black History Month Festival in 2021 is proud to feature a conversation between ASALH’s national president Evelyn Brooks Higginbotham and Henry Louis Gates, Jr., who will share his thoughts and motivations in popularizing Black History through the heritage of African American families and communities and their search for roots.

ASALH BRANCHES WILL HOST VIRTUAL PROGRAMS THROUGHOUT THE MONTH ASALH BRANCH EVENTS CAN BE FOUND AT ASALH.ORG/BRANCH-EVENTS

ASSOCIATION FOR THE STUDY OF AFRICAN AMERICAN LIFE AND HISTORY THE FOUNDERS OF BLACK HISTORY MONTH WWW.ASALH.ORG | 202-238-5910 | #ASALH

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#ASALHFAMILY

#ASALHFAM

#ASALH2021

DECEMBER 24 - 30, 2020 17

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18 - DECEMBER 24 - 30, 2020

africa now

COMPILED BY OSWALD T. BROWN

South Africans Debate the Death Penalty Amid Rise in Gender-Based Violence South African lawmakers have no appetite to restore the death penalty, despite growing calls globally for the reinstatement of capital punishment as a crime deterrent, the Johannesburg-based Sunday Independent reported on Dec. 20.

According to Joint Constitutional Review Committee Chairperson Enock Mthethwa, this was not a straightforward matter, since no research had been conducted to prove that the death penalty was an effective deterrent that may curb crime rates.

Mthethwa made the comment during a virtual meeting of the review committee comprised in the National Assembly and National Council of Provinces, which annually reviews the Constitution.

The committee which met on Nov. 27, 2020, was responding to a call from Waseela Jardine, a member of the public, who asked the committee to review section 11 of the Constitution in order to provide for the death penalty.

In her submission, Jardine said a return of capital punishment would reduce the number of senseless murders and rapes, and added that it was unfair for murderers and rapists to relax in jail and secure parole for good behavior, when considering the number of women and children that are being sexually molested.

Despite a global move that seeks alternatives to prison sentences, an increasing number of countries are calling for the reinstatement of capital punishment as a crime deterrent, according to the 2020 Global Prison Trends report. More than 20 000 people are detained on death row worldwide, living in inhumane detention conditions and often following unfair trials, said the report, published by Penal Reform International (PRI) and the Thailand Institute of Justice (TIJ).

Capital punishment was abolished in South Africa on June 6, 1995, by a ruling of the Constitutional Court.

ANC MP Nxola Nqola added that the matter of the death penalty had been in the public discussion for quite some time, in relation to the rise of gender-based violence (GBV).

But, Nqola opined that the discussion was precisely on the legal prescripts; it was more of an emotional response, because society was angry about GBV. Since South Africa has a history of bloodshed, the restoration of the death penalty has been used as a reactionary response to a movement by people of South Africa. He expressed doubt and dissent that the reinstitution of the death penalty would be in line with the spirit of the Constitution.

Wounds must be healed. Therefore, he did not agree with the submission that the committee must review section 11 of the Constitution and reinstate the death penalty.

“It was a reactionary type of conduct,” Nqola said. “The South African Government must not be associated with killing people in response to whatever had been done. We must not give up on our people such that we kill them as the state.”

He wished to convince the committee not to agree with that submission. At adjournment, the committee resolved to search for an alternative to the death penalty. WI

caribbean now Antigua Welcomes Return of Liat to Barbados, St. Vincent Antigua and Barbuda’s Foreign Affairs Minister, EP Chet Greene, has welcomed the return of Antigua-based carrier LIAT to Barbados and St Vincent and the Grenadines, after both countries restricted the airline for a few weeks, Barbados Today reported on Dec. 20.

LIAT restored commercial passenger flights across the region late last month, but announced early in December that services to Barbados and St Vincent and the Grenadines would be suspended until new approvals were given.

A scheduled flight was made to Barbados on Nov. 30, but the carrier said that they were informed by both territories that new arrangements had to be made for further operations into the countries.

In a statement, LIAT said that prior to its suspension of services due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the airline had been operating to these destinations on valid flight approvals, which have not expired.

The decision from both countries drew ire from the government, who called the reasons “subterfuge and trickery,” adding that they were seemingly intended to ensure that LIAT does not succeed. CARICOM was asked to intervene in the matter to facilitate an amicable solution.

LIAT has since announced that its flight to Barbados would resume on Monday, Dec. 21, with the cabinet also confirming that both countries [St Vincent and the Grenadines, and Barbados] “have dropped their objections and will have LIAT land at their respective airports.” WI

THE WASHINGTON INFORMER / WWW.WASHINGTONINFORMER.COM

Resilience Reimagined: Year Up

Year Up paves new paths and empowers students to unlock their full potential Submitted by Capital One In the United States today, nearly five million Americans haven’t progressed professionally beyond high school. That leaves five million students at an immediate disadvantage when entering the job market. The rise of COVID-19 has only worsened this issue, leaving more students behind with no other choice than to drop out to sustain their livelihoods.

For the past 20 years, Year Up, a national nonprofit that serves the DC region, has been dedicated to closing this opportunity divide by ensuring that young adults gain the skills, experiences, and support to access professional careers and higher education. Their ultimate mission is to empower and unlock each student’s potential.

Students from all demographics and ages can apply for a full year of specialized learning and a six-month corporate internship at a Fortune 1000 company.

From information technology to software development, Year Up equips students with the technical skills, as well as professional ones. It’s a formula that works: 90% of Year Up graduates continue their education or are hired from corporate partners.

By providing these students with the professional and technical skills, Year Up has become a vital source of untapped and bright, young talent.

But with the onset of COVID-19, Year Up uncovered new ways to serve their students.

Aside from shifting their curriculums to virtual learning, Year Up needed to ensure that their beneficiaries would have access to online learning and a sustainable work environment throughout the pandemic to continue their education.

Whitley Denson, Program Director at Year Up, has been leading the charge in pivoting in truly innovative ways. Denson was already developing a hybrid model of inclass and virtual learning before the pandemic hit. The Alternative Direct Service team is a new and innovative pilot program that is being tested in the Philadelphia and South Florida sites. Instead of dedicating a year to Year Up, this program is a seven-month model with three months of learning and development and four months of work immersion. Additionally, her team introduced individual lab and study time for each student based on their curriculum and progress.

Coordinating online internships with their corporate partners was another challenge. Hector Falcon, a recent graduate, started his internship at Capital One’s headquarters in Northern Virginia, entirely online. He’s proven to be a true leader and a Year Up success story example. “Hector has that mindset and drive to succeed. He was able to motivate others and was a leader from start to finish within our community. A lot of his peers leaned on him,” shares Denson.

Falcon owes his interest in technology to his father. “My dad’s an electrical engineer, so we always made robots growing up. I just really liked visiting my dad at work, all of it,” says Falcon. Even though he

For the past 20 years, Year Up, a national nonprofit that serves the DC region, has been dedicated to closing this opportunity divide by ensuring that young adults gain the skills, experiences, and support to access professional careers and higher education. Their ultimate mission is to empower and unlock each student’s potential.

worked multiple part-time jobs on top of Year Up’s intensive program, his dedication and focus earned him prestigious awards at Year Up: Professional of the Week and the Empowered Award. “Receiving these awards made me realize that people notice me, and they’re rewarding me for it. That feeling is unmatched,” says Falcon. Year Up and the staff helped Falcon find his voice and confidence.

In addition to responding to COVID-19, Year Up has ramped up its efforts in its learning community. Thanks to its vast alumni network, Year Up has expanded due to word of mouth. “This idea of community is woven into the tapestry of Year Up. We tell our interns that they’re not doing this just for themselves…There are ten other folks coming after you. The big thing I wish people knew about Year Up is that it’s not just workforce development – it’s also personal development,” says Denson.

When the racial justice movement gained the nation’s immediate attention, Denson and her group of interns quickly mobilized and rallied on the front lines of protests.

“It’s not new to us to band together, because that’s what we’ve always done,” says Denson. She believes that her students and staff are the definition of resilience. “We’re supporting students, while also navigating our own lives. We’re carrying the weight of failing and succeeding, over and over again.”

Capital One is proud to support Year Up and their dedication to closing the Opportunity Divide. In addition to these efforts, Capital One has also launched a multi-year commitment to advance socioeconomic mobility through the Capital One Impact Initiative. Launched in October, the Capital One Impact Initiative seeks to create a world where everyone has an equal opportunity to prosper through advocating for an inclusive society, building thriving communities and creating financial tools that enrich lives.

To learn more about Year Up DC visit https://www.yearup.org/ locations/washington-dc.

5 Whitley Denson is the Program Director at Year Up. (Photo courtesy of Capital One)

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DECEMBER 24 - 30, 2020 19

HEALTH COVID-19 UPDATE

Health Experts Warn of Mental Health Pandemic

Holidays May Exacerbate Various Disorders Sarafina Wright WI Contributing Writer More than half of the Americans surveyed, 54 percent, reported their mental health had been negatively impacted due to the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a new survey from RxSave conducted in partnership with Kelton Research.

The survey reveals that more than one in four Americans are

currently taking a prescription medication to help manage their mental health condition; men are more likely to take a prescription for their mental health than women; and 18-24 year olds are proving to be one of the most affected groups with six in 10 reporting that they are dealing with an anxiety or depressive disorder.

RxSaver says additional data suggests an increase in prescription antidepressants, a sign that Amer-

icans are reaching out for mental health support.

Medical Expert Dr. Holly Phillips for RxSaver says the acceleration this year for medications like escitalopram [generic for Lexapro], citalopram [generic for Celexa] and fluoxetine [generic for Prozac] is a good sign for those struggling with mental health.

“Although we still have a ways to go, this year we have made great strides toward destigmatizing mental health conditions and encouraging millions affected to seek treatment,” Phillips said.

“In some ways, 2020 has provided us with insight into the importance of talking about our mental health and the collective reassurance that we aren't alone in what we are feeling and facing during this time.”

Phillips continued that the holidays can be particular daunting.

Even in a non-pandemic year, many Americans admitted they took some type of anxiety medication to help get through the holidays.

One in 10 Americans said they take anxiety medication to help cope during this time of year, according to the survey.

(Courtesy photo/Pexels)

Adults are not the only one’s suffering from an increase in mental health issues. A new study by The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows minors are also seeing an increase in conditions like anxiety and depression due to the stress of the pandemic.

Beginning in April, the proportion of children’s mental health– related Emergency Department visits increased and remained elevated through October.

Compared to 2019, the proportion of mental health-related visits

for children ages 5-11 and 12-17 increased approximately 24 percent and 31 percent, respectively.

“These findings provide initial insight into children’s mental health in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic and highlight the importance of continued monitoring of children’s mental health throughout the pandemic, ensuring access to care during public health crises, and improving healthy coping strategies and resiliency among children and families,” the researchers wrote.

WI

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20 - DECEMBER 24 - 30, 2020

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HEALTH As Moderna Comes to D.C., City Leaders Urge Residents to be Vaccinated James Wright WI Staff Writer As the Moderna coronavirus vaccine goes through the process of being rolled out in the District, political leaders are urging residents to get vaccinated to fight the virus.

On Dec. 17, D.C. Director of Health Dr. LaQuandra Nesbitt, along with D.C. Fire and Emergency Management Services Department Chief John Donnelly, took the first shot of the Pifzer/BioNTech coronavirus vaccine at Kaiser Permanente’s Capitol Hill office in Northeast, along with others in the department. At a news conference later that day, Nesbitt said she had to set an example by taking the vaccine showing her confidence in its safety and effectiveness.

“People were saying to me, when are you going to do it?” she said. “I decided this was the right time.”

Nesbitt’s inoculation took place as the U.S. Food and Drug Administration started the process of emergency authorization of Moderna, a COVID-19 vaccine, like the Pfizer/ BioNTech. Nesbitt spoke about the FDA approval process and Moderna’s presence in the District.

“The Moderna vaccine is going through the same process that Pfizer went through, at the same cadence,” she said. “While Pfizer’s vaccine has to be stored in subfreezing temperatures, Moderna’s can be stored at a normal refrigerator temperature.”

Nesbitt said when the Moderna doses come to the District, they will be distributed to hospitals throughout the city. Eventually, she said, Moderna will be used at long-term care facilities and health care and urgent care workers will be immunized with it.

“Then, we can get Moderna out to the community,” she said.

The presence of the vaccines has spurred a debate among District residents whether they will take the shots against the coronavirus. Some Blacks are wary of the vaccination program because of historic mistreatment that has taken place. The Tuskegee syphilis experiment conducted by the federal government from 1932-1972 in the Alabama town where Black males did not receive adequate treatment for the sexually transmitted disease often has been cited by African Americans for mistrust of the country’s health care system. Nevertheless, leading Black public

health officials such as U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Jerome Adams and Nesbitt have urged Blacks to take the vaccine for the individual and collective health of the race.

D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser said at a news conference earlier this month she will take the shots but will wait until front line workers, first responders, nursing home employees and residents are inoculated.

While Bowser said she will wait for her shots, D.C. Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton received the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine on Dec. 18 on Capitol Hill.

Norton expressed satisfaction with the vaccination and encouraged District residents to get their shots, too.

“I hope to set an example, encouraging my constituents to trust the science, as I do, that has given us this feat of modern medicine, and I urge them to follow my example by getting the vaccine at the earliest opportunity. I am now working to ensure a smooth distribution of this life-saving vaccine to my constituents as soon as possible.”

A spokeswoman for D.C. Council Chairman Phil Mendelson (D) said, “The chairman will get his vaccination when it is his time to do it.” In her e-newsletter to District residents, D.C. Councilmember Anita Bonds (D-At Large) expressed enthusiasm about the vaccination process.

“I plan to get my vaccine shot when my time comes,” she said. “I encourage you to do so, too.”

D.C. Councilmember Robert White (D-At Large) stressed the importance of getting the vaccine.

“It is important for residents to get the COVID-19 vaccine,” he said. “I

will get one as soon as it is available to me to protect my family and fellow residents.”

Christina Henderson, who will officially become one of the newest members of the D.C. Council as an in-

dependent at-large member in January, looks forward to taking the vaccine.

“I will be ready when the public health officials tell me it is time to do that,” Henderson said. “I understand why some Blacks are wary of taking the

injection. However, it is Black people who are being affected and dying of COVID-19 and taking the vaccine is the best way to fight it.”

