WINNER OF THREE SOCIETY OF PROFESSIONAL JOURNALISTS D.C. AWARDS Michelle Obama Identified as Democrats' 2024 Emergency Candidate Page 17 Vol. 57, No. 17 • February 10 - 16, 2022
D.C. Area Leaders Seek Answers in Rise of Recent Carjackings James Wright WI Staff Writer
Government and law enforcement leaders in the District and Prince George’s County have joined forces to combat the recent rise in carjackings that have occurred in both jurisdictions. On Feb. 2, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser and D.C. Police Chief Robert Contee III joined Prince George’s County Executive Angela Alsobrooks and her police chief, Malik Aziz, to announce the joint partnership at the Marvin Gaye Park located in Northeast. “We are focused in both jurisdictions on collaborating to make our
5 D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser addresses carjacking issues in her city while Prince George’s County Executive Angela Alsobrooks, Prince George’s County Police Chief Malik Aziz and D.C. Police Chief Robert Contee III listen. (Ja’mon Jackson/ The Washington Informer)
Dr. Monifa McKnight Chosen as Public School Superintendent
Becomes Montgomery County’s First Black Woman to Take the Helm James Wright and D. Kevin McNeir WI Staff Writer and WI Senior Editor On Tuesday, Feb. 8, Montgomery County Public Schools [MCPS] took an historic step, selecting Dr. Monifa McKnight as superintendent and who becomes the first woman and
MC KNIGHT Page 8
communities safer for all people,” Bowser said. “We are particularly focused on how we reach our young people and engage them so they don’t get involved in violent activity, how we hold them accountable when they do and how we get them on a more productive and positive path forward.” The issue of carjackings in the region became even more pronounced on Jan. 15, following the attack of a D.C. Council (D) at-large candidate at a gas station located in Northeast. After contacting the police, Nate Fleming talked about the crime on social media and the story went viral.
CAR JACKINGS Page 51
Kevin ‘Scooter’ Ward, Hyattsville Mayor, Laid to Rest William J. Ford WI Staff Writer A chilly rainfall dampened the weather outside but family, friends and colleagues sought to brighten their spirits inside as they celebrated the life of the late Hyattsville Mayor Kevin “Scooter” Ward. Interim Mayor Robert Croslin chuckled as he recalled the mayor’s predilection for tennis shoes, affectionately calling him “a sneakerhead.” “Some people collect art. That was his collection,” he said Friday, Feb. 4 outside First United Methodist
MAYOR WARD Page 30
5 Hyattsville Mayor Kevin Ward (left) receives an award June 12 from LGTBQ+ Prince George’s Pride for “Excellence in Government.” Ward, also gay, served as interim mayor before winning the election for mayor one month earlier. (FILE: Anthony Tilghman/The Washington Informer)
Celebrating 57 Years of Service / Serving More Than 50,000 Readers Throughout The Metropolitan Area
2 FEBRUARY 10 - 16, 2022
THE WASHINGTON INFORMER / WWW.WASHINGTONINFORMER.COM
CONTENTS SPORTS
BLACK FACTS
6
BLACK HISTORY MONTH
LIFESTYLE
Buy $25 or more in select gift cards and receive
ALL SALE PRICES ARE MEMBER PRICE UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED lb.
Roses
BUY
12 stems
4
day sale
— DIGITAL ONLY —
**Coupon must be downloaded to your Safeway for U account prior to purchase and is one time use only. Limit 1 offer per household.
799
DIGITAL COUPON SAVINGS
lb.
- $1
lb.
MEMBER PRICE after digital coupon savings**
6
99 lb.
sale 4day
2/11 - 2/14
Beef T-Bone or Porterhouse Steak
6-16 oz. pkg.
2/11 - 2/14
SALE PRICE
LIMIT 1 OFFER
GET
Blueberries, Blackberries, Raspberries or Strawberries
sale 4day
2/11 - 2/14
8
99
Strawberry Shortcake Heart Cake
99 lb.
Extra Jumbo Raw Shrimp
16-20 ct., EZ Peel, sold in a 2 lb. bag for $13.98; lesser quantities $8.99 lb.
4 day sale
prices valid Friday, February 11 thru Monday, February 14
26 oz. pkg.
6
Effective 2/4/22 - 2/17/22
*OFFER DETAILS: Spend $25 or more in select gift cards in a single in-store transaction and receive 8 Rewards points redeemable for Gas or Grocery Rewards for each whole dollar spent on your gift card purchases by using your for U™ account at check-out (ex. $100 spent = 800 Rewards points earned). The minimum purchase amount and the number of Rewards points earned are calculated based on subtotal of all gift cards in cart at checkout after deduction of all charges, fees, and taxes. See gift cards for details and applicable terms and conditions. LIMIT ONE OFFER PER HOUSEHOLD. Gift cards included in this offer are not sponsored or affiliated with us. Not all gift cards/varieties are available in all store locations. Quantities are limited to inventory on hand and subject to availability. While supplies last. Offer has no cash value and no cash will be given. No rainchecks, except required by law. All trademarks are the property of their respective owners. We reserve the right to modify or cancel offers, and/or to correct typographical, pictorial, and other ad or pricing errors.
399
21
CLICK the offer on
Rewards Points*
Cherries
99
38
Around the Region........................................................................4-11 Prince George's County........................................................... 12-13 Business.......................................................................................... 14-15 National.......................................................................................... 16-17 International...................................................................................... 18 Health.............................................................................................20-21 Education..................................................................................... 22-24 OpEd..............................................................................................25-27 Black History Month................................................................29-36 Lifestyle........................................................................................38-43 Sports..................................................................................................44 Religion............................................................................................... 47
30
8x
44
sale 4day
2/11 - 2/14
699
ea.
4
day sale
2/11 - 2/14
4
day sale
2/11 - 2/14
Cold Water Lobster Tail
3-4 oz., frozen or previously frozen
sale 4day
2/11 - 2/14
Pepsi, Diet Pepsi or Mtn Dew
8-pk., 12 fl. oz. btls. or 12-pk., 12 fl. oz. cans Plus deposit where required
sale 4day
2/11 - 2/14
Breyers Ice Cream 48 fl. oz. ctn. Talenti Gelato or Sorbetto 16 fl. oz. ctn. Talenti Gelato Layers 10.6-11.7 fl. oz. ctn. or Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream Cookie Dough 6 fl. oz.
2 $ for
5
Prices Effective Friday, February 11 thru Monday 14, 2022
Unless otherwise noted, offers in this ad are in effect at 6 a.m., Friday thru Thursday midnight at your local Safeway stores. LIMIT ONE COUPON PER ITEM PER DAY PER HOUSEHOLD. Prices and savings vary among store locations. Not all items or varieties available in all store locations. Quantities limited to inventory on hand and subject to availability. Sales in retail quantities only and we reserve the right to limit quantities sold to per customer. While supplies last. Unless otherwise noted, transactional limits may apply. On Buy One, Get One Free (BOGO) offers, customer must purchase the first item to receive the second item free. BOGO offers are not 1/2 price sales. If only a single item is purchased, the regular price applies. Manufacturers’ coupons may only be used on purchased items, not on free items. All rebate offers are subject to applicable manufacturer’s additional terms. Customer pays for applicable taxes, bottle/can deposit and bag fees, if any, on purchased and free items. We reserve the right to modify or cancel offers and/or correct typographical, pictorial and other ad or pricing errors. Prices for products ordered online generally are higher than in our physical store locations and may vary by fulfillment method chosen. Online promotions, discounts and offers may differ from those in our physical store locations. Offers are void or restricted where prohibited or limited by law and have no cash value. No cash back will be given.
WWW.WASHINGTONINFORMER.COM / THE WASHINGTON INFORMER
FEBRUARY 10 - 16, 2022 3
Join The Washington Informer Digital Subscriber List
In Memoriam Dr. Calvin W. Rolark, Sr. Wilhelmina J. Rolark
THE WASHINGTON INFORMER 3117 Martin Luther King, Jr. Ave., S.E Washington, D.C. 20032 Phone: 202 561-4100 Fax: 202 574-3785 news@washingtoninformer.com www.washingtoninformer.com
PUBLISHER Denise Rolark Barnes STAFF D. Kevin McNeir, Senior Editor, Copy Editor Ron Burke, Advertising/ Marketing Director Shevry Lassiter, Photo Editor Lafayette Barnes, IV, Assistant Photo Editor Dorothy Rowley, Online Editor ZebraDesigns.net, Design & Layout Mable Neville, Bookkeeper Tatiana Moten, Social Media Specialist Angie Johnson, Circulation REPORTERS Stacy Brown (Senior Writer), Sam P.K. Collins, Timothy Cox, Will Ford (Prince George’s County Writer), Hamil Harris, Curtis Knowles, Daniel Kucin, D. Kevin McNeir, Dorothy Rowley, Brenda Siler, Lindiwe Vilakazi, Sarafina Wright, James Wright PHOTOGRAPHERS Shevry Lassiter, Roy Lewis, Jr., Robert R. Roberts, Anthony Tilghman
4 FEBRUARY 10 - 16, 2022
Charles McNeill Kicks Off Campaign for State Senate The Rev. Charles W. McNeill, Jr. kicked off his campaign for Maryland Senate on Saturday, Feb. 5 in Camp Springs. McNeill, pastor of Unity Baptist Church in Northeast, seeks the Democratic nomination to represent District 26 which includes Fort Washington, National Harbor and Oxon Hill in southern Prince George’s County. McNeill, who also works as faith community liaison for the county, outlined affordable housing, education and economic development as part of his campaign platform. Del. Darryl Barnes, who chairs the Legislative Black Caucus of Maryland, joined the dozens of people in attendance at Via Roma Pizza in Camp Springs. McNeill will face C. Anthony Muse, the former senator who previously held the seat. The seat became vacant after Muse conducted an unsuccessful run for Prince George’s County executive. Sen. Obie Patterson of Fort Washington currently holds the seat. WI
Text INFORMER to 22828
THE WASHINGTON INFORMER NEWSPAPER (ISSN#0741-9414) is published weekly on each Thursday. Periodicals postage paid at Washington, D.C. and additional mailing offices. News and advertising deadline is Monday prior to publication. Announcements must be received two weeks prior to event. Copyright 2016 by The Washington Informer. All rights reserved. POSTMASTER: Send change of addresses to The Washington Informer, 3117 Martin Luther King, Jr. Ave., S.E. Washington, D.C. 20032. No part of this publication may be reproduced without written permission from the publisher. The Informer Newspaper cannot guarantee the return of photographs. Subscription rates are $45 per year, two years $60. Papers will be received not more than a week after publication. Make checks payable to:
wi hot topics
COMPILED BY WI STAFF WRITERS JAMES WRIGHT AND WILLIAM J. FORD AND WI SENIOR EDITOR D. KEVIN MCNEIR
D.C. Primary Elections Season Now in Full Swing The process for candidates running for elected positions in the June 21 primary has started, with the Democratic races for District mayor, at-large council and the Ward 5 D.C. Council seat garnering the most attention. Candidates regardless of party and office began picking up nominating petitions at the D.C. Board of Elections on Jan. 28. For citywide races including delegate to the U.S. House of Representatives, mayor, attorney general, chairman of the D.C. Council and at-large councilmember and shadow representative, District law requires candidates to secure either 2,000 signatures or 1% (whichever lower) of the total number of registered qualified electors in the same political party as the candidate. In addition to Ward 5, there will be council races in the primary for Wards 1, 3 and 6. Ward races mandate 250 signatures or 1% (whichever lower) of the total number of registered qualified electors in the same political party as the candidate. Candidates must turn in their nominating petitions to the board of elections office by March 23 at 5 p.m. to be considered for a position on the primary ballot. On March 26 and through April 4 at 5 p.m., candidates’ petitions may be challenged for the veracity of the signatures for the 10-day period. If candidates lack the required number of signatures, their names will not be placed on the ballot. The last day for challenges to petitions to be considered by the board of elections takes place April 25. The lottery to determine candidates’ ballot positions occurs on April 29. Due to the success of the mail-in ballots and ballot drop boxes in the 2020 primaries and general election, those modes will be utilized for June 21 contests. Mail-in ballots tentatively will be mailed out on May 16 and drop boxes will be made available to voters on May 27. WI
News4 Anchor Leon Harris Takes Time ‘Away’ After DUI Arrest News4 anchor Leon Harris has decided to take time away following a car crash in January which led to his arrest for driving under the influence of alcohol. “I have decided to take some time away to deal with an issue that took me a long time to accept. I am thankful to everyone for their support
and understanding. I’m sorry to those I have hurt or let down. I hope to return as a healthier person," Harris said in a statement provided to NBC4 on Monday. According to court documents, Harris, following a threecar accident in Montgomery County, failed a field sobriety test. He also attempted to leave the scene following the crash, authorities said before ultimately being arrested. Harris faces nine charges including DUI and DWI – both misdemeanors. He has been removed Harris from his newscast anchoring duties since his arrest and will remain off the air as the investigation continues. WI
Pamela Moses, BLM Activist, Jailed for Six Years for Voting Pamela Moses, a former Democratic candidate for mayor in Memphis and a Black Lives Matter [BLM] activist, has been sentenced to six years in jail for trying to register to vote despite authorities telling her she could. Moses said she had been told she’d done everything she needed to do to regain her right to vote in Tennessee. She had record of several felony convictions, including tampering with evidence, that led to her right to vote being revoked. She has said she didn’t know she lost the right to vote when she pleaded guilty. In 2019, both the corrections department and the county election commission confirmed on her voter registration application that Moses’ probation was over and that she was eligi-
ble to vote once more. But the officials who signed off on her voter registration application have said they made a mistake, meaning that Moses’ right to vote remained revoked. Moses was charged with illegally trying to register to vote when she submitted the application along with the certificate signed by the officials. WI
THE WASHINGTON INFORMER / WWW.WASHINGTONINFORMER.COM
Howard University Gallery Reopens
AROUND THE REGION
Newly-Acquired Works on Display with Enduring Classics Brenda C. Siler Contributing Writer Reopening arts institutions counts as another step in living through the current COVID-19 pandemic. And after being closed for two years, Howard University's Gallery of Art in the Chadwick Boseman College of Fine Arts has returned with two exhibitions that can be viewing in person or virtually through March 3. Private collection acquisitions from Ronald W. and Patricia Walters, Lois Mailou Jones and James A. Porter have been added to existing gallery pieces to present one of the most impressive art collections in the country. Lisa Farrington, Ph.D., director of the gallery and Scott Baker, curator, assembled the exhibition. "This exhibition features paintings, sculptures and works on paper by a veritable who's who of African-American art," Farrington said. Among the artists included: 19th-century landscape painters Robert S. Duncanson and Edward Mitchell Bannister; neoclassical sculptor Edmonia Lewis; and leading 20th-century artists, such as Henry O. Tanner, Aaron Douglas, Hale Woodruff, Jacob Lawrence, Archibald Motley, Charles White, Augusta Savage, Faith Ringgold, Benny Andrews, Alma Thomas and Washington, D.C. artist Sam Gilliam. Also featured in the exhibition – drawings and paintings from "Family Reunion: Portraits by Timothy J. Clark." "We pulled together portraits of people who have some relationship to Howard University or jazz," said Farrington about one of Clark's favorite subject areas. In 2020, Patricia Walters donated her coveted collection of African-American art, valued at more than $2.5 million, to Howard University – works amassed by her and her late husband, Ronald Walters, a political scientist and former professor at Howard University. "Patricia has collected only the crème de la crème of African-American artists from the 19th century right up to the moment. She col-
lects what she knows is excellent," said Farrington who serves as an associate dean of fine arts at Howard. Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) have long been curators of art from the African diaspora. At one point in U.S. history, white institutions had no interest in acquiring such work. Not so for HBCUs. In November 2021, the Howard University Art Gallery would be listed as a top 50 university museum in America by CollegeValueOnline.com. David C. Driskell, the late artist, scholar, curator and author, served as an art professor and mounted exhibitions at Talladega College, Howard University and Fisk University, all HBCUs. He taught at the University of Maryland, where the David Driskell Center opened in 2021 on the College Park campus. The center regularly mounts exhibitions with works from the diaspora. Driskell, who died in 2020 from COVID-19, was considered a foremost authority on the art of the diaspora. He shared his insights with the Walters as their private collection grew. "The HBCUs have not been given the credit they are due. When nobody else was out there championing these [Black] artists, HBCUs were there, claiming them, showcasing them, putting them up on walls, teaching about them," said Driskell in the HBO documentary, "Black Art: In the Absence of Light." Located on the Howard University campus, the Art Gallery is located in the Chadwick Boseman School of Fine Arts in Lule Vere Childers Hall. Current exhibitions can be viewed through March 3. Gallery hours are Monday-Thursday, 11 a.m. – 4 p.m. For more, visit https://art.howard. edu/gallery-art. WI
5 In the current exhibition reopening the Howard University Gallery of Art are (from left) Donated from the Ronald W. and Patricia Walters Collection is "Tulip Series: Petal" by Washington, DC artist Sam Gilliam and "Coming to Jones Road: Under a Blood Red Sky #6 by Faith Ringgold, from the collection of Lisa Farrington, Ph.D. Farrington is director of the gallery and an associate professor of Fine Arts at Howard. (Anthony Tilghman/The Washington Informer)
5 Paintings from "Family Reunion: Portraits by Timothy J. Clark" is a part of the exhibition at the reopened Howard University Gallery of Art. Showing the Clark installation is Lisa Farrington, Ph.D., director of the gallery and associate professor of Fine Arts at Howard. (Anthony Tilghman/The Washington Informer)
Great seats for $32!
Book by Nolan Williams, Jr. and Nikkole Salter; Music and Lyrics by Nolan Williams, Jr.; Directed and Choreographed by Robert Barry Fleming
March 18-May 14, 2022 Season Sponsor: Chevron Lead Underwriter: ConocoPhillips Underwriters: Centene Charitable Foundation, The Home Depot, KPMG LLP, Meta, United Parcel Service
WWW.WASHINGTONINFORMER.COM / THE WASHINGTON INFORMER
www.fords.org (888) 616-0270 FEBRUARY 10 - 16, 2022 5
AROUND THE REGION
black facts
FEB 10 - 16, 2022 SOURCE: BLACK AMERICA WEB
FEB. 13
1920 – Baseball player Andrew "Rube" Foster founds the Negro National League. 1923 – The New York Renaissance, an all-Black professional basketball team, is founded. 1970 – Joseph L. Searles III becomes the first Black floor member and floor broker in the New York Stock Exchange.
Need Help Getting Social Security Disability Benefits? We Can Help!
FEB. 14
1867 – Morehouse College is founded in Georgia. 1946 – Actor, singer and dancer Gregory Hines is born in New York City. 1965 – The New York home of civil rights activist Malcolm X is firebombed with him and his family inside.
$ Steady monthly income depending on your paid in amount
A lump sum payment of benefits owed from back-pay
• We simplify the process & strive for quick claim approval • Starting the process is easy and takes only minutes to complete
Annual cost of living increases
855-549-3119
Helping thousands get the benefits they deserve
Bill Gordon & Associates, a nationwide practice, represents clients before the Social Security Administration. Bill Gordon & Associates, a nationwide practice, represents clients before the Social Security Administration. Member of the TX & NM Bar Associations. Mail: 1420 N W St Washington D.C. Office: Broward County, FL. Services may be provided by associated attorneys licensed in other states. Member of the TX & NM Bar Associations. Mail: 1420 NW St Washington D.C. Office: Broward County Florida. Services may be provided by associated attorneys licensed in other states.
FEB. 15 FULL-SERVICE SIGN & ADVERTISING SOLUTIONS Professional VISUAL BRANDING
ROBERTA FLACK
INNOVATIVE SOLUTIONS to help grow your business
...because image matters Call Today! 301-273-3462
Stacey Brown “Chief Image Builder”
stacey@signarama-silverspring.com
8930 Brookville Rd Silver Spring, MD 20910 signarama-silverspring.com MBE/DBE Certified | Woman-Owned Business
FEB. 10
1927 – World renowned opera singer Leontyne Price is born in Laurel, Mississippi. 1939 – Singer Roberta Flack is born in Black Mountain, North Carolina. 1992 – Author Alex Haley of "Roots" fame dies in Seattle of a heart attack at 70.
FEB. 11
1920 – U.S. Air Force fighter pilot Daniel "Chappie" James Jr., the first African American to reach the rank of four-star general, is born in Pensacola, Florida. 1977 – Clifford Alexander Jr. is confirmed as the first Black Secretary of the U.S. Army. 1990 – Human rights activist Nelson Mandela is released from a South African prison after serving 27 years.
1965 – Famed singer Nat King Cole (below) dies in Santa Monica, California, of lung cancer at 45. 1968 – Henry Lewis becomes the first Black to head a major U.S. symphony orchestra when he takes over the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra.
FEB. 16
1857 – Frederick Douglass is elected president of Freedman's Savings and Trust Company. 1923 – Blues singer Bessie Smith records her first single, "Down Hearted Blues," which was later included in the inaugural National Recording Registry of the Library of Congress. 1972 – Wilt Chamberlain (above) becomes the first player in NBA history to score 30,000 points.
FEB. 12
1909 – The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, or NAACP, is founded after race riots in Springfield, Illinois. 1926 – Historian Carter G. Woodson founds Negro History Week, the precursor to Black History Month. 1983 – Famed pianist Eubie Blake dies in Brooklyn, New York, at 96.
6 FEBRUARY 10 - 16, 2022
THE WASHINGTON INFORMER / WWW.WASHINGTONINFORMER.COM
AROUND THE REGION
view P INT
IF YOU WANT QUALITY WORK, JUST CALL!
Quality Assurance Home Improvement, Inc.
BY SARAFINA WRIGHT
“We Stand By Our Name”
More former African American NFL coaches are vocally backing former Miami Dolphins coach Brian Flores's allegations of racial discrimination in his class-action lawsuit against the league. Flores has said the suit would shed light on decadesold bias toward Black coaches. What are your thoughts?
FREE ESTIMATES! / Office: 301-248-3325
FINISHED BASEMENT
DECK
Kitchens • Bathrooms • Room additions • Retaining walls • • Carports Screen rooms Sun rooms • Carports • • Porches • Roofing • Siding Decks • Complete renovations • Enclosed porches • Basements Solid virgin virginfinal vinylreplacement replacement windows • Bay and bow windows Financing Available 90-day Deferment Payment
CEDRIC CALDWELL / WASHINGTON, D.C.
I say just stop playing the sport altogether. Then see how much money [the NFL makes]. ADDITION & 4 SEASON SUN ROOM
ROBERT CHARLES /
CHATTANOOGA, TENNESSEE
We do not need the approval of others to validate our selfworth. We are quite capable of functioning autonomously. If they cannot appreciate us, we will take our talent elsewhere. We've done it before, we can do it again.
ERIC MOORE /
SIONAL PROFES LERS INSTAL home g in A+ Ratinment from improve r Business the Bette r 175 years Bureau fo ight stra
KITCHEN
ADDITION
Bonded / Insured / Licensed MHCI#86727 / D.C. License #53005449 Lead Paint Removal Certified
KITCHEN
Visit our website today at: www.fortwashingtonhomecontractors.com
$2500 off
Homeowners are you in need of a new roof, kitchen, bathroom? Up to If so, take advantage of our 90 days or 6 months deferred payment plan now for as low as $199 a month. Sunrooms & Additions Purchase today and receive FREE cable outlet and FREE A/C & Heating Unit
With this coupon. Not valid with other offers or prior purchases.
15% off Any Service For Senior Citizens Extra 5% Off
With this coupon. Not valid with other offers or prior purchases.
ATLANTA, GEORGIA.
The worst part of professional sports coaching bias and discrimination is the recycling of subpar white coaches in the NFL and NBA. Poor records on multiple teams, but still able to land at another. The Lions fired Jim Caldwell, who had the best winning record in modern-day Lions history. Why is he not coaching?
RENEA SIMPSON / DETROIT, MICHIGAN
As of 2021, 57.5% of the NFL players were Black, and 24.9% were white. During that same time, 9.3% of the head coaches were Black, three to be exact. Currently, there is only one Black coach in a league where 57.5% of the players are Black. So it's OK for them to play, but not OK to lead any of the teams. If that's not a plantation mindset, I don't know what it is.
CLARA WATTERS / SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA
If Black players protested and walked off the field for a given length of time, it would bring the NFL to its knees. Hello, change.
WWW.WASHINGTONINFORMER.COM / THE WASHINGTON INFORMER
Stay Informed!
www.washingtoninformer.com
FEBRUARY 10 - 16, 2022 7
AROUND THE REGION MC KNIGHT from Page 1
(301) 864-6070
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
second Black to lead the schools. The school board unanimously voted to appoint McKnight, who previously served as interim superintendent – an announcement which drew rigorous applause from many in attendance at the meeting and an emotional response from McKnight. “It is emotional because I do not take this responsibility lightly. I care for the kids in the school system as I do for my own,” McKnight said. “This is a moment that calls for leading with empathy while in pursuit of academic excellence. I plan to place my focus on understanding the educational needs and interests of students and teachers, while prioritizing the safety and well-being of everyone in our school community.” While the Montgomery County Board of Education did not provide details on the number of people who applied for the position, they did indicate that after a preliminary round of interviews, the field had been narrowed to four finalists. The names of those finalists have not been shared with the public. School Board President Brenda Wolff, in a statement, said McKnight emerged as the best person to lead the school district. “With her long and distinguished record serving the MCPS community, Dr. McKnight is uniquely qualified to lead the district during this time,” she said. “She intimately understands the challenges our community faces and believes deeply in the limitless potential of our students and educators.”
(Courtesy photo)
While the Montgomery County Board of Education did not provide details on the number of people who applied for the position, they did indicate that after a preliminary round of interviews, the field had been narrowed to four finalists. Wolff added that a national search, which included an opportunity for public engagement, had to be conducted even if the final choice, as in this case, came down to one who had already been an employee in the school system. The need to find a new superintendent became a top priority for MCPS after Dr. Jack Smith, who since 2016 had served in the position, retired last summer. McKnight, a former teacher, principal and district administrator, joined MCPS in 2001. She holds degrees from Bowie State University and the University of Maryland. She took over as interim superintendent in March 2001 and directed the return to full-time in person learning in the fall. Following a huge spike in COVID-19 cases, several schools closed as a safety precaution. But mixed messages, confusion and
fear evoked harsh criticism of MCPS from many parents as COVID cases broke the 10,000 barrier after the winter break. McKnight, who’s expected to sign a four-year contract, promised on Tuesday to restore the public’s trust. She will also have to tackle several issues within the school community including violence. A shooting at Magruder High School last month involving two students remains under investigation. Comments posted on social media included both positive and negative statements from parents but McKnight, who brings the education, experience and skills needed for the position, certainly knows that her job will not be easy. In January, the Montgomery County Education Association is-
MC KNIGHT Page 32
‘The World According to Dominic’ will return next week. 8 FEBRUARY 10 - 16, 2022
THE WASHINGTON INFORMER / WWW.WASHINGTONINFORMER.COM
Suicide Gains Attention Nation's Attention as Noted Blacks Kill Themselves James Wright WI Staff Writer The recent suicides of Black notables on the national and Washington, D.C. area levels have many experts talking about effective ways to reduce the disturbing trend. Actress Regina King’s son, Ian Alexander Jr., committed suicide on Jan. 21 while Moses J. Moseley, an actor with the “Walking Dead” television series took his own life on Jan. 26. “Extra” television correspondent and Miss USA 2010 Cheslie Kryst killed herself on Jan. 30, just days after Hyattsville, Md., Mayor Kevin Ward ended his own life on Jan. 25. The American Federation of Suicide Prevention [AFSP] released a statement regarding the death of Kryst. “As an outspoken advocate for racial equality, Kryst’s death is a difficult loss for the Black community,” the statement said. “We must recognize that Black communities continue to face long-standing socioeconomic, cultural, and other barriers – and critical to preventing suicide is dependent on the mental health care, support, or services they need. Systemic racism, as well as historical barriers and inequities, have also led communities to face trauma, loss and bias for an extended period over generations which can also contribute to suicide risk.” The AFSP reports that suicide stands as the 10th leading cause of death in the U.S. In 2019, 47,511 Americans died of suicide with an estimated 1.38 million suicide attempts occurring in the same year. Men died by suicide 3.63 times as often as women. On average, around 130 suicides occur each day in the U.S. In 2019, 69.38% of all suicide deaths occurred with the use of firearms. While white males have long led statistics for suicide, a 3% percent dip would be reported in 2019 within that group while a 3% increase occurred among Black men, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Tandra Rutledge, an anti-sui-
AROUND THE REGION
cide activist who resides in the Greater Chicago area and serves as a member of AFSP’s board, said Blacks must address suicide and mental health awareness. “In the Black community, we must change the conversation around m e n t a l health,” Rutledge said. “We don’t talk about it. When we try to, we are 5Actor Moses J. Moseley of the “Walking Dead” television series told that we reportedly died of suicide on Jan. 26. (Courtesy photo) are lacking in faith or “It is okay to seek help,” she said. to pray about it. We don’t have a “We as Black people have a stigma good understanding about mental regarding mental health services. If health well-being.” you have to, go see a doctor. You Dr. Barbara J. Bazron, director cannot pray it away.” of the D.C. Department of BeBazron said in the District, havioral Health, said every person teachers and principals and other must pay attention to their mental school personnel must periodicalhealth, adding that warning signs ly complete a course that better related to suicide should not be equips them to recognize signs of ignored. mental distress in children. Addi“Some of the warning signs are tionally, D.C. has a school-based a feeling of hopelessness, feeling behavioral health program where trapped, radical changes to nor- one clinician works at each public mal personality, feeling agitated, a and charter school. change in sleeping habits and actBazron said if a person expresses ing differently from what is nor- the desire to kill themselves, action mal,” she said. must be taken quickly. “There are many people who “If someone tells you they want are self-medicating because of to harm themselves, you must COVID-19. They are overly us- call 9-1-1 immediately,” she said. ing alcohol and drugs to deal with “That is for a medical emergency.” life. An example could be a person Bazron said being socially-conwho used to drink one glass of nected, like with a church or a wine a day now drinks five glass- fraternal organization, often benes. COVID-19 has stressed many efits those who may be mentally people who now have to deal with vulnerable. housing and financial problems “In the District, we are blessed that they haven't had before,” Ba- to offer a wide array of services and zron said. support for prevention and interBazron agrees with Rutledge vention,” she said. that Blacks should seek health if WI they aren’t feeling mentally well. @JamesWrightJr10
WWW.WASHINGTONINFORMER.COM / THE WASHINGTON INFORMER
BEST DEALS FOR EVERYONE
Ask how to get the
iPhone 12 mini ®
for as low as
with trade-in Find out how to get our most popular phones, call now! Iv Support Holdings LLC
(877) 370-2155 Call AT&T sales rep for details. For trade-in instructions visit tradein.att.com/offer-details
Limited time offer. All products and services are offered, supplied and performed by AT&T Services, Inc. (“AT&T”). AT&T is not an affiliate of or endorsed by Sam’s Club. AT&T is solely responsible for the products and services advertised. Sam’s Club has no obligation to perform any responsibilities of AT&T, and Sam’s Club does not guarantee the performance of AT&T’s obligations.
Prepare for unexpected power outages with a Generac home standby generator SCHEDULE YOUR FREE IN-HOME ASSESSMENT TODAY!
855-993-0969
FREE
7-Year Extended Warranty* A $695 Value!
Offer valid March 16, 2020 - Sept 6, 2020
Special Financing Available
*Terms & Conditions Apply
Subject to Credit Approval
Satellite Internet That is Unlimited With No Hard Data Limits! 2
25 Mbps Download Speed 25mbps download and 3mbps upload1
No Hard Data Limits Wi-Fi Built-In Connect your wireless devices at home
2
Call For Special Offers In Your Area Pricing varies by region
CALL TODAY - LIMITED SPECIAL OFFERS IN YOUR AREA!
1-855-973-9254
HughesNet is a registered trademark of Hughes Network Systems, LLC, an EchoStar Company. 2 If you exceed your monthly plan data, you will experience reduced data speeds until the start of your next billing period. Reduced speeds will typically be in the range of 1 – 3 Mbps and may cause Web sites to load more slowly or affect the performance of certain activities, such as video streaming or large downloads/uploads.
Blazing Fast Internet! ADD TO YOUR PACKAGE FOR ONLY
19.99
$
/mo.
where available
2-YEAR TV PRICE
GUARANTEE MO.
for 12 Mos.
America’s Top 120 Package
190 CHANNELS Including Local Channels!
CALL TODAY - For $100 Gift Card Promo Code: DISH100
1-855-407-6870
Offer ends 1/31/21.
All offers require credit qualification, 24-month commitment with early termination fee and eAutoPay. Prices include Hopper Duo for qualifying customers. Hopper, Hopper w/Sling or Hopper 3 $5/mo. more. Upfront fees may apply based on credit qualification.
FEBRUARY 10 - 16, 2022 9
AROUND THE REGION CAPTURE THE MOMENT AARP AUTO INSURANCE FROM THE HARTFORD TO SPEAK WITH AN AGENT AND REQUEST A FREE QUOTE CALL THE HARTFORD TO SEE HOW MUCH YOU COULD SAVE:
1-877-579-9788
Do you or a loved one struggle on the stairs? AN ACORN STAIRLIFT IS A PERFECT SOLUTION FOR:
ü Arthritis and COPD sufferers ü Those with mobility issues ü Anyone who struggles on the stairs
THE PURCHASE OF A NEW STAIRLIFT!
Washington Commanders defensive lineman William Bradley-King visits and reads to children at Harmony Public Charter School on February 3 in Northeast. (Abdullah Konte/The Washington Informer)
CALL NOW FOR YOUR FREE INFORMATION KIT AND DVD!
1-855-841-2971
*Not valid on previous purchases. Not valid with any other offers or discounts. Not valid on refurbished models. Only valid towards purchase of a NEW Acorn Stairlift directly from the manufacturer. $250 discount will be applied to new orders. Please mention this ad when calling. AZ ROC 278722, CA 942619, MN LC670698, OK 50110, OR CCB 198506, RI 88, WA ACORNSI894OB, WV WV049654, MA HIC169936, NJ 13VH07752300, PA PA101967, CT ELV 0425003-R5.
Who’s Reading the Informer?
DENTAL Insurance Physicians Mutual Insurance Company
A less expensive way to help get the dental care you deserve If you’re over 50, you can get coverage for about
$1 a day*
Keep your own dentist! NO networks to worry about NO annual or lifetime cap on the cash benefits
No wait for preventive care and no deductibles – you could get a checkup tomorrow Coverage for over 350 procedures including
James Harvey reads the Washington Informer. (Roy Lewis/The Washington Informer)
cleanings, exams, fillings, crowns…even dentures
you can receive
FREE Information Kit
1-877-308-2834
www.dental50plus.com/cadnet *Individual plan. Product not available in MN, MT, NH, RI, VT, WA. Acceptance guaranteed for one insurance policy/certificate of this type. Contact us for complete details about this insurance solicitation. This specific offer is not available in CO, NY; call 1-800-969-4781 or respond for similar offer. Certificate C250A (ID: C250E; PA: C250Q); Insurance Policy P150(GA: P150GA; NY: P150NY; OK: P150OK; TN: P150TN) 6096C MB16-NM001Gc
WORDS TO LIVE BY “Lariat near my hand and my trusty guns in my belt and the broad plains stretching away for miles and miles . . . I felt I could defy the world. What man with the fire of life and youth and health in his veins could not rejoice in such a life.”
– Nat Love
(1854 – 1921), “The Life and Autobiography of Nat Love” [1907]. On Feb. 10, 1869, the former slave traveled west to make his fortune as Deadwood Dick, becoming one of the most famous cowboys, Black or white, in history.
10 FEBRUARY 10 - 16, 2022
THE WASHINGTON INFORMER / WWW.WASHINGTONINFORMER.COM
AROUND THE REGION
D.C. Mayoral Hopeful Rodney ‘Red’ Grant Calls for Expansion of Youth Programs Candidate’s Nonprofit, ‘Don’t Shoot Guns, Shoot Cameras’ Enters its Third Year Sam P.K. Collins WI Staff Writer In recent weeks, as carjackings across the D.C. metropolitan region have become more frequent, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser (D), other elected officials and community members have cited the lack of accountability as the main impetus of violent crime among young people. However, some residents, including mayoral candidate Rodney “Red” Grant, have asked for a more thorough examination of the conditions that lead youth to commit violent crimes. In the months before his local nonprofit hosts a new cohort of young filmmakers, Grant continues to advocate for additional funding for arts and humanities programming, use of public spaces for youth activities and more interagency collaboration for youth violence prevention. “When you look at the disparities in funding for these programs in Wards 5, 7 and 8, and you look at the violence and crime, you see the wards that get more money are able to have less crime,” Grant said. “We can point the finger at the children making these horrific life choices, or we can deal with the weeds of the situation. That means being able to grab our youth before they get there.” During the summer of 2020, Grant launched “Don’t Shoot Guns, Shoot Cameras,” a social and emotional-based learning program which introduces youth between the ages of
12 and 17 to the basics of filmmaking. Partners in that effort include former NBA player Matt Barnes, Yasmin Salina of The Hustlers Guild and Anwan “Big G” Glover of Backyard Band. Over the course of eight weeks, participants gain technical skills and receive a stipend along with an understanding of how to more effectively handle the trauma they face because of their environments. “Don’t Shoot Guns, Shoot Cameras” has since entered a partnership with Ballou STAY High School. Another cohort has been scheduled to operate in Los Angeles. Throughout the late 1990s and early 2000s, Grant, a D.C. native and comedian, hosted, wrote and produced BET’s Teen Summit. He also launched Red Grant Enterprises through which he produced the film “Family Reunion” in partnership with Howard University. That collaboration provided internship opportunities for 15 students. This followed the start of his career in entertainment and a stint at the D.C. Department of Parks and Recreation where he coached football and basketball at Ridge Road Community Center and Benning Stoddert Recreation Center. Since declaring his candidacy last May at Old Market House Square in Southeast, Grant has been a fixture at marches for young victims of gun violence. With members of “Team Red” surrounding him, Grant has also conducted listening tours across the District where he engages residents about
issues which include homelessness, the scarcity of healthy food in communities and COVID-19’s effects on small businesses. Amid Grant’s and others’ efforts to become mayor, the District has recently experienced a disturbing surge in violent crime. Metropolitan Police Department data shows a 21 percent year-to-date increase in violent crime. Property crime has also increased by nearly 10 percent. As of February 4, the number of motor vehicle thefts for this year, 343, had surpassed last year’s total. Grant, running as an independent, has centered his campaign on public safety, criminal justice reform and mental health programming. Other tenets focus on youth and senior programs, homeless veterans, affordable housing and entrepreneurship as a pathway to the middle class. For edu-
cation, Grant said he plans to integrate mental health services into District public and public charter schools and implement social programs for youth experiencing homelessness. Part of actualizing these goals, he said, involves forging relationships within the government without regard for political affiliation and the need to appear right. “We have to find ways to get along with each other. We share more similarities than differences [so] we have to tap into our similarities,” Grant said. “Youth are watching and they’ll follow people who are true leaders,” he added. “Leadership starts at the top, like a crown chakra. We’re trying to teach our youth positive ways to handle situations. Who’s going to teach them positivity?” he asked. WI @SamPKCollins
5 Rodney "Red" Grant (Courtesy photo)
Minority Business Enterprise Subcontractor Bid Opportunity Project: University of Maryland (CMREC)
Encouraging all MDOT _ MBE Subcontractors to bid this project. Bid Date: 02/17/2022 At 10:00AM
Email Michelle Evans: mevans@consigli.com for documents.
WWW.WASHINGTONINFORMER.COM / THE WASHINGTON INFORMER
FEBRUARY 10 - 16, 2022 11
PRINCE GEORGE'S COUNTY Maryland Senate Democrats Present Comprehensive Safety Plan Some Republican Members Question Alleged Lack of Urgency William J. Ford WI Staff Writer ANNAPOLIS, Md. – Maryland Senate Democrats recently announced a community safety proposal to craft legislation prohibiting ghost guns, collaborate with behavioral health facilities and improve the state’s parole and probation services. These and other proposals count as part of a comprehensive plan to decrease violent crime that has increased since the coronavirus pandemic affected the state in March 2020. “The Senate of Maryland stands ready to provide the resources and support that’s needed so executives can tackle crime and address violence in our state,” Senate President Bill
Ferguson said Thursday, Feb. 3 at the Miller Senate Building in Annapolis. Although some of the legislation hasn’t been crafted in time for approval during the 90-day session, several law enforcement leaders and Maryland Attorney General Brian Frosh joined Ferguson and other Senate leaders in Annapolis. Frosh spoke about proposed legislation to ban the sale of ghost guns – privately manufactured firearms used in crimes delivered by mail and typically made of plastic. He said the “kits” can be easily purchased by credit card and do not require a serial number which would allow for them to be traced by law officials. Last year, Baltimore City seized 345 ghost guns while Prince
5 Prince George’s County Police Chief Malik Aziz joins other law enforcement leaders and Maryland Senate Democrats at a press conference Feb. 3 inside the Miller Senate Building in Annapolis. (William J. Ford/The Washington Informer)
George’s County collected 264. A 17-year-old student at Magruder High School in Montgomery County used a ghost gun Jan. 21 when he shot a 15-year-old student inside the school. “The legislation we are proposing would require all guns sold in our state to be serialized,” Frosh said. “It makes it difficult for police to solve crimes, but even worse, it makes it easier for people to get their hands on guns and commit more crimes.” Democrats said the plan focuses on four pillars – prevention, intervention, criminal justice and rehabilitation – with goals within the legislation slated to include: Increase resources for violence prevention. Establish a comprehensive gun analytics center.
Provide enhanced services for housing and employment. Prince George’s County Police Chief Malik Aziz said assistance from mental health professionals help the department maintain its main duty: handle public safety. “Although we have 40 hours of training and we do our level best to do it, we are not the most equipped to do that,” he said. “Far too often, police officers are called to do services beyond our control. This has led us to the understanding that we need a holistic approach.” Republicans Respond with Criticism Senate Republican leaders have yet to see a version of the ghost gun proposal but have already criticized their
Biden Signs Executive Order on Project Labor Agreements Administration Makes Fifth Visit to Prince George’s County William J. Ford WI Staff Writer
5 President Joe Biden signed an executive order Feb. 4 on project labor agreements at Ironworkers Local 5 building in Largo. (Photo courtesy The White House Facebook page)
12 FEBRUARY 10 - 16, 2022
President Joe Biden stopped by Ironworkers Local 5 building in Largo to sign an executive order to allow unions more of an opportunity to participate in federal government projects while negotiating with contractors. The president said the collective bargaining deals, formally called project labor agreements (PLAs), “will help defuse problems before they arise.” With a few exceptions, “every single project that we’re talking about that is paid for in federal dollars, that's a federal project, is going to be union jobs,” Biden said Friday, Feb. 4 as he looked at the iron workers in the crowd. “You
guys are generally the best in the world.” Biden said it will also allow for projects to be completed at lower costs. “The executive order is making sure that federal construction projects get completed on time and under budget [and] saving taxpayers money,” he said. Vice President Kamala Harris joined the president and highlighted how the nation’s economy remains “the strongest in the world.” The job market report released Friday by the U.S. Department of Labor showed the country added 467,000 jobs in January. The vice president also wanted to
accentuate the administration’s support of union workers. “We are unequivocal and clear with our relationship not only to us and our administration but to our country and the working men and women of America,” she said. “When the United States needs something built right, we turn to union workers.” The executive order comes as billions of dollars are expected to arrive in states including Maryland as part of the president’s $1.9 trillion infrastructure bill the president signed last year. Maryland anticipates receiving $7 billion that includes: nearly $800 million for highway work; $400 million for bridge repairs; $140 million toward water infrastructure improve-
BIDEN Page 52
Democratic colleagues for failing to address the immediate effects of violent crime. They summarized one piece of legislation which Gov. Larry Hogan presented in December as part of a crime package. Sen. Michael Hough of Frederick County, who also represents portions of Carroll County, filed the bill called the “Violent Firearms Offender Act” scheduled for a hearing Thursday, Feb. 10 before the Judicial Proceedings Committee. One part of the bill notes if a person who provides a gun to someone and “has actual knowledge” it would be used in a crime, then that individual, if convicted, could face up to 10 years in prison. “This is common sense policy,” he said. “We don’t want people selling guns to people, handing guns to people . . . when they know they’re going to commit a crime. I can’t believe every senator wouldn’t agree to that policy.” Senate Minority Leader Bryan Simonaire of Anne Arundel County said Democrats want to discuss coordinating with state and local authorities to deter crime, versus prosecuting “known” crimes. He used Baltimore City as an example and called it “the epicenter of crime” in the state. “They talk about holistic, longterm changes and ignore the immediate crisis,” he said. “Our solution is to provide immediate and bold solutions to get violent criminals off the street now.” One bill that does present some compromise deals with another bill from the Republican governor labeled the “Judicial Transparency Act.” He introduced it last year requesting sentencing records of judges in violent crime cases become public. Sen. William Smith, Jr., a Democrat who chairs the Judicial Proceedings Committee, said the bill came before the committee last year with some differences that needed to be worked out. For instance, the governor wanted to display a specific judge’s name based on certain decisions, versus the committee noting it by circuit courts. “The overarching goal still remains the same which is having access to those decisions and understanding trends in certain areas, geographic locations in the state so that we can see if there are problems or not,” Smith said. “The public deserves to have that information.” WI @WJFjabariwill
THE WASHINGTON INFORMER / WWW.WASHINGTONINFORMER.COM
PRINCE GEORGE’S COUNTY
Health Care Heroes Appreciation Week in Maryland William J. Ford WI Staff Writer Since the coronavirus pandemic affected Maryland in March 2020, Dr. Rachel Sherman has seen about 600 COVID-19 patients – more than half of them have died. “We get the worst of the worst. I’ve seen a patient die and then the wife die a week later – broken heart syndrome,” said Sherman, who works at the Hospice of the Chesapeake in Waldorf, Charles County. “We are on adrenaline. If we don’t, no one else will fill our void. That’s it.” Sherman counts among the thousands of Maryland health care professionals honored by Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan as part of “Healthcare Heroes Appreciation Week” which ends Sunday, Feb. 13. “Our frontline health care workers and their families deserve our deepest gratitude for their sacrifices,” Ho-
gan stated in his proclamation. Through the remainder of the week and weekend, residents can share a story of a man or woman in the profession. The proclamation highlights a 30-day state of emergency declared Jan. 4 authorizing Health Secretary Dennis Schrader to handle nursing and staff shortages at hospitals and other health care facilities. Some of the directives included to allow nursing graduates to provide services and health care practitioners to practice and conduct tasks outside their scope of licenses. Bob Atlas, president and CEO of the Maryland Hospital Association, wrote in a weekly memo Monday that hospitals across the state averaged 2,603 COVID-19 patients per day in January, more than the previous 10 months of patients combined. With the state of emergency expired, an association task force plans
to identify ways to keep hospitals running in the short and long term amidst the pandemic. “As Maryland begins to see the end of this latest surge, MHA is working to make sure public officials and other key stakeholders understand the devastating toll,” Atlas said. “The need for relief is far from over and the road to recovery is long.” The association also noted a staffing shortage of 3,900, a decrease of about 50% since August. During his eighth and final “State of the State” address February 2, Hogan continued his support for health care workers but also urged Marylanders to remain vigilant. “My message to you is that we must all learn to live with the virus, not to live in fear of it,” he said. Dr. Melani Bell, a nurse consultant who oversees grants and grantees for the federal Health Resources and Services Administration, agreed. She teleworks from her home work-
ing directly with Health Center Control Networks on health information technology. Bell also serves as vice president of the Maryland Nurse Association. As of last month, it had nearly 4,200 members, 3,697 of whom are women. “I think male nurses don’t get as much recognition,” said Bell, who’s a nurse case manager for Kaiser Permanente. “Nursing is difficult – just standing up to the challenge in taking on a role as a primary caregiver of someone else’s life holistically that aren’t their loved ones.” Bell and Sherman, who both received a doctor of nursing practice degree and reside in Charles County, plan to participate in the Million Nurse March on May 12 in the District. The main focus pushes for federal lawmakers to pass legislation on “safe staffing ratios” for health care work5 Dr. Melani Bell (Robert R. Roberts/ The Washington Inforerm)
COVID Page 29
Countywide Curbside Organics Composting Collection is Here! Residents who receive County provided services AND opt-in the program will be able to mix their food scraps with their yard trim for the weekly Monday yard trim curbside collection. Food scraps must be placed inside the Organics cart. Only residents who opted-in and received the appropriate program materials may put food scraps curbside for collection. Plastic bags are not accepted. If you received a letter from DoE, Opt-In postcards are on the way! Detailed opt-in instructions are on the postcard. •
Use only one option listed to opt-in: 1. Scan the QR code on the postcard using a smart phone; OR 2. Call the telephone number and provide the requested information. 3. Complete the opt-in form online at www.toter.com/princegeorgescounty
Your program materials will be delivered during the Month of April, in celebration of Earth Month. Households will receive collection materials, including a 32-gallon wheeled cart, a 2-gallon kitchen mini bin, a How-To Guide, a refrigerator magnet, and a list of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs). For additional information about food scraps composting email us at pgccomposts@co.pg.md.us or visit mypgc.us/compost.
WWW.WASHINGTONINFORMER.COM / THE WASHINGTON INFORMER
FEBRUARY 10 - 16, 2022 13
BUSINESS Black Businesses See Gains During Pandemic Report Reveals Top 10 States for Black Entrepreneurs in 2022 Sarafina Wright WI Contributing Writer According to a report by Merchant Maverick, Black-owned businesses opened in record numbers during the pandemic. In the 18 months between February 2020 and August 2021, Black-owned companies increased by almost 40 percent, the report said. Ranking these openings by state, MerchantMaverick.com, the business product comparison site for small business owners, found the mid-Atlantic to be particularly ripe for Black entrepreneurship with Virginia, Maryland and Del-
aware appearing in the top five slots. Southern states generally dominate Merchant Maverick’s ranking and just one northern state counted among the top 10, Ohio. “In a time when businesses are closing left and right, it’s great to find that there is a segment of the economy which is growing so well,” said Julie Titterington, editor-in-chief, MerchantMaverick. com. “We all look forward to seeing if this growth rate can sustain itself as the economy generally improves.” Researchers analyzed data from sources including the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2020 Annual Business
REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS – PHOTOGRAPHY SERVICES The District of Columbia Housing Finance Agency (the “Agency” or
“DCHFA”) requests proposals from professional photography vendors to provide a Photography Services “Services” for the Agency’s varies
projects. The vendor will capture images for use on all media channels, including but not limited to, DCHFA’s website, social media accounts,
promotional publications, and advertisements of both candid and art directed photographs. Preference is given to CBE’s and companies located in the District of Columbia. For the detailed RFP visit our
website at www.dchfa.org or contact Keami Estep at (202) 777-1600 or via email at procurement@dchfa.org. Deadline for submission of
responses is Friday, March 4, 2022, @4:00pm ET. Questions deadline is Friday, February 11, 2022, at Noon.