WI @JamesDCWrighter

HEALTH INSURANCE FOR DC RESIDENTS

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DON’T DELAY, ENROLL TODAY FOR A HEALTHY AND HAPPY NEW YEAR! Open Enrollment Ends Jan 31 5 D.C. Councilmember Robert White wants residents to get the COVID-19 vaccine. (WI File Photo)

WWW.WASHINGTONINFORMER.COM / THE WASHINGTON INFORMER

DCHealthLink.com (855) 532-5465 @DCHealthLink DECEMBER 24 - 30, 2020

21

EDUCATION Chancellor Ferebee and Teachers’ Union Reach Agreement for Reopening Schools

Teachers Say Areas of Concern Remain Sam P.K. Collins WI Contributing Writer Days after D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser issued emergency orders banning indoor contact sports and indoor dining, the Washington Teachers’ Union (WTU) and Chancellor Lewis Ferebee officially reached an agreement about the circumstances under which in-person learning will resume during the pandemic.

Though the memorandum of agreement (MOA) signed by Ferebee and WTU President Elizabeth Davis mandates safety walk-throughs, upgrades to HVAC systems and the completion of readiness checklist before reopening, a stipulation concerning in-person teaching assignments during Term 3 and 4 has raised eyebrows.

“While we have some teachers who are interested in returning, we hope

Over the weekend, District health officials recorded nearly 140 new COVID cases, bringing the local positive case total to 26,740.

22 - DECEMBER 24 - 30, 2020

5 Chancellor Lewis Ferebee with Mayor Bowser (WI photo)

that Chancellor Ferebee would first access [them] before demanding the whole force returns to Terms 3 and 4,” Davis told The Informer on Monday, in reference to point no. 36 in the MOA. As explained in the seven-page document, D.C. Public Schools (DCPS) can give in-person teaching assignments in cases when family demand exceeds teacher availability, to employees who opted out for Terms 3 and 4.

The only exceptions would involve those who have already been approved for leave or workplace accommodations.

The same section of the MOA also reserves WTU leadership, starting Feb. 1, the right to revisit the terms of the agreement due to unforeseen circumstances that occur throughout the pandemic. Davis said that, given the rise in local and national COVID cases, and rumblings about a post-holiday resurgence, DCPS leadership has much to consider.

“Term 2 is going to end on Jan. 31,” she told The Informer. “I can’t imagine with the surge in cases that DCPS is going to push to open in February.

This is the period that comes immediately after the winter break. Parents are going to be concerned about sending their kids for in-person learning.”

Over the weekend, District health officials recorded nearly 140 new COVID cases, bringing the local positive case total to 26,740.

In early December, weeks after Bowser reneged on launching Term 2 phased in-person learning, data released by District health officials showed that universities, schools, and

daycare facilities counted among a significant portion of the sites where COVID outbreaks, defined as cases recorded in the same place within a two-week period, took place.

K-12 institutions accounted for 17 percent of cases in that group. One of those situations involved a student at Tyler Elementary School who participated in an on-campus garden activity.

DCPS officials told The Informer that none of the cases recorded involved CARE classrooms, spaces where students engage in distance learning under the supervision of a DCPS employee.

Last month, during a WIN-TV broadcast, Bowser expressed her commitment to reopening schools. She reaffirmed that goal in a Dec. 17 statement, released on the night DCPS and WTU reached an agreement, calling in-person learning the best means of educating students and combatting learning loss during the pandemic.

Chantal Fuller, a special education teacher in Ward 8, pushed back against that assertion, saying that the mayor’s seemingly unilateral decision runs the risk of further alienating teachers who’ve been held to pre-COVID standards, along with marginalized parents and community members.

“There was a lot of energy spent on negotiating Term 2, that when it came to Terms 3 and 4 there was nothing,” Fuller told The Informer.

“There’s so much I feel the MOA doesn’t take into account. When it comes to enforcement of these policies, what if the community doesn’t want their neighborhood school to open? This will widen the rift between

DCPS and the community, especially in Ward 8.”

WTU and DCPS’ agreement also stipulates that no school should reopen unless the items on the school readiness checklist are completed and the dozen members of the on-site safety walkthrough team sign that document. In the event that a school building has been deemed unsafe for in-person learning, DCPS has to notify the community and present an adjustment plan.

In regards to staffing needs, teacher and WTU leader James Isreal criticized DCPS leadership for not accurately assessing how many elementary school students would return to phased in-person learning. He also said he took issue with the portions of the agreement that put more of the onus on teachers to test for COVID, and not students who would more than likely commute by public transportation.

Even so, Isreal heralded a milestone that was months in the making.

“They needed to come to this agreement to display this positive relationship and show that DCPS and the mayor are working with the teachers’ union,” said Isreal, a teacher at Hart Middle School and WTU vice president of junior high schools.

“You have teachers who want to go in,” he added. “Do I advise parents to send their children back? That’s an individual call, but we do know it’s cold and flu season -- and now you add COVID when you have cases increasing.”

WI @SamPKCollins

THE WASHINGTON INFORMER / WWW.WASHINGTONINFORMER.COM

EDUCATION

Former Redskin Brian Carpenter Embraces an Unfettered Future

With Conspiracy Case Behind Him, He Shares Lessons Learned D. Kevin McNeir WI Editor While the last seven years have often seemed like a nightmare for former Redskins player Brian Carpenter, he says he’s grateful that he can finally move on with his life.

On Dec. 15, a judge in a U.S. District Court, Alexandria Division, imposed a sentence of home confinement in light of COVID-19 and related considerations (medical conditions).

The ruling effectively closed the book on the highly-publicized case that involved conspiracy charges to commit wire fraud to which Carpenter pleaded guilty. The charges carried with them a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.

Carpenter, 60, who lives with his family in Centreville, Va. and

played for Washington, the New York Giants and the Buffalo Bills between 1982 and 1984, pled guilty to defrauding Metro of more than $300,000 in his stead as the owner of the Flintstone Group – a janitorial contractor which bought, sold and distributed products to clients including the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority.

Carpenter says he regrets his participation in the events leading to his arrest and conviction but still maintains that while detractors suggested he intentionally sought to defraud WMATA, he believed that he was operating within legal parameters.

“I was fortunate to be able to secure legal counsel that was experienced in cases like mine and not forced to accept the services of a public defender,” he said. “The system really works against you if you’re

unable to hire your own attorney – one who can speak on your behalf and tell your story.”

“Because I was advised to let my attorney speak for me, I never really got a chance to tell my side. But even in my silence, I felt like the press really went after me. The narrative they presented wasn’t accurate and it hurt – it hurt me and it hurt my family. However, I realize how fortunate I am that I was able to walk out the front door and not the back – a lot of brothers don’t get that opportunity.”

Carpenter said that with the holidays season here, he plans to take some time to reflect and complete his six-month sentence before deciding what’s in his professional future.

“I’ve read what’s been said about me especially over the past year – about me and my business,” he said.

5 Brian Carpenter (Courtesy photo)

“Much of it doesn’t reflect who I am or what I’m about. But finally, after seven long years, I, along with my sons, can look forward. It’s been a long ordeal and it’s been stressful.”

“One day, I’d like to talk to youth about my experience so that they can avoid making similar mistakes.

One thing I learned is that anyone be indicted. And once you’re in the system, it’s not easy to get out un-

If not for yourself, then how about for them?

scathed,” Carpenter said.

Carpenter’s attorney, Robert Jenkins, Jr., sent the following statement to The Washington Informer.

“This case is largely about the government using its awesome powers to selectively prosecute. Any wrong committed was not solely the by-product of the conduct of Mr. Carpenter. However, he was disproportionately held accountable.” WI

They deserve protection from COVID-19!

• Social distance • Wear a mask • Wash your hands • Respond to contact tracing

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OPINIONS/EDITORIALS

EDITORIAL

Who Needs Access to the Middle Class?

The First Priority is a Home

One of the foundations to the political platform which has long defined the Bowser Administration remains providing citizens with the skills, tools and knowledge needed to successfully embark upon and master the road to the middle class.

D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser has employed ingenuity and creativity supplied by members of her own team as well as from leaders within the local business and education communities to help hundreds of citizens break the shackles of poverty. Many Washingtonians have benefited from the mayor’s commitment to securing pathways leading to greener pastures, greater financial opportunities and more equitable educational curriculum – answering their prayers in the achievement of their dreams.

However, with thousands of families and individuals impacted by reduced workhours, layoffs and record unemployment due to COVID-19, the focus by Bowser, and other city and state leaders, has understandably been protecting citizens from being evicted. In addition, Bowser has been true to her word, reducing the number of homeless families in the District by nearly 45 percent since 2016, according to a 2019 count required by the Department of Housing and Urban Development [HUD].

So, why aren’t we celebrating?

As a guest commentator for the Washington Post by Michelle Steer recently suggests, because of HUD’s “narrow and unrealistic definition of a homeless family,” a huge percentage of single-mother-led families, representing more than 80 percent of homeless families, are not being counted.

As Steer points out, HUD does not factor in those families who are sleeping on the couches, floors or in the garages of friends while they seek a home of their own. Neither does HUD include those in their definition of homeless who are paying for motel rooms with their own funds. As a nonsensical nuance, HUD does consider a family homeless if they’re paying for a motel room with a government-issued voucher.

We believe that the writer has shed light on an issue that continues to be hidden from view and ignored. Not only have many families failed to be counted among the homeless but children – the most vulnerable – have also failed to be counted and recognized.

Homeless children in the District, now hovering over 8,000 at the most recent count for the 2017-2018 school year, have become invisible and therefore unable to secure shelter or social services sorely needed for a modicum of acceptable education, nutrition and physical and emotional health and well-being.

It’s time we stop using rubrics and definitions for the Black community which we know fail to include all of our members – men, women and children. Further, if the government remains unwilling to be more realistic in tackling the issue of homelessness among people of color, we must provide our own means of getting them off of the streets and out of shelters or one-star motels and into a place in which children can feel safe – in places that families can call “home.”

It’s great to share a few coats or toys and turkey for those in need during the holidays.

But the greatest gift – one which would change lives forever – would be eradicating the scourge of homelessness which plagues our community. WI

C’mon Congress, What Took You So Long?

Finally, on Sunday, members of the U.S. Congress announced a $900 billion economic relief package greatly needed by millions of Americans impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Four days before Christmas, the House and Senate reached a compromise and forwarded the bill to President Trump for his signature. Months of intense negotiations between Democrats and Republicans juxtaposed the need to provide emergency support for millions of Americans that lost jobs and business owners forced to shut their doors, with divisions over how much they were willing to spend.

With the haranguing hopefully behind them, Congress’ COVID-19 Relief Package will provide individuals earning up to $75,000 a year a direct payment of $600 by New Year’s Eve, according to lawmakers. The jobless will receive $300 per week in unemployment benefits, along with an overall total of $25 billion in rental assistance for families facing evictions and an additional $13 billion for individuals receiving SNAP assistance. There will also be expanded eligibility for PPP loans to aid small businesses

TO THE EDITOR W

I just wanted to say Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to the Washington Informer. I’m sure the year has been difficult in many ways due to the pandemic, but I’m glad to see you guys are still going strong. Keep going!

Bill Renner Washington, D.C.

and non-profits and live venues, independent movie theaters and cultural institutions, and $10 billion to help childcare centers reopen safely.

The package will also help pay for the distribution of COVID-19 vaccines and make them available at no cost. Increased access to broadband internet will be provided, especially to families with students and unemployed workers impacted by the pandemic, and aid for education, transportation and an array of additional programs and services.

It will take a lot to get the economy back

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W

I see attitudes are changing toward the COVID-19 vaccine from Black folks. We are still skeptical, but many of us see that it is a life or death situation. May all who need the vaccine get it.

Kenny Aimes Washington, D.C.

on track and get Americans back to a sense of normalcy. How long the suffering will last is anyone’s guess. Not even Congress can agree on how much more it will cost to ease the pain. While many have criticized lawmakers for taking too long to come up with a bill that offers a little too late, this assistance is right on time for millions of Americans who desperately need it. Will more aid be coming?

We hope so, and encourage the next Congress and President to assess the need and address it in a much less political and humanitarian manner. WI

DECEMBER 24 - 30, 2020 25

OPINIONS/EDITORIALS Guest Columnist

LaShonda Brenson

Black Voters Should See Themselves in Congressional Staff

As the new Congress prepares to take office and members of the U.S. House and Senate make key staff hires, it's time for careful scrutiny of the diversity reflected within the ranks of congressional staff. This is particularly true following an election in which Black voters were critical to its outcome.

More than 70 civil rights groups, including African American Mayors Association, Black Futures Lab,

Congressional Black Caucus Foundation (CBCF), and NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc. (LDF), have formally called on new members of Congress to increase the numbers of staff of color within the mid-level and senior ranks of congressional offices. Our advocacy is particularly important right now, in the period between Election Day and the formal start of the new Congress when most key staff are hired.

While we saw marginal improvement in senior staff diversity after the election in 2018, the lack of diversity

among senior congressional staff of both parties is long-standing.

The data is sobering, if not surprising.

People of color account for nearly 40 percent of the U.S. population. Yet, Joint Center research found that people of color account for just 11 percent of Washington, D.C.-based senior staff in Senate personal offices. These include positions like chief of staff, legislative director, and communications director — the most influential staff positions in Congress.

Unfortunately, our 2018 report also

Guest Columnist

found that the House was only narrowly more representative with staffers of color comprising just 13.7 percent of senior roles.

And this inequity remains true for Republicans who represent large numbers of Black voters and for Democratic members who often depend on Black voters as a critical component of their electorate.

There's not a single Black senior staff member in the personal offices of the Republican senators who represent Mississippi and Louisiana, despite the fact that African Americans account

for a third or more of the population in these states.

Similarly, though Black voters made up 37 percent of Democratic voters in Virginia in 2016, and 47 percent of Democratic voters in Maryland, there's not a single Black person holding a senior staff position within the offices of the Democratic senators who represent these states.

Meanwhile, the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) is leading by example among congressional Dem-

BRENSON Page 45

John B. King Jr. and Marc H. Morial

Advocate for a Racial Justice Agenda at the U.S. Department of Education

The coronavirus has shined a light on how systematic racism, unequal access to opportunity, and disinvestments in low-income communities and communities of color have compounded inequities that have long existed in our country.

Black and Latino Americans, for example, are more likely to be hospitalized with and die of COVID-19,

are less likely to have access to quality healthcare, and are experiencing disproportionate and devastating economic instability as a result of the pandemic.

Meanwhile, Black and Latino children are bearing the emotional impact of seeing their communities and families ravaged by the virus, and are more likely to encounter challenges with their education — which has largely moved online — due to a lack of access to highspeed internet and devices for learning.

With a new presidential administra-

Guest Columnist

tion, we have an opportunity to begin on the path to a strong recovery from the pandemic.

But COVID-19 recovery cannot happen without education recovery.