14 FEBRUARY 10 - 16, 2022
Survey, The US Bureau of Economic Analysis and TaxRates.org. Four metrics equally accounted for 75% of the overall score: Black-owned employer businesses per capita; percent of the workforce employed by Black-owned businesses; average annual payroll of Black-owned businesses; and the average yearly income of Black business owners. Still, obstacles remain for Black businesses. For example, only 2.3 percent of the employer businesses in the U.S. are Black owned even though African Americans make
up over 14 percent of the population, Merchant Maverick said. Additionally, Black-owned businesses face significant inequities when it comes to payroll. The national average annual payroll for employer businesses, $1.25 million, represents a total four the annual payroll average for Black-run employer businesses, $301K. The report pointed to funding gaps as playing a significant role for the differences in yearly payroll totals. Earlier research by the Stanford Institute shows that
white-owned businesses receive an average of $18,500 in outside equity at the founding, compared to just $500 for Black-owned firms. Already starting at a disadvantage, Black businesses continue to face hurdles while attempting to catch up down the stretch, said the report. The top 10 states for Black entrepreneurs in 2022 include (in descending order): Virginia, Maryland, Texas, Nevada, Delaware, North Carolina, Ohio, New Mexico, Georgia and Alabama. WI
Martha’s Table CEO Kim Ford Makes Sudden Departure James Wright WI Staff Writer The abrupt resignation of Kim Ford as the president and CEO of Martha’s Table, headquartered in Ward 8 in Southeast, due to conflicts with its board of directors has many ward leaders shocked, outraged and seeking an explanation. On Feb. 3, Ford sent out an email to supporters explaining why she decided to leave the job she had held for three years. “Throughout my tenure, the board has been extremely abusive towards me,” she said. “They have publicly threatened and humiliated me on many occasions, manipulated the team, sabotaged
the organization and spoken very negatively about the community. I was told that the behaviors would be addressed, people would be held accountable and things would get better.” “Instead, the behaviors got worse. I asked for help repeatedly. I was even uncharacteristically vulnerable in telling them several times about how much their treatment had harmed my mental, emotional and physical well-being, and I even gave specific examples of the impact—but that was ignored,” Ford stated. In response, Philip Pannell, the executive director of the Anacostia Coordinating Council [ACC], a Ward 8 nonprofit, sent out an
email on Feb. 4 expressing his organization’s indignation regarding Ford’s resignation. “The resignation of Kim Ford from Martha’s Table is a shock to the east of the river community,” the email said. “She has been an extraordinary and exemplary nonprofit leader whose work has been superlative and commitment to the community unquestioned. She has brought an energy and spirit to her work that has been infectious and contagious which has mutually benefitted the community and Martha’s Table.” The email requested a virtual meeting between the ACC and the
TABLE Page 15
THE WASHINGTON INFORMER / WWW.WASHINGTONINFORMER.COM
BUSINESS Aimee D. Griffin, Esq.
5 Kim Ford is the former president and CEO of Martha’s Table. (Courtesy photo)
TABLE from Page 14 board to discuss the matter. On Feb. 7, ACC re-sent its prior email requesting a meeting with the board with the addition of ward leaders indicating support for Ford. Troy D. Prestwood, the president of the Ward 8 Democrats, signed onto the Feb. 7 email expressing “shock” about Ford’s dilemma. “I was shocked and utterly speechless to learn of the abuse, ridicule and downright disrespect Kim said she experienced under the thumb of Martha’s Table’s board,” Prestwood said. “Kim is one of the smartest and most compassionate persons I know. She led Martha’s Table in service to our ward during one of the worse health and economic crisis in our history. This is on top of all the other work she and her team did each day for individuals and families’ food and financial insecurities. If these allegations are true, she deserved better. Their actions may have caused irreparable harm to the community. This is not okay.” Olivia Henderson, who serves as the advisory neighborhood commissioner for district 8D02 and leads the Washington Highlands
Civic Association, also added her name on the ACC email. Henderson said Ford “stood for the betterment of the community.” “The community should stand with Kim Ford,” Henderson said, “She did a lot for the community during the pandemic. The board needs to listen to her and change their attitude toward her.” Charles Wilson, the chairman of the Historic Anacostia Block Association, who also chairs the D.C. Democratic State Committee, also consented to be on the ACC email and expressed his concerns at Ford’s resignation. “To say I would be surprised would be an understatement,” Wilson said. “Kim has been the public face for Martha’s Table. Throughout the whole time she served as president, she wore a happy face. When I read the details of the letter, I was shocked at the abusive relationship she had with the board. I hope she’s okay emotionally and mentally. I hope she is talking to someone to help her through this process.” On Feb. 8, the board responded to the Informer’s request for a comment. “More than ever before, our community depends on Martha’s
Accepting Grief
I am not sure if this an indication of my growing older or the pandemic state of affairs or both. There has been a great deal of people in my life who have passed away lately. As an Estate Planning and Administration professional, I work with many people who are walking through the experience of losing people to death. I advise people consistently about the reality that we have no idea how someone will handle the grief experience. As a firm we experience people calling us on the day of or the day immediately after a person he or she loved has passed away. Our first response after sharing condolences is to say that the first step is typically not taking legal action. Of course, there are times when it is necessary to call law enforcement if there is a question or information the authorities need to have. However, planning for probate is not the first step. The transition of things comes after taking the emotional step of experiencing the loss. I am not an expert in grief counseling. I have spent very little time exploring the psychology or sociology of grief. But as a woman who has lost a parent and a child and a professional who works with people who are grieving, I want to share a bit from my place of humanity. Please allow the time to feel the loss. I am a person who tried to intellectualize the loss when my mother passed away. I tried to work through the loss. I tell you that doesn’t work. Being productive may deflect the emotion but it cannot be put off forever. Many of us have heard of the five stages of grief – Denial, Bargaining, Depression, Anger and Acceptance. Yet, the labels don’t share how the stages will impact the person experiencing the grief. Nor do we know how long each stage will last. The experience of grief is not a linear continuum but more like a roller coaster where there are highs and lows. I encourage people to not impose expectations or standards on what anyone’s grief will look like. There are folks who will cry a lot, a little or not at all. The number of tears shed do reflect the pain that is experienced. The formalities and traditions that we employ help process the pain and the grief that we experience. Many times I work with people who make the decision to not have any formal gathering or service such as a funeral. The pandemic has also limited the ability to have the gathering for funerals or life celebrations. This absence may prolong the denial period. I encourage planners to be thoughtful about the surviving loved ones and realize the loss that is experienced collectively often provides comfort for those left behind. I know that it is often challenging with family and interpersonal dynamics in planning for the end of life celebration. Yet, the confusion that we experience as a culture in struggling with our mortality can be overwhelming for many. Grief is not to be avoided or prevented as we are blessed to share our lives with loved ones. I encourage people to celebrate the life and love that we share and appreciate each and every moment that is a blessing. We are not to be independent but interdependent. We are indeed better together. Aimee D. Griffin, Esq., The Griffin Firm, PLLC http://yourestateplanningattorney.com (855) 574-8481 5335 Wisconsin Ave NW Suite 440 Washington DC 20015 4041 Powder Mill Drive Suite 215 Beltsville MD 20705 100 International Drive 23rd Floor Baltimore MD 21202
Table for leadership and wide-ranging programs of support,” said the statement from the board. “We are grateful to Kim Ford for her contributions to our community and our organization, especially at this time when so many are suffering due to the impact of the global pandemic.” “We wish Kim well in her future
WWW.WASHINGTONINFORMER.COM / THE WASHINGTON INFORMER
endeavors, celebrate the impact she’s made and hope that we can together move forward on our bold Strategic Plan that reflects the vision and voices of our community and was created under Kim’s leadership. We will continue to strongly embrace the core values that Martha’s Table has always championed, including putting the needs of our
communities first.” Pannell told the Informer on Feb. 8 that a private virtual meeting will take place on Feb. 10 to discuss Ford’s departure and her allegations. He said participants will consist of ACC leadership, the board, D.C. Councilmember Trayon White (D-Ward 8) and a small group of ward leaders.WI WI@JamesWrightJr10
FEBRUARY 10 - 16, 2022 15
NATIONAL Ted Cruz, GOP Demonize President over Black Woman SCOTUS Decision Stacy M. Brown WI Senior Writer When Texas Republican Sen. Ted Cruz called President Joe Biden’s declaration to nominate a Black woman to the U.S. Supreme Court insulting, the comment alerted the entire nation that the GOP would turn a well-intentioned campaign promise into a controversy. The announcement of Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer’s retirement created an opportunity for President Biden to do what most aren’t able to or unwilling to accomplish: fulfill a pledge to voters who elected them.
During his first year in office, the president has worked toward a more diverse federal bench and now he has an opportunity to diversify the highest court. Only five women have served on the Supreme Court. In addition, no Black woman has ever sat on the court. Nonetheless, Cruz attacked the president. “The fact that he’s willing to make a promise at the outset that it must be a Black woman – that’s offensive,” Cruz blasted. “Black women are, what, 6 percent of the U.S. population? He’s saying to 94 percent of Americans: ‘I don’t give a damn about you. You are ineligible.’”
Seeking CDL Drivers Monumental Concrete is currently accepting applications for Fulltime CDL Drivers to join our team as Concrete Delivery Professionals (CDP's). CDP's are responsible for the proper delivery of concrete products to our customers and for the safe and proper care and maintenance of equipment assigned to the delivery professional. Must have a Class B CDL (with airbrakes), a clean driving record and a good employment history. MUST BE FLEXIBLE TO TRAVEL LOCALLY TO VARIOUS LOCATIONS AND WORK VARIOUS SHIFTS (SATURDAYS, DAY & NIGHTS) AS REQUIRED BY BUSINESS NECESSITY. Must be able to pass a DOT physical. Must be able to climb and be able to lift up to 100 lbs. several times daily. Must be able to read, write and interpret directions/ read a map.' Please visit our website www.monumentalconcrete.com to print out an application or stop by our office and apply in person: 3 DC Village Lane,
16 FEBRUARY 10 - 16, 2022
5 D.C. Circuit Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson counts among several Black woman being considered for a Supreme Court nomination. (Photo courtesy Library of Congress via Wikimedia commons)
Cruz’ Texas Republican colleague John Cornyn also balked at President Biden’s proclamation. Cornyn said the President should consider other factors beyond race. Significantly, both Cruz and Cornyn sit on the Senate Judiciary Committee, overseeing the nomination process. The White House has already confirmed the candidacy of South Carolina U.S. District Judge J. Michelle Childs. D.C. Circuit Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson, California Supreme Court Justice Leondra Kruger and
civil rights attorney Sherrilyn Ifill also remain under consideration by the White House. Others reportedly being considered include: 9th Circuit Court of Appeals Judge Holly A. Thomas, federal Circuit Court Judge Tiffany P. Cunningham, civil rights attorney and 11th Circuit Court candidate Nancy G. Abudu, 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals nominee Arianna J. Freeman, NYU law professor Melissa Murray, 7th Circuit Judge Candace Jackson-Akiwumi, District Judge Wilhelmina “Mimi” Wright, North Carolina Supreme
SEEKING
Plumbing and HVAC Mechanics
Krick Plumbing & Heating Co., Inc. is a large mechanical contractor seeking experienced and qualified commercially licensed Plumbing and HVAC mechanics and registered apprentices for projects in the Virginia, Baltimore, and DC areas. Candidates who wish to be part of a team that is dedicated to our customer base, core values, and a bright future are encouraged to apply. For more info: Call: 301-927-5284 Email: info@krickplumbing.com
Court Justice Anita Earls, and 2nd Circuit Judge Eunice Lee. President Biden said he would make his selection by the end of February. “Our process is going to be rigorous. I will select a nominee worthy of Justice Stephen Breyer’s legacy of excellence and decency,” Biden said. “While I’ve been studying candidates’ backgrounds and writings, I’ve made no decision except one: The person I nominate will be someone with extraordinary qualifications, character, experience and integrity. And that person will be the first Black woman ever nominated to the United States Supreme Court.” Wade Henderson, the interim president and CEO of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, said Biden has already impressed with his nominations to federal courts. He said the administration and the Senate Democratic majority have made strides to strengthen the judiciary. “Many of today’s nominees possess significant experience practicing civil and human rights law and reflect the incredible diversity of our country,” Henderson said. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) noted there have been 115 justices who have sat on the court since 1789. However, until 1981, no woman served, and only two African-American men have ascended to the court. “A quarter of all African-American women who sit on the federal bench were nominated by this Administration and approved by this Senate,” Schumer said. “Twenty-five percent of African-American women who sit on the federal bench came through this Senate this year. That’s the progress we’ve made in a relatively short amount of time.” “When Americans come before the courts and look up at those who preside in the courtroom, they should trust that those who render judgment on them will be able to understand each litigant’s lived experience and bring a modicum of human understanding required to apply the law equitably. The best way we can do that is to elevate judges from a broad range of backgrounds.” “Diversity, in all its forms, matters. It’s good for the justice system and it’s really vital to the health of our democracy,” Schumer said. WI
THE WASHINGTON INFORMER / WWW.WASHINGTONINFORMER.COM
NATIONAL Michelle Obama Identified as Democrats’ 2024 ‘Emergency Candidate’ Stacy M. Brown WI Senior Writer
WEALTH PLANNING
Approximately nine months before the all-important midterm elections and after one year of President Joe Biden’s administration, Democrats face an uphill climb to maintain control of the House and Senate. And many political experts have opined that, as things stand, it’s challenging to fathom Biden winning a second term. With less than desirable approval ratings and the failure to push through vital legislative priorities, President Biden has faced tough questions – fair or unfair – about his competency. And whether his re-election opponent will be former President Donald Trump or Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, many Democrats realize they have reasons for concern. The Hill recently summed up that concern: Topping the speculation spec-
trum is Trump vs. DeSantis – a Drudge Report favorite topic that could be brutal. Vice President Kamala Harris’s (alleged) lackluster performance is a close second. If President Biden declines to seek a second term, she sucks up copious bandwidth as a weak frontrunner. Currently, there’s much chatter about the unlikely chance that Biden nominates Harris to the Supreme Court, solving two presidential “problems” — which Black woman to select for the Court and whether to remove Harris from the 2024 ticket. Third, reflected in polling, is an early assumption that Biden is a failed one-termer channeling Jimmy Carter. That has raised the possibility of Hillary Clinton’s presidential comeback. But Clinton’s appeal pales compared to whom the Hill identified as the Democrats’ “emergency” candidate: former first lady Michelle Obama. One GOP activist told the newspaper, “God help us. She
could beat any of our candidates.” However, Obama has repeatedly stated her opposition to running for office. Still, those romanticizing about a possible run by the famous former first lady point to her best-selling book, “Becoming.”
In the memoir, Obama wrote, “evolving is an ongoing process,” meaning as time goes by, it’s conceivable that she could change her mind and seek to make history as the first woman to win the presidency. In the memoir, Obama wrote, “evolving is an ongoing process,” meaning as time goes by, it’s conceivable that she could change her mind and seek to make history as the first woman to win the presidency. “The U.S. needs a female president. Unfortunately, we are lagging behind the world in giving
a chance to a female, and really, it would be hard to find a better candidate for the role than Mrs. Obama,” said Chris Anderson, the District-based founder of SootheYourFeet. com. “She has everything that
Michelle Obama. (Photo courtesy Joyce N. Boghosian, White House photographer)
OBAMA from Page 46
MAXIMIZE YOUR GAINS OR MINIMIZE YOUR RISKS? LET’S TALK ABOUT FINDING THE SWEET SPOT IN BETWEEN. From investments and wealth planning to retirement and trust services, our team is here to make managing your wealth a more relaxing experience. We believe banking is a conversation. Let’s talk about your options. Call us at 301.774.8420 or visit sandyspringbank.com/wealth.
Wealth and Insurance products are not FDIC insured, not guaranteed, and may lose value. Wealth products offered by Sandy Spring Private Client Group and Sandy Spring Trust, divisions of Sandy Spring Bank. Member FDIC. Sandy Spring Bank and the SSB logo are registered trademarks of Sandy Spring Bank. © 2022 Sandy Spring Bank. All rights reserved.
WWW.WASHINGTONINFORMER.COM / THE WASHINGTON INFORMER
SSB-107 PCG_2 Print_9.875x5.5_WashInformer.indd 1
any serious candidate needs. The experience of her husband’s tenures means she knows exactly what is expected, she has none of the baggage that Mrs. Clinton carried around with her, she is an articulate and effective speaker and her rock star appeal would leave
9:27:30 AM FEBRUARY 10 -1/26/2022 16, 2022 17
INTERNATIONAL PETWORTH PRINTING Your Quality Printers
301 Kennedy Street, NW
n
Washington, DC
202-291-6565 PRINTING & DESIGN
Color / Black & White Printing n n n n n n n n n
Booklets Brochures Business Cards Banners Canvas Bags Color Copies Contracts & Vouchers Church Fans Fax & Scan
n n n n n n n n n
Programs Postcards Promotional Products Posters & Signs Tithe Envelopes Tickets & Flyers T-Shirts Mugs & Glassware Notary
10% OFF
BOOKLETS AND T-SHIRTS *NEW CUSTOMERS ONLY*
SEE OUR ONLINE STORE: www.QualityPrintersDC.com
Traditional Help Buttons
At Home In the Car On a Walk On Vacation At the Park Shopping
A Help Button Should Go Where You Go! To be truly independent your personal emergency device needs to work on the go.
Order Now & Receive a FREE Lockbox!
1-800-681-0667
Service availability and access/coverage on the AT&T network is not available everywhere and at all times. Current GPS location may not always be available in every situation.
Call now for ADT home security + get a $100 ADT Visa Reward Card* ®
*With 36-month monitoring contract. Early termination and installation fees apply. Reward card issued by MetaBank®, N.A., Member FDIC. Card terms and expiration apply. For full terms, see below.
1-877-325-1437 *$100 ADT Visa Reward Card: Requires 36-month monitoring contract starting at $28.99/mo. (24-month monitoring contract in California, total fees from $695.76), and enrollment in ADT EasyPay. Requires minimum purchase price of $449. One (1) Visa Reward Card valued at $100 is redeemable seven (7) days after system is installed, wherein an email is sent to the customer’s email address associated with their account with a promo code. The customer must validate the promo code on the website provided in the email and a physical card will be sent in the mail. Installation must occur within 60 days of offer expiration date to receive card. Applicable to new and resale sale types only. Card is issued by MetaBank®, N.A., Member FDIC, pursuant to a license from Visa U.S.A. Inc. No cash access or recurring payments. Can be used everywhere Visa debit cards are accepted. Card valid for up to 6 months; unused funds will forfeit after the valid thru date. Card terms and conditions apply. Reply by 10/15/2021. General: Additional charges may apply in areas that require guard response service for municipal alarm verification. System remains property of ADT. Local permit fees may be required. Prices and offers subject to change and may vary by market. Additional taxes and fees may apply. Satisfactory credit required. A security deposit may be required. Simulated screen images and photos are for illustrative purposes only. ©2021 ADT LLC dba ADT Security Services. All rights reserved. ADT, the ADT logo, 800.ADT.ASAP and the product/service names listed in this document are marks and/or registered marks. Unauthorized use is strictly prohibited. Third-party marks are the property of their respective owners. License information available at www.ADT.com/legal or by calling 800.ADT.ASAP. CA ACO7155, 974443, PPO120288; FL EF0001121; LA F1639, F1640, F1643, F1654, F1655; MA 172C; NC Licensed by the Alarm Systems Licensing Board of the State of North Carolina, 7535P2, 7561P2, 7562P10, 7563P7, 7565P1, 7566P9, 7564P4; NY 12000305615; PA 09079, MS 15019511. DF-CD-NP-Q321
18 FEBRUARY 10 - 16, 2022
africa now
COMPILED BY OSWALD T. BROWN, WI CONTRIBUTING WRITER
West Africa Grapples with New Wave of Military Coups It's a pattern becoming all too common again in West Africa: mutinous soldiers detain a president, then seize control of the state broadcaster to announce they've taken over the country. International condemnation quickly follows but the junta remains in power. West Africa's new wave of coups kicked off in Mali in 2020, followed by another in Guinea the following year, and then Burkina Faso late last month. Just a week later, gunmen also tried to overthrow the president of Guinea-Bissau in a machine-gun attack that lasted hours but failed. Military power grabs are nothing new in the region. There have been nearly 100 in West Africa since 1946 but they'd dropped off over the past decade. Now the regional body known as ECOWAS is grappling with how to bring about a return to democracy in three of its 15 member states where juntas have seized power in the last 18 months. “It looks increasingly hard to argue against the idea of coup contagion – that coups in one place inspire them in another – following the chain of events in the past year,” said Eric Humphery-Smith, Africa analyst at Verisk Maplecroft. The new spike in power grabs comes as the Sahel, the vast region south of the Sahara Desert, faces growing violence from Islamic extremists, which in turn has caused people to turn against elected governments in both Mali and Burkina Faso. Neighboring Niger, hard-hit by Islamic insurgents, has also been vulnerable. Security forces stopped a coup attempt there last year. “Coups in West Africa have been making a comeback for various reasons which bleed into one another,” said Rukmini Sanyal, research analyst for the Middle East and Africa at the Economist Intelligence Unit. Regional political volatility is becoming entrenched, causing a slow erosion of democratic gains, she said. And there's often widespread support for the government overthrow within the countries because people hope it will bring about new elections, she added. After last week’s coup in Burkina Faso, people across the country lauded the military takeover, saying it was overdue. In Mali, thousands of protesters took to the streets in support of the ruling military after the West African regional bloc, ECOWAS, imposed sanctions over delayed elections. WI
caribbean now Social and Emotional Learning Employed to Help Combat Social Dysfunction Concerned about growing personal and social dysfunction in society, officials have announced that they have embarked on several missions aimed at facilitating more social and emotional learning to combat this issue. In fact, officially launching the Caribbean Institute for Social and Emotional Learning (CISEL) on Saturday, February 5, founder and chairman Toney Olton said the mission was to facilitate the emotional intelligence development of some 500,000 Caribbean citizens by 2035 to help combat various social ills. CISEL is being introduced through EQ Barbados, an emotional intelligence awareness and development organization, which was started April 19, 2019. Addressing the online launching ceremony, Olton said, “EQ Barbados was launched out of a concern for the growing evidence of personal, interpersonal and social dysfunction in our society and to facilitate the noble goal of having 50,000 Barbadians practicing emotional intelligence by 2025.” Officials noted that while the target was to train some 500 individuals locally in the practice of emotional intelligence and then have each of “them taking responsibility for enabling 100 persons in the development of their own emotional intelligence,” that goal was surpassed. Training has been extended outside of Barbados to include participants from the rest of the region and beyond. In the summer of 2019, the CISEL facilitated training for some 260 educators in Barbados and by March 2020 it had facilitated four face-to-face emotional intelligence cohorts. WI
THE WASHINGTON INFORMER / WWW.WASHINGTONINFORMER.COM
February 2022 Message from Department of Aging and Community Living LETTERFROMMAYORMURIELBOWSER
Dear Seniors: We have come a long way – not just in the fight against COVID-19, but in our efforts to keep DC moving forward, even during the ups and downs of the pandemic. And while we have a lot to be hopeful about in 2022, our work isn’t over. First, we still need more Washingtonians to get vaccinated and to get their booster shots. According to recent data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, fully vaccinated people with boosters are 10 times less likely than unvaccinated people to get infected with COVID-19; fully vaccinated people with boosters are 2.5 times less likely to get infected with COVID-19 than fully vaccinated people without boosters, and four times less likely to die from COVID-19; and fully vaccinated people with boosters are 20 times less likely than unvaccinated people to die from COVID-19. So, if you are not yet vaccinated, it is critical that you do that as soon as possible. If you are vaccinated, but not yet boosted, please go get your booster shot. I also need your help in making sure our younger generations get vaccinated. Youth five and older are eligible for the vaccine, and people 12 and older are eligible
for a booster. And it’s never been easier to get the vaccine. If you call 1-855-363-0333, you can make an appointment to have DC Health come to your home! And we now have COVID Centers open across the city. These sites have vaccines, boosters, free rapid tests, and walkup PCR tests. These are in addition to the dozens of libraries, recreation centers, and senior centers that have free testing options – all of which can be found at NeedATest-GetATest. com. All of the information about vaccines and testing is available on coronavirus.dc.gov or you can call the number above and someone will help you find the information you need. And why is it so important to me that more Washingtonians get vaccinated? The obvious answer is because the vaccines save lives and because no DC resident should needlessly lose their life to COVID-19 when we have safe and effective vaccines available. Already, too many families are deal-
ing with the grief and loss caused by this pandemic. We can prevent more tragedy. But more people vaccinated also allows our classrooms to stay open so that our young people can get the school experiences they deserve. More people vaccinated means fewer people suffering in the hospital and less strain on our health care workers. More people vaccinated means we are one step closer to getting back to a better normal and ending the isolation and loneliness that so many have experienced. Speaking of staying connected, if you are feeling isolated or alone, I encourage you to join the Department of Aging and Community Living’s Call and Talk program. DACL launched the Call and Talk program back in March 2020 and has been keeping seniors connected and engaged ever since. The program is a new way, during these unique times, to create and maintain friendships and connections with members of the community.