And true education recovery must focus on ensuring every child's civil right to quality teaching and learning in our nation's public schools. The federal government — specifically the Biden-Harris administration's Department of Education — can, and must, play a part in this work, by reinstating its role as a civil rights agency with a ro-

bust racial justice agenda.

To be sure, if we want to “build back better,” decisive and bold federal action is required. Historically, there have been times when the Education Department has prioritized its civil rights role to ensure that students — regardless of their race, background, ethnicity, native language, disability, LGBTQ status, housing status, or country of origin — have the opportunity to access a quality public education. But that role was abandoned under the 45th president.

As the Biden-Harris administration

prepares to assume office, we believe there are important ways that the Education Department can address the immediate impacts of the COVID-19 crisis, as well as our nation's ongoing fight against systemic racism and injustice.

First, the Secretary of Education must use his or her platform to lead a nationwide conversation about education through a racial equity lens.

What conversation must center on the needs of students from marginal-

MORIAL Page 45

Ben Jealous

New Year's Resolutions the Biden Administration Can Make Right Now

I don't know about all of you, but it feels to me like Christmas came early this year.

Electing a new president and vice president was a gift that 81 million Americans gave to ourselves and to one another.

Every court rejection of Trump's bogus stolen election claims was one more stocking stuffer.

Here are some resolutions that leaders of the Biden administration should make right now to make 2021 a much happier new year than the one we have left behind: 1. Make it a priority to start fixing the federal courts by nominating fair-minded judges and justices who are committed to protecting civil and human rights.

2. Restore integrity to the 2020 census by reversing illegal efforts by the Trump administration to restrict who gets counted — and

26 - DECEMBER 24 - 30, 2020

who counts when it comes to representation in Congress.

3. Revive the Department of Justice as the nation's primary protector of voting rights and civil rights and move aggressively against state and local efforts to restrict voting rights.

4. Do everything in our power to reunite the children and families separated by the immoral actions of the Trump administration.

5. Empower the Civil Rights Division at DOJ to investigate

abuses by state and local law enforcement, use consent decrees to get commitments for reform, and ensure accountability and more just policing through steady oversight.

6. Give stability to millions of immigrant families by fully resuming the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, reversing Trump's Muslim ban orders and policies, reopening the door to settling refugees, and eliminating the public charge rule that discriminates against poor

people.

7. Recognize that religious liberty is meant to be a shield to protect everyone's ability to exercise their religion, not a sword to allow religious claims to justify discrimination or other harms to others.

8. Reverse a Trump executive order that prevented federal agencies, contractors, and grantees from discussing the impact of racism in the workplace or em-

JEALOUS Page 45

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OPINIONS/EDITORIALS Guest Columnist

Charlene Crowell

Biden Nominations Broaden Black Women's Leadership Roles

The selection of California Sen. Kamala Harris as Joe Biden's running mate and then her winning the nation's vice presidency gave unprecedented hope to Black women across the nation. Not only had a woman broken a glass ceiling in professional development, but she was also Black and a graduate of Howard University, one of the nation's premier historically Black institutions.

In recent days, however, two more significant nominations by President-elect Joe Biden signal that the presence of Black women in the new administration is expanding to other groundbreaking roles. If confirmed by the Senate, Cecilia Rouse, a renowned economist, will become the first Black woman to chair the nation's Council of Economic Advisers (CEA) and Ohio Rep. Marcia Fudge, a former chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, will become the second Black woman in 40 years to lead the Department of Housing and Urban Develop-

Guest Columnist

ment (HUD).

Never before in the nation's history have three Black women simultaneously served in these three key posts.

Moreover, as Black America seeks more fairness, inclusion, and equity with a new White House, these appointees are well-respected and ably qualified to serve in their respective roles.

Nominated on Nov. 30 to serve as CEA's chair, Cecilia Rouse is the current Dean of the Princeton School of Public and International Affairs (SPIA), and a former CEA member during the

Obama administration. Earlier. she additionally served as a special assistant to President Bill Clinton on his National Economic Council.

As the Ivy League school's KatzmanErnst Professor in Economics and Education and public affairs, she is also the founding director of the Princeton Education Research Section, a member of the National Academy of Education, the Brookings Institution, and a member of the editorial board of the American Economic Journal, focusing on economic policy.

Rouse joined Princeton in 1992 after earning her undergraduate and doctorate degrees in economics from Harvard University and has led SPIA since 2012.

Princeton President Christopher L. Eisgruber offered his best wishes for her new role.

"Ceci Rouse is a distinguished economist and an outstanding dean for the school," Eisgruber noted. "For more than eight years she has led the School of Public and International Affairs with

CROWELL Page 46

Ray Curry

Biden Should Revive the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights

What is the distance a good deed can travel? What does a warm bowl of soup mean? What does a warm bed mean? A new bike or a kind gesture from a stranger?

All these things are small in and of themselves, but the smallest gesture to someone in need can move all the markers. If you are cold and someone offers you a warm sleeping bag, is there a measure for that? If you are hungry, and someone gives you a warm meal, how

far does that go? To anyone who has suffered, who has been in need or has seen their children go hungry, how far does a helping hand go? I would say it reaches all of us — it goes all the way to making the world a better place.

As we go into the holiday season in the long and unimaginable year that has been 2020, I would like to reflect a bit on the small kindnesses we can show one another and, when you add them up, how far we have traveled. This holiday season, I want to reflect on our collective journey. On our union's long trek across time to make where we live a decent and better

Askia-At-Large

place. To reflect on a UAW that steps up when our brothers and sisters are suffering and in need.

We saw it in the early '30s when people were going hungry as this nation suffered through the agony of the Great Depression. We saw it in the late '30s and '40s, when solidarity was the only thing we had to rely on as we stood up to the mega powerful auto bosses and demanded — through blood, sweat and tears — that they respect our workers and sit at the table to negotiate the first contracts.

We saw it in the '50s and '60s as our communities were torn apart by racial inequality and my UAW

sisters and brothers stood strong, stood courageous with only the idea of what was right on their side. And we marched before the world.

We saw it through the dynamic '70s and well into the '80s when the UAW led the way in following in our fallen leader Walter Reuther's footsteps, and soldiering on to build and solidify America's middle class, while building prosperity and mobility and a better way of life for so many.

When our courageous brothers and sisters stood together in 1990 alongside Nelson Mandela, who spent 27 years of his life in pris-

on fighting to end apartheid in South Africa. Upon his release, he came almost immediately to Detroit to thank our union members in person for taking a real role in his human rights struggle for justice and telling those assembled at Local 600, "Sisters and brothers, friends and comrades, the man who is speaking is not a stranger here. The man who is speaking is a member of the UAW. I am your flesh and blood."

And our values held fast as we stood by one another in a chang-

dismissed a challenge by the Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) and Maureen Faulkner, the widow of Philadelphia Police Officer Daniel Faulkner who was killed on Dec. 9, 1981, ruling that the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas must review several boxes of compelling new evidence of bribery and discrimination in jury selection discovered in the case.

There were boxes on top of boxes of suppressed evidence discovered that former District Attorney Ed Rendell and his allies suppressed for decades.

They will now, finally be examined in open court. Evidence which could result in a finding of innocence.

“They were allegedly found in the back room behind a stairwell in a mid-level floor in the DA’s Office,” Dr. Johanna Fernandez, associate professor of history at Baruch College CUNY and an authority on Abu Jamal’s case told this writer.

“These boxes have potentially exculpatory evidence: a letter written by one

CURRY Page 45

Askia Muhammad

Mumia Abu Jamal: Closer to Freedom

Mumia Abu Jamal, the Pennsylvania political prisoner who spent more than 20 years on death row, and who remains on lockdown for a crime I do not believe, and which he and thousands of his supporters all around the world insist he did not commit, moved closer to exoneration and freedom recently.

I am one of the legions of support-

ers who have maintained that he was framed in the murder case by crooked cops, a crooked prosecutor, and tried by someone nicknamed the “hanging judge.” All this happened simply because he was an outspoken and effective opponent of police corruption in a city at a time when such evil practices were common.

I even protested on these pages in 1995, the silence of the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) when Mumia was scheduled for execution on the anniversary of the birthdate

of “Black World” newspaper publisher the Rt. Honorable Marcus Mosiah Garvey, while the NABJ was convening and partying in Philadelphia.

That execution date was stayed, as were all others, until the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that his death penalty was unjustly obtained, and rather than fight to execute him, the state dropped its death penalty appeal, which might have led to a possible new trial of his unjust conviction itself.

Well, on Dec. 16, after two years of litigation, the state’s Supreme Court

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ASKIA Page 46

DECEMBER 24 - 30, 2020 27

LIFESTYLE

the Words of August Wilson Live On

'Ma Rainey' Director Talks Chadwick Boseman Stacy M. Brown WI Senior Writer George C. Wolfe, a five-time Tony Award winner and one of the most celebrated American playwrights and directors of theater and film, spoke to the Black Press for a livestream interview to discuss the new movie, “Ma’ Rainey’s Black Bottom.”

For Wolfe, who tends to let his work do his talking, it counted as a rare interview, but one the famous director said he enjoyed.

“I had fun. I appreciate [the Black Press] for this,” Wolfe exclaimed.

Based on the August Wilson play, the film was the last for the late Chadwick Boseman and contained an all-star cast led by Academy Award-winner Viola Davis and Reuben Santiago-Hudson. Produced

by Academy-Award winner Denzel Washington, “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” began streaming on Netflix on Dec. 18.

“There were no egos, everybody got along great, and it was a great experience,” said Wolfe, whose other

works include “Lackawanna Blues,” “Jelly’s Last Jam” and “The Iceman Cometh.”

He also noted that mainstream media reports of him having prior knowledge of Boseman’s failing health were false. “I knew when everyone else knew … things get taking out of context,” Wolfe declared.

He called working with Boseman a joy.

Wolfe first began directing plays at theatre workshops held at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio.

In 1972, Wolfe enrolled in Kentucky State University but, after a year, transferred to Pomona College in Claremont, Calif., where he received a Bachelor of Arts in Theater in 1976.

While at Pomona College, he directed “Up For Grabs,” chosen as Pacific Southern Regional’s winner at the American College Theater Festival.

In 1991, he was named artistic director and producer for the New York Shakespeare Festival.

In 1992, Wolfe produced and directed “Jelly’s Last Jam,” and, in

1993, his “Angels in America” won a Tony award. He later presented the musical, “Bring in ‘da Noise, Bring in da’ Funk,” in 1996, which used tap dancing to explore black history.

In 2004, Wolfe made his film directing debut with HBO’s “Lackawanna Blues,” which earned numerous awards, including the 2006 Directors Guild Award for Best Directorial Achievement.

In 2016, Wolfe produced “Shuffle Along,” a remake of the first Black musical on Broadway in 1921.

In 2018, Wolfe directed “The Iceman Cometh,” starring Denzel Washington.

“I’m ready to jump off the cliff into something else,” Wolfe exclaimed.

WI @StacyBrownMedia Facebook.com/StacyBrownMedia

5 George C. Wolfe (Courtesy photo)

5 Chadwick Boseman (Courtesy photo)

Stellar Cast Takes ‘Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom’ to Unprecedented Heights But it’s the Words of Playwright August Wilson that Deserve the Real Credit D. Kevin McNeir WI Editor Accolades continue to pour in about the superb quality of the newly-released film version of playwright August Wilson’s masterful “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” which debuted last weekend on Netflix And while the cast, director and producers collectively achieved unparalleled heights in bringing Wilson’s play to the screen, the real star of the show remains the words, carefully employed by the playwright in describing the challenges faced and inequities experienced by Blacks in America during the 1920s.

During this writer’s formative years as a journalist in Chicago, I would have the opportunity to hear Wilson describe his craft and mission as he developed his Century Cycle – a series of 10 plays which chart the Black experience throughout the 20th century. Each play is set in Pittsburgh’s Hill District, the city of Wilson’s birth, except “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom,” which is set in Chicago.

Sitting at the feet of Wilson, who died in October 2005 from cancer,

28 - DECEMBER 24 - 30, 2020

5 August Wilson (Courtesy photo)

remains one of the highlights of my career. Additionally, I have seen the complete Century Cycle, some on multiple occasions, performed on stages in cities which include Chicago, Atlanta, Miami and Washington, D.C. However, unlike witnessing the brilliant interpretations of Wilson’s work as presented by some of America’s most talented actors, the film version, through the use of technology, also provided captions which allowed this writer to focus on the words in ways I had never experienced before.

On Saturday, Dec. 19, the August Wilson Society [AWS], an organization dedicated to commemorating Wilson’s legacy, hosted a “Jam Session”

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DECEMBER 24 - 30, 2020 29

LIFESTYLE New Year’s Eve Coming in with a Diverse, Musical Extravaganza PBS Special Presents an International Group of Performers

Brenda C. Siler WI Contributing Writer Are you thinking of how to bring in 2021? Will it be a virtual Watch Night service? Will it be a virtual Zoom gathering? The New Year’s Eve PBS special, “United in Song: Celebrating the Resilience of America,” allows viewers to snuggle up in comfortable attire with their favorite beverages while viewing some of the greatest artists perform music from multiple genres. The event was filmed at George Washington’s Mount Vernon and the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts encouraging the nation to come together and celebrate our strength as we welcome the New Year. The 90-minute program airs Thursday, Dec. 31, 2020 from 8:00-9:30 p.m. ET and again from 9:30-11:00 p.m. ET (check local listings) on PBS, PBS.org and the

PBS Video App. What should be an emotional portion of “United in Song” will

5 Anna Deavere Smith, award-winning actor, playwright, and professor contributed an original piece for the New Year’s Eve PBS special “United in Song: Celebrating the Resilience of America.” (Photo credit Kevin Parisi)

be an original recitation performed in the slave cemetery at Mount Vernon. The piece was written by award-winning actor, playwright and professor Anna Deavere Smith.

She will deliver it in collaboration with celebrated mezzo-soprano Denyce Graves singing the spiritual “Deep River.”

“I prayed and I thanked them for their lives and for what they gave with their lives that enabled me to be there for a PBS special,” said Graves about singing in the Mount Vernon slave cemetery. “I then asked that they be with me and sing with me. It was a moment of reverence and respect for all of these people of whom we are the daughters.”

Many will remember that Graves sang “Deep River” at the memorial service of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Graves knows that a lot of people probably do not know there is a slave cemetery on the property.

Hours: Tues – Sun 10am – 5pm HillwoodMuseum.org 4155 Linnean Ave. NW, Washington DC Free parking Photo: Erik Kvalsvik

30 - DECEMBER 24 - 30, 2020

212-675-4106 WASHINGTON INFORMER DECEMBER 7 2020 5.85" x 5.5" 4C

Fabulous Christmas trees.

Festive décor.

Immersive virtual experiences.

Make Hillwood your holiday oasis.

A socially distanced taping was conducted for which Smith came to the historic site from her home on the west coast.

Other artists scheduled to appear are District-area resident and rising opera star Solomon Howard; Grammy-nominated mezzo-soprano Jamie Barton; multi-Grammy Award-winning violinist Joshua Bell; world-renowned soprano Renée Fleming; multi Grammy- and Tony Award-nominated artist Josh Groban; recording artist and Broadway star Morgan James; 26-time Grammy and Latin Grammy Award winner Juanes; Grammy Award-winning and world-renowned artist Patti LaBelle; internationally celebrated cellist Yo-Yo Ma; six-time Tony Award winner Audra McDonald; two-time Tony Award winner Brian Stokes Mitchell;; world-renowned pianist Jean-Yves Thibaudet; alongside The American Pops Orchestra, conducted by Maestro Luke Frazier. Performances by the National Symphony Orchestra, conducted

by Maestra JoAnn Falletta, were filmed in the Concert Hall of the Kennedy Center and are also part of this special broadcast.

Robert Pullen, executive producer of “United in Song” built on an original idea presented by David Rubinstein, philanthropist and host of “The David Rubenstein Show” on Bloomberg. Rubinstein’s vision was for a one-night-only, absolute best of classical music for the next generation to enjoy. Scheduling big LaPlacaCohen Publication: Insertion date: Size:

Season’s Greetings

5 Celebrated mezzo-soprano Denyce Graves performs on the New Year’s Eve PBS special “United in Song: Celebrating the Resilience of America.” (Photo credit Kevin Parisi)

name stars was becoming a problem along with the inability to move forward because of COVID-19. With a diverse group of performers in mind Rubinstein’s idea was reshaped through conversations with Pullen.

“Wouldn’t it be incredible to have an evening of music celebrating the arts that actually is bringing us together. Isn’t that what the arts do, bring people together?” said Rubinstein to Pullen. This is how the title of the event came to be and how the music genres were expanded beyond classical music.

“We brought in Broadway, R&B, gospel, and the whole nine yards,” Pullen continued, “What better symbol of resilience than Mount Vernon to show where we have come in more than 200 years,” Artists and lovers of the arts know how difficult it has been to safely produce shows, mount concerts, and keep galleries open. Artists are willing to work with Pullen and Maestro Frazier because they know how to set up a safe working environment.

“It was great to hear from Audra McDonald and others about how comfortable we made it for them,” said Pullen. “That validated what we were trying to do.”

A preview trailer for “United in Song: Celebrating the Resilience of America” is at https://youtu.be/ n43Dxz0oie0. WI Brenda C. Siler Twitter and Instagram: @bcscomm

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www.freedomcoalitionforcharterschools.com

An open letter from the December 18, 2020

Freedom Coalition for Charter Schools

The Honorable Joseph R. Biden Jr. President-elect of the United States of America The Honorable Kamala D. Harris Vice President-elect of the United States of America 1401 Constitution Avenue, N.W. Washington, DC 20230 Re: Nomination of the U.S. Secretary of Education Dear President-elect Biden and Vice President-elect Harris, Congratulations on your election. We look forward to supporting your work in our role as educators of America’s children. As Black leaders and founders of public charter schools throughout the United States, we are writing to strongly urge against the nomination of Dr. Leslie T. Fenwick, former Dean at Howard University School of Education. We understand that Dr. Fenwick is under serious consideration and want to express our strong opposition to her nomination.

There are 3.3 million children in public charter schools across the United States – 70 percent are Black and Latino. Black parents cannot wait for America’s public school system to right itself and quite understandably, have a sense of urgency around having high quality public schools now. That’s why as Black educators, we founded public charter schools to serve the children in the communities where we live, work and worship.

As Black educators, we serve African American children in schools that are founded, led and governed by Black people. Our schools are some of the highest performing public schools in America. Many of us founded and expanded our schools with the support of innovative education reforms under President Barack Obama who supported the expansion of public charter schools, as well as holding educators accountable for improving the quality of education for Black children.

We are very concerned that the Biden-Harris administration would seriously consider Dr. Leslie T. Fenwick – who calls charter schools and alternative pathways a “scheme” by white people to get around Brown v. Board of Education – to lead the Department of Education. Her divisive rhetoric about needed education reforms, including public charter schools, is extreme and out of touch with the Black community. Nearly 90 percent of Black Democratic primary voters support expanding access to more public school options, including public charter schools. Dr. Fenwick recently appeared in a video on urban education where she advances a mash-up of rhetoric from teachers unions that have worked to close our schools, which we opened as an act of self-determination.

While we love the Biden-Harris administration’s support for Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU), cloaking the teachers union agenda in a candidate from an HBCU is not going to work. You can count on us to push against any nominee who overlooks the excellent work of Black charter school leaders across this country. Our ask is simple: select a leader with a track record of serving students of color, demonstrated outcomes related to equity issues, and a recognition of the various approaches to the education delivery system.

We strongly oppose the nomination of Dr. Leslie T. Fenwick as Secretary for Education and we will make our opposition known to the United States Senate if she is selected as the nominee.

Sincerely, Raymond Ankrum, Superintendent, Riverhead Charter School • Mashea Ashton, Executive Director, Digital Pioneers Academy • Melanie Askew, Founder and Head of School, Élan Academy Charter School • Natasha A. Campbell, Founder/Director of Community Schools, Summit Academy Charter School • Rev. Alfred Cockfield, Founder and Executive Director, Lamad Academy Charter School • Sharif El-Mekki, CEO, Philly’s 7th Ward • Dr. Kendra Ferguson, CEO, KIPP Memphis • Bishop Orlando Findlayter, Founder, New Hope Charter School • Margaret Fortune, President/CEO, Fortune School • Dr. Howard Fuller, Distinguished Professor Emeritus, Marquette University • David P. Hardy, Founder, Excellent Schools PA • Amanda J A Johnson, Executive Director, Clarksdale Collegiate Public Charter School • Jonathan Johnson, Founder and CEO, Rooted School • Leslie-Bernard Joseph, Chief Executive Officer, Coney Island Prep • Rafiq R. Kalam Id-Din II, Esq., Ember Charter School for Mindful Education • Brian King, Founder, Liberation Academy • Yvette King-Berg, Executive Director, YPI Charter Schools • Dominique Lee, CEO, Brick Education Network • Yetta Lewis, CEO and Co-Founder, Gestalt Community Schools • David McGuire, Principal, Tindley Summit Academy • Jonta Morris, Founder & CEO, Legacy Prep • Kimberly Neal, Founder and CEO, BELIEVE Schools • Dr. Steve Perry, MSW, Founder/Head of Schools, Capital Preparatory Schools, Connecticut/New York • Earl Martin Phalen, CEO, Phalen Leadership Academies • Miriam Raccah, Executive Director, Bronx Charter School for the Arts • Dr. Charlene Reid, Chief Executive Officer and Founder, Excellence Community Schools • Jerome Reyes, President, Butler Academy • Ian Rowe, Chief Executive Officer, Vertex Partnership Academies • Stacey Shells Harvey, CEO, ReGeneration Schools • John Taylor, Executive Director, Booker T. Washington Academy • Shantelle Wright, Founder and CEO, Achievement Prep

cc:

Senator Mitch McConnell, Majority Leader Senator Chuck Schumer, Minority Leader Dr. Linda Darling-Hammond, Team Lead, Department of Education Agency Review Team

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DECEMBER 24 - 30, 2020 31

LIFESTYLE JAY-Z’s Roc Nation Launches Book Publishing Company Entertainment Firm to Team with Random House Sarafina Wright WI Contributing Writer Entertainment mogul Shawn “JAY-Z” Carter has expanded his endeavors from music, sports and the cannabis industry to book publishing.

Roc Nation, a leading modern entertainment company founded by Car-

ter has announced the launch of Roc Lit 101, a new publishing imprint with publishing giant Random House.

The imprint says it will be devoted to publishing books at the intersection of entertainment and genre-defying literature from some of the biggest artists and writers of the times on a wide range of subjects such as music, sports,

pop culture, social and political activism and art.

Roc Lit 101 also aims to diversify the mostly white world of storytelling with concentrated efforts.

“Our aspiration for the imprint is to create books that draw from the best of pop culture—its most imaginative and talented storytellers, innovators and

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literary chroniclers—to create beautifully written and produced works that will entertain and enthrall readers, but also illuminate critical issues,” Chris Jackson, publisher and editor of One World Books, who will oversee Roc Lit 101 said.

“But the partnership isn’t just about the books – it’s also about audiences: we want to find new voices and new stories, but also new readers.”

The inaugural list for Roc Lit 101 will launch in Summer 2021 with baseball legend CC Sabathia’s “Till The End,” a memoir of baseball, family, fame, addiction and recovery; and music journalist Danyel Smith’s “Shine Bright,” a combination of memoir, criticism and biography that tells the story of Black women in music.

Future lists include fantastical illus-

trated fiction from rapper Lil Uzi Vert; personal narratives that take on criminal justice and life in the inner city by rapper Meek Mill; and coming-of-age memoirs from rappers like Fat Joe and Yo Gotti.

There are also plans to offer illustrated books and cookbooks; books for children and books that defy genre altogether, according to the company.

“The goal of Roc Lit 101 is to provide a creative outlet for acclaimed wordsmiths and artists to share their visions with new audiences” said Jana Fleishman, executive vice president of Roc Nation.

“There are so many untold stories and we consider it a true privilege to be able to amplify diverse voices while exploring the uncharted worlds that are about to open to us.” WI

(Photo courtesy of Roc Lit 101.)

CAST from Page 28

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which revealed details about the work, the cast and Wilson’s life during a virtual presentation.

The president of AWS, Dr. Sandra G. Shannon, served as moderator for the Jam Session which featured Phylicia Rashad, Colman Domingo, Glynn Turman, Ebony Jo-Ann and other cast members or former actors called upon to bring Wilson’s work to the stage.

Shannon, an August Wilson scholar, author and retired professor emerita of Howard University – the venue which serves as the home of the Society – said it has long been her mission to make both the Academy and the world cognizant of Wilson’s works in ways leading to the level of respect given to the iconic playwright William Shakespeare.

“I began to write about and publish on Wilson in the late 1980s when most of the world was still unaware of him as a force among playwrights,” Shannon said. “About the same time, ‘Ma Rainey’ came on the scene. August and I were both beginning our missions in life. But as a scholar in the Department of English and Afri-

5 Dr. Sandra G. Shannon (Courtesy photo)

can-American Literature, particularly drama, I was determined to bring his brilliance to the attention of the Academy.”

“After his death, I felt like the rug had been pulled from under me. I felt the need to establish a lasting tribute to this playwright who had meant so much to me and my scholarship.

Today and despite the COVID-19 pandemic, the AWS continues to remain busy – busier than some might

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CAST Page 44

Vernon Jordan’s Purpose in Life Shared in a New Tell-All Documentary

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Scholar Henry Louis Gates, Jr. describes Vernon Eulion Jordan, Jr. as “the Rosa Parks of Wall Street.” That is his way of characterizing Jordan’s mark on the nation and the lives of Black people. The documentary “Vernon Jordan: Make It Plain” chronicles the life of a man who had a clear vision at an early age about what he wanted to accomplish.

From growing up in Atlanta public housing next to a cluster of Black colleges to two jobs he currently has at age 85 as a partner at corporate law firm Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld and as a principal at financial giant Lazard Ltd., Jordan keeps a wellpaced schedule that includes a lot of quality time with family.

The documentary was directed by acclaimed filmmaker Dawn Porter, who produced and directed “John Lewis: Good Trouble; The Way I See It.” The hour-long Jordan film premieres on December 28, 2020 on PBS (check your local listing).

Jordan is nationally renown as a distinguished, pioneering attorney, businessman and civil rights leader. He is an influential powerbroker and counselor to American presidents spanning the era from Lyndon Baines Johnson to Barack Obama.

“He takes joy in introducing people to each other who should know each other, but you have to be smart enough to know what he is offering and he’s happy to keep helping,” said Porter. “He is a valuable friend and adviser. He’s a person who is probably good at jigsaw puzzles because he can see the whole thing.”

Jordan has been an impressive make-it-happen leader since graduating from Howard University Law School then going to work at the Atlanta law firm of Donald L. Hollowell, a civil rights activist. In black and white news footage you can see Jordan escorting students Charlayne Hunter and Hamilton E. Holmes to court in their 1961 lawsuit demanding admission at the University of Georgia.

Jordan has always been committed to advocate for Black people. His commitment comes through in the

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5 Vernon E. Jordan, Jr. is the subject of the PBS documentary “Vernon Jordan: Make It Plain” premiering on Dec. 28. (Photo Ralph Barrera)

positions he has taken: field director for the NAACP, executive director of the United Negro College Fund, and president of the National Urban League. In one scene, his daughter Vickee Jordan Adams reflected on statements her father made during a what appeared to be a legislative hearing. He said publicly that he did not trust White people in the South. His daughter asked if he thought his statements were a little rough. His response affirmed what he felt ordained to do and that he was not going to stop his mission.

The film also captures Jordan’s influential personal and professional relationships with staff he has worked with and with political leaders. By far, the sweetest relationships appear to be with President Bill Clinton, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and with CEO and Chairman of American Express Ken Chenault. Jordan shows he has a great sense about people who will go far.

“Vernon was one of the first crossover artists at that time,” said Chenault using a description from the music industry to describe artists who do well in more than one music genre. “Going from a civil rights organization to a corporate law firm, that was a first.”

Jordan has never forgotten his roots.

The documentary has him in Atlanta on the campus of Clark Atlanta University across from University Homes where he was raised. There are also scenes from Andrew Rankin Memorial Chapel, where he preaches a Sunday sermon every year. Through it all, Jordan is captured acknowledging that he has achieved beyond his wildest dreams.

This leader has been criticized for what appears to many, his leaving leadership roles in the civil rights movement, but the documentary shows that Jordan always continued fighting for the rights of Black people with every strategic opportunity he pursued. Porter asked Jordan about his critics and would he talk to them.

“I have and I do, but it does not bother me,” said Jordan. “They will criticize me on the steps of city hall, then they will call me and say ‘Can I talk to you?’ I know my worth.”

Porter explains, “He is not looking for his value in external sources” Here is the trailer for https://youtu.be/ zs_TMxBmiBc WI

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LIFESTYLE

If You’re in Search of Reasons to Smile, Check Out New Movie, ‘Holiday Heartbreak’ A Loving Father Learns a Valuable Lesson about Karma's Power WI Staff Report

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Local award-winning movie producer Tressa Azarel counts as no stranger to the film industry.