WWW.WASHINGTONINFORMER.COM / THE WASHINGTON INFORMER
If you are interested in joining the Call and Talk program or if you have any other questions about resources and services for older Washingtonians, including programming at our senior wellness
centers or connections to meals program, please call (202) 7245626. With gratitude, Mayor Muriel Bowser
Rapid Antigen Tests Are Now Available at Senior Wellness Centers
FEBRUARY 10 - 16, 2022 19
HEALTH Show Me Love – Lafayette and Denise Rolark Barnes Aja Beckham “If marriage is not in your cards, we can be friends and call it quits right now before it goes any further,” said Denise on the first date. “I figured if we left dinner and he never called me again, I'd be fine. … But he did call me again.” “Right away,” says Lafayette. Southeast D.C. – Denise Rolark Barnes, 67, and Lafayette Barnes, 73, tell different tales about the first time they met one another. Lafayette recalls Denise “stalking” him at Georgetown Law Library, where he did his international affairs homework every weekend. Denise was enrolled at Howard Law School back then in 1978. “She'd come into the library
looking for me. She had a little cute afro. I'm trying to get my work done,” says Lafayette. “She came over to start the conversation. Now once or twice is okay, but every time she came to the library, she made it a point to stop by when I was doing my work.” Denise remembers differently. She says Lafayette stood out in a crowded club, Hogate’s in Southwest. “[Lafayette] evidently traveled because it was not an American [suit],” says Denise. The Nehru, blue, plaid leisure suit with a belt on the side was tailormade in Kenya. That suit was one of many foreign pieces that Lafayette collected during travels to nearly six countries at the time. Denise was Afrocentric herself as her afro was picked out that
(Courtesy photo)
night. “I said, let me check her out. Maybe she’s got some soul inside that afro. That’s how we met,” says Lafayette, who also wore his hair naturally in an afro. On the first date, Denise made it clear to Lafayette that she was ready for a serious relationship. “I told him from the very beginning, if marriage is not in your cards, we can be friends and call it quits right now before it goes any further. I figured if we left dinner and he never called me again, I'd be fine, he'd be fine, and we could move on,” says Denise. “But he did call me again.” “Right away,” says Lafayette. One year later, the two were
married in 1985. About five months later, Lafayette Barnes Jr. was born at Howard University Hospital. During the child delivery, Denise’s father, Calvin Rolark Sr., was rushed to the same hospital, due to a heart attack. In 1994, Calvin passed away from a massive heart attack at Howard University Hospital. Calvin, an activist and editor, founded the Washington Informer newspaper to focus on positive narratives in the Black community back in 1964. Denise decided to continue running the paper and became publisher.
“I realized I was prepared for what [my father] wanted me to do," says Denise. Denise says her memories of her father as a husband were formidable. “My mother and father married, had me, and I think, maybe two years, three years later, they were divorced. I don't have any memories of that time or at least any good memories of that time,” she says. Both parents remarried. Calvin married then Ward 8 Councilmember who served four consecutive terms, Wilhelmina Rolark, for 27 years until his passing. “I knew that they loved each other. I viewed it as a really great partnership. And so that meant a lot to me, you know, you have the love, but a partnership is really important.” A good partnership means communicating “feelings about becoming a parent, owning a home, where you want to live, jobs, all that kind of stuff,” she says. Lafayette says that he didn’t have any strong examples of marriage. “My mother and father divorced when I was in kindergarten. So, I never grew up in a household, except when I was very young, where they both were in the house together. I didn’t have direct learning experiences,” he says. Instead, television shows were examples of healthy two-parent homes such as The Jeffersons, The
Look for a love story on Stephanie and Alexa Foo in next week's edition.
20 FEBRUARY 10 - 16, 2022
THE WASHINGTON INFORMER / WWW.WASHINGTONINFORMER.COM
LOVE Page 32
I’m a mom first. I may be Dr. Nina Ford Johnson a pediatrician, but I’m a mom first. My babies are my top priority, always. With COVID going around affecting Black kids at a higher rate, I’m telling any parent with children 5 and older to get the COVID vaccine. Paid for by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
WWW.WASHINGTONINFORMER.COM / THE WASHINGTON INFORMER
Find vaccines near you at vaccines.gov
FEBRUARY 10 - 16, 2022 21
EDUCATION Early Childhood Educators Celebrate Announcement about Bonus Pay D.C. Council Approves Bonus of $10,000 to be Distributed in the Fall Sam P.K. Collins WI Staff Writer The D.C. Council recently approved bonuses for early childhood educators in the amount of $10,000 to $14,000. This development unfolded weeks after a task force presented recommendations for increasing early child-
hood worker compensation. Throughout much of last year’s budget season, early childcare workers pressed their elected officials for a pay increase, explaining the importance of their role and recounting the difficulties they faced educating the District’s youngest residents throughout the pandemic.
For Regina Marr, an early childcare professional of 22 years, the issue has become a matter of how to live in her hometown comfortably and permanently. The mother of four said acquiring safe housing has become of paramount importance. That’s why she plans on using her money to place a down payment on the home of her dreams. “To this day, the money situation has not been good [because] I can’t afford assistance. The government says I make too much but I still need food stamps,” Marr said. “I’m in that bracket where [I have to] figure out what to do. I learned how to deal with it through budgeting. I also had a part-time job but stopped that [so I wouldn’t] neglect my children. It’s been a struggle with a lot of sacrifice.” In January, the D.C. Council gave the Early Childhood Educator Equitable Compensation Task Force until April to hammer out the details of a compensation system which raises the pay of early childhood educators in accordance with their role, credentials and on-the-job experience.
5 Preschool teachers Donovan Holly and Regina Marr engage in some songs with the young learners at the Community Educational Research Group in Northeast. (Ja’Mon Jackson/The Washington Informer)
A total of $120 million has been budgeted toward this cause over the next two years. The recent bonus precedes the pay bump expected to go in effect in the fall. Early childhood educator Maleka Kamara-Walls extolled the D.C. Council, particularly
ISRAEL BAPTIST CHURCH INTERIM PASTOR JOB VACANCY Israel Baptist Church 1251 Saratoga Avenue, NE Washington, DC 20018 Israel Baptist Church is prayerfully seeking an Interim Pastor, who will be responsible for carrying out the ministerial duties of the congregation, as well as prepare the congregation for the individual that will be selected as the next Senior Pastor. If you are interested, please go the church’s website @ www. israelbaptistchurch.org and click on the Interim Pastoral Job Vacancy link for detailed information and to apply. Get to know some fun and fascinating facts about some of our past presidents. Each week, Kid Scoop brings students interactive games, activities, puzzles and more in a bright & bouncy, award-winning feature kids and their family members can enjoy together. PUBLICATION DATE HERE
Publication Date: 2-17-22
22 FEBRUARY 10 - 16, 2022
Deadline: Opening Date: Tuesday, February 1, 2022 Closing Date: Wednesday, March 2, 2022 Have questions? Email Interimpastor@israelbaptistchurch.org
D.C. Councilmembers Vincent Gray (D-Ward 7) and Trayon White (D-Ward 8) for their efforts. As a professional who holds a bachelor’s degree, Kamara-Walls said she often laments making less than her counterparts in K-12 education. Kamara-Walls, who will soon celebrate her 25th year in her career field, spent years acquiring her associate’s and bachelor’s degrees. When she started working full-time in the 1990s, she started at minimum wage. Though her compensation has increased incrementally, Kamara-Walls said it hasn’t sufficed, especially without the benefits that K-12 teachers receive. “It was important for the D.C. Council to pass this bill and look at us as teachers, not just babysitters,” she said. “I look forward to coming in every day and giving children what they need.” “During the pandemic, we followed the guidelines and [conducted] online learning. We made sure that there was communication with parents. I believe that a salary increase and loan forgiveness for early childhood educators and teachers could help,” she said. Data shows that the base salary of an early childhood educator in the District stands at $36,700, or $19 per hour. The Early Childhood Educator Equitable Compensation Task Force has been working in conjunction with the Office of the State Superinten-
BONUS PAY Page 35
THE WASHINGTON INFORMER / WWW.WASHINGTONINFORMER.COM
DC Futures Program Recipient, Tameka Green, Speaks Out
EDUCATION Is your home ready for winter?
Sam P.K. Collins WI Staff Writer D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser (D) recently announced the launch of a new college and tuition support program that helps District residents pursue degrees in high-demand fields at three local universities. Program participants receive $8,000 per semester in college tuition in addition to coaching, access to emergency funds and, in some cases, a stipend. Tameka Green, a Ward 7 resident and one of more than 300 people enrolled in the aptly named DC Futures program, found out about the program through a friend who works in District government. She said she can attest to its significance, especially as she attempts to overcome COVID-related unemployment. A month into her paralegal studies at the Catholic University of America [CUA] in Northeast, Green said she’s inching closer to her goal of conducting research for intellectual property and patent cases at a top law firm. “At 50 years old, I’m trying to recreate myself. I thought about where I would fit and what that looks like,” Green said. Once she submitted her W-2 and other documents last month, Green joined other DC Futures enrollees in a process that connected her with CUA’s admissions office and a career coaching program. Shortly after, in January, Green, who's had stints in event management, started her first semester as a part-time student. Before then, the thought of attending college never crossed her mind. “Becoming a paralegal is perfect. I am very thorough and assertive and that will go a long way in a law firm,” Green said. “When I saw the law program at Catholic University on the list of approved programs, it clicked that I could finally do this and not have to struggle to pay for school. It was
Request your FREE weatherization kit, while supplies last, at
dcpsc.org/WinterReadyDC Your kit will include door/window weatherstripping, foam switch and outlet gaskets, pipe insulators, and a window insulation shrink kit.
the perfect timing for me in so many ways.” DC Futures counted among three programs Bowser spoke about on February 1, during the launch of Fair Shot February. In addition to the $12 million DC Futures program, District residents also have at their disposal the longstanding DC Tuition Assistance Grant, also known as DC-TAG, and the Mayor’s Scholars Undergraduate Program. The rollout of DC Futures, DC-TAG and the Mayor’s Scholars Undergraduate Program support the Office of the State Superintendent of Education’s goal to coordinate the enrollment of 1,100 more students than intended in its 2019-2023 strategic plan. In total, the three programs stand to support more than 5,500 District residents. In the DC Futures program, 38 participants identify as paraprofessionals and instructional aides now on track to acquire a lead teacher position. “We are excited to expand access to financial aid options for D.C. residents pursuing postsecondary education,” said State
BROUGHT TO YOU BY
DC FUTURES Page 35
WWW.WASHINGTONINFORMER.COM / THE WASHINGTON INFORMER
FEBRUARY 10 - 16, 2022 23
From tobacco company
To tobacco harm reduction company.
Altria’s companies are leading the way in moving adult smokers away from cigarettes – by taking action to transition millions towards less harmful choices. We are investing in a diverse mix of businesses that further broaden options. And our companies are encouraging adult smokers to transition to a range of choices that go beyond traditional, combustible cigarettes.
© Altria Client Services LLC 2021
Learn where we’re headed at altria.com/moving
STUDENTS Page 35
24 FEBRUARY 10 - 16, 2022
THE WASHINGTON INFORMER / WWW.WASHINGTONINFORMER.COM 104591_Altria_9.875_10.935_V1
EDITORIAL
A Global Movement to Pardon Marcus Garvey With 100,000 signers of a petition from people throughout the U.S. and worldwide, supporters of the movement to posthumously exonerate Marcus Garvey believe it is enough to persuade President Joe Biden to honor their request. By March 2, the group wants supporters to visit www.whitehouse.gov/contact/ to sign the petition to pardon Marcus Mosiah Garvey. January 2022 marked 100 years since Garvey was charged, jailed, convicted and later deported for mail fraud, a trumped-up charge emanating from his influential Black nationalist movement. Garvey, a Jamaican immigrant who settled in Harlem in the 1920s, founded the Universal Negro Improvement Association (UNIA), a fraternal order of nearly two million Black nationalists and followers. Garvey’s movement worked to give Black people a positive sense of identity and pride. He stressed self-sufficiency and admonished Black people to learn to do for themselves. Born in 1887, Garvey was often called “Black Moses.” He was an activist, publisher, journalist, businessman, orator and a husband and father of two. Moreover, Garvey influenced the lives of many Black civil rights legends and artists, including Malcolm X, NCNW President Dorothy Height, a proofreader for his newspaper The Negro World and Bob Marley. Today, the UNIA remains a viable organization with thousands of members around the globe. Garvey died in June 1940, and for decades, supporters worked to get his conviction for mail fraud overturned. According to Howard University professor Justin Hansford, Garvey’s conviction stemmed from charges of running a Ponzi scheme. The charges were related to the money he raised to support the Black Star Line, a Black-owned shipping company. The $5 stock price he solicited, the government believed, would never be enough to support the Black-owned shipping company’s travel from the U.S. to Africa or its Black staff and patrons, and that Garvey knew it. Hansford told a Zoom call attended by nearly 400 people this week that Presidents Bush, Reagan, Clinton, Obama and Trump were asked for a pardon from the public and members of Congress. “This is the time,” Hansford said, “where we will finally be successful in this push to get Marcus Garvey pardoned but trust me, it was a frame-up.” Hopes are extremely high that finally, Marcus Garvey will be pardoned. The more people hear his words and learn his story, the greater the reality that the movement to exonerate Marcus Garvey won’t end until a full pardon is achieved. WI
Biden’s Choice for Nation’s Highest Court Met with ‘Supreme Injustice’ If you’ve had the opportunity to watch any of the Black History Month programs this month showcased on public television networks, especially documentaries produced by Dr. Henry Louis Gates, Jr. (“The African Americans: Many Rivers to Cross”) or Henry Hampton (“Eyes on the Prize”), you can’t help but notice a recurring theme in history. Not just in Black history but within the annals of American history. If you maintain just a modicum of objectivity and remain focused, you’ll begin to recognize the many cloaks worn by America’s leaders which for centuries which they have donned in efforts to hide their attitudes of and beliefs in the superiority of whites and the inferiority of Blacks. It’s not rocket science nor is it Critical Race Theory. As the young folks say, “it is what it is.” And because history often repeats itself in some shape or fashion, we’re once again seeing racism “unveiled,” unleashed by the likes of Senator Ted Cruz (R-Tex.) in his heated remarks about President Biden’s decision to appoint a Black woman to the U.S. Supreme Court. This is not an issue of partisanship, although one might be led to think so given the criticisms and so-called expressions of dismay coming from Cruz and other members of the Republican Party. Consider what Cruz has said has him so upset. “The fact that he’s willing to make a promise at the outset, that it must be a Black woman, I got to say that’s offensive,” Cruz said on his recent podcast. “You know, Black women are, what, 6 percent of the U.S. population? He’s saying to 94 percent of Americans, ‘I don’t give a damn about you. You are ineligible.’”
TO THE EDITOR What’s in a Name? I must be honest, the Washington Football Team’s new name, “Commanders,” stinks! I can’t believe that in two years, this is the best name they came up with. The team should have let its loyal fanbase decide the name — yet another misstep by the organization. The new team name sounds like an arena football team name or a fictional team name — just my opinion. Dolores Canter Washington, D.C. Really? Sorry Ted but as the elders used to say down in Georgia, “Sorry but that washer ain’t clean!” Consider that in America, we’ve had 115 justices on the Supreme Court since its creation in 1789, 101 of whom were white men. As Eugene Robinson said in a recent editorial, diversity does not imply taking something away from whites, or anyone else – it means opening the door for opportunity for those rarely, if ever, allowed to go inside the room. If Cruz’s statement has any merit, then it
WWW.WASHINGTONINFORMER.COM / THE WASHINGTON INFORMER
Breaking Glass Ceilings I’m glad Joe Biden is sticking to his campaign promise and nominating a Black woman to the Supreme Court. Several qualified Black women law professionals can easily fill the vacancy. This move is long overdue, and I look forward to who will be approved by Congress. Monroe Ellis Washington, D.C.
seems it would be just as accurate for African Americans to say we’ve been offended since 1619, or 1776, or 1789, or . . . We hope and pray that more qualified and intelligent members of Congress will step up to the plate and work with Biden and move the process along swiftly as we prepare for our nation to finally – after long last – have a Black woman appointed to the U.S. Supreme Court. To do anything less, is, well, another example of “veiled racism.” Or maybe we should just say “unveiled racism.” WI
FEBRUARY 10 - 16, 2022 25
OPINIONS/EDITORIALS Guest Columnist
Raheem Uqdah
Black History and Cannabis: The Continued Fight Towards Equity
Cannabis certainly has an interesting, evolving backstory in America, and around the world. From being labeled as an unsafe, gateway drug, to the racist War on Drugs that disproportionately harmed the Black community, to now being legalized in some form in 36 states, and counting, the projected 30 billion dollar U.S. cannabis industry has undeniably advanced in our society. While this is great progress for the plant at large, there’s still a huge barrier in cannabis,
and it starts at the root. Literally. There is no magic wand that can undo centuries of compounding societal injustice. But what we must recognize is that racist policies have brought us to this moment in time and so we must urge our legislators to address this issue as they write policies meant to make this emerging market equitable. My team and I at Curaleaf work to identify and disrupt systems. Each day we are asked to identify what the role of industry should be in building the aspirational cannabis marketplace that we all want. From technical assistance and supplier diversity to hiring practic-
Guest Columnist
es and criminal justice advocacy, we are working both inside our company and in coalition with the industry at large to supplant these systems of injustice. Prior to its criminalization, cannabis was a mandatory part of crop rotation to ensure good soil health. It is a plant with practical and medicinal applications from fabrics to construction materials. Its history is traced through the soil, and its legacy touches every major city across America. Since the inception of this nation, Black people have worked the land, and we have almost never reaped the benefit of that labor. To be frank, this should be our moment. We have seen the historic
looting of black wealth in places like Tulsa, we have seen the racist application of the GI bill that locked out Black home ownership. We have experienced “trickle-down economics” not trickling down. Black farmers have been historically underfunded and underserved. In Florida, the application fee to cultivate cannabis is $146,000, and the money isn’t refunded if the application is denied. On top of that initial investment, a $5 million performance bond also must be posted. I think we can all agree that these prices are out of this world “high.” Now, consider African-American farmers, who have
been discriminated against for decades, causing a lack of generational wealth and a decline of Black farm ownership. Funding issues run deep and like many systems in this country, have racist pasts. In fact, many scholars and stakeholder groups have identified prolonged discrimination by the USDA, lending institutions and landowners as a factor in the decline in farms owned and operated by farmers of color. A framework built on top of a racist foundation enables racism if it does not work to equitably address the bar-
UQDAH Page 53
John B. King Jr.
Gov. Hogan's Budget Proposal Leaves Students In The Lurch
In January, Governor Hogan released his budget proposal for the 2023 fiscal year – his final budget as governor. Budgets are a statement of an administration's priorities, and this proposal makes it clear that our schools and our students aren't a priority for Governor Hogan. As a former teacher and principal, and a lifelong advocate for equitable
public education, I am particularly concerned about the inadequate funding in Governor Hogan's budget to deliver on the promise of the Blueprint for Maryland's Future. The Blueprint was the product of an extensive study and stakeholder engagement process to define what investments are needed to make sure all Maryland students — regardless of race, income, disability, language spoken at home, or region of the state — can get a world class public education. The Blueprint is also critical to supporting educators, ensur-
Guest Columnist
ing excellent educational experiences for all students that prepare them for college and career success, and closing opportunity gaps that disproportionately harm students from low income backgrounds and students of color. I am no stranger to the critical role schools play in shaping a child's future. My mother died when I was 8, my dad when I was 12, and my father struggled with undiagnosed Alzheimer's in the four years between their passing. Home was often a scary, destabilizing place during that period,
but my public schools and teachers remained a source of security and joy throughout my childhood. I'd likely be dead or in prison without the great public schools I was lucky enough to attend. School saved my life, and I am deeply concerned that Governor Hogan's budget will deny Maryland educators the ability to properly serve our kids and give them the same chance that I had. In teaching education policy at UMD College Park, I find that when my students from across Maryland
communities share their school experiences with each other, they are always shocked to learn of the dramatic disparities in public school student experiences. Some students had access to multiple Advanced Placement courses, others did not. Some students had access to robust socioemotional support and postsecondary planning assistance from school counselors, others did not. Some students experienced school buildings with adequate
KING Page 53
Marc H. Morial
Biden's Fed Nominees Would Create Its Most Diverse Board Ever
"The Federal Reserve is our country's most powerful economic policy institution. Twelve Fed leaders meet every six weeks to make decisions that include how many people should be unemployed and whether wages should be going up. Most of those leaders are white men who come from Wall Street … we want the leadership of the Fed at all levels to be
26 FEBRUARY 10 - 16, 2022
more diverse so it looks and thinks like the working people it is supposed to represent, not Wall Street." — The Fed Up Campaign The Federal Reserve Board is one of the most powerful yet least-understood institutions in the American economy. It sets monetary policy to promote maximum employment and stable prices, monitors the safety and soundness of financial institutions and their impact on the financial system, and helps ensure a healthy economy
for U.S. households, communities and businesses. Given its enormous influence on every aspect of the economy, representation should look like the nation because the impact of its work touches every American. President Biden's three nominees, which include two women and two people of color, represent an enormous step forward in achieving this goal Michigan State University economist Lisa Cook, who would be the first
Black women to serve on the board, is an internationally-renowned expert in economic growth and development, innovation, financial institutions and markets, and economic history. Her groundbreaking research on economic disparities related to gender and race brings a sorely-needed new perspective to the Fed's efforts to curb inflation and support full employment. Sarah Bloom Raskin, a former Deputy Treasury Secretary and Governor of the Federal Reserve Board,
was instrumental in pursuing innovative solutions to enhance American's shared prosperity, the resilience of our country's critical financial infrastructure, the defense of consumer safeguards in the financial marketplace. Philip N. Jefferson, Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean of Faculty and the Paul B. Freeland Professor of Economics at Davidson College, would be the fourth Black man to
MORIAL Page 53
THE WASHINGTON INFORMER / WWW.WASHINGTONINFORMER.COM
OPINIONS/EDITORIALS Guest Columnist
Ben Jealous
How History Will Be Made Again: Black History Month and the Supreme Court
February is Black History Month. The news we are making and witnessing right now reflects all the contradictions of our history — American history. The history of Black people in this country is a story not just of oppression — but of overcoming. It is a story of both savage inequality and hard-won progress. It is a story of discrimination and spectacular accomplishment. Let's start with accomplishment. President Joe Biden will soon nominate
the first Black woman to serve as a justice of the U.S. Supreme Court — if he hasn't already by the time you read this. She will be brilliant and accomplished and committed to the constitutional principles of equality under the law and justice for all. I can say that confidently without knowing who the president will nominate. That's because the president has already nominated a record number of such Black women as federal district court and appeals court judges. There is a deep bench of impressive, highly qualified Black women judges, lawyers, scholars, and activists. I cannot wait to
Guest Columnist
celebrate the confirmation of one of them as a Supreme Court justice. It won't be an easy time to be a justice committed to achieving justice for all. The court is now dominated by justices who are committed to a very different view of the Constitution. The Roberts court is the most pro-corporate court in history, ruling consistently to undermine protections for workers and the ability of the federal government to regulate and punish corporate wrongdoing. The court's majority has repeatedly weakened the Voting Rights Act. And that has allowed unprincipled poli-
ticians to target Black voters — and weaken our democracy. The same destructive forces are at work outside the legal arena, too. Allies of former President Donald Trump are putting new voting restrictions in place all across the country. And they are inciting anger among Trump's followers by repeating the Big Lie that he won the election. Trump's allies are also trying to build political power by stoking fear and anger and racial resentment among conservative white parents. They are passing laws that will make it nearly impossible for public school teachers
to teach honestly about racism in U.S. history and society — or even engage students in conversations about controversial topics. They're taking over local school boards and purging libraries of books that explore the experiences of Black people, Native Americans, and LGBTQ people. One school district in Tennessee has even banned an award-winning graphic novel about the Holocaust and others are already looking to them as a model. Dealing with racism on an individ-
JEALOUS Page 54
Rev. Jesse L. Jackson Sr.
At Black History Month 2022, The Work of Dr. King is Still Not Done
As we begin our celebration of Black History Month, we have just completed an extraordinary national tribute to a leader who did not amass a fortune, nor command an army, nor hold elective office, and yet transformed America. In the U.S., we too often love martyrs and not marches. We honor those who sacrifice after they are dead. Yet, Dr. King's example when he was alive holds
lessons for us today. I spent Dr. King's last birthday with him. While he took time to let us celebrate his birthday, he spent the day working, meeting with allies to talk about how to end the war in Vietnam and how to build a poor people's campaign at home. Dr. King saw how the war in Vietnam had sapped energy and resources from the war on poverty at home. With millions in poverty — more whites than Black or brown people — in the richest nation in the world, he understood that we needed a "revolution in values," a radical re-
Askia-At-Large
distribution of economic and political power. As he wrote in a report to his SCLC in 1967, "We must see that the evils of racism, economic exploitation and militarism are all tied together — you really can't get rid of one without getting rid of both." Today, Dr. King would warn that a country where there is bipartisan support to spend over $7 trillion on the military over the next decade while bitter partisan division blocks lifting children out of poverty is condemned to grow weaker, not stronger. And surely, a coun-
try plunging into increasing tensions with both Russia and China will find it hard to rebuild at home. Dr. King helped lead the drive to pass the Voting Rights Act, understanding that the right to vote was fundamental to a democracy. Today that right is being systematically attacked by a right-wing movement that understands it represents a minority, and thus is intent on making it harder for the majority to vote. The use of the filibuster by Republicans in the Senate, the very instrument used by Southern senators to defend
segregation, is both revealing and repugnant. Southern senators used the filibuster to try to block the original Voting Rights Act. Dr. King denounced the "minority of misguided senators who will use the filibuster to keep the majority of people from voting. They will not let the majority of senators vote. And certainly, they will not want the majority people to vote because they know that they do not represent the majority of the Amer-
half of the league qualifies for the playoffs, any given team that doesn't qualify has to be pretty raunchy. It's a scam. Ownership. All of the teams except the Green Bay Packers, which is the only community-owned team in any of the four major sports in the US — football, basketball, baseball, and hockey — has an owner, a "Big Cheese" (pun intended), or a Big Chief" (no insult intended). Instead of having one owner or a small group of owners, the Packers are owned by thousands of fans — 360,584 stock-
holders, to be exact. None of the stockholders is allowed to hold more than 200,000 shares, or approximately 4% of the total. All 31 of the remaining "major" owners, and 31 of the 32 head coaches are white guys. But, more than 70 percent of the league's players are Black! Explain that, please. For the life of me, I can't understand how any right thinking Black person,
JACKSON Page 54
Askia Muhammad
Robert F. Smith, Billionaire
I have never met Robert F. Smith, billionaire. In fact, I probably never heard of him before 2020. I am amused because the wealthiest Black man in the United States has become a parody, before he's even been on TV with Oprah. Whenever I see his name mentioned in news stories or on social media, he is always now referred to as
"Robert F. Smith, billionaire." It reminds me of the farcical references to the Batman TV series character, who is always referred to as "Millionaire Bruce Wayne," who resides at "stately Wayne Manor." Always. I guess it makes sense to always identify Robert F. Smith, billionaire, as a billionaire, because what else is he known for. He does philanthropic things with his money, and that's a good thing. But otherwise, what is Robert F. Smith, billionaire, good for? His latest gambit is to become an
owner of a National Football League team. Ha! The NFL is now a TV-sports-gambling-honeys-on-the-side franchise comprised of 32 teams. It's flashy. It gets lots and lots of public attention, but the NFL is a corrupt and dying brand. Each team now plays 17 regular season games and two exhibitions per year. Almost half — 14 teams — qualify for the postseason, leading to the Super Bowl, which decides the league champion. If, after 17 games, almost
WWW.WASHINGTONINFORMER.COM / THE WASHINGTON INFORMER
ASKIA Page 54 FEBRUARY 10 - 16, 2022 27
Southeast Homeowners Displaced As Homes Crumble After New Developments By Aja Beckham / Washington Informer Part 2 of 2 Southeast D.C. homeowners are displaced after developers allegedly built illegally or improperly. In Fairlawn, Crystal Patterson, 57, was displaced after Eagle Academy illegally built a school without permits adjacent to the home. “I stepped out of the kitchen and as soon as I did, the whole living room ceiling came falling down, from the front door all the way to the dining room,” says Patterson. “I was displaced for at least six months.” From December 2020 to June 2021, Patterson lived with family members. Now, she pays $935 for an apartment a couple of blocks away from the home, although the home’s mortgage is paid. She’s disabled, while also managing heart disease, diabetes, uveitis [eye inflammation], and fibromyalgia [muscle pain]. The monthly social security check she receives barely covers rent. Since 2017, homeowners surrounding the new school located at 2300 R Street Southeast have protested against the development built without permits, particularly noting there are two elementary schools - Boone and Ketcham - blocks away. Over 30 residents signed a petition to end the construction and organized conversations with local officials. “We [the neighbors] had the construction site shut down twice because they were working the whole time without a permit. [It] was supposed to be just an upgrade to the property that was [already] there,” says Patterson. That existing property was demolished and new infrastructure was built. DC Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs (DCRA) issued four “stop work” orders. In April 2019, DCRA issued a building permit for a new two-story building, but in May the building was nearing completion. “It is implausible a project of this scope could be near completion within such a short time frame,” Ernest Chrappah, director of DCRA, told WUSA 9. Unexpectedly, in December 2019, Eagle Academy backed out, sold the Fairlawn development, and settled in a school location in Southwest. Now, Lee Montessori, the first full public Montessori school in Southeast, occupies the property.
5 Blueprint of the new proposed addition. (Courtesy of Lee Montessori community meeting)
28 FEBRUARY 10 - 16, 2022
5 Crystal Patterson, 57, was displaced during the pandemic after the home’s ceiling collapsed during the development of an illegally built school. (Anthony Tilghman/The Washington Informer)
Lee Montessori wants to do more digging to expand the school property “to meet the needs of the children we serve” says Camila Camborda, director of communications. Currently 152 students attend the Pre-3 to 1st grade school, although there are 375 total seats. Lee Montessori will submit applications for construction permits in 2 to 3 months. Brian Thompson, Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner 8A03, who represents Fairlawn has been accused by nearby homeowners of having a conflict of interest because his child may be enrolled in the school that’s been a point of contention. “Whether a commissioner accused me of [enrolling my child] or a resident accused me of that, I refuse to answer the question because it’s no one’s business,” Thompson told the Washington Informer. In October 2021, Lee Montessori proposed to the ANC to close the alley behind the school to build on the city owned property. Several residents say that Thompson hung up after fellow commissioners asked him to recuse himself from voting. Commissioners ultimately decided to push back the vote date and suggested that Lee Montessori engage the community more prior to the next vote. Since, Lee Montessori decided to repeal the proposal to build in the alley because “the contractor says it’s more expensive,” said Pencikowski during a virtual “community meeting” with surrounding homeowners. Instead, the plan is to build next door to Patterson. Residents say that they’ve reached out to everyone for support to stop the development and expansion including Mayor Muriel Bowser, Attorney General Karl Racine, D.C. Council Chairman Phil Mendelson, and Ward 8 Councilmember Trayon White. Sam Mayo, homeowner since 2009, wants to sell his home because of proximity to the school and damages from the first development – cracks in the wall spanning from 10 inches to 2 feet. “It’s not something I want to deal with during my retirement,” says Mayo, 57. “When we pushed to try to stop it and intervene and talked about what was going on in [2017] with the Councilmember and Mayor, it was like we were overpowered.”
THE WASHINGTON INFORMER / WWW.WASHINGTONINFORMER.COM
BLACK HISTORY month
Three Digital Archives You Should Know This Black History Month
Step Back and Explore the Past with Films, Photos and Videos Sarafina Wright WI Contributing Writer
find yourself in, retreat to, and rediscover gems,” said Black Film Archive.
Now more than ever, there are digital platforms to learn, research and explore the different facets of Black life. From the antebellum days to the millennium, photos, videos, artifacts and oral history capture Black Americans' various expressions and stories now digitized for public consumption. Here are three archives to consider as you take a deeper dive into this Black History Month.
BLACK BEAUTY ARCHIVES
BLACK FILM ARCHIVE
Created by Maya S. Cade, a Howard University alum, Black Film Archive is a living register of Black films. In its current iteration, it showcases Black films made from 1915 to 1979 currently streaming. For Black History Month, the archive has curated 28 films for 28 days to chart Black contributions to cinematic history. “This selection is a place to start,
COVID from Page 13 ers, to secure additional protection for violence against workers and to nullify a proposed nursing cap on salaries for nurses. California passed a law for staffing ratios. For example, one nurse for every four patients in emergency rooms and one nurse for every two patients in intensive/critical care. “In health care, we want people to take care of themselves because it’s overwhelming to have that influx of patients with COVID-19; it’s draining,” Bell said. “That’s why you see a lot of nurses leaving the bed-side. The nurses are doing the huge bulk
Curated from the hearts and minds of Black women, Black Beauty Archives encompasses the history of the past and documents the present while imagining the future. Collections and objects include rare vintage beauty ads, magazines, press photos, stamps, cosmetics, wigs and beauty tools. In addition, exclusive oral histories from beauty professionals and historians are added to their collection on a bi-monthly basis. “Our mission is to preserve, document and celebrate the history of Black Beauty culture,” said Black Beauty Archives.
ploration, Black Archives provides accessibility to a Black past, present and future. “Going beyond the norm, its lens examines the nuance of Black life: alive and ever-vibrant to both the everyday and iconic – providing insight and inspiration to those seeking to understand the legacies that preceded their own,” said Black Archives. WI
OPC-DC Office of the People’s Counsel ADVOCACY | EDUCATION | PROTECTION
The Office of the People's Counsel for the District of Columbia Observes
History
BLACK ARCHIVES
Founded in 2015 by Renata Cherlise, Black Archives serves as a multimedia platform that brings a spotlight to the Black experience. Through an evolving visual exof the work.” Sherman recommended a few suggestions Maryland officials could do including tax incentives for health care workers and classifying nursing as a “hazardous profession.” “People see nurses as kind of like being a mom. We are just not handing our band-aids and stickers,” said Sherman, a nurse practitioner who’s owned Maryland Concierge Primary Care since 2018. “We are dealing with severe people. We are exposed to physical violence, emotional strain. This isn’t easy work,” Sherman said. WI @WJFjabariwill
(Courtesy photo)
OPC Salutes for 57 years of telling the history of Washingtonians OPC Congratulates People’s Counsel Sandra Mattavous-Frye for receiving the National Association of State Utility Consumer Advocates’ highest service award
Contact the Office of the People's Counsel P: (202) 727-3071
Twitter: @DCOPC
Facebook: DCPeoplesCounsel
F: (202) 727-1014
Instagram: @DCOPC
Website: opc-dc.gov
TTY/TDD: (202) 727-2876
WWW.WASHINGTONINFORMER.COM / THE WASHINGTON INFORMER
FEBRUARY 10 - 16, 2022 29
BLACK HISTORY MONTH
MAYOR WARD from Page 1
Church of Hyattsville. Former Democratic National Committee chair and Democratic gubernatorial candidate Tom Perez said he first met Ward at Franklin’s, a brewery, restaurant and general store in Hyattsville. Perez pinned a purple ribbon on his suit jacket which symbolized Ward’s favorite color. “That was the last place I spent time with him,” he said. “I will summon my inner Kevin to bring communities together and have us understand that what unites far outweighs our differences. I look at the bridges he was able to build with so many communities. He was able to do so much for so many.” The 44-year-old mayor committed suicide on Jan. 25, which the city announced on its website, from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound. According to various reports, U.S. Park Police found Ward in a park in McLean, Va. less than 20 miles from Hyattsville. Although there remain unan-
swered questions as to why he took his own life, City Administrator Tracey Douglas said his death should inspired others to seek help when necessary. “We all have to watch out for each other and take care of each other and love each other and tell us how they are doing,” she said. “We are all grappling with it. We are all devastated. We are going to carry his vision forward.” Part of Ward’s legacy begins at home as the city’s first openly-gay mayor and the second Black elected to the position in May. His community service work included the city’s police officers receiving mandatory mental health counseling that began a few months ago. Ward participated in weekly food distributions and helped secure a COVID-19 vaccination site for residents at First United Methodist Church. Hyattsville City Council member Danny Schaible said he’ll remember Ward most as a father. Ward and his husband, Chad Copeland, moved to the city in 2014 along with their two adopted
As we celebrate Black History Month in February, we recognize and honor the accomplishments of so many who have helped shape the face and future of our nation.
sons, Norman and Sydney. Schaible, who has a special needs child, said he immediately noticed Ward’s affection for children like his. “That speaks volumes about his character and he provided support to the maximum extent that he could because he saw what I was going through as a father,” he said. “He was always thinking of others first.” Ward grew up as an only child in the suburbs of Dallas. He graduated from the University of Texas A&M in College Station, Texas. A colorful program summarizing Ward’s “celebration of life” outlined he returned to Dallas every summer to Camp RYLA (Rotary Youth Leadership Award), a leadership program designed to mentor incoming high school seniors. He participated in the camp growing up. Ward and his husband married in 2007 and moved to D.C. where Ward worked as chief information officer for the city’s child welfare
MAYOR WARD Page 52
5 Members of the Hyattsville Police Department help carry the casket of the city’s late Mayor Kevin Ward. A funeral service was held Feb. 4 at First United Methodist Church of Hyattsville. (Robert R. Roberts/The Washington Informer)
HARRIET TUBMAN FREDERICK DOUGLASS
BLACK HISTORY MONTH DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR,
30 FEBRUARY 10 - 16, 2022
THE WASHINGTON INFORMER / WWW.WASHINGTONINFORMER.COM
YMCA of Metropolitan Washington’s CEO Mission of Resilience Angela Swinson Lee, Special to The Washington Informer Resilient is the word that comes to mind when Angie Reese-Hawkins, President and CEO of the YMCA of Metropolitan Washington, reflects on her career at the Y. Reese-Hawkins joined the National Capital branch of the YMCA in 1986 as the executive director of membership. In 2000, she became president and CEO of the YMCA Metropolitan Washington and made history as the first black woman to hold that position. We spoke with Reese-Hawkins about the 35 years she has spent with the organization and the transitions that have occurred. “The Y has impacted and helped transform communities in the Washington area for over 170 years. I have had the pleasure of serving as the first female African American CEO to lead this incredible organization of talented people. It’s remarkable how resilient the Y has been throughout history. The work we do at the Y is meaningful because we make a difference every day, and that makes the work satisfying,” Reese-Hawkins said. Reese-Hawkins is most proud of being at the forefront of the multi-million dollar effort to renovate the Anthony Bowen YMCA, the first African American YMCA in the United States. “YMCA Anthony Bowen has been a staple in the Shaw community. To continue its legacy is an accomplishment that will go on long beyond me and many others. It was a lot of hard work and took the support of Y volunteers and partners to bring the renovation of YMCA Anthony Bowen to fruition. Our goal is to continue to lift up his story so that children today will know about the history of Anthony Bowen, a Black slave who bought his own freedom and accomplished so many other great things.” Born a slave in Prince George’s County, Bowen was a resident of Washington, D.C. from 1826 until his death. He became the first African American employee of the U.S. Patent Office after earning his freedom. Bowen founded the first YMCA chapter for African American in 1853. Reese-Hawkins said the organization is already moving forward
5 Angie L. Reese-Hawkins, President and CEO, YMCA of Metropolitan Washington.
with the next phase. “The YMCA has always demonstrated a history of resilience. I mean it’s been around since 1844,” she said, adding that the organization withstood the Spanish Flu, other years of depression and slavery. “It’s been through it all. What’s amazing is the ability for this organization to be nimble and flexible and pivot, and when I say pivot, I mean rise to the occasion for what the current needs are in our community. We’ve been persevering with the greatest resilience you
Reese-Hawkins is most proud of being at the forefront of the multi-million dollar effort to renovate the Anthony Bowen YMCA, the first African American YMCA in the United States.
could imagine in this pandemic.” In 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Y pivoted its services to distribute food, provide hot meals, provided emergency childcare for essential works, held virtual learning labs for children, provided senior wellness checks, hosted virtual fitness classes, held blood drives and other charitable services to support the communities across Washington D.C., Maryland and Virginia. In 2021, the Y added more outdoor programs such as Pickleball. “We’ve changed tremendously over the years,” Reese-Hawkins said, adding that more change will come. “I am looking forward to reimagining the Y for the future. I think it will be different. I think because it’s valuable and flexible and we’ll be evidence and researched based, but we’ll be relevant. I think we’ve got great possibility.” Reese-Hawkins said the Y is not a cookie cutter organization and is different in every community it serves based on the needs. “In the African American c o m m u n i t y” , Reese-Hawkins said “the Y offers an opportunity for individuals to fulfill their greatest potential as citizens of the community.” “I think it offers a variety of programs and services that are built upon diversity, equity and inclusion. I think it’s an opportunity for African Americans to advance however they feel. I think they see it as a multicultural institution and there is a multicultural staff there with programs based on the needs of many in the community,” she said, adding that she thinks they see it as an organization that seeks to
WWW.WASHINGTONINFORMER.COM / THE WASHINGTON INFORMER
remove barriers and will continue to do so. The communities served by the Y have changed tremendously. However, Reese-Hawkins said “gentrification poses many challenges. We are serving a more diverse community; however, we make it our mission to reach out and intentionally
strive to be inclusive to those who may be displaced by gentrification.” Reese-Hawkins is convinced that even after the many years with the organization, she still has more work to do. “I think I’ll be here as long as I’m motivated, and I know I can make a difference.”
5 (Left to Right) Roderick Woodson, the Y’s past board chair; Norma Hutcheson, current Board Chair; Angie Reese-Hawkins, President and CEO; and Kathryn Speakman, immediate past Board Chair at the street re-naming celebration of Anthony Bowen Way.
FEBRUARY 10 - 16, 2022 31
BLACK HISTORY MONTH MC KNIGHT from Page 1 sued a no-confidence vote in MCPS leadership, citing concerns over staffing shortages, student absences and a lack of transparent communication. In a statement Tuesday, the union congratulated McKnight and promised to work with her to improve working conditions. Also on Tuesday, the Montgomery County Council issued a statement following the selection of McKnight. “The Council congratulates the Montgomery County Board of Education on their selection of Dr.
Monifa B. McKnight as the next superintendent of Montgomery County Public Schools . . . [She] has led the school system through public health and safety challenges by drawing on her extensive experience working in our schools . . . and successfully moved up the ranks as an assistant principal, principal, deputy superintendent and interim superintendent.” “Dr. McKnight is the first African-American woman to be selected by the Board of Education to become the superintendent of MCPS, which is Maryland’s largest school system and the fourteenth
largest in the U.S. She is a relentless advocate for educational equity and excellence and is a champion for advancing the interests and well-being of children. She also is committed to professional development and continuous improvement across the MCPS system.” “While we understand that this appointment is contingent upon approval by the state superintendent of schools, we are grateful to Dr. McKnight for her ongoing service to our students and their families. We look forward to continuing to work with her in this new role.” McKnight shared a letter with
“Dr. McKnight is the first African-American woman to be selected by the Board of Education to become the superintendent of MCPS, which is Maryland’s largest school system and the fourteenth largest in the U.S. LOVE from Page 20 Cosby Show, Good Times, and Fresh Prince of Belair. Despite his parents’ split, Lafayette was committed to raising children in a “joint household.” “Our children know that it's important to have a dad and a mother that work together. Yes, we have some hard times, but most of the time we have good times,” he says. The two have raised Lafayette Jr. and Desmond Barnes. Denise is also a bonus mom to Nefertiti and credits Wilhelmina for being a great example. In 1986, Denise and Lafayette gave birth to a girl, who passed shortly after birth. The couple planned on the name Makeda Grace Barnes – Makeda is a biblical and African name and Grace after Lafayette’s late mother. (Des-
the community and her colleagues which reflected her pride in being chosen as superintendent. “For 20 years, I have worked in partnership with so many parents, students, teachers and administrators. I have had the privilege to have grown up in this school system as a teacher, teacher leader, principal, central office administrator and deputy superintendent. Today marks the beginning of the next phase of our shared journey.” “This is a moment for which I have prepared my entire professional life, the majority of which I have spent here in Montgomery County Public Schools. Together, there is nothing we cannot accomplish,” McKnight stated. WI @mcneirdk mond is named after Desmond Tutu, a cleric who relentlessly fought to unite races and end the racist system of apartheid in South Africa.) Denise and Lafayette say some of the fondest family memories are traveling – the first international family trip was South Africa. The family plans to return to South Africa later this year. Lafayette says although the initial attraction to Denise was physical (her ‘fro), marriage is about more than that. “Real love and marriage is a commitment that comes from within. So, there's not just a physical attraction, but now it's the internal attraction. It’s Denise’s spirit that keeps me together and happy,” says Lafayette. “I’m happy and she’s nappy because she still has hair. I don’t. Like my dad joke?”
Stay Informed! www.washingtoninformer.com 32 FEBRUARY 10 - 16, 2022
THE WASHINGTON INFORMER / WWW.WASHINGTONINFORMER.COM
Strathmore’s Spring Season Celebrates Black Music and Movement
Step Afrika! Premiere and Octavia Butler’s Parable of the Sower are highlights at the Music Center Submitted by Strathmore This spring, Strathmore will offer an eclectic season of music, dance, and spoken word that includes works grounded in Black music and movement. In their DMV premiere of Drumfolk, Step Afrika! will explore a form of art that took root and made way for tap, beatboxing, and the African American tradition of stepping. Toshi Reagon and Bernice Johnson Reagon offer an opera adaptation of Afro-futurist author Octavia Butler’s Parable of the Sower. Both of these unique performances will all pay homage to the artistic contributions and resilience of African people in America and beyond. As the spring flowers continue to bloom, Wynton Marsalis, along with the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, will pay homage to the rich history of one of the country’s most unique music genres. Latin music enthusiasts will celebrate Latin Grammy Award Winner Marisa Monte’s newest album release, Portas, her first solo release in a decade. Strathmore is proud of its Artist in Residence Program which supports artists as they transition to professional careers. As a member of the 2022 cohort, cellist Titilayo “Titi” Ayangade will showcase her talents on Strathmore’s AMP stage. To close out the season, foodies can engage in all things cuisine with noted cookbook author Yotam Ottolenghi. He’ll share his secrets from the kitchen and offer some inspiration for how to elevate each person’s culinary journey.
STEP AFRIKA!’S DRUMFOLK
Thu. March 3, 2022 | 8pm Fri. March 4, 2022 | 8pm LOCATION: The Music Center Step Afrika!’s newest performance as co-commissioned by Strathmore, Drumfolk, is a celebration of resistance, resilience, and reclamation. It is inspired by The Stono Rebellion of 1739, an uprising initiated by enslaved Africans in South Carolina. From hambone to hip-hop, Drumfolk features an extraordinary ensemble of dancers, drummers, and musicians that will take us from the 17th century to today, revealing the hidden histories and resounding rhythms that transformed America.
TITILAYO AYANGADE
– Cellist Wed. March 9 & 23, 2022 | 8pm LOCATION: AMP
Artist In Residence Titilayo “Titi” Ayangade is dedicated to spotlighting musicians of color and giving voice to underrepresented artists and enjoys commissioning new music as well as performing with orchestras and chamber ensembles. Ayangade has a degree in performance from University of Cincinnati and University of Texas at Austin, and is currently pursuing a DMA at the University of Maryland. Sponsored by Tina and Arthur Lazerow & Bayo and Funke Oyewole
MARISA MONTE
Co-presented by Samba Jig Thu. March 10, 2022 | 8pm LOCATION: The Music Center Marisa Monte, a four-time Latin Grammy winner, stormed onto the music scene in her native Brazil in the late 1980s and has remained center stage ever since. Her 2022 US tour celebrates the release of her newest project Portas (Phonomotor/Sony Music). Recorded across multiple continents during the pandemic, the album is Monte’s first solo release in a decade.
AN EVENING WITH ANNE LAMOTT
Fri. March 18, 2022 | 8pm LOCATION: The Music Center With self-effacing humor, Anne Lamott writes about things that begin with capital letters: Alcoholism, Motherhood, Jesus. In all her novels, Lamott doesn’t try to sugar-coat the sadness, frustration, and disappointment, but tells her stories with honesty, compassion, and a pureness of voice in times of loss. Lamott is the author of seven novels and she has also written several best-selling nonfiction books including: Operating Instructions and Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life.
AN EVENING WITH DAVID SEDARIS
Mon. April 4, 2022 | 8pm LOCATION: The Music Center Sedaris, master of satire and bestselling author of Me Talk Pretty One Day, is one of today’s most observant writers addressing the human condition. In his newest book Calypso, fans will hear these stories live as the Grammy nominee and New York Times best-selling author brings heart and hilarity to the stage.
JAZZ AT LINCOLN CENTER ORCHESTRA WITH WYNTON MARSALIS
Fri. April 8, 2022 | 8pm LOCATION: The Music Center Iconic jazz trumpeter Wynton Marsalis leads the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra (JLCO) as they perform a vast repertoire ranging from rare historic compositions to Jazz at Lincoln Center‐commissioned works. The JLCO will inspire and uplift with their unique sound, and masterful arrangements of jazz classics by Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Thelonious Monk, Mary Lou Williams, and many others.
AN EVENING WITH GEORGE WINSTON
Sat. April 9, 2022 | 8pm LOCATION: The Music Center For more than 40 years, pianist George Winston has inspired fans and musicians with his singular solo acoustic piano songs while selling 15 million albums. Winston’s music is evocative, offering fans a chance to take a step back from their busy lives to let their minds adventurously wander. In 2019, he released his 15th solo album, Restless Wind, a portrayal of Winston’s place in a chaotic world.