And she’s back with the December 16th release of “Holiday Heartbreak.” Despite the pandemic, she says she and her team were able to successfully shoot this holiday comedy to bring some joy and laughter to this very different Christmas season.

The movie features LisaRay McCoy and Michael Colyar in a story about a loving father who fears that his womanizing past has come back to haunt his daughter after a curse spoken over him decades ago appears to have come full circle, now destroying his daughter’s hopes for love.

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LIFESTYLE

wi book review "Everybody's Tree"

By Barbara Joosse, illustrated

by Renée Graef c.2020, Sleeping Bear Press $16.99 / higher in Canada 32 pages

horoscopes

DEC 24 - 30, 2020

ARIES Consider reviewing existing or pending agreements. You might read over your residential lease in case you want to move. You could assess your employment contract for terms and renewals.

Today, it's a good idea even to read those "terms of use" agreements when you download software.

Lucky Numbers: 7, 20, 32 TAURUS As a Taurus native, you are adept at completing things. You may fear if you start something, you must finish it. And so, you may drag your feet today as this energy signals new things and projects coming into your life. It's OK to commit to something new and then decide later to let it go.

Lucky Numbers: 17, 33, 36 GEMINI Even the most free-spirited Gemini native has a set of rules you created for yourself. Now Jupiter and Saturn challenge you to look at these rules and see if they are working for you. You may have rules inadvertently limiting the amount of money you make or making it harder for you to find a great relationship. Grab your Sherlock Holmes deerstalker hat and magnifying glass and do some investigating. Lucky Numbers: 1, 2, 34

By Terri Schlichenmeyer WI Contributing Writer The Christmas tree in your living room is for your entire family.

Long before you were born, your mom bought ornaments for it, for the future. She and your dad got a few when they were first married. Grandma added an ornament or two here and there, and you made some that hang on the branches now. It's a tree for the whole family but in "Everybody's Tree" by Barbara Joosse, illustrated by Renée Graef, some trees are meant for even more sharing.

Many years ago, when he was small, a young boy planted a tiny spruce tree in a great big yard, next to a red house. The little tree was put in a hole in the ground and its roots were covered with dirt to keep it safe.

And the boy grew up. He got married and moved into the red house with his wife and his little girl and a once-tiny tree that was taller than the house.

Many years later, the boy was an old man, and a grandpa. His grandchildren loved to play around the tree next to the red house, but the tree was getting old, too. To honor it, the man and his family tied colorful ribbons on its lower branches. They didn't notice the helicopter swoosh-swooshswooshing above their yard, flying over their spruce tree.

Inside the helicopter, a crew was looking for a tree just like that one!

Would the family be willing to let go of their old friend? Could they "share with everybody everywhere?"

The answer was yes! and so crews came to take the tree. They carefully "gently... gently... gently" lowered it onto the back of a big truck, and then they tied it down so it would be safe for the trip it was about to make. They took the tree to the city, where the people were excited and they all had a turn in decorating it. There were lights and glitter, ornaments and sparkles and even a little snow.

Once upon a time, the tree belonged to a little boy in a red house. Now it belonged to everyone.

You can maybe imagine Christmas without a ton of gifts. This year, you're trying to get used to the idea of Christmas without a lot of family.

But no tree? Impossible, which is why you need "Everybody's Tree" this year.

When it comes to the lights on a Christmas tree, everyone is four years old. It's hard not to feel the magic when the lights go on, and author Barbara Joosse makes that tale enormous here – not just in the tree itself but in the tree's life and its purpose. Smaller kids may not notice that; older ones might but they'll all love the illustrations by Renée Graef, and they'll love that the cover of this book glows in the dark.

So make a new family tradition this year by reading this book together with your four-to-eight-year-old, and Zoom the grandparents, too. "Everybody's Tree" is a book nobody will want to miss. WI

CANCER Time to reach out through the magic of technology to friends far and wide. Send messages to everyone you can think of, including a couple you know who just had a baby and the adventurous friends, who are trekking through Machu Picchu. Lots of connections today brings a smile to your face and warms your heart. Lucky Numbers: 1, 6, 42 LEO Time to pull out your favorite board games. Challenge others to Trivial Pursuit, Monopoly, or an online game of Pictionary. At the same time, there are some traditions that are ending this year.

The kids may be too old for Santa, or older children have married and moved away, mixed feelings for the holidays. Lucky Numbers: 9, 21, 37 VIRGO Today, you are celebrating an ending of sorts. You may have plans to change residences in 2021, and so this would be the last holiday season in this house. You may have older children who have decided to move out of the house. You may just be saying goodbye to 2020 (a joyful experience indeed). As with any ending, a new beginning will closely follow. Lucky Numbers: 14, 41, 53 LIBRA There may be paperwork on your desk you have been procrastinating on, and the deadline is looming. This could be an invoice or notification from a company. There could even be an offer of employment that is buried in your email inbox. Check communications carefully today, so you don't miss an opportunity. Lucky Numbers: 6, 13, 20 SCORPIO A financial rule you have for yourself may not be working. Perhaps you've been too cavalier with your money, or you just realized that by taking care of your cash, you could have so much more of it. Today, you could shift yourself toward prosperity. Lucky Numbers: 11, 17, 23 SAGITTARIUS Today's high confidence, high competency day. Whatever you take on, you have a good chance of success, so reach for the moon today. If you're looking for love, this is especially true.

Use this energy to connect with someone you're interested in because you're likely to dazzle them.

Lucky Numbers: 7, 10, 45 CAPRICORN Your sense of self and your desire to communicate are exceptionally strong today. You are easily seen, and people are ready to hear you. Time to post on social media, self-publish, your book, or upload your music to YouTube. You may have been procrastinating on this for a while, but today is the day. Push other tasks aside and focus on getting your words out into the world. Lucky Numbers: 12, 13, 54 AQUARIUS Today, you can get a hold of several people who you haven't spoken to in some time.

2020 has caused such a disruption in your usual social activities, but now you're in the groove, finding and connecting with friends near and far. This is a day of sharing news and reconnecting. Lucky Numbers: 5, 18, 26 PISCES You have extraordinary career energy today. There are new job opportunities for Pisces natives. Give the energy a boost by lighting a candle and saying a prayer or doing a meditation visualizing your ideal position. If you're happy where you are, this is a good time to mention to your current boss that you are interested in a promotion. Lucky Numbers: 11, 24, 27

WWW.WASHINGTONINFORMER.COM / THE WASHINGTON INFORMER

DECEMBER 24 - 30, 2020 35

CAPTURE the moment

For more photos, visit www.washingtoninformer.com

Making the Season Bright

5 The Santa at the Mall at Prince George’s is socially distanced behind plexiglass as kids are still able to pose for photos in a safe manner. (Roy Lewis/The Washington Informer)

5 Ward 8 Councilmember Trayon White stops by the Goodman League’s annual toy drive hosted by Miles Rawls on Saturday, Dec. 19. (Roy Lewis/The Washington Informer)

3 Toys were being collected by volunteer organizations throughout the metropolitan area to ensure that every child receives a toy for Christmas. (Anthony Tilghman/The Washington Informer) 6 Neighbors drop off toys at the annual toy drive hosted by Miles Rawls on Saturday, Dec. 19. (Roy Lewis/ The Washington Informer)

5 Prince George’s County State’s Attorney Aisha Braveboy helps distribute toys at the Toys for Tots giveaway at Six Flags America in Bowie on Saturday, Dec. 19. (Robert R. Roberts/The Washington Informer)

36 - DECEMBER 24 - 30, 2020

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SPORTS HEADLINES

Hot off the Press

COMPILED BY DANIEL KUCIN, JR. WI SPORTS WRITER

Washington Football Team Loses but Remains at the Top The Washington Football Team was one drive away from taking out the Seattle Seahawks at home on Dec. 20 but couldn't finish the deal as they fell to Seattle (104), 20-15.

Starting for injured quarterback Alex Smith, second-year quarterback Dwayne Haskins led his men downfield on a 14-play drive in the game's waning minutes but was sacked twice before throwing a desperation heave on fourth down into the end zone that fell incomplete.

"I think he started a little bit slow and was kind of feeling around things," Washington Football Team Head Coach Ron Rivera said about Haskins filling in for Smith. "And then when you saw him settle down, you saw him get more effective and make some things happen."

Haskins finished the game throwing for 295 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions. Washington tight end Logan Thomas led the way with 13 receptions for 101 yards while wide receiver Terry McLaurin hauled in seven receptions for 77 yards.

Though Peyton Barber scored the first touchdown of the game on the ground in the third quarter from one yard out, J.D. McKissic had a strong performance accounting for 107 total yards, including a six-yard touchdown reception in the fourth quarter, cutting the deficit to five points.

Despite suffering the heartbreaking loss, Washington (6-8) remains in first place (NFC East) after the New York Giants lost to the Cleveland Browns on Dec. 20.

Washington Capitals Lose Netminder NHL hockey will be back again as the NHL and NHLPA announced on Dec. 20 and agreed on a 56game 2020-21 season starting on Jan. 13.

However, the Washington Capitals will not have their newly acquired netminder back in the fold after stating that he would not play this upcoming season.

Henrik Lundqvist, 38, is battling a heart condition and made his decision after consulting with multiple doctors before declining not to play. Lundqvist was a Vezina Trophy recipient (2011-2012) and helped Sweden win a gold medal during the 2006 Toronto Olympics.

"For the last two months, I have felt so inspirited and committed to prepare myself for the upcoming season," Lundqvist said.

"The daily skates, the workouts, and just the thought of playing in D.C. have really brought me a lot of excitement.

“I want to thank the Washington Capitals organization for giving me this opportunity and also for all the support they've shown during this challenging time," Lundqvist said.

Westbrook Comfortable with Washington Wizards Stepping into former point guard John Wall's shoes is no easy task, but Russell Westbrook has shown that he has acclimated into Brooks' offense well.

After losing the first two preseason games to the Brooklyn Nets and Detroit Pistons, Washington got a little revenge on Dec. 19, downing the Pistons 99-96 for the first and only win in the preseason.

Though center Thomas Bryant stole the show with 22 points, Westbrook played his first game in Washington and showed flashes of what he was in Houston.

Westbrook finished the night with 8 points, seven rebounds and three assists in only 17 minutes of play. However, he left a lasting impression on his teammates.

"Definitely in the first half, I think you can see how many open shots and how many good looks we had," said Washington forward Davis Bertans about Westbrook's effect after being inserted into the lineup.

Washington will head into the regular season against the Philadelphia 76ers on the road, and the Wizards star player likes what he has seen so far.

"It felt great because it was great energy," Washington guard Bradley Beal said of having Westbrook's presence on the floor. "I think we both do a really good job of feeding off of each other ... It works out well."

THE WASHINGTON INFORMER / WWW.WASHINGTONINFORMER.COM

RELIGION the religion corner WITH LYNDIA GRANT

Am I My Brother's Keeper?

This week, many of us will celebrate Christmas and New Year's in ways we've never done before — alone, at home, no family or friends.

The pandemic has caused us to change our behaviors, but no matter what is happening, we must still remember that we are celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ.

Jesus is the reason for the season!

This is when we show love for one another, for caring for others, especially the needy. We take the time to help others, as we ought to do yearround, but Christmas brings out the best in us. This is an excellent time to remember those who are incarcerated.

Matthew 25:43 KJV says, "I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not." A few weeks ago, a guest on my radio show, attorney Shelore Williams, shared with listeners of how she is working with Saymendy Lloyd, chair of Women's Wing, a group fighting to find a way to get our D.C. incarcerated moved to other states closer to their hometown.

During the interview, I asked Williams what she would like to see the mayor and other elected officials responsible to do. She shared that

it would be fantastic if they started treating incarcerated people "like human beings, to realize they exist and that most of them will be returning to our communities, therefore, to help them maintain the family unit and to provide substantive and positive programs during incarceration that will help them be productive citizens when they return home."

She continued, "For those serving time for felony offenses, it also means that their incarceration should be closer to the District. We should not continue to allow the Bureau of Prisons to house these inmates all over the country, as far away as Texas, New Mexico, California, etc., where the cost of their loved ones visiting them becomes prohibited."

Throughout the pandemic we have been fighting to protect our health and the health of those around us. Yet despite the daily turmoil of life in this stressful time, we continue to celebrate the common milestones of life such as birthdays, graduations, and holiday celebrations.

Some celebrate Hanukkah, a recognition of the triumph of the Maccabees over the powerful Syrian Army. Some celebrate Christmas, the birth of Jesus, the faith of the first holy family, and the precious gifts of the Three Kings. Others celebrate Kwanzaa, an African-American tribute to African heritage. Yet during these holiday celebrations, we have

Mt. Zion Baptist Church

forgotten many others who share our roots in this community. Unfortunately, this group is out of sight, out of mind.

Who are these forgotten souls?

They are District of Columbia inmates who have been convicted of felony offenses and misdemeanors.

The forgotten include the male and female inmates housed in the D.C. jail. Inmates are confined in deplorable living conditions in an environment not fit for housing human beings. Rather than maintaining and strengthening the family unit, the District's current practice destroys the family unit by separating inmates from their families, their loved ones and their support system while forcing them to live in a physically and mentally unhealthy environment.

You might ask, am I my brother's keeper? I believe that if you have convicted a person of a crime, incarcerated that person, relocated him or her several hundred miles from family members, with the result that this individual depends on you for food, housing and medical care, then my answer is yes, you are your brother's keeper.

Our community should organize to convince our local government to bring D.C. inmates closer to home, and secondly, to remedy the inhumane conditions at the D.C. Jail. This would be a welcome holiday gift to those whom we must not forget. WI

John F. Johnson Reverend Dr.

5101 14th Street, NW / Washington, DC 20011 Phone: 202-726-2220 Fax: 202-726-9089

1306 Vermont Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20005

“A Church with a past to remember – and a future to mold” www.mtzbcdc.org

EMPLOYMENT LAWYERS MCCOLLUM & ASSOCIATES, LLC ADA, Age Discrimination, Benefits, Civil Rights, COBRA, Contracts, Deaf Law, Defamation, Disability Law, Discipline, Discrimination, FMLA, FLSA, FOIA, Family Responsibility, Harassment, HIPPA, OSHA, National Origin Discrimination, Non-Compete, Race Discrimination, Rehabilitation Act, Retaliation, Severance Agreements, Sexual Harassment, Torts, Whistleblowing, Wage-and-Hour, Wrongful Discharge SERVING MARYLAND, DC, & NORTH CAROLINA

www.jmlaw.net

(301) 864-6070

jmccollum@jmlaw.net

Mount Olivet Lutheran Church

Reverend John W. Davis Pastor

Service and Times Sunday Worship Service - 8:00 a.m. & 11:00 a.m.