KRONOS QUARTET A THOUSAND THOUGHTS
A documentary with live music, written and directed by Sam Green and Joe Bini Thu. April 21, 2022 | 8pm LOCATION: The Music Center On screen, the quartet’s history at the vanguard of contemporary music unfolds through archival footage and interviews with luminaries like Philip Glass, Terry Riley, Tanya Tagaq, and Steve Reich. On stage, Kronos revisits works from its vast and expansive catalog, performing music by George Crumb, Laurie Anderson, John Zorn, Aleksandra Vrebalov, and many others—while Green narrates in real time. Generously sponsored in part by Joel and Liz Helke
OCTAVIA E. BUTLER’S PARABLE OF THE SOWER
Created by Toshi Reagon & Bernice Johnson Reagon- Directed by Eric Ting Co-presented by Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company Thu. April 28, 2022 | 8pm Fri. April 29, 2022 | 8pm LOCATION: The Music Center Adapted from the celebrated work
WWW.WASHINGTONINFORMER.COM / THE WASHINGTON INFORMER
of Octavia Butler, Parable of the Sower is a triumphant, mesmerizing fully-staged opera featuring more than 30 original anthems drawn from 200 years of Black music to recreate Butler’s sci-fi, Afrofuturist masterpiece live on stage. With music and lyrics by Toshi Reagon and Bernice Johnson Reagon, this significant work, that makes it’s DMV debut, gives life to Butler’s acclaimed science fiction novel of the same name.
YOTAM OTTOLENGHI
Sun. May 1, 2022 | 8pm LOCATION: The Music Center James Beard Award-winning cookbook author and chef Yotam Ottolenghi shares his passion for everything food as he dishes secrets from the kitchen. Ottolenghi is the author of beloved cookbooks Jerusalem, Ottolenghi Simple, and more. His much-anticipated new book, Otto-
lenghi Flavor, builds on the vegetable cooking that made his books Plenty and Plenty More bestsellers and teaches ways to create flavor via more than 100 plant-based recipes.
ABOUT STRATHMORE
Strathmore presents and produces exemplary visual and performing arts programs for diverse audiences; creates dynamic arts education experiences; and nurtures creative ideas and conversations that advance the future of the arts. All of Strathmore’s facilities are Global Biorisk Advisory Council® (GBAC) STAR™ accredited. Proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test (PCR), and facemasks are required to attend any performance or event inside any of its buildings. For further information or tickets, call (301) 581-5100 or visit www.strathmore.org.
Coming up at GREGORY PORTER Mon & Tue, Feb 14 & 15
DC-area premiere
STEP AFRIKA! DRUMFOLK Thu & Fri, March 3 & 4 Resistance. Resilience. Reclamation.
JAZZ AT LINCOLN CENTER ORCHESTRA WITH WYNTON MARSALIS Fri, April 8
OCTAVIA E. BUTLER’S
PARABLE OF THE SOWER
Co-presented by Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company
Thu & Fri, April 28 & 29 A powerful theatrical concert by Toshi Reagon & Bernice Johnson Reagon
Gregory Porter by Erik Umphery, Step Afrika!, Wynton Marsalis by Piper Ferguson, Parable of the Sower by Reed Hutchinson
STRATHMORE.ORG | 301.581.5100 5301 Tuckerman Lane, North Bethesda, MD 20852
FEBRUARY 10 - 16, 2022 33
BLACK HISTORY MONTH
The Cradle of Man Earnest E. Lacey Special to the Washington Informer Historian and professor, Dr. John Henrik Clarke, was once asked why is there a need for an African-American History Month, as there is no similar month for any other minority group in America. Historically, “African-Americans were the least integrated and most neglected of these groups in the historical interpretation of the American experience. This neglect made African-American History Month a necessity,” Clarke said. He also noted that “Early white American historians did not accord African people anywhere a respectful place in their commentaries on the history of man. In the closing years of the 19th century, African-American historians began to look at their people’s history from their vantage point and point of view.” Dr. Benjamin Quarks made that observation as early as 1883, followed by Dr. W. E. B. DuBois’s doctoral dissertation, published in 1895 at Harvard University.
34 FEBRUARY 10 - 16, 2022
Dr. Carter G. Woodson, an African-American historian, author, journalist and father of Black History Week which evolved into Black History Month, conceived the idea, convinced that unless something was done to rescue the Black man from history’s oversight, he would become a “negligible factor in the thought process of the world.” In 1915, he founded the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History. Woodson believed that Negro History was simply a missing segment of world history. He devoted the greater portion of his life to restoring this segment. Dr. Dubois said much the same: “Nearly every human empire that has arisen in the world, material and spiritual, has found some of its greatest crises on the continent of Africa.” The Nile Valley of civilization of Africa had already brought forth two Golden Ages of achievement and left its mark for all the world to see before Herodotus, a Greek writer, geographer and historian who visited Africa circa 450 B.C. wrote eyewitness accounts of African civilizations in decline and
partly ruined after numerous invasions. Much of the history of Africa was written by foreigners, missionaries and adventurers. The Egyptians left the best record of their history written by writers from the culture and locale. It wasn’t until the end of the 18th century when European scholars learned to decipher their writing that their impact was recognized. Europeans colonized lands but they also colonized information about the world and its people. In order to do that, they had to forget, or pretend to forget, that the first Africans they met were not slaves. European scholars attempted for years to deny that Egypt is a part of Africa. According to most records, cultural and scientific, Africans are the oldest people on the face of the earth. The people now called Africans not only influenced the Greeks and the Romans but influenced the early world before there was a place called Europe. For years, historians and other scholars have gone back and forth, discussing the location of the “cradle of man.” Many guessed it was in Asia. But in 1871, Charles Darwin,
the British naturalist, determined it was Africa. A fossilized skull of a man, thought to be 2.6 million years old, was discovered in a desert in Nairobi, Kenya, proving Darwin correct some 100 years later. The discovery was made by Richard Leakey, a scientist and the son of missionary parents, Dr. Mary and Dr. Louis B. Leakey, both anthropologists. Richard, who became the administrative director of the National Museum of Kenya, said his findings convinced him that “man walked from Africa out to all the other continents. “If there was a garden of Eden, I would call it the African continent,” he said. Since then, discoveries have continued elsewhere on the African continent, so much so, that many now refer to Africa as “the cradle of mankind.” Dr. Clarke, who died July 16, 1998 said, “African or Black History should be taught every day, not only in the schools but in the home. African-American History Month should be every month. We need to learn about all the African people of the world, including those who live in
5 Dr. Carter G. Woodson (Courtesy photo)
Asia and on the islands of the Pacific.” “In the 21st century there will be over one billion African people in the world. We are tomorrow’s people. But, of course, we were yesterday’s people too. With an understanding of our new importance, we can change the world, if first we change ourselves” Clarke said. WI
THE WASHINGTON INFORMER / WWW.WASHINGTONINFORMER.COM
DC FUTURES from Page 23
among students seeking bachelor’s degrees. This trend, which ramped up during the pandemic, has incited fears about the shrinking of a high-skills workforce. Even though Green said she’s found success without a college degree, she values the discipline that college instills. It has forced her to balance time between her studies, wifely duties and obligations to a grandchild she currently homeschools. However, she asserts that her responsibilities haven’t deterred her. “I love my classes. My legal and writing class hits my soul,” Green said. “The attention to detail and getting into the weeds of things, looking into situations and understanding if that’s [considered] breaking the law. You can drill down deep to understand the laws of a state or country. In another class, I learned about the various forms of business and the loopholes a person can find for themselves.” WI @SamPKCollins
Superintendent Dr. Christina Grant. “Tuition support is essential and, when paired with the additional supports of coaching and access to emergency funds, DC Futures will be an excellent catalyst for helping our residents start and complete their higher education goals.” A college degree has been connected with increased access to job opportunities, increased earning potential and networking opportunities. However, conversations about the rising cost of college and the grip that college debt has on many Americans, has compelled high school graduates to explore other options. Data released last month showed a significant drop in college enrollment nationwide, especially in community colleges. It’s no different locally, where community colleges in the D.C. metropolitan region have experienced enrollment decline of at least 10 percent. Experts also cite declines Q2 AMTRAK PRINT_Washington Informer_B-AA
3-1.pdf
1
1/25/22
4:12
BLACK HISTORY MONTH
BONUS PAY from Page 22
dent of Education [OSSE] on not only the creation of a pay scale that compensates teachers based on experience but program oversight that holds the District accountable to early childhood educators. In the midst of all the excitement about the pay bonus on February 1, Ruqiyyah Anbar-Shaheen, director of the Under 3 DC Coalition and task force member, reiterated the latter point. “It is now up to OSSE to ensure educators receive their supplemental pay by the end of this fiscal budget year [on] September 31,” Anbar-Shaheen said. “Our coalition hopes OSSE will prioritize paying educators this year. Educators will need generous assistance to help them apply for the supplemental pay and understand, in their preferred language, how the salary boost could impact their benefits and taxes.” WI PM @SamPKCollins
(Courtesy photo)
C
M
Y
CM
MY
CY
CMY
K
WWW.WASHINGTONINFORMER.COM / THE WASHINGTON INFORMER
FEBRUARY 10 - 16, 2022 35
BLACK HISTORY MONTH Smiling is fundamental
5 The tooth fairy makes an appearance at the “Give Kids A Smile” event at Discovery Learning Academy in Northeast on February 7. (Ja’Mon Jackson/The Washington Informer) 3 Fortis College in Landover hosted its annual “Give Kids A Smile” event at Discovery Learning Academy in Northeast on February 7. Dental assistants and oral hygiene instructors gave free dental care to the children to promote proper dental care. (Ja’Mon Jackson/The Washington Informer)
Honoring leaders giving back to their communities During Black History Month, AARP recognizes leaders taking action to give back and help build up their communities.
Ify Nwabukwu,
President & Founder African Women’s Cancer Awarness Association Washington, DC Metropolitan Area To learn more about this community leader and their journey, visit aarp.org/blackcommunity
Ify Nwabukwu, the founder of the African Women’s Cancer Awareness Association, provides community outreach that helps reduce disparities in education, resources and prevention of breast cancer for Black women in the Washington, DC Metro Area. AARP believes the efforts of one person can truly make an impact. But when our efforts drive change for the greater good, we thrive together.
36 FEBRUARY 10 - 16, 2022
THE WASHINGTON INFORMER / WWW.WASHINGTONINFORMER.COM
Who tells the story makes the difference When the story being told is personal to the storyteller, it makes an emotional connection. And when their story is your story as well, then the connection is even stronger. Just say, “Black Experience,” into your Xfinity Voice Remote and enjoy the largest curated Independent Black Film Collection on demand, plus new and classic TV shows, blockbuster movies, and much more. Xfinity, where Black History is always on. Sign up today at xfinity.com/blackexperience
Restrictions apply. Not available in all areas. Requires Xfinity TV with X1 and compatible TV box or Xfinity Flex and Xfinity Internet. © 2022 Comcast. All Rights Reserved. Based on review of curated content between September and December 2021. NPA239501-0002 NED-Black History Month-V4
WWW.WASHINGTONINFORMER.COM / THE WASHINGTON INFORMER 142222_NPA239501-0002 Black History Month ad 9.875x10.935 V4.indd 1
FEBRUARY 10 - 16, 2022 37 1/24/22 7:56 PM
LIFESTYLE Your seats are waiting. TICKETS ON SALE NOW
FEATURING
Ladysmith Black Mambazo Sunday, Feb. 27 at 7 p.m. The globally celebrated South African vocal ensemble
UPCOMING
Mark Morris Dance Group Virginia Opera Metropolitan Jazz Orchestra ...and much more!
TICKETS cfa.gmu.edu or 703-993-2787
‘RACE: Bubba Wallace,’ a Film About More than Gas and Speed
Docuseries Chronicles Live of a Black NASCAR Champion Brenda C. Siler WI Contributing Writer NASCAR hot shot Bubba Wallace, who’s been behind the wheel of fast cars since the age of nine, said being a Black man driving in a southern-bred sport, hasn’t been easy. And during Black History Month, his story will come to life for viewers in a six-part docuseries, "RACE: Bubba Wallace," airing on Netflix beginning February 22. People who know the NASCAR champ, William Darrell "Bubba" Wallace, Jr., including his family, fiancé, racing team members, team owners and racing competitors, comment on Wallace's determination, commitment to excellence and his positive spirit in the docuseries. Wallace, 28, counts as just the fourth Black NASCAR driver in contemporary history. Those who paved the way include: Wendall Scott, Willy Ribbs and Bill Lester. They, like Wallace, faced numerous challenges but stayed the course because they wanted to be accepted by their peers and the racing community. Even more, they wanted to win. "I'm just like everybody else but we're just drivers in the end," Wallace said in the documentary.
However, in contrast to Blacks who came before him, "RACE" reveals the impact that global news coverage and social media, especially comments on Twitter, have had on Wallace. He said he’s heard it all including statements like, “NASCAR is using Bubba as the token Black racer,” “We're no longer fans of NASCAR.” “We don't like you.” Despite such negative comments, Wallace has attracted the attention of high-ranking figures in NASCAR including Joe Gibbs, former coach for the Washington Commanders, and the owner of the successful Joe Gibbs Racing team. Wallace was recruited for NASCAR's diversity program started by Gibbs, former NFL player Reggie White and the NBA's Magic Johnson. His progress continued with Richard "The King" Petty's racing team bringing him on board to replace an injured driver. And while many Black athletes try to remain focused on winning and avoid speaking out on race issues, Wallace took a stand in 2020 after the deaths of George Floyd and Ahmaud Arbery shook Blacks across the nation and protests and marches began to spring up in cities in the U.S. and abroad. On the day before he would
compete in a NASCAR race at Atlanta Motor Speedway on June 7, 2020, Wallace decided to wear a shirt which read, "I Can't Breath/ Black Lives Matter." He informed his team of his plan and said they supported his decision. "This puts the ball in the court of anybody who has a problem with this because I don't want to be associated with you,” he would say following the public act of support for Black activism. But he received encouragement. "To be a Black man in that NASCAR space, he knew he was putting himself out there," said comedian, producer and director W. Kamau Bell. "It's brave." Things heated up when asked by CNN's Don Lemon, "To have NASCAR come out, what's the next action?" Wallace said fans should feel comfortable when attending a NASCAR event and proposed one immediate way to ease the fears of Blacks who may want to enjoy the races. "So, it starts with the Confederate flag. Get them out of here,” he said in the first episode of the docuseries. WI 6 NASCAR driver and winner Bubba Wallace is the subject of a sixpart documentary airing on Netflix beginning February 22. Family, friends, team members, team owners and racing legends give voice to Wallace's fast-growing career. (Courtesy photo)
Located on the Fairfax campus of George Mason University. For information on health and safety protocols, visit cfa.gmu.edu/vaccination.
Become a Published Author with Dorrance. We want to read your book! Our staff is made up of writers, just like you. We are dedicated to making publishing dreams come true. Trusted by authors for nearly 100 years, Dorrance has made countless authors’ dreams come true.
Complete Book Publishing Services FIVE EASY STEPS TO PUBLICATION: 1. Consultation
4. Distribution
2. Book Production 5. Merchandising and Fulfillment 3. Promotion
Call now to receive your FREE Author’s Guide
877-420-7280
or www.dorranceinfo.com/informer
38 FEBRUARY 10 - 16, 2022
THE WASHINGTON INFORMER / WWW.WASHINGTONINFORMER.COM
‘Syncopated Ladies’ Make a Statement Through Tap
LIFESTYLE
Prove the Powerful Choreography More Than Just a Man’s Thing Brenda C. Siler WI Contributing Writer For decades men have dominated the tap dance scene including Bill “Bojangles” Robinson, the Nicholas Brothers, Fred Astaire, Sandman Sims, Sammy Davis, Jr., Gregory Hines and Savion Glover. But women have finally begun to be appreciated and featured, like the dance band ensemble “Syncopated Ladies” who will take the spotlight soon here in the District. As a part of their 2021-22 season, Washington Performing Arts will present “Syncopated Ladies” at the Lincoln Theatre on February 20. Emmy-nominated choreographer, actress, director and producer for the “Ladies” will be native Washingtonian Chole Arnold. She promises the dance group will show diverse tap styles incorporating hip hop, jazz, solo features and improvisation during their upcoming show. “What makes us unique is that we put flavor in it,” said Arnold, who grew up in Ward 4 in Northwest. “It’s reflective of our culture and our vernacular. It’s an oral and visual experience.”
Arnold got the idea for a female tap dance troupe while attending Columbia University in New York City. As an aspiring tap dancer, she noticed the absence of Black women in shows with none given the chance to headline productions. Arnold deemed such situations as unacceptable and turned to her mentor, Debbie Allen, for advice. “You need to come to L.A. I think you’ll do better there,” Allen said. Arnold, who met Allen years earlier at one of her youth training programs at the Kennedy Center, went to L.A. where Allen ushered her around the city. Allen also found a place for Arnold to live and let her train at her dance school. She coached Arnold to create it if it doesn’t exist. That encouragement included studio space from Allen so Arnold could work through her vision of women giving the power to tap dance. “My life is amazing because of what she taught me, how she challenged me and because she believed in me,” Arnold said. “That is really why all the magic has happened.” Due to COVID-19, the Ladies ha-
ven’t toured for nearly two years but Arnold has stayed busy. As for upcoming show, it will feature the talents of Arnold, her sister and co-producer Maud Arnold, Anissa Lee, Pamela Yasutake and Gisele Silva. More tour dates will be added this year. In between a rigorous practice and tour schedule, Arnold and her sister Maud give back to young people interested in tap dance through their Chole and Maude Foundation. D.C. Tap Fest occurs under the umbrella of their foundation and will return in late Spring as an in-person event after being a virtual gathering for the past two years. D.C. Tap Fest will award scholarships, hold 100 masterclasses and include many tap jam sessions. According to Arnold, at D.C. Tap Fest, “anyone who wants to dance can dance.” For ticket information about the Washington Performing Arts presents “Syncopated Ladies” at the Lincoln Theatre on February 20, visit https://www.washingtonperformingarts.org. WI 4 Emmy-nominated choreographer, actress, director and producer for “Syncopated Ladies” is native Washingtonian Chole Arnold (left). Her sister, Maud Arnold, also from the District, is a co-producer and dancer. Washington Performing Arts presents the tap dance ensemble at the Lincoln Theatre on February 20. (Photo courtesy Lee Gumbs Photography, courtesy of SILLAR Management)
(Courtesy photo)
WWW.WASHINGTONINFORMER.COM / THE WASHINGTON INFORMER
FEBRUARY 10 - 16, 2022 39
KID SCOOP IS SPONSORED BY
40 FEBRUARY 10 - 16, 2022
THE WASHINGTON INFORMER / WWW.WASHINGTONINFORMER.COM
The American Heart Association and Johns Hopkins Medicine – National Capital Region Call on Women across the Greater Washington Region to ‘Reclaim Your Rhythm’ for Heart Month and Beyond Submitted by the American Heart Association The American Heart Association, the leading global volunteer organization dedicated to fighting heart disease and stroke, is proud to announce that Johns Hopkins Medicine – National Capital Region (JHM-NCR) is the Live Fierce Go Red sponsor for the Greater Washington Region. JHM-NCR will focus on women’s physical and mental health around the Go Red for Women campaign that will educate the community through multiple public awareness campaigns and online educational experiences. “When it comes to women, particularly women of color and younger women, we continue to see disparities around the recognition of symptoms, treatment of chronic stress and more,” said Jessica Melton, president and chief operating officer of Suburban Hospital, part of JHM-NCR. “Women have unique needs and risks factors when it comes to heart health. Our physicians and care teams are focused on raising awareness and bringing their expertise to support the health and well-being of women across our region.” The campaign launches with a call for women to “Reclaim Your Rhythm” starting on Friday, February 4, as a part of the Association’s Go Red for Women National Wear Red Day. “Go Red for Women and JHM-NCR will help women by promoting opportunities to build healthy habits and learn from leading experts throughout the year,” said Soula Antoniou, executive director of the American Heart Association. “We’re thankful for the ongoing commitment of Johns Hopkins Medicine to improve women’s lives.” Experts say the effects of COVID-19 are likely to influence cardiovascular health and mortality rates for many years, directly and indirectly, physically and emotionally. “Now’s the time for women everywhere to prioritize their health and well-being and
‘reclaim the rhythm’ that allows them to flourish,” said Carolyn Carpenter, president of Johns Hopkins Health System for the National Capital Region. “We recognize that fulfilling our mission of improving the health of our communities requires that we increase our support to the women who form its foundation. Our plan is to do just that through expanding access to services, disseminating new knowledge and bringing additional clinical expertise to the women of the NCR.”
5 WAYS YOU CAN RECLAIM YOUR RHYTHM:
1. Mellow Out and Reduce Stress Stress leads to unhealthy habits like overeating, physical inactivity, smoking and risk factors for heart disease and stroke like high blood pressure, depression or anxiety. 2. Move to the Music Physical activity is linked to lower risk of diseases, stronger bones and muscles, improved mental health and cognitive function, and lower risk of depression. 3. Feed Your Soul, Rock Your Recipes Eat meals together as a family for a chance to connect and decompress. Regular meals at home with family reduce stress, boost self-esteem and make the whole family feel connected. 4. Stay on Beat with Blood Pressure High blood pressure is a leading cause and controllable risk factor for heart disease and stroke and can contribute to worse outcomes for people who contract COVID-19. Together we can change the statistics and help women create the healthy habits they need to have their best chance at life. 5 Ways YOU can Reclaim Your Rhythm: 1.Mellow Out and Reduce Stress. 2.Move to the Music. 3.Feed Your Soul, Rock Your Recipes. 4.Stay on Beat with Blood Pressure. 5.Keep the Beat! Learn Hands-Only CPR.
Learn more at www.DCGoRed.Heart.org #GoRedDC
Go Red for Women is nationally sponsored by
5. Keep the Beat! Learn Hands-Only CPR When a person has a cardiac arrest, survival depends on immediately receiving CPR from someone nearby. Help your community reclaim their rhythm by learning the two simple steps of Hands-Only CPR: Call 911, then press hard and fast in the center of the chest. Join the conversation on social media by using #GoRedDC and #HeartMonth. The American Heart Association’s Go Red for Women® movement is nationally sponsored by CVS Health and locally sponsored by Johns Hopkins Medicine. Learn more about upcoming events and download health resources at www.DCGoRed.Heart.org.
Live Fierce. Go Red. sponsored by
WWW.WASHINGTONINFORMER.COM / THE WASHINGTON INFORMER
FEBRUARY 10 - 16, 2022 41
Not for President Harrison!
© 2022 by Vicki Whiting, Editor Jeff Schinkel, Graphics Vol. 35, No. 11
Benjamin Harrison, our 23rd president, was the first president to have this in the White House. However, he was so scared of it—he never used it! What was it? The letters along the correct path on the maze spell the answer.
Forty-five people have been President of the United States. On this week’s Kid Scoop page, we get to know a few of them a little better!
Our 10th president, John Tyler, had the most children. Color the squares with even numbers RED, and the odd-numbered squares BLUE to reveal the answer.
3 5 7 9 1 3 1 5 7 7 5 3
5 2 4 6 2 6 8 4 8 2 2 7
7 6 8 2 4 8 2 8 6 4 8 1
9 7 1 5 5 9 3 1 7 9 3 5
7 5 3 9 1 3 5 9 3 5 1 9
1 8 2 6 2 4 6 5 1 6 8 3
1 6 8 4 2 8 4 9 7 8 2 5
5 2 4 9 5 2 8 9 5 2 6 1
9 4 2 5 7 8 2 6 6 8 4 9
3 8 6 1 3 2 8 4 8 6 8 5
5 1 5 3 9 5 3 1 5 7 9 7
Our 15th president bought slaves in Washington, D.C. and took them to Pennsylvania to give them their freedom. Use the code to discover the name of this president. =A
The “S” in President Harry S. Truman’s name doesn't stand for anything. Unable to decide on a middle name for over a month, his parents settled on the letter “S” in honor of his maternal grandfather, Solomon Young, and his paternal grandfather, Anderson Shipp Truman.
President Herbert Hoover’s son had two pet alligators, which were sometimes allowed to run loose throughout the White House. Hoover was our 31st president.
Presidential Photos: WhiteHouse.gov
Dedicated to Freedom for All
=B
=C
=E
=H
=J
=M
=N
=S
Andrew Johnson, our 17th president, was trained as a tailor in his youth. He continued to make his own suits—even while president. Can you find the A two identical suits?
D
Standards Link: Follow simple written directions.
=U
President Tailor?
C
“I don’t k whether y fully unde that I have been shot audience. I do not c shot; not a
E
B
Find the words in the puzzle. PRESIDENT How many of them can you find on this page? WRESTLING ALLIGATOR P F K W N I T A L R CHILDREN C R N R O B O T H O FREEDOM H E E E E S U O H T TAILOR SUITS I E T S U I T S A A LATIN L D I T I S W I H G WHITE D O H L R D L T A I HOUSE R M W I W O E E N L TYLER E F F N R A C N D L FIRST BUSH N T S G R E L Y T A HAND Standards Link: Letter sequencing. Recongized identical BOTH words. Skim and scan reading. Recall spelling patterns.
Ambidextrous Super Power!
Ambidextrous means the ability to write with both hands. Not only was our 20th president ambidextrous, he could write Latin with one hand and Greek with the other at the same time. Hold this page up to a mirror to read this president’s name.
Standards Link: Research: Use the newspaper to locate information.
Presidential Advisor
Imagine you are an advisor to the president on the concerns of your community or neighborhood. Find articles in the newspaper showing issues your community is facing. Make a list of the ways you think the president could help. Standards Link: Research: Use the newspaper to locate information.
If I Were President
What would you do? How would you spend your days? Why would you want to be president?
KID SCOOP IS SPONSORED BY
42 FEBRUARY 10 - 16, 2022
The
Th
Th
Te
T
The He
During his senior year of high school at Phillips Academy in Andover, Mass., George W. Bush, who would become the nation’s 43rd president, was Wrestling captain of the West Winger cheerleading Our 16th president is one team. of our most celebrated. But not a lot of people Celebrate Our know that he was a Presidents wrestler. In 300 matches, Look through the he only lost one. He is in newspaper to see how the Wrestling Hall of your community is Fame with the honor of celebrating Presidents “Outstanding American.” Day. If you don’t find Circle every other much, write a letter to letter to reveal this the editor with your president’s name. ideas on how the day could be celebrated in your community.
RAKBGRLAZHVAWMJLSIHNBCUORLQN
President nickname each math those with answers r nickname odd-numb
F
Presidential Cheer
Race a friend to see which alligator can reach dinner first!
He compl speech wi lodged in he went to survived t
THE WASHINGTON INFORMER / WWW.WASHINGTONINFORMER.COM
The M
Haro
Th
The G
Th
The D
5 knames!
Which president had the most kids?
Theodore president, while givi Milwauke
What do y nickname
LIFESTYLE
wi book review "Didn't We Almost Have It All? In Defense of Whitney Houston" By Gerrick Kennedy, foreword by Brandy c.2022, Abrams Press $28 306 pages Terri Schlichenmeyer WI Contributing Writer That song. It always makes you want to dance with somebody. It gets your feet shuffling and your behind bouncing and the lyrics pour out of your mouth. And that singer who first sang it to you …? You know what happened to her, but in "Didn't We Almost Have It All?" by Gerrick Kennedy, you'll get a few more pieces of the puzzle. She died two days after he met her "in a room inside the Beverly Hilton …" Gerrick Kennedy fell in love with Whitney Houston in a movie theater when he was just 5 years old. He purchased her music as a teen, followed her career closely, he met her once, and even now, his partner knows whose music is blasting when he sees Kennedy "floating away" with "earbuds poking out of my ears." Now, nearly 10 years since her death, Kennedy believes it's time for a reckoning. "We missed so much the first time around," he says, and we need to look at Houston's contribution to "our dialogue around celebrity, addiction … mental illness, and Blackness in America …" "To fully appreciate the anointing that graced Whitney's voice, it's essential to understand the almighty power of Cissy Houston." Indeed, Houston learned at her mother's knee about God and gospel music — knowledge that came from a far-back source: Cissy's parents put church and choir center in her life. God was a beacon to Whitney, and other musical talents — cousins Dee Dee and Dionne Warwick and "auntie" Aretha — further guided the young Houston. Her first album rose to Number One on the charts; "She was on fire out the gate …" says Kennedy. Most people remember the power of her biggest hit, that "BOOM," he says, before Houston's voice soars, but a combination of drugs, bad decisions, and a bad relationship plagued her toward the end of her life. We watched "in horror" as she slid and "By the early aughts we were all watching, waiting … for the worst to happen …" In his introduction, author Gerrick Kennedy indicates that he wanted his book about Houston to be different from all the others, more meaning, less trouble. He succeeded. To a point. It's difficult to extricate Houston the icon from Houston the megastar — they are mostly one and the same — and stepping back two generations or profiling other singers and music executives doesn't help as much as Kennedy asserts. That stuff is all fluff; interesting, but covered elsewhere. The best part of "Didn't We Almost Have It All?" comes in the latter third of the book. It's there that Kennedy examines the depth of Houston's contributions and the "meaning" of her decline and death to the Black community. There's a lot of introspection in it, as well as a shift in how we think about our celebrities. Tackle "Didn't We Almost Have It All?," therefore, and you can expect to see things you already know, but you can also expect to be delighted. It's a fan's book, for sure, and reading it might be the greatest love of all. WI
horoscopes
FEB 10 - 16, 2022
ARIES When the week begins, you might find yourself itching to make significant progress on a shared goal with your partner, a dear friend, or a close colleague. You'll enjoy the give-and-take of collaborating as well as the opportunity to put your individual strengths to work. The experience can bring you closer. Later, you'll do well to think back on the ways you've been reframing your current professional path. Lucky Numbers: 3, 43, 47 TAURUS At the week's start, you'll do well to initiate any potentially deep or challenging conversations with your partner or a close business partner. Letting ideas flow freely, especially around some of your most deep-rooted emotions, can feel productive and relieving. Later, the cosmos amplifies your motivation to hit your wellness goals. Lucky Numbers: 14, 16, 27 GEMINI If you've been wanting to pitch an impressive idea to higher-ups, make sure to take advantage of the vibe in the early part of the week. You are feeling especially imaginative, emotional, and creative, setting the stage for exciting, whimsical ideas that are sure to be a hit. Later, the cosmos bumps up your appetite for flirtation, fun dates, and time with friends. Lucky Numbers: 5, 11, 13 CANCER Getting out of a rut and exploring uncharted terrain with your current partner or a potential significant other might be at the top of your mind as the week starts. Whether you hit the road and drive out of your neck of the woods to enjoy a romantic weeknight dinner or take a new workout or meditation class, doing something extraordinary together is key. The moment might make you feel like you've just met, and sparks will fly. Later, the cosmos prompts you to seek greater work/life balance. Lucky Numbers: 10, 35, 39 LEO At the beginning of the week, the cosmos elevates your need to connect with loved ones who live both near and far. You'll do well to nail down definitive plans for regular catch-up chats and connect with loved ones. The more you can bond with people who feel like home, the more centered and secure you can be now. Lucky Numbers: 4, 26, 36 VIRGO Opening up about your most deep-seated, passionate emotions with your significant other or a close confidant comes naturally early in the week. Letting yourself get carried away by how you feel and maybe even allowing it to inform your creative self-expression can be both therapeutic and relationship building now. Later, the cosmos urges you to step up your efforts to bring in new sources of cash and be more diligent and goal oriented when it comes to your budget and investment strategies. Lucky Numbers: 1, 18, 31 LIBRA As the week starts, you'll be fired up to hit all your major personal goals whether they're related to your career or your wellness. Your desire to nail down concrete results will be running high, but allow yourself to play a bit, experimenting with various group workouts you can do with your friends or allowing for creative brainstorming before delivering that ambitious work proposal. Lucky Numbers: 6, 9, 58 SCORPIO When the week starts, you get the green light to pitch fanciful ideas on the job or dive into an art project you've been inspired to work on. Bringing your whole heart to the table can make the effort even more successful. Later, you might be feeling more verbal than usual about your feelings and needs. Lucky Numbers: 39, 41, 46 SAGITTARIUS You might start to feel like it's time to enact changes around the way you bring in money early in the week. Make sure to reflect on psychological and emotional lessons that have played out over the past several months, because everything you've learned can help inform your next moves. Later, you're inspired to research methods for exploring and bolstering your emotional and mental wellness. Therapy, meditation, and journaling are all strategies that might be particularly appealing and useful during this time. Lucky Numbers: 12, 38, 48 CAPRICORN You're always on a mission to boost your personal growth, but early in the week you'll have even more wind in your sails to create bold, impressive changes that will strengthen your self-image. Think back on the past several months to map out the shifts you know in your gut you need to make. Later, the cosmos infuses your professional drive with even more fire and energy. Lucky Numbers: 7, 20, 37 AQUARIUS Early this week, you're inspired to initiate a more vibrant conversation about big-picture ideas. You'll also be driven to do even more deep-dive research than usual, as long as the endgame is making professional dreams a reality. The more you can express yourself and connect with others on your goals, the closer you'll be to a win now. Lucky Numbers: 3, 5, 25 PISCES At the start of the week, you'll be craving connection on a transformative and deep physical, emotional, and spiritual level with your current significant other or someone special. Making your needs known and having direct, powerful, intense conversations about how you can satisfy one another can lead to true and lasting fulfillment. Lucky Numbers: 16, 24, 40
WWW.WASHINGTONINFORMER.COM / THE WASHINGTON INFORMER
FEBRUARY 10 - 16, 2022 43
SPORTS
Congratulations to Isaiah Prince, a Prince George's former student, in his First Super Bowl Appearance
Blacks Will Again Represent on the Sidelines at the Super Bowl Ed Hill WI Sports Writer Super Bowl LVI is quickly approaching and will feature the upstart Cincinnati Bengals and the LA Rams on Sunday, Feb. 13 in Los Angeles. Last year was historic for the NFL as it assigned an all-Black officiating crew for the first time in league history. And while that won’t happen again this year, African Americans will be well-represented both as officials and as coaches. Here's the lineup. Ron Torbert will serve as the referee, Carl Johnson as the line judge and Keith Washington as the side judge. Torbert will be doing his first Super Bowl, Carl Johnson his sec-
ond and Keith Washington his first. As for the coaching staffs, the Rams have nine African Americans: Raheem Morris, defensive coordinator; Nick Johnson, offensive assistant; Jonathan Cooley, secondary coach; Marcus Dixon, assistant defensive coordinator; Eric Henderson, defensive line/run game; Ejiro Evers, secondary/pass game coordinator; Chris Shula, linebackers; Eric Yarber, wide receivers; and Thomas Brown, running backs/assistant head coach. The Bengals have five Blacks on their staff: Justin Hall, running backs; Marion Hobby, defensive line; Steve Jackson, cornerbacks/secondary; Troy Walters, wide receiv-
5 Raheem Morris (Courtesy photo)
ers; and Todd Hunt, assistant strength and conditioning.
DREAMS CAN COME TRUE
For those interested in becoming a football official, it is recommended that you start at the youth level. A good place to begin would be at Pop Warner Football (popwarner.com) or USA Football (supportatusafootballcom). If you feel that you are more advanced and ready for the high school level, contact nfhs.org (highschoolofficials.com). If you are interested in becoming a football coach, go to www.indeed.com/how for the nuts and bolts. WI
Nyckolas Harbor Illustrates the Best in Black Youth Student Athlete at Archbishop Carroll High Described as ‘Special’ Ed Hill WI Sports Writer If someone wanted to find the perfect candidate for a poster child who illustrates what an elite student athlete should resemble, Nyckolas Harbor would be a strong candidate. Not only is he an outstanding two-sport athlete but he’s an honor student in the classroom and a leader among his peers A junior at Archbishop Carroll High School in the District, Nyckolas has been described as a “special young man” by Carroll Assistant Track Coach Victor Blackett. Blackett helped recruit the youth to the prestigious school in Northwest. “You rarely see a young, five-star athlete who possesses all the qualities that he has,” he said. “He epitomizes what we look for at Carrol High School. Added Robert Harris, Jr., head football coach, “There's no question about it – Nyckolas is a once in a lifetime young man. He combines outstanding God-given talent on the football field and on the track and he excels in the classroom.” “He’s very mature for his age. His parents have done a remarkable job. And while he’s the youngest in the family they still have standards for him." Harbor's journey to Carroll started in the sport of track and field where
HARBOR Page 46
44 FEBRUARY 10 - 16, 2022
THE WASHINGTON INFORMER / WWW.WASHINGTONINFORMER.COM
C
M
Y
CM
MY
CY
CMY
K
Comcast is proud to support Team USA this Olympic Winter Games and bring their incredible and inspirational stories home to the Team of Tomorrow.
NEEDS .125 BLEED WWW.WASHINGTONINFORMER.COM / THE WASHINGTON INFORMER
FEBRUARY 10 - 16, 2022 45
OBAMA from Page 17
Your local marketing experts with UNLIMITED REACH. Kevin Berrier 443-508-1936 KBerrier@MDDCPress.com
We Cancel TIMESHARES for You Every year 150,000 people reach out to us for help getting rid of their timeshare. In 2019, we relieved over $50,000,000 in timeshare debt and maintenance fees. We can help.
any Republican quaking in their boots,” Anderson insisted. “That mass appeal spreads all over the divides, appealing to the Democrats, independents, the minorities, the female voters,” he said. “She would fill stadiums wherever she went and build up such a momentum that she would be unstoppable. All it takes is for someone to persuade her to go for it, and she is in.” Steve Spacek, a D.C. public service consultant and campaign strategist, agreed. “Michelle Obama would have a very good chance to win the presidency when pitted against Donald Trump, or even against the incumbent President Biden or (West Virginia Democratic Sen.) Joe Manchin,” Spacek said. “I expect Mrs. Obama to certainly fare better than Hillary Clinton ever did, in partisan primaries and any general election.” Significantly, Spacek added, Obama appears free of controversy and carries no discernable baggage. “At 58, she would be younger than the current and previous president and any current crop of candidates,” he noted.
5 Barack and Michelle Obama (Image: Instagram)
Dr. Michal Strahilevitz, interim director of Elfenworks Center for Responsible Business and a marketing professor at Saint Mary’s College of California, said many Americans want to see former President Barack Obama return to the political spotlight. Dr. Strahilevitz said if Mrs. Obama ran, the support she’d receive truly would rock the vote. “It would be great to have this impressive power couple back in the White House,” Dr. Stahilevitz asserted. “Michelle Obama is herself a powerful woman and a force
of her own with a successful book and a smart and extremely loyal fan base.” “She is also relatable. She is genuine, even when that means saying controversial things. While some may see this as a liability, it is part of her appeal.” “We know what she is thinking and we appreciate that authenticity. These are some reasons I believe she would be particularly good for voter turnout. As a candidate, she would motivate and inspire in a way that few other candidates could,” he said. WI
idea and said, why not?" He went on to make the varsity team as a freshman and actually started a game before being sent down to junior varsity, something he said was inevitable because he just wasn’t strong enough – yet. During his sophomore season in 2020, Carroll played an abbreviated season due to COVID-19. But in the final game of a three-game season, it seems that the light bulb went off for him. "Because of COVID, we had to do things differently," Harris said. "In that last game at O'Connell, he had an awesome game. You could see then that he was going to be special." At that point, Harbor started to get the nod and attention of recruiters – but for track and field. However, a change would come, and it would come quickly. "That is when more and more offers came for football," he said. "I think they all knew that I had speed, but not that kind of speed for someone my size." Last June, Nyckolas ran in the prestigious Nike Classic in Eugene, Oregon. Not yet 16, the talented youth recorded a 10.3 in the 100
meters, almost unheard of for a 15 year old. And with that, the power schools in the NCAA began looking at him with a much keener eye including national champion Georgia, runner-up Alabama and The Ohio State University. So what are his plans as he enters his senior season? "This past year was fun," he said. "I enjoyed it with my fellow teammates and students at Carroll. Now as I get ready for my senior season, things have to get a little more serious. As I prepare for college, wherever I decide to go, I have to be prepared. It is going to be a lot harder at the next level. I will be on my own and will not have my parents and support group with me." “I plan to become a neurosurgeon and go to nursing school at some point either after I play in the NFL or run track professionally.” “As a young Black man, I know that there is a target on my back, so I have to put in the work if I am going to be successful, no matter what I choose to do. I owe it to my parents because they have put in a lot of work in me and this will be a way of thanking them,” he said. WI
Get your free information kit and see if you qualify:
HARBOR from Page 44
888-984-2917
BACKED BY A YEAR-ROUND
15% & 10 %
2
D
1
’S
GU
TT
EXCLUSIVE LIMITED TIME OFFER!
NATIO
R
E
N
TH
CLOG-FREE GUARANTEE ER GUA
OFF
FINANCING THAT FITS YOUR BUDGET!
YOUR ENTIRE PURCHASE *
1
Promo Code: 285
Subject to credit approval. Call for details.
1
CALL US TODAY FOR
A FREE ESTIMATE
+
5% OFF
TO THE FIRST 50 CALLERS ONLY! **
SENIORS & MILITARY!
OFF
WE INSTALL
YEAR-ROUND! LIFETIME WARRANTY
1-855-995-2490
Mon-Thurs: 8am-11pm, Fri-Sat: 8am-5pm, Sun: 2pm-8pm EST
*For those who qualify. One coupon per household. No obligation estimate valid for 1 year. **Offer valid at time of estimate only 2The leading consumer reporting agency conducted a 16 month outdoor test of gutter guards in 2010 and recognized LeafFilter as the “#1 rated professionally installed gutter guard system in America.” Manufactured in Plainwell, Michigan and processed at LMT Mercer Group in Ohio. See Representative for full warranty details. CSLB# 1035795 DOPL #10783658-5501 License# 7656 License# 50145 License# 41354 License# 99338 License# 128344 License# 218294 WA UBI# 603 233 977 License# 2102212986 License# 2106212946 License# 2705132153A License# LEAFFNW822JZ License# WV056912 License# WC-29998-H17 Nassau HIC License# H01067000 Registration# 176447 Registration# HIC.0649905 Registration# C127229 Registration# C127230 Registration# 366920918 Registration# PC6475 Registration# IR731804 Registration# 13VH09953900 Registration# PA069383 Suffolk HIC License# 52229-H License# 2705169445 License# 262000022 License# 262000403 License# 0086990 Registration# H-19114
DENTAL Insurance from Physicians Mutual Insurance Company.
Call to get your FREE Information Kit
1-855-337-5228 dental50plus.com/MDDC
Includes the Participating (in GA: Designated) Providers and Preventive Benefits Rider. Product not available in all states. Acceptance guaranteed for one insurance policy/certificate of this type. Contact us for complete details about this insurance solicitation. This specific offer is not available in CO; call 1-800-969-4781 or respond for similar offer. Certificate C250A (ID: C250E; PA: C250Q); Insurance Policy P150 (GA: P150GA; NY: P150NY; OK: P150OK; TN: P150TN); Rider kinds B438/B439 (GA: B439B). 6255
46 FEBRUARY 10 - 16, 2022
he was ranked as the top 8th grader in the country in sprints. He was heavily recruited by several local schools in the DMV but in the end, Carroll was his choice. His exposure came primarily through his track and field coach and the relationship the track club, Club Full Speed, maintained under the leadership of Pamela Crock. "I had a great relationship with Coach Ra (Carroll head track coach Rafiu Bakare)," Nyckolas said. "The things he said to me about how I could develop into something special helped me make my decision. He also talked about the things they could offer to make my experience as a student and athlete a positive one. It just felt right." His journey in track was a relatively smooth one. Then his career took a turn. "Coach Harris approached me and said he felt that I could contribute to the football program," he recalled. "I loved football because I had played it at the youth level and had done well until I started having problems with asthma and decided to concentrate on track. I liked the
THE WASHINGTON INFORMER / WWW.WASHINGTONINFORMER.COM
RELIGION the religion corner WITH LYNDIA GRANT
Mental Health Among African Americans
For Black History Month, I'm writing a column on mental health in the African-American community. We must take care of our minds as well as our bodies and spirit. On Jan. 30, Cheslie Kryst, winner of the 2019 Miss USA pageant and a correspondent for the entertainment news program "Extra," died at age 30. Police said Kryst jumped from a Manhattan apartment building and was pronounced dead at the scene. Her family confirmed her death in a statement. I found myself Googling Cheslie over and over every day last week, trying to understand, hoping maybe some clues would show up as to what in the world happened. This was highly unusual, yet it wasn't. Kryst, a successful attorney who worked on pro bono cases with the Buried Alive project seeking reduced sentences for people convicted of drug offenses, wrote in an essay for Allure Magazine, "I now enter year 30 searching for joy and purpose on my own terms – and that feels like my own sweet victory.” However, she was suffering from depression. None of us knows what was really on her mind that day, but we know it was a dark, dark day for her. When you take a look at depression — for the sake of this column, let's say among our people, African Americans — statistics from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Department of Mental and Behavioral Health of the African Americans show that in 2019, suicide was the second-leading cause of death for
Blacks or African Americans ages 15 to 24. The death rate from suicide for Black or African American men was four times greater than for African American women in 2018. The overall suicide rate for Black or African Americans was 60 percent lower than that of the non-Hispanic white population, in 2018. Black girls, grades 9-12, were 60% more likely to attempt suicide in 2019, as compared to non-Hispanic white girls of the same age range. Poverty level affects mental health status. Black or African Americans living below the poverty level are twice as likely to report serious psychological distress, compared to those over twice the poverty level. A report from the U.S. surgeon general found that from 19801995, the suicide rate among African Americans ages 10 to 14 increased 233%, as compared to 120% of non-Hispanic whites. We cannot see mental problems on the outside, therefore, we must be diligent about helping those we love and care for. The butterfly metaphor talks about how the monarchs are a poisonous butterfly, yet it looks beautiful on the outside like its cousin, the viceroy! Cheslie Kryst was someone who was absolutely beautiful on the outside, yet troubled
within, like a poisonous monarch. Unfortunately, when Cheslie Kryst needed a spiritual intervention, obviously, she felt nothing but darkness. All of her hope was gone, so she jumped. She lived on the eighth floor, but she went up to the 25th floor to be sure that she would be successful in her attempt to take her own life. Despite being someone who had made Black history as one of three African American beauty queens in America, who had become a millionaire, she was broken within, and she couldn't take another moment of the pain she felt. Money wasn't even her concern. According to her mother, Cheslie had suffered from depression throughout her young life. The book of Romans reminds us that we must make our bodies a living sacrifice, Holy and acceptable to God! Scripture also says in Romans 12:1, “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. Scripture also says 24 O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? 25 I thank God—through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, with the mind I myself serve the law of God, but with the flesh the law of sin. Romans 7:24-25 NKJV. WI
(301) 864-6070
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
Adams Inspirational A.M.E. Church Dr. E. Gail Anderson Holness / Senior Pastor Rev. Ali Gail Holness-Roland / Assistant & Youth Pastor 12801 Old Fort Road • Ft. Washington, MD 20744 Office (301) 292.6323 • FAX (301) 292.2164 Service and Times Sunday Worship 10:15 am Sunday Church School 11:00 am Youth Sunday every 4th Sunday Prayer Call @ Noon every Tuesday & Thursday 978.990.5166 code: 6166047# Virtual Bible Study Wednesday Facebook & Zoom 7:00 pm “A Growing Church for a Coming Christ” www.adamsinspirationalamec.org
WWW.WASHINGTONINFORMER.COM / THE WASHINGTON INFORMER
FEBRUARY 10 - 16, 2022 47
RELIGION The Miracle Center of Faith Missionary Baptist Church
Pilgrim Baptist Church
Bishop Michael C. Turner, Sr. Senior Pastor
Rev. Louis B. Jones II Pastor
9161 Hampton Overlook Capitol Heights, MD 20743 Phone: 301-350-2200 / Fax: 301-499-8724
700 I Street, N.E. Washington, D.C. 20002 (202) 547-8849
Service and Times Sunday Worship Times : 7:30 AM 7 10:00 AM Communion: 1st Sunday Sunday School: 9:00 AM Bible Study: Wednesday, 12 Noon Bible Study in homes: Tuesday 7:00 PM
Service and Times Worship Sundays: 7:30 & 11:00 AM 5th Sundays: 9:30 AM 3rd Sundays: Baptism & Holy Communion Prayer & Praise: Wednesdays @ Noon & 6:30 PM
Website: www.themiraclecenterFMBC.com Email: Miraclecenterfmbs@gmail.com Motto: “We Walk by Faith, Not by Sight”
www.pilgrimbaptistdc.org
Covenant Baptist United Church of Christ
Blessed Word of Life Church
Church of Living Waters
Allen Chapel A.M.E. Church
Rev. Paul Carrette Senior Pastor Harold Andrew Assistant Pastor 4915 Wheeler Road Oxon Hill, MD 20745 301-894-6464 Service and Times Sunday Service: 8:30am& 11:00 AM Bible Study: Wednesday 7:30 PM Communion Service: First Sunday www.livingwatersmd.org
St. Stephen Baptist Church
Rev. Dr. Michael E. Bell, Sr., / Pastor 2498 Alabama Ave., SE - Washington D.C. 20020 Office: (202) 889-7296 / Fax: (202) 889-2198 - www.acamec.org Service and Times Sunday Worship Services: 8:00am and 11:00 AM Sunday Church School - 9:15am & Sunday Adult Forum Bible Study - 10:30 AM 2nd & 4th Monday Women’s Bible Study: 6:30 PM Tuesday Jr./Sr. Bible Study: 10:00 AM Tuesday Topical Bible Study: 6:30 PM Tuesday New Beginnings Bible Study: 6:30 PM Wednesday Pastoral Bible Study: 6:30 PM Wednesday Children’s Bible Study: 6:30 PM Thursday Men’s Bible Study: 6:30 PM Friday before 1st Sunday Praise & Worship Service: 6:30 PM Saturday Adult Bible Study: 10:00 AM “The Amazing, Awesome, Audacious Allen Chapel A.M.E. Church”
Third Street Church of God
Dr. Dekontee L. & Dr. Ayele A. Johnson Pastors
Reverend William Young IV Pastor
Bishop Lanier C. Twyman, Sr. Senior Pastor
Rev. Cheryl J. Sanders, Th.D. Senior Pastor
4001 14th Street, NW Washington, DC 20011 (202) 265-6147 Office 1-800 576-1047 Voicemail/Fax
3845 South Capitol Street Washington, DC 20032 (202) 562-5576 (Office) / (202) 562-4219 (Fax)
5757 Temple Hill Road, Temple Hills, MD 20748 Office 301-899-8885 – fax 301-899-2555 Services and Times Sunday Early Morning Worship: 7:45 AM Church School: 9:30 AM Sunday Morning Worship: 10:45 AM Tuesday: 7:00pm/Kingdom Building Bible Institute Wednesday , 12:30 PM Mid-Day Bible Study Wednesday: Prayer/Praise/Bible Study-7:30 PM Baptism & Communion Service: 4th Sunday – 10:30 AM
1204 Third Street, NW Washington, DC 20001 202-347-5889 office / 202-638-1803 fax
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
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
www.blessedwordoflifechurch.org E-mail: church@blessedwordoflifechurch.org
Campbell AME Church
Twelfth Street Christian 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
Reverend Dr. Paul H. Saddler Senior Pastor (Disciples of Christ) 1812 12th Street, NW - Washington, DC 20009 Phone: 202-265-4494 Fax: 202 265 4340 Service and Times Sunday Worship Service: 11:00 AM Communion every Sunday: 11:00 AM Sunday School: 10:00 AM Bible Study Tuesday: 12 Noon Pastor’s Bible Study Tuesday: 6:30 PM Motto: “Discover Something Wonderful” Website: 12thscc.org / Email: Twelfthstcc@aol.com
Mount Carmel Baptist Church
Turning Hearts Church Virgil K. Thomas, Sr. Senior Pastor/ Teacher 421 Alabama Ave. SE Washington, DC 20032 Phone: 202-746-0113 Fax: 301-843-2445 Service and Times Sunday School: 10:15 AM Sunday Worship Service: 11;15 AM Children’s Church: 11:15 AM Tuesday Bible Study: 6:30 PM Motto : “A Great Commitment to the Great Commandment” Website: www.turningheartschurchdc.org Email: gr8luv4u2@gmail.com
www.thirdstreet.org Live Stream Sunday Worship Service begins @ 12:00 noon www.thirdstreet.org
800 I Street, NE - Washington, DC 20002 202-548-0707 - Fax No. 202-548-0703 Service and Times Sunday Morning Worship: 11:00 AM Holy Communion: 1st Sunday Sunday School: 9:45 AM Men’s Monday Bible Study: 7:00 PM Wednesday Night Bible Study: 7:00 PM Women’s Ministry Bible Study: 3rd Friday -7:00 PM Computer Classes: Announced Family and Marital Counseling by appointment E-mail: Crusadersbaptistchurch@verizon.net www.CrusadersBaptistChurch.org / “God is Love”
Greater Mt. Calvary Holy Church Bishop Alfred A. Owens, Jr.; Senior Bishop & Evangelist Susie C. Owens – Co-Pastor 610 Rhode Island Avenue, NE Washington, DC 20002 (202) 529-4547 office • (202) 529-4495 fax
Sunday Worship Service: 8:00 AM and 10:45 AM Sunday Youth Worship Services: 1st & 4th 10:45 AM; 804 R.I. Ave., NE 5th 8 AM & 10:45 AM; Main Church Prayer Services Tuesday – Noon, Wednesday 6:00 AM & 6:30 PM Calvary Bible Institute: Year-Round Contact Church / Communion Every 3rd Sunday The Church in The Hood that will do you Good! www.gmchc.org / emailus@gmchc.org
Reverend Dr. Calvin L. Matthews Senior Pastor 1200 Isle of Patmos Plaza, Northeast Washington, DC 20018 Office: (202) 529-6767 - Fax: (202) 526-1661 Service and Times Sunday Worship Services: 7:30 AM and 10:30 AM Holy Communion: 2nd Sunday at 7:30 AM and 10:30 AM Sunday Church School: 9:20 AM Seniors Bible Study: Tuesdays at 10:30 AM Noon Day Prayer Service: Tuesdays at Noon Bible Study: Tuesdays at 7 PM Motto: “A Ministry of Reconciliation Where Everybody is Somebody!” Website: http://isleofpatmosbc.org Church Email: ipbcsecretary@verizon.net
St Marks Baptist Come Worship with us... Dr. Raymond T. Matthews Pastor and First Lady Marcia Matthews St. Mark's Baptist Church 624 Underwood Street, NW Washington, dc 20011 Services and Times Sunday School: 9:00 AM Worship Service: 10:00 AM Wed. Noon Day prayer service Thur. Prayer service: 6:45 PM Thur. Bible Study: 7:15 PM
Reverend John W. Davis Pastor 5101 14th Street, NW / Washington, DC 20011 Phone: 202-726-2220 Fax: 202-726-9089 Service and Times Sunday Worship Service - 8:00 a.m. & 11:00 a.m. Children’s Church - 11:00 a.m. (1st & 3rd Sundays) Communion - 10 a.m. 4th Sunday Sunday School - 9:15 a.m. (4th Sunday 8:15 a.m.) Prayer Meeting & Bible Study - Wednesday 7:00 p.m. “A Church with a past to remember – and a future to mold” www.mtzbcdc.org
headline and photo for Mount Olivet LIF - MALCOLMXLutheran Church DAY John F. Johnson Reverend Dr.