Children’s Church - 11:00 a.m. (1st & 3rd Sundays) Communion - 10 a.m. 4th Sunday Sunday School - 9:15 a.m. (4th Sunday 8:15 a.m.)

Prayer Meeting & Bible Study - Wednesday 7:00 p.m.

(301) 864-6070

Service and Times Divine Worship, Sunday 10:00 a.m.

Communion 1st and 3rd Sunday “Friendliest Church in the City” Website: mountolivetdc.org Email: mtolivedc@gmail.com

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DECEMBER 24 - 30, 2020 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

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

“Ambassadors for Christ to the Nation’s Capital” www.thirdstreet.org Live Stream Sunday Worship Service begins @ 12:00 noon www.thirdstreet.org

Rev. Dr. Alton W. Jordan Pastor 800 I Street, NE - Washington, DC 20002 202-548-0707 - Fax No. 202-548-0703 Service and Times Sunday Morning Worship: 11:00 AM Holy Communion: 1st Sunday Sunday School: 9:45 AM Men’s Monday Bible Study: 7:00 PM Wednesday Night Bible Study: 7:00 PM Women’s Ministry Bible Study: 3rd Friday -7:00 PM Computer Classes: Announced Family and Marital Counseling by appointment E-mail: Crusadersbaptistchurch@verizon.net www.CrusadersBaptistChurch.org / “God is Love”

Greater Mt. Calvary Holy Church Bishop Alfred A. Owens, Jr.; Senior Bishop & Evangelist Susie C. Owens – Co-Pastor 610 Rhode Island Avenue, NE Washington, DC 20002 (202) 529-4547 office • (202) 529-4495 fax

Sunday Worship Service: 8:00 AM and 10:45 AM Sunday Youth Worship Services: 1st & 4th 10:45 AM; 804 R.I. Ave., NE 5th 8 AM & 10:45 AM; Main Church Prayer Services Tuesday – Noon, Wednesday 6:00 AM & 6:30 PM Calvary Bible Institute: Year-Round Contact Church / Communion Every 3rd Sunday The Church in The Hood that will do you Good! www.gmchc.org / emailus@gmchc.org

Isle of Patmos Baptist Church Reverend Dr. Calvin L. Matthews Senior Pastor 1200 Isle of Patmos Plaza, Northeast Washington, DC 20018 Office: (202) 529-6767 - Fax: (202) 526-1661 Service and Times Sunday Worship Services: 7:30 AM and 10:30 AM Holy Communion: 2nd Sunday at 7:30 AM and 10:30 AM Sunday Church School: 9:20 AM Seniors Bible Study: Tuesdays at 10:30 AM Noon Day Prayer Service: Tuesdays at Noon Bible Study: Tuesdays at 7 PM Motto: “A Ministry of Reconciliation Where Everybody is Somebody!”

Website: http://isleofpatmosbc.org Church Email: ipbcsecretary@verizon.net

St Marks Baptist Come Worship with us...

Dr. Raymond T. Matthews Pastor and First Lady Marcia Matthews St. Mark's Baptist Church 624 Underwood Street, NW Washington, dc 20011 Services and Times Sunday School: 9:00 AM Worship Service: 10:00 AM Wed. Noon Day prayer service Thur. Prayer service: 6:45 PM Thur. Bible Study: 7:15 PM

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

Mount Carmel Baptist Church

Turning Hearts Church Virgil K. Thomas, Sr. Senior Pastor/ Teacher

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

Services and Times Sunday School: 9:30 AM Sunday Worship: 11:00 AM Sunday Community Worship Service: 8:30 AM

Crusader Baptist Church

Reverend Dr. Paris L Smith, Sr. Senior Pastor 901 Third Street N.W. Washington, DC. 20001 Phone (202) 842-3411 Fax (202) 682-9423 Service and Times Sunday Church School : 9:00 AM Sunday Morning Worship: 10:10 AM Bible Study Tuesday: 6: 00 PM Prayer Service Tuesday: 7:00 PM Holy Communion: 3rd Sunday 10:10 AM

40 - DECEMBER 24 - 30, 2020

themcbc.org

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

Website: Shabbathcommandmentchruch.org Email: Praisebetoyhwh@gmail.com

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

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

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

Israel Baptist Church

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

Dr. Earl D. Trent Senior Pastor

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

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

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

Sermon On The Mount Temple Of Joy Apostolic Faith

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

Elder Herman L. Simms Pastor

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

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

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

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

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

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

Service and Times Sunday Apostolic Worship Services 11:00 A.M and 5:00 PM Communion and Feet Wash 4th Sunday at 5:00 PM Prayer/Seeking: Wednesday at 8:00 PM Apostolic in Doctrine, Pentecostal in Experience, Holiness in Living, Uncompromised and Unchanged.

The Apostolic Faith is still alive –Acts 2:42

New Commandment Baptist Church

Eastern Community Baptist Church Damion M. Briggs Pastor

Rev. Stephen E. Tucker Senior Pastor

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

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

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

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

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

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

Rehoboth Baptist Church

Reverend Peter R. Blue Sr. Pastor

Rev. Curtis l. Staley Pastor

2001 Brooks Drive District Heights MD. 20744 240.838.7074

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Shiloh Baptist Church

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 Dr. Joseph D. Turner / Senior Pastor 2616 MLK Ave., SE - Washington, DC 20020 Office 202-889-3709 - Fax 202-678-3304 Service and Times Early Worship Service: 8:00 AM Worship Service: 11:00 AM New Member’s Class: 9:45 AM Holy Communion: 1st Sunday, 11:00 AM Church School: 9:45 AM Wednesday 12:00pm Bible Study Prayer, Praise and Bible Study: 7:00 PM Saturday Bible Study: 11:00 AM Baptism 4th Sunday: 11:00 AM “Empowered to love and Challenged to Lead a Multitude of Souls to Christ”

Peace Baptist Church Rev. Dr. Michael T. Bell 712 18th Street, NE Washington, DC 20002 Phone 202-399-3450/ Fax 202-398-8836 Service and Times Sunday Early Morning Prayer & Bible Study Class: 8:00 AM Sunday School: 9:00 AM Sunday Morning Worship Service: 10:00 AM Wednesday Service: 12:00 PM “The Loving Church of the living lord “

4504 Gault Place, N.E. / Washington, D.C 20019 202-397-7775 – 7184 Service and Times Sunday Church School: 9:30 AM Sunday Worship Service : 11:00 AM The Lord’s Supper 1st Sunday Prayer & Praise Services: Wednesday 7:00 PM Bible Study: 7:30 PM Saturday before 4th Sunday Men, Women, Youth Discipleship Ministries: 10:30 AM A Christ Centered Church htubc@comcast.net

Christ Embassy DC

Kelechi Ajieren Coordinator 6839 Eastern Avenue, R1 Takoma Park, MD 20912 (202) 556-7065 Service and Times Sunday Worship Service: 10:00 AM Wednesday Bible Study: 7:00 PM Friday Evening Service: 7:00 PM ; Last Friday “…Giving Your Life a Meaning” www.Christembassydc.org Christ.embassy.dc@hotmail.com

Pennsylvania Ave. Baptist Church Rev. Dr. Kendrick E. Curry Pastor 3000 Pennsylvania Ave.. S.E Washington, DC 20020 202 581-1500 Service and Times Sunday Church School: 9:30 AM Sunday Worship Service: 11:00 AM Monday Adult Bible Study: 7:00 PM Wednesday Youth & Adult Activities: 6:30 PM Prayer Service Bible Study

First Rising Mt. Zion Baptist Church

Mt. Horeb Baptist Church

Rev. Dr. Wallace Charles Smith Pastor

Rev. Oran W. Young Pastor

Rev. Dr. H. B. Sampson, III Pastor

9th & P Street, N.W. - W. D.C. 20001 (202) 232-4288

602 N Street NW - Washington, D.C. 20001 Office:(202) 289-4480 Fax: (202) 289-4595

2914 Bladensburg Road, NE Wash., DC 20018 Office: (202) 529-3180 - Fax: (202) 529-7738 Service and Times Worship Service: 7:30 AM Sunday School: 9:00 AM Worship Service: 10:30 AM Holy Communion: 4th Sunday 7:30AM & 10:30 AM Prayer Services:Tuesday 7:30 PM. Wednesday 12 Noon

www.stmarysfoggybottom.org Email: stmarysoffice@stmarysfoggybottom.org

Service and Times First Sunday Worship Service (one service): 10:00 AM Second, Third, Fourth, and Fifth Sunday Worship service: 7:45 AM and 10:55 AM Sunday Church School/Bible Study: 9:30 AM Thursday Prayer Service: 6:30 PM

All are welcome to St. Mary’s to Learn, Worship, and Grow.

Email: sbc@shilohbaptist.org Website: shilohbaptist.org

Service and Times Sundays: 10 a.m. Holy Eucharist with Music and Hymns Wednesdays: 12:10 p.m. - Holy Eucharist

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 24 - 30, 2020 41

LEGAL NOTICES

LEGAL NOTICES

LEGAL NOTICES

LEGAL NOTICES

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

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

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

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

2020 ADM 000615

2020 ADM 000351

2020 ADM 000647

2020 ADM 000725

Ronald Simmons aka Isaiah Ronald Simmons Decedent

Earma V. Jackson Decedent

Karen D. King aka Karen Denise King Decedent

Gerald R. Watson Decedent

LEGAL NOTICES

Date of first publication: 12/3/2020

Date of first publication: 12/10/2020

Darrell M. Jackson Personal Representative

Evelyn W. King Personal Representative

Kimberly L. Watson Personal Representative

TRUE TEST COPY

TRUE TEST COPY

TRUE TEST COPY

Nicole Stevens Register of Wills

Nicole Stevens Register of Wills

Nicole Stevens Register of Wills

Washington Informer

Washington Informer

Washington Informer

In God We Trust Declaration of Nationality. Notice of White Flag Surrender Notice of Special Appearance: I am that I am: '' Eric Christopher Darden © '', in full life, in propria persona, sui juris, in solo proprio, Haqdar by natural issue, the beneficiary and heir of: " DARDEN, ERIC CHRISTOPHER©", corp.sole Dba.: " ERIC CHRISTOPHER DARDEN ©". Being trustee of “DARDEN, ERIC JOSIAH©”, corp.sole Dba.: “ERIC JOSIAH DARDEN©” and ‘‘ DARDEN, ELIJAH CALIPH© ’’, corp.sole Dba.: ‘‘ ELIJAH CALIPH DARDEN© ’’, 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: Taino Moorish American, but not a citizen of the United States. I declare permanent, and unalienable, allegiance to The Moorish Empire, Societas Republicae Ea AI 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: Taino Moorish American. I am that I am: '' Eric Christopher Darden © '', from this day forward, in harmony with my Nationality/ Status/ Jurisdiction, shall be known as: " eric christopher 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: [1] THE CITY OF NEW YORK, VITAL RECORDS CERTIFICATE BIRTH NO. 156-82-333657, ‘‘ERIC CHRISTOPHER FIELDS©”, [2] The State of North Carolina, Mecklenburg County Register of Deeds Health Department, REGISTERED NUMBER: V1568596, CERTIFICATE NUMBER: 201814205, ‘‘ERIC JOSIAH DARDEN©’’ and [3] The State of North Carolina, Mecklenburg County Register of Deeds Health Department, REGISTERED NUMBER: V1568598, CERTIFICATE NUMBER: 201917055, ‘‘ELIJAH CALIPH DARDEN©’’ is as a special deposit order conveyed to " Eric Christopher El Express 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: " eric christopher el© ",nom deguerre: " Eric Christopher Darden ©", as a special deposit order in lawful money. This special deposit is to be used exclusively for the benefit of: "Eric Christopher El Express 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. All Rights Reserved.

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

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

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

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

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

2020 ADM 000631

2020 ADM 000694

2020 ADM 330

2020 ADM 000655

Edward G. Varrone, Esq. 1825 K Street, NW, Suite 1150 Washington, DC 20006 Attorney NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS Shanequa Terry, whose address is 95 Flower Road, Valley Stream, NY 11581, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Ronald Simmons aka Isaiah Ronald Simmons who died on May 28, 2020 with a Will, and will serve without Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance in this proceeding. Objections to such appointment (or to the probate of decedent’s Will) shall be filed with the Register of Wills, D.C., Building A, 515 5th Street, N.W., Third Floor, Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before June 3, 2021. Claims against the decedent shall be presented to the undersigned with a copy to the Register of Wills or filed with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned, on or before June 3, 2021, or be forever barred. Persons believed to be heirs or legatees of the decedent who do not receive a copy of this notice by mail within 25 days of its first publication shall so inform the Register of Wills, including name, address, and relationship.

Date of first publication: 12/3/2020 Shanequa Terry Personal Representative

Nakia Gray, Esq. 800 Maine Ave., SW Suite 200 Washington, DC 20024 Attorney

NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS Darrell M. Jackson, whose address is 414 Webster Street, NW, Washington, DC 20011, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Earma V. Jackson who died on November 22, 2017 without a Will, and will serve without Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance in this proceeding. Objections to such appointment shall be filed with the Register of Wills, D.C., Building A, 515 5th Street, N.W., Third Floor, Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before June 3, 2021. Claims against the decedent shall be presented to the undersigned with a copy to the Register of Wills or filed with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned, on or before June 3, 2021, or be forever barred. Persons believed to be heirs or legatees of the decedent who do not receive a copy of this notice by mail within 25 days of its first publication shall so inform the Register of Wills, including name, address, and relationship.

Date of first publication: 12/3/2020

TRUE TEST COPY Nicole Stevens Register of Wills Washington Informer

Samuel J. Frazier aka Samuel Johnson Frazier Decedent Julius P. Terrell 1455 Pennsylvania Ave., NW #400 Washington, DC 20004 Attorney

Evelyn W. King, whose address is 6100 Westchester Park Drive, College Park, MD 20740, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Karen D. King aka Karen Denise King who died on 12/24/2019 with a Will, and will serve without Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance in this proceeding. Objections to such appointment (or to the probate of decedent’s Will) shall be filed with the Register of Wills, D.C., Building A, 515 5th Street, N.W., Third Floor, Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before 6/3/2021. Claims against the decedent shall be presented to the undersigned with a copy to the Register of Wills or filed with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned, on or before 6/3/2021, or be forever barred.

Persons believed to be heirs or legatees of the decedent who do not receive a copy of this notice by mail within 25 days of its first publication shall so inform the Register of Wills, including name, address, and relationship.

Jean Marie Abbott Decedent

Nakia Gray, Esq. 800 Maine Ave., SW Suite 200 Washington, DC 20020 Attorney

Shari G. Kleiner 5614 Connecticut Ave., NW #107 Washington, DC 20015 Attorney

NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS

Vivian Frazier, whose address is 403 Peabody St., NE, Washington, DC 20011, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Samuel J. Frazier aka Samuel Johnson Frazier who died on 7/28/2008 with 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 (or to the probate of decedent’s Will) shall be filed with the Register of Wills, D.C., Building A, 515 5th Street, N.W., Third Floor, Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before 6/3/2021. Claims against the decedent shall be presented to the undersigned with a copy to the Register of Wills or filed with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned, on or before 6/3/2021, or be forever barred.

Persons believed to be heirs or legatees of the decedent who do not receive a copy of this notice by mail within 25 days of its first publication shall so inform the Register of Wills, including name, address, and relationship.

Clarence Ramsey, Jr., whose address is 8534 Coltrane Ct., Ellicott City, MD 21043, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Florence Ramsey who died on April 24, 2020 without a Will, and will serve without Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance in this proceeding. Objections to such appointment shall be filed with the Register of Wills, D.C., Building A, 515 5th Street, N.W., Third Floor, Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before 6/3/2021. Claims against the decedent shall be presented to the undersigned with a copy to the Register of Wills or filed with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned, on or before 6/3/2021, or be forever barred.

Persons believed to be heirs or legatees of the decedent who do not receive a copy of this notice by mail within 25 days of its first publication shall so inform the Register of Wills, including name, address, and relationship.

Vivian Frazier Personal Representative

NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS

Florence Ramsey Decedent

NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS

Date of first publication: 12/3/2020

Aimee D. Griffin, Esq. 5335 Wisconsin Ave., NW Suite 440 Washington, DC 20015 Attorney

Date of first publication: 12/3/2020 Clarence Ramsey, Jr. Personal Representative

TRUE TEST COPY

TRUE TEST COPY

Nicole Stevens Register of Wills

Nicole Stevens Register of Wills

Washington Informer

Washington Informer

42 - DECEMBER 24 - 30, 2020

NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS Shari G. Kleiner, whose address is 5614 Connecticut Ave., NW #107, Washington, DC 20015, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Jean Marie Abbott who died on October 5, 2015 without a Will, and will serve without Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance in this proceeding.

Objections to such appointment shall be filed with the Register of Wills, D.C., Building A, 515 5th Street, N.W., Third Floor, Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before 6/3/2021. Claims against the decedent shall be presented to the undersigned with a copy to the Register of Wills or filed with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned, on or before 6/3/2021, or be forever barred. Persons believed to be heirs or legatees of the decedent who do not receive a copy of this notice by mail within 25 days of its first publication shall so inform the Register of Wills, including name, address, and relationship.

Edward G. Varrone, Esq. 1825 K Street, NW, Suite 1150 Washington, DC 20006 Attorney

NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS Kimberly L. Watson, whose address is 243 Savannah Street, SE, Apt. D, Washington, DC 20032, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Gerald R. Watson who died on December 13, 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., Building A, 515 5th Street, N.W., Third Floor, Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before 6/10/2021. Claims against the decedent shall be presented to the undersigned with a copy to the Register of Wills or filed with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned, on or before 6/10/2021, or be forever barred. Persons believed to be heirs or legatees of the decedent who do not receive a copy of this notice by mail within 25 days of its first publication shall so inform the Register of Wills, including name, address, and relationship.

Doris B. Barnes Decedent Cheryl Chapman Henderson, Esq. 4920 Niagara Road, Suite 200 College Park, MD 20740 Attorney

NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS N. Kurt Barnes, whose address is 201 West 70th Street, #11J, New York, NY 10023, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Doris B. Barnes who died on July 24, 2020 without a Will, and will serve without Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance in this proceeding. Objections to such appointment shall be filed with the Register of Wills, D.C., Building A, 515 5th Street, N.W., Third Floor, Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before 6/10/2021. Claims against the decedent shall be presented to the undersigned with a copy to the Register of Wills or filed with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned, on or before 6/10/2021, or be forever barred.

Persons believed to be heirs or legatees of the decedent who do not receive a copy of this notice by mail within 25 days of its first publication shall so inform the Register of Wills, including name, address, and relationship.

Date of first publication: 12/10/2020

Date of first publication: 12/3/2020

N. Kurt Barnes Personal Representative

Shari G. Kleiner Personal Representative

TRUE TEST COPY

TRUE TEST COPY

Nicole Stevens Register of Wills

Nicole Stevens Register of Wills

Washington Informer

2020 ADM 000728 Estate of Julia Williams NOTICE OF STANDARD PROBATE Notice is hereby given that a petition has been filed in this Court by Elmore Manuel Williams and Deborah Cason Daniel 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 10/31/1986 exhibited with the petition upon proof satisfactory to the Court of due execution by affidavit of the witnesses or otherwise In the absence of a Will or proof satisfactory to the Court of due execution, enter an order determining that the decedent died intestate appoint an unsupervised personal representative Date of first publication: 12/17/2020 Deborah Cason Daniel, Esq. 503 D. St., NW, Suite 200 Washington, DC 20001 Petitioner/Attorney: TRUE TEST COPY Nicole Stevens Register of Wills Washington Informer

Washington Informer

THE WASHINGTON INFORMER / WWW.WASHINGTONINFORMER.COM

LEGAL NOTICES SECOND JUDICIAL DISTRICT COURT COUNTY OF BERNALILLO STATE OF NEW MEXICO RICHARD MERCADO, Plaintiff, v. No. D.202.CV.2020.06257 GROUP ONE: THE UNKNOWN HEIRS OF THE FOLLOWING: LEE L. HOFER, deceased, and ESTHER M. HOFER, deceased, GROUP TWO: THE UNKNOWN HEIRS OF JOSE RUBEN MERCADO-SANTIAGO, deceased, GROUP THREE: ALL UNKNOWN CLAIMANTS OF INTEREST IN THE PREMISES ADVERSE TO THE PLAINTIFF AND ALL UNKNOWN PERSON WHO MAY HAVE CLAIM OF LIEN, INTEREST OR TITLE ADVERSE TO THE PLAINTIFFS, Defendants.

FILED 2ND JUDICIAL DISTRICT COURT Bernalillo County 12/1/2020 11:42 AM CLERK OF THE COURT Luke Tessman NOTICE OF PENDENCY OF SUIT STATE OF NEW MEXICO to THE UNKNOWN HEIRS OF JOSE RUBEN MERCADO-SANTIAGO, deceased, GREETINGS: You are hereby notified that Richard Mercado, the abovenamed Plaintiff have filed a civil action against you in the above-entitled Court and cause, the general object thereof being quiet title to property located at 3905 San Mateo Blvd. NE, Albuquerque, New Mexico. Unless you enter your appearance in this cause within thirty (30) days of the date of the first publication of this Notice, December 11, 2020, judgment by default will be entered against you.

Dated: 12/1/2020

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

Regina Payton, whose address is 261 Hawaii Avenue, NE, Washington, DC 20011, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Lueella Grant who died on March 18, 2020 with a Will, and will serve without Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance in this proceeding. Objections to such appointment (or to the probate of decedent’s Will) shall be filed with the Register of Wills, D.C., Building A, 515 5th Street, N.W., Third Floor, Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before 6/17/2021. Claims against the decedent shall be presented to the undersigned with a copy to the Register of Wills or filed with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned, on or before 6/17/2021, or be forever barred. Persons believed to be heirs or legatees of the decedent who do not receive a copy of this notice by mail within 25 days of its first publication shall so inform the Register of Wills, including name, address, and relationship.

Regina Payton 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

2020 ADM 000735

2020 ADM 000738

2020 ADM 000758

Renee Carol Schilhab Decedent

Theodore C. Wade Decedent

Valerie Edwards 1725 DeSales Street, NW Suite 600 Washington, DC 20036 Attorney

Edward G. Varrone, Esq. 1825 K Street, NW Suite 1150 Washington, DC 20006 Attorney

Pauline Gray aka Pauline Adams Gray Decedent

NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS

NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS

NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS

Stanton Barbour Bullock, whose address is 5036 Massachusetts Ave., NW, Washington, DC 20016, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Renee Carol Schilhab who died on June 14, 2020 with a Will, and will serve without Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance in this proceeding. Objections to such appointment (or to the probate of decedent’s Will) shall be filed with the Register of Wills, D.C., Building A, 515 5th Street, N.W., Third Floor, Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before June 17, 2021. Claims against the decedent shall be presented to the undersigned with a copy to the Register of Wills or filed with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned, on or before June 17, 2021, or be forever barred.

Persons believed to be heirs or legatees of the decedent who do not receive a copy of this notice by mail within 25 days of its first publication shall so inform the Register of Wills, including name, address, and relationship.

Mark V. Wade, whose address is 1820 Upshur Street, NE, Washington, DC 20018, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Theodore C. Wade who died on August 27, 2020 without a Will, and will serve without Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance in this proceeding. Objections to such appointment shall be filed with the Register of Wills, D.C., Building A, 515 5th Street, N.W., Third Floor, Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before June 17, 2021. Claims against the decedent shall be presented to the undersigned with a copy to the Register of Wills or filed with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned, on or before June 17, 2021, or be forever barred. Persons believed to be heirs or legatees of the decedent who do not receive a copy of this notice by mail within 25 days of its first publication shall so inform the Register of Wills, including name, address, and relationship.

Augustus Pannell, whose address is 13801 Palmer House Way, Silver Spring, MD 20904, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Pauline Gray aka Pauline Adams Gray who died on 5/19/2020 without a Will, and will serve without Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance in this proceeding. Objections to such appointment shall be filed with the Register of Wills, D.C., Building A, 515 5th Street, N.W., Third Floor, Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before June 17, 2021. Claims against the decedent shall be presented to the undersigned with a copy to the Register of Wills or filed with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned, on or before June 17, 2021, or be forever barred. Persons believed to be heirs or legatees of the decedent who do not receive a copy of this notice by mail within 25 days of its first publication shall so inform the Register of Wills, including name, address, and relationship.

Date of first publication: December 17, 2020

Date of first publication: December 17, 2020

Date of first publication: December 17, 2020

Stanton Barbour Bullock Personal Representative

Mark V. Wade Personal Representative

Augustus Pannell Personal Representative

TRUE TEST COPY

TRUE TEST COPY

TRUE TEST COPY

Nicole Stevens Register of Wills

Nicole Stevens Register of Wills

Nicole Stevens Register of Wills

Washington Informer

Washington Informer

Washington Informer

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

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

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

Nakia Gray, Esq. 800 Maine Ave, SW, Suite 200 Washington, DC 20024 Attorney

NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS

LEGAL NOTICES

LEGAL NOTICES

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

William Alexander Benavides Decedent

Lueella Grant Decedent

LEGAL NOTICES

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

2020 ADM 000743

2020 ADM 000742

Date of first publication: 12/17/2020

LEGAL NOTICES

NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS Milagro de Los Angeles Benavidez, whose address is 328 Allison Street, NW, Washington, DC 20011, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of William Alexander Benavides who died on June 18, 2020 without a Will, and will serve without Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance in this proceeding. Objections to such appointment shall be filed with the Register of Wills, D.C., Building A, 515 5th Street, N.W., Third Floor, Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before 6/17/2021. Claims against the decedent shall be presented to the undersigned with a copy to the Register of Wills or filed with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned, on or before 6/17/2021, or be forever barred. Persons believed to be heirs or legatees of the decedent who do not receive a copy of this notice by mail within 25 days of its first publication shall so inform the Register of Wills, including name, address, and relationship.

Date of first publication: 12/17/2020 Milagro de Los Angeles Benavidez Personal Representative

2020 ADM 000777

Gerald R. Belton, Esq. 12607 LaGrange Court Fort Washington, MD 20744 Attorney

2020 ADM 000751

Venious Aster Parker, Sr. Decedent

Eleanor Merryman Hardy aka Eleanor Hardy Decedent

NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS

Jeffrey K. Gordon, Esq. 5335 Wisconsin Ave., NW #700 Washington, DC 20015 Attorney

Venious Parker, Jr., whose address is 1131 3rd Street, NE, Washington, DC 20002, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Venious Aster Parker, Sr., who died on September 13, 2020 without a Will, and will serve without Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance in this proceeding.

Objections to such appointment shall be filed with the Register of Wills, D.C., Building A, 515 5th Street, N.W., Third Floor, Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before 6/17/2021. Claims against the decedent shall be presented to the undersigned with a copy to the Register of Wills or filed with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned, on or before 6/17/2021, or be forever barred. Persons believed to be heirs or legatees of the decedent who do not receive a copy of this notice by mail within 25 days of its first publication shall so inform the Register of Wills, including name, address, and relationship.

Date of first publication: 12/17/2020 Venious Parker, Jr. Personal Representative

TRUE TEST COPY Nicole Stevens Register of Wills

TRUE TEST COPY

Washington Informer

Nicole Stevens Register of Wills Washington Informer

WWW.WASHINGTONINFORMER.COM / THE WASHINGTON INFORMER

In God We Trust Declaration of Nationality. Notice of White Flag Surrender Notice of Special Appearance: I am that I am: '' Sully Federico Pimentel Pereyra© '', in full life, in propria persona, sui juris, in solo proprio, Haqdar by natural issue, the beneficiary and heir of: " PEREYRA, SULLY FEDERICO PIMENTEL", corp.sole Dba.: " SULLY FEDERICO PIMENTEL PEREYRA©". Beign trustee of “PIMENTEL, SOPHIA STELLA©”, corp. sole Dba.: “SOPHIA STELLA PIMENTEL©”, 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: Taino Moorish American, but not a citizen of the United States. I declare permanent, and unalienable, allegiance to The Moorish Empire, Societas Republicae Ea AI 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: Taino Moorish American. I am that I am: '' Sully Federico Pimentel Pereyra© '', from this day forward, in harmony with my Nationality/ Status/ Jurisdiction, shall be known as: " mack 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: [1] THE CITY OF NEW YORK, VITAL RECORDS CERTIFICATE BIRTH NO. 156-83-100920, ‘‘ SULLY FEDERICO PIMENTEL PEREYRA© ”, [2] The Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Registry of Vital Records and Statistics, REGISTERED NUMBER: 865, STATE FILE NUMBER: 064122,”SOPHIA STELLA PIMENTEL©” is as a special deposit order conveyed to " Mack El 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: " mack el© ",nom deguerre: "Sully Federico Pimentel Pereyra©", as a special deposit order in lawful money. This special deposit is to be used exclusively for the benefit of: "Mack El 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. All Rights Reserved.

NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS Randolph Willson Hardy, whose address is 2829 Connecticut Ave., NW #413, Washington, DC 20008, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Eleanor Merryman Hardy aka Eleanor Hardy who died on September 8, 2020 with a Will, and will serve without Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance in this proceeding. Objections to such appointment (or to the probate of decedent’s Will) shall be filed with the Register of Wills, D.C., Building A, 515 5th Street, N.W., Third Floor, Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before 6/17/2021. Claims against the decedent shall be presented to the undersigned with a copy to the Register of Wills or filed with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned, on or before 6/17/2021, or be forever barred. Persons believed to be heirs or legatees of the decedent who do not receive a copy of this notice by mail within 25 days of its first publication shall so inform the Register of Wills, including name, address, and relationship.

Date of first publication: 12/17/2020 Randolph Willson Hardy Personal Representative TRUE TEST COPY Nicole Stevens Register of Wills Washington Informer

DECEMBER 24 - 30, 2020 43

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PUSH from Page 17 we still have heavy metal-laced water in Flint, Mich., we still have not fixed,” Dr. Hilton offered.

However, she offered optimism about the new coronavirus vaccine.

“So, join me, and I’ll be as open and honest as possible. We have one time to do this right, and I’m hoping it’s this time.”

Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s foremost infectious disease physician, also championed the work of Dr. Kizzmekia Corbett, a viral immunologist, whom Dr. Fauci said was at the forefront of the development of the vaccine.

“So, the first thing you might want to say to my African American brothers and sisters is that the vaccine that you’re going to be taking was developed by an African American woman. And that is just a fact,” Dr. Fauci remarked.

More than 300,000 Americans have died, and nearly 17 million have contracted the coronavirus. Some reports indicate that as many as 25 percent of COVID-19 victims are African American.

However, that hasn’t stopped the skepticism about the vaccine among many Black people.

“We saw early on that vaccine acceptance and willingness to enroll in vaccine clinical trials were going to be a major challenge,” Dr. Reed Tuckson, a former public health commissioner in Washington, D.C., and the leader of the Black Coalition Against COVID-19, a D.C.-based effort to spread information about the virus and potential vaccines to Black Americans, told NBC News.

Over the past several months, the coalition has worked with several Washington community organizations, historically Black colleges and universities, and community leaders, to share information about Covid-19 prevention.

They also drafted a public “Love Letter to Black America” that calls for people to be open to vaccines when they are available.

“The African American community needs to understand that 2020 is not 1930 or 1940,” Tuckson said. “There were no African American physicians or scientists or health policy leaders in the past; today is a different situation.”

WI @StacyBrownMedia Facebook/StacyBrownMedia

CAST from Page 32 suspect,” she said.

But what does a play about Black life in the 20s have to say about the African-American experience 100 years later? Shannon was quick to respond.

“Young people can really relate to this play and its theme – an exploration of what happens when we’re willing to put our culture up for sale and the bad things that happen with that decision,” she said.

“Ma embodies strength, especially the power of the Black woman. She reminds us that for Blacks, the blues serve as a way of living and breathing.

Whites enjoy the music but cannot understand the message that’s inherent with the blues. It’s a choice Blacks must make between embracing America’s thirst for capitalism or remaining forgoing the visible benefits of capitalism in order to remain true to our cultural heritage.”

“Many do not realize that this play propelled August Wilson into joining the canon of America’s major playwrights. It’s the goal of the AWS to safeguard the rich narrative of the African-American past which Wilson bequeathed to us in the form of his cycle of plays that chronicle the stories of African Americans from 1907 to 1997,” said Shannon while reflecting on the Society’s ongoing mission to which it has remained committed since which its founding on the campus of Howard University in 2006.

The incomparable actor Chadwick Boseman, who died earlier this year from cancer, contributed his talents to this film – the last in which he would appear prior to his death.

Award-winning actors Denzel Washington and Viola Davis, the film’s producer and lead actress, respectively, reflected on Boseman’s performance.

“This was Chadwick’s most extraordinary performance in an extraordinary role and it represents what happens when an actor sacrifices himself totally to the role,” Davis said. “You have to be courageous and leave yourself behind. You have to be more concerned about servicing the writer and the role than being seen as a superstar.

Chadwick was great because he was one of a rare few who was committed to the entire craft of acting.”

“I’m fortunate to be able to bring this work to film, especially for those who haven’t seen August Wilson’s work before,” Washington said. “It’s an opportunity and privilege to shepherd this material. And no matter who’s among the cast, the true power is in the spoken word.” WI

THE WASHINGTON INFORMER / WWW.WASHINGTONINFORMER.COM

BRENSON from Page 26

anti-Blackness.

Yet, there is an opportunity for change.

There will soon be at least 60 new members of the U.S. House and there could be as many as nine new senators.

With each appointing a chief of staff, legislative director, and communications director, that amounts to 207 senior positions. Far more of them should be filled by talented African Americans.

Continued progress will require that congressional leadership bring real resources to bear. More Congressional offices should formalize diversity and inclusion plans and measure progress.

And all offices should focus on diversifying mid-level positions like press sec-

retary and legislative assistant to further bolster the pool of talent that can eventually step into top positions.

Without question, some members can rightfully point to Black staff serving as state or district directors, or to improvements in the diversity of non-senior staff.

But at a time when the pandemic and economic turmoil has fallen disproportionally on Black people, robust representation of Black Americans in senior roles matters now more than ever.

Real progress is possible, but it will require that members of Congress choose action over the status quo. And it demands that we hold them accountable for doing so. WI

ized communities, clearly illuminate the impacts of the pandemic, and demonstrate how those impacts interact with and exacerbate hundreds of years of systemic racism. That conversation, shaped by the secretary's national bully pulpit, is critical to nudging our decentralized education system toward greater equity. It must be stewarded by a leader who intentionally creates and maintains space for feedback loops with communities that have been marginalized and most directly impacted by injustice.

Second, the Education Department must use all the levers at its disposal to combat educational inequities that existed prior to, and have been compounded by, the pandemic.

The department must work with Congress to take immediate action to close the digital divide, invest additional federal resources to address learning loss due to COVID-related disruptions, and incentivize states to revise

their funding formulas to make them more equitable so that students with the greatest needs receive the resources that are necessary to succeed in college and careers. Part of this work will entail ensuring that, in places where cuts cannot be avoided, states and school districts are not disproportionately cutting public education funding from the highest-needs schools.

In the early months of 2021, the Biden-Harris administration also will be tasked with proposing a budget and advocating for that budget before Congress. We urge the new administration to hold firm to its promise to invest in programs that help our most underserved students thrive, by tripling funding for Title I; making college more affordable by doubling the maximum Pell Grant; and supporting community colleges, historically Black colleges and universities, and minority-serving institutions.

Importantly, we hope the department will, along with robust investments, work with Congress to reauthorize the Higher Education Act, a fundamental

lever in advancing racial equity and opportunity for today's students.

Additionally, the department must immediately strengthen and re-issue prior guidance that supports a racial justice agenda. This includes guidance to states, schools, and institutions of higher education to legally pursue desegregation strategies that increase diversity. This also includes guidance issued by the Departments of Education and Justice related to ensuring that students of color aren't disproportionately subjected to overly harsh school discipline practices.

The department also must issue guidance and take appropriate civil rights enforcement actions to ensure that students of color, Native students, English learners, students with disabilities, and students from low-income families have access to the same opportunities and resources as their peers. This includes access to advanced coursework, talented and diverse educators, and safe and supportive school environments. WI

JEALOUS from Page 26

CURRY from Page 27

bracing policies to advance diversity and equal opportunity.

9. Issue guidance establishing a necessary use of force standard that allows police use of force only as a last resort.

10. Direct DOJ to explore legal options for limiting or ending the qualified immunity doctrine that insulates police officials from liability for serious misconduct.

Of course, there is much more work ahead for the Biden administration and for those of us who want it to succeed, particularly around COVID-19 recovery and access to health care. But these steps will get us off to a good start.

For the full version of this column, go to washingtoninformer.com. WI

ing world with automation and globalization and anti-union politics challenging our gains, making them harder to come by, but not putting a dent in our determination, in our solidarity or in our support for one another and for all of America's workers.

Brothers and sisters, look at us in the early 2000s, moving forward together to save the auto industry by making enormous sacrifices for the greater good.

And here we are again just last year, mounting the biggest auto strike of the past 50 years, with UAW men and women marching side by side across this nation — 49,000-plus — in heat, rain, sleet, and snow to once again tell

an auto boss, "NO! We will take no more concessions as you make billions on the backs of the products we build."

And, in all these instances, we were on the good road. In all these instances, we made the world a little bit better place. We reached out to one another, we took care of one another and we marched in solidarity for every working man and woman in this country. As we have always done. As we will always do. It is in our DNA. So, here we are in 2020 and going through the teeth of a virus that has not begun to let go, that has taken so many from us, that affects the way we work, live and learn. It has been a year of

ocrats, with Black staff representing just over 53 percent of CBC top staff — compared to just 2.1 percent of the senior staff of White Democratic members of the U.S. House. Only 35 percent of African Americans in the United States live in districts represented by CBC members, but 78.5 percent of the Black top staff in the U.S. House are employed by CBC members.

This data is particularly troubling at a time when we desperately need more, not fewer, Black staff who can advise members of Congress in better understanding and responding robustly to structural inequality, racism, and

MORIAL from Page 26

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DECEMBER 24 - 30, 2020 45

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46 - DECEMBER 24 - 30, 2020

CROWELL from Page 27 integrity and a steadfast commitment to scholarly excellence, diversity, and the free exchange of ideas. The school is stronger and better because of her contributions."

"I am proud that she has once again been called to serve our country, this time in one of its most important leadership roles," added Eisgruber.

In a recent Twitter post, Rouse wrote, "This job is about advising the President on how to rebuild and revive our economy. The planning for a fairer economy, grounded in facts and evidence, begins now."

Similarly, on Dec. 11, President-elect Biden nominated Fudge to lead HUD. Also subject to Senate confirmation, Fudge will lead housing efforts to make bold investments in homeownership and access to affordable housing for low-income consumers, many of whom

CURRY from Page 45 terrible loss, of tremendous social upheaval and unimaginable grief.

But here we are once again closing ranks, pushing on through it, helping one another.

Our UAW family was, as always, among the first to step up when our nation was in need.

Our sisters and brothers volunteered to go back into the plants to make the critical life-saving personal protective equipment

ASKIA from Page 27 of the key witnesses of the prosecution literally asking, ‘Where's my money?’

And a series of documents suggesting that the prosecutors were tracking the race of the jurors, (revealing) that they were attempting to illegally discriminate in the jury selection.”

Abu Jamal was convicted by an allwhite jury, and his former prosecutor served on the state Supreme Court, unjustly dismissing several of his appeals of those injustices. You can’t make this stuff up.

“There was judicial bias in this case, and because there was judicial bias, that a prosecutor turned judge should’ve recused himself in Mumia’s case, but didn’t,” Fernandez continued, Judge Leon Tucker ordered the courts “to open up all of the appeals in Mumia's case, going back to the 1990s, because this judge sitting in the Pennsylvania Supreme Court reviewed and denied all of Mumia’s appeals because he had a dog in the fight, and he had prosecuted Mumia, so of course he wasn’t going to

are Black, brown and Native Families, according to the Biden-Harris transition. This effort will also mirror the overarching Biden-Harris pledge to create "an economy where Black, Latino, Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI), and Native American workers and families are finally welcomed as full participants."

In her Dec. 11 remarks, Fudge reflected on the responsibilities she would assume as HUD secretary: "[O]ur task at the Department of Housing and Urban Development will be to stand up for the dignity of all Americans and deliver the promise of our nation to all those left out in the cold. … We will fight for housing in every community that is affordable, decent, and safe. We will help more Americans the secure dream of homeownership, to close the gaps of inequity, build wealth and pass it onto their children. … But perhaps most importantly of all, we will

help people believe once again, that their government cares about them no matter who they are. That we understand their problems."

Numerous housing stakeholders also expressed support for the Fudge nomination including top industry leaders like the Mortgage Bankers Association, and the National Association of Home Builders. This corporate support is matched by that of lawmakers and advocates for consumers and affordable housing as well.

"An unflagging advocate for civil rights, Fudge brings decades of experience as a public servant and a strong commitment to ensuring equitable access to credit, education, healthy food, clean environments and other resources, which go hand-in-hand with access to housing," noted Lisa Rice, president and CEO of the National Fair Housing Alliance.

For the full version of this column, go to washingtoninformer.com. WI

needed to fight this pandemic.

We started food banks and community support projects, served on the front lines of this crisis in health care facilities and public safety, and got to work in our living rooms and kitchens making masks. And once again, we stood together and with the strength of our solidarity, told the companies that the safety of our members comes first as we looked to get our nation back to work last spring.

This holiday, I want to recognize every hardworking woman and man in this country, especially our UAW family and fellow labor union families, and remind us all of how far we have come and what we have achieved. I am proud to say that we are all on this road together and I cannot imagine better traveling companions.

Wishing each and every one of us a safe and happy holiday.

WI

impartially review the violations.”

The defense insistence going back 39 years, that Mumia Abu-Jamal was framed, that the witnesses were bribed and intimidated, and that he is, in fact, innocent of the charge for which he was convicted, has much more weight after this latest series of court rulings.

He may finally be able to prove in court that he is indeed innocent.

“Correct. That’s the most important thing right now before us,” said Fernandez. “The review of evidence that suggests that witnesses were bribed, and the jury was selected carefully, so as to convict him because of its prejudices. It was an all-White jury, to ensure conviction.”

The just ordered evidentiary hearing is the first step to a new trial. Abu Jamal’s legal team has consistently argued since he was arrested that he was really convicted of being an outspoken, problack journalist, and not because he committed murder.

“Mumia has always said that he will be in prison until the people won’t accept his imprisonment anymore,”

Noelle Hanrahan, founder of the Prison Radio Project, one of Abu Jamal’s earliest defenders said in a statement to this writer.

“We must demand that corruption be revealed, and that the voices of its victims must be heard. We know that Mumia was imprisoned because he was a Black Panther, and we know that is unjust, and we cannot allow the truth to be buried, or for voices like Mumia’s to be silenced,” Hanrahan said.

Mrs. Faulkner, the dead officer’s widow “has stated on the record that she believes Mumia Abu-Jamal will be freed if he ever gets a new trial,” a fair trial, Hanrahan continued.

The FOP’s strategy is to get the state attorney general to prosecute the case and to file every imaginable petition against Abu Jamal and his defense team to forestall his inevitable release.

“The original trial was so outrageously corrupt at every stage that there is little hope for a win in retrial. They simply want to delay a new trial until Mumia dies in prison,” she said.

WI

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DECEMBER 24 - 30, 2020 47

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