901 Third Street N.W. Washington, DC. 20001 Phone (202) 842-3411 Fax (202) 682-9423
1306 Vermont Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20005
themcbc.org
“Ambassadors for Christ to the Nation’s Capital”
Rev. Dr. Alton W. Jordan Pastor
Isle of Patmos Baptist Church
Mt. Zion Baptist Church
Reverend Dr. Paris L Smith, Sr. Senior Pastor
Service and Times Sunday Church School : 9:00 AM Sunday Morning Worship: 10:10 AM Bible Study Tuesday: 6: 00 PM Prayer Service Tuesday: 7:00 PM Holy Communion: 3rd Sunday 10:10 AM
48 FEBRUARY 10 - 16, 2022
“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
Service and Times Divine Worship, Sunday 10:00 a.m. Communion 1st and 3rd Sunday “Friendliest Church in the City” Website: mountolivetdc.org Email: mtolivedc@gmail.com
THE WASHINGTON INFORMER / WWW.WASHINGTONINFORMER.COM
RELIGION Shabbath Commandment Church Bishop Adrian A. Taylor, Sr. Pastor 7801 Livingston Road Oxon Hill, MD 20745 301-534-5471 Service and Times Sabbath School 9:30 a.m. – 10:30 AM Service 11:00 AM Praise & Worship Preaching 11:30 AM – 1:30 PM Motto: “A Church Keeping It Real for Real.” Website: Shabbathcommandmentchruch.org Email: Praisebetoyhwh@gmail.com
Zion Baptist Church Rev. Keith W. Byrd, Sr. Pastor 4850 Blagdon Ave, NW - Washington D.C 20011 Phone (202) 722-4940 - Fax (202) 291-3773 Service and Times 9:00 a.m. – Sunday School 10:15 a.m. – Worship Service Wed. Noon: Dea. Robert Owens Bible Study 7 PM Pastor’s Bible Study Ordinance of Baptism 2nd Sunday, Holy Communion 4th Sunday Mission: Zion shall: Enlist Sinners, Educate Students, Empower the Suffering, Encourage the Saints, And Exalt our Savior. (Acts 2: 41-47) www.zionbaptistchurchdc.org
St. Luke Baptist Church Rev. Aubrey C. Lewis Pastor 1415 Gallatin Street, NW Washington, DC 20011-3851 P: (202) 726-5940 Service and Times Sunday Worship: 11:00 AM Sunday School: 9:15 AM Holy Communion: 11:00 a.m., 3rd Sun. Bible Institute: Wednesday - 1:30 PM Prayer Meeting: Wednesday - 12:00 Noon
All Nations Baptist Church Rev. Dr. James Coleman Pastor 2001 North Capitol St, N.E. - Washington, DC 20002 Phone (202) 832-9591 Service and Times Sunday Church School – 9:30 AM Sunday Worship Service – 11:00 AM Holy Communion – 1st Sunday at 11:00 AM Prayer – Wednesdays, 6:00 PM Bible Study – Wednesdays, 7:00 PM Christian Education / School of Biblical Knowledge Saturdays, 9:30 AM – 11:00 AM, Call for Registration Website: www.allnationsbaptistchurch.com All Nations Baptist Church – A Church of Standards
Israel Baptist Church
1251 Saratoga Ave., NE Washington, DC 20018 (202) 269-0288 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
Dr. Lucius M. Dalton Senior 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
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: 10:00 AM Holy Communion: First Sunday 10:00 AM Sunday School: 9:00 AM Bible Study: Wednesday @ 12 noon and 6:30 PM
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
8213 Manson Street Landover, MD 20785 Tel: (301) 322-9787 Fax: (301) 322-9240
13701 Old Jericho Park Road Bowie, MD. 20720 (301) 262-0560
Service and Times Sunday Worship Services: 7:45 AM and 10:45 AM Holy Communion: 1st Sundays at 7:45 AM & 10:45 AM Sunday School: 9:30 AM Prayer & Praise Service: Tuesdays at 12 noon & 6:30 PM Bible Study: Tuesdays at 1 pm and 7 PM Youth Bible Study: Fridays at 7 PM
Service and Times Early Morning Message: 7:30 AM Sunday Morning Worship Service: 10:00 AM Sunday Church School: 9:00 AM Holy Communion: 1st Sunday 7:30 AM & 10:00 AM Prayer, Praise and Testimony: Wednesday 7:00 PM Bible Study: Wednesday 7:30 PM
Service and Times Sunday Worship: 11 AM Sunday School: 10 AM Wednesday Mid-Week Worship, Prayer & Bible Study: Wed. 7 PM
Rehoboth Baptist Church
Reverend Peter R. Blue Sr. Pastor
Rev. Curtis l. Staley Pastor
2001 Brooks Drive District Heights MD. 20744 240.838.7074
621 Alabama Ave., S.E.- Washington, D.C. 20032 P: (202) 561-1111 - F: (202) 561-1112
Service and Times Sunday Worship Experience: 10:15am Sunday School: 9:00am Holy Communion: 3rd Sunday Morning Noontime Bible Study: Tuesday @ 12:00pm Prayer Meeting/Bible Study: Tuesday @7:00pm Theme: "Building On A Firm Foundation"
Service and Times Sunday Service: 10:00 AM Sunday School for all ages: 8:30 AM 1st Sunday Baptism: 10:00 AM 2nd Sunday Holy Communion:10:00 AM Tuesday: Bible Study: 6:30 PM Prayer Meeting: 7:45 PM
Email: revprbstmbc@gmail.com Website: www.stmatthewsbaptist.org
Motto: “Where God is First and Where Friendly People Worship”
“Real Worship for Real People” Website: www.easterncommunity.org Email: ecc@easterncommunity.org
“A Church Where Love Is Essential and Praise is Intentional”
Foggy Bottom - Founded in 1867 728 23rd Street, NW - Washington, DC 20037 Church office: 202-333-3985 - Fax : 202-338-4958
Shiloh Baptist Church
Service and Times Sunday Worship Services: 10:00 AM Sunday Church School: 8:45 – 9:45 AM Holy Communion: Every First Sunday Intercessory Prayer: Monday – 7:00-8:00 PM Pastor’s Bible Study: Wednesday –7:45 PM Midweek Prayer: Wednesday – 7:00 PM Noonday Prayer Every Thursday
Matthews Memorial Baptist Church
4504 Gault Place, N.E. / Washington, D.C 20019 202-397-7775 – 7184 Service and Times Sunday Church School: 9:30 AM Sunday Worship Service : 11:00 AM The Lord’s Supper 1st Sunday Prayer & Praise Services: Wednesday 7:00 PM Bible Study: 7:30 PM Saturday before 4th Sunday Men, Women, Youth Discipleship Ministries: 10:30 AM A Christ Centered Church htubc@comcast.net
Christ Embassy DC
Dr. Joseph D. Turner / Senior Pastor 2616 MLK Ave., SE - Washington, DC 20020 Office 202-889-3709 - Fax 202-678-3304 Service and Times Early Worship Service: 8:00 AM Worship Service: 11:00 AM New Member’s Class: 9:45 AM Holy Communion: 1st Sunday, 11:00 AM Church School: 9:45 AM Wednesday 12:00pm Bible Study Prayer, Praise and Bible Study: 7:00 PM Saturday Bible Study: 11:00 AM Baptism 4th Sunday: 11:00 AM “Empowered to love and Challenged to Lead a Multitude of Souls to Christ”
Peace Baptist Church
Kelechi Ajieren Coordinator 6839 Eastern Avenue, R1 Takoma Park, MD 20912 (202) 556-7065 Service and Times Sunday Worship Service: 10:00 AM Wednesday Bible Study: 7:00 PM Friday Evening Service: 7:00 PM ; Last Friday “…Giving Your Life a Meaning” www.Christembassydc.org Christ.embassy.dc@hotmail.com
Pennsylvania Ave. Baptist Church
Rev. Dr. Michael T. Bell 712 18th Street, NE Washington, DC 20002 Phone 202-399-3450/ Fax 202-398-8836 Service and Times Sunday Early Morning Prayer & Bible Study Class: 8:00 AM Sunday School: 9:00 AM Sunday Morning Worship Service: 10:00 AM Wednesday Service: 12:00 PM “The Loving Church of the living lord “
Rev. Dr. Kendrick E. Curry Pastor 3000 Pennsylvania Ave.. S.E Washington, DC 20020 202 581-1500 Service and Times Sunday Church School: 9:30 AM Sunday Worship Service: 11:00 AM Monday Adult Bible Study: 7:00 PM Wednesday Youth & Adult Activities: 6:30 PM Prayer Service Bible Study
First Rising Mt. Zion Baptist Church
Mt. Horeb Baptist Church
Rev. Dr. Wallace Charles Smith Pastor
Rev. Oran W. Young Pastor
Rev. Dr. H. B. Sampson, III Pastor
9th & P Street, N.W. - W. D.C. 20001 (202) 232-4288
602 N Street NW - Washington, D.C. 20001 Office:(202) 289-4480 Fax: (202) 289-4595
2914 Bladensburg Road, NE Wash., DC 20018 Office: (202) 529-3180 - Fax: (202) 529-7738 Service and Times Worship Service: 7:30 AM Sunday School: 9:00 AM Worship Service: 10:30 AM Holy Communion: 4th Sunday 7:30AM & 10:30 AM Prayer Services:Tuesday 7:30 PM. Wednesday 12 Noon
www.stmarysfoggybottom.org Email: stmarysoffice@stmarysfoggybottom.org
Service and Times First Sunday Worship Service (one service): 10:00 AM Second, Third, Fourth, and Fifth Sunday Worship service: 7:45 AM and 10:55 AM Sunday Church School/Bible Study: 9:30 AM Thursday Prayer Service: 6:30 PM
All are welcome to St. Mary’s to Learn, Worship, and Grow.
Email: sbc@shilohbaptist.org Website: shilohbaptist.org
Service and Times Sundays: 10 a.m. Holy Eucharist with Music and Hymns Wednesdays: 12:10 p.m. - Holy Eucharist
Rev. Dr. George C. Gilbert Senior Pastor
Email Address: admin@pbc712.org
Historic St. Mary’s Episcopal Church The Rev. E. Bernard Anderson Priest
Holy Trinity United Baptist Church
Florida Avenue Baptist Church
Reverend Christopher L. Nichols Pastor
1636 East Capitol Street, NE Washington, DC 20003 Telephone: 202-544-5588 - Fax: 202-544-2964
Web: www.mountmoriahchurch.org Email: mtmoriah@mountmoriahchurch.org
St. Matthews Baptist Church
Rev. Daryl F. Bell Pastor
Motto: "Faith On The Hill"
Mount Moriah 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.
FEBRUARY 10 - 16, 2022 49
LEGAL NOTICES SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA Probate Division Washington, D.C. 20001-2131 2021 ADM 001626 Roberta Boone Decedent Colline Silvera Robinson Kirlew & Associates 7731 Belle Point Dr. Greenbelt, MD 20770 Attorney NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS Kirksty Jacqueline Prescott, whose address is 2325 West Longview Dr., Woodbridge, VA 22191, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Roberta Boone who died on 9/9/2021 without a Will, and will serve without Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance in this proceeding. Objections to such appointment shall be filed with the Register of Wills, D.C., 515 5th Street, N.W., Building A, Third Floor Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before July 27, 2022. Claims against the decedent shall be presented to the undersigned with a copy to the Register of Wills or filed with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned, on or before July 27, 2022, or be forever barred. Persons believed to be heirs or legatees of the decedent who do not receive a copy of this notice by mail within 25 days of its first publication shall so inform the Register of Wills, including name, address, and relationship. Date of first publication: January 27, 2022
LEGAL NOTICES SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA Probate Division Washington, D.C. 20001-2131 2021 ADM 001699 Estate of Bertha J. Boone aka Bertha James Boone NOTICE OF STANDARD PROBATE Notice is hereby given that a petition has been filed in this Court by Dannie J. Boone for standard probate, including the appointment of one or more personal representatives. Unless a responsive pleading in the form of a complaint or an objection in accordance with Superior Court Probate Division Rule 407 is filed in this Court within 30 days from the date of first publication of this notice, the Court may take the action hereinafter set forth. Admit to probate the Will dated January 26, 2007 exhibited with the petition upon proof satisfactory to the Court of due execution by affidavit of the witnesses or otherwise Date of first publication: 1/27/2022 Stephanie L. Royal, Esquire 5335 Wisconsin Ave., NW #440 Washington, DC 20015 Petitioner/Attorney: TRUE TEST COPY Nicole Stevens Register of Wills Washington Informer
Kirksty Jacqueline Prescott Personal Representative TRUE TEST COPY Nicole Stevens Register of Wills
LEGAL NOTICES
LEGAL NOTICES
LEGAL NOTICES
Ronald A. Fitzpatrick Personal Representative TRUE TEST COPY Nicole Stevens Register of Wills
TRUE TEST COPY Nicole Stevens Register of Wills
In God We Trust. Declaration of Nationality. Notice of White Flag Surrender. Notice of Special Appearance: I am that I am: "Jadili Damu Johnson© ", in full life, in propria persona, sui juris, in solo proprio, Haqdar by natural issue, the beneficiary and heir of: " JOHNSON, JADILI DAMU© ", corp.sole Dba.: " JADILI DAMU JOHNSON© ", having reached the age of majority, being aboriginal to the northwestern and southwestern shores of Africa, the Atlantic Islands, the continental Americas, being duly certified, hereby affirms to declare my tribal intention to be as my pedigree subscribes, as a: Moorish American, but not a citizen of the United States. I declare permanent, and unalienable, allegiance to The Moorish Empire, Societas Republicae Ea Al Maurikanuus Estados, The Constitution for the united States of America, Article III Section 2, The Lieber Code, Hague Conventions of 1899 & 1907, The Geneva Conventions, [ United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples ], and all natural laws governing moors, and hereby declare and proclaim my nationality in good faith as a: Moorish American. I am that I am: " Jadili Damu Johnson© ", from this day forward, in harmony with my Nationality / Status / Jurisdiction, shall be known as: " jadili damu johnson 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: California Department Of Health: 104-75-280185, " JADILI DAMU JOHNSON© ", is as a special deposit order conveyed to " Heal And Feel 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: " jadili damu johnson el© ", nom deguerre: " Jadili Damu Johnson© ", as a special deposit order in lawful money. This special deposit is to be used exclusively for the benefit of: " Heal And Feel Trust© ", an Inter Vivos Unincorporated Divine Grantor Trust. This deposit is not to be commingled with general assets of any bank, nor depositary / trustee / agent / bailee / donee / debtor. This deposit is not limited to, but including: discharge and set off, of any and all outstanding liabilities as accord and satisfaction. Inter alia enact fuit. All Rights Reserved. Deo volente. Notice of Reference: 0112358-13
SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA Probate Division Washington, D.C. 20001-2131 2021 ADM 001649
SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA Probate Division Washington, D.C. 20001-2131 2020 ADM 000666 Rachel M. McCrea Decedent
Gary Fitzpatrick Decedent Louvenia Williams, Esq. 9701 Apollo Drive, #301 Largo, MD 20774 Attorney NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS Ronald A. Fitzpatrick, whose address is 81824 Contento, La Quinta CA 92253, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Gary Fitzpatrick who died on October 16, 2021 with a Will, and will serve without Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance in this proceeding. Objections to such appointment (or to the probate of decedent’s Will) shall be filed with the Register of Wills, D.C., 515 5th Street, N.W., Building A, Third Floor Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before 7/27/2022. Claims against the decedent shall be presented to the undersigned with a copy to the Register of Wills or filed with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned, on or before 7/27/2022, or be forever barred. Persons believed to be heirs or legatees of the decedent who do not receive a copy of this notice by mail within 25 days of its first publication shall so inform the Register of Wills, including name, address, and relationship. Date of first publication: 1/27/2022
Kathlyn Scott, Esq. 1629 K Street, NW Suite 300 Washington, DC 20006 Attorney NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS Sean McCrea, whose address is 923 4th Street, NE, Washington, DC 20002, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Rachel M. McCrea who died on March 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 (or to the probate of decedent’s Will) shall be filed with the Register of Wills, D.C., 515 5th Street, N.W., Building A, Third Floor Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before 7/27/2022. Claims against the decedent shall be presented to the undersigned with a copy to the Register of Wills or filed with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned, on or before 7/27/2022, or be forever barred. Persons believed to be heirs or legatees of the decedent who do not receive a copy of this notice by mail within 25 days of its first publication shall so inform the Register of Wills, including name, address, and relationship. Date of first publication: 1/27/2022 Sean McCrea Personal Representative
SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA Probate Division Washington, D.C. 20001-2131
SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA Probate Division Washington, D.C. 20001-2131
SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA Probate Division Washington, D.C. 20001-2131
SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA Probate Division Washington, D.C. 20001-2131
SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA Probate Division Washington, D.C. 20001-2131
2021 ADM 1690
2021 ADM 001574
2022 ADM 000008
2021 ADM 001685
2022 ADM 000017
Wanda Barnes Decedent
Bertha L. Williams Decedent
Diane Della-Loggia Decedent
Lynda Jones Decedent
NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS
NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS
Dewayne Barnes, whose address is 7107 Greenvale Parkway, Hyattsville, Maryland 20784, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Wanda Barnes who died on March 3, 2021 without a Will, and will serve without Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance in this proceeding. Objections to such appointment shall be filed with the Register of Wills, D.C., 515 5th Street, N.W., Building A, Third Floor Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before 8/3/2022. Claims against the decedent shall be presented to the undersigned with a copy to the Register of Wills or filed with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned, on or before 8/3/2022, or be forever barred. Persons believed to be heirs or legatees of the decedent who do not receive a copy of this notice by mail within 25 days of its first publication shall so inform the Register of Wills, including name, address, and relationship.
Victoria L. Williams, whose address is 1330 S Street SE, Washington, DC 20020, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Bertha L. Williams who died on February 20, 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., 515 5th Street, N.W., Building A, Third Floor Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before August 3, 2022. Claims against the decedent shall be presented to the undersigned with a copy to the Register of Wills or filed with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned, on or before August 3, 2022, or be forever barred. Persons believed to be heirs or legatees of the decedent who do not receive a copy of this notice by mail within 25 days of its first publication shall so inform the Register of Wills, including name, address, and relationship.
Valerie Edwards, Esq. 1725 DeSales St., NW Suite 600 Washington, DC 20036 Attorney
Date of first publication: 2/3/2022 Dewayne Barnes Personal Representative
TRUE TEST COPY Nicole Stevens Register of Wills Washington Informer
Date of first publication: February 3, 2022 Victoria L. Williams Personal Representative
TRUE TEST COPY
NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS Nicholas A. Mueller, whose address is 21806 Princeton St., Hayward, CA 94541, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Diane Della-Loggia who died on September 23, 2020 with a Will, and will serve without Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance in this proceeding. Objections to such appointment (or to the probate of decedent’s Will) shall be filed with the Register of Wills, D.C., 515 5th Street, N.W., Building A, Third Floor Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before 8/3/2022. Claims against the decedent shall be presented to the undersigned with a copy to the Register of Wills or filed with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned, on or before 8/3/2022, or be forever barred. Persons believed to be heirs or legatees of the decedent who do not receive a copy of this notice by mail within 25 days of its first publication shall so inform the Register of Wills, including name, address, and relationship. Date of first publication: 2/3/2022 Nicholas A. Mueller Personal Representative
Nicole Stevens Register of Wills Washington Informer
TRUE TEST COPY
NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS Ade Soudan, whose address is 2356 Peachwood Cir, NE, Atlanta, GA 30345, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Lynda Jones who died on 9/28/2021 with a Will, and will serve without Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance in this proceeding. Objections to such appointment (or to the probate of decedent’s Will) shall be filed with the Register of Wills, D.C., 515 5th Street, N.W., Building A, Third Floor Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before 8/3/2022. Claims against the decedent shall be presented to the undersigned with a copy to the Register of Wills or filed with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned, on or before 8/3/2022, or be forever barred. Persons believed to be heirs or legatees of the decedent who do not receive a copy of this notice by mail within 25 days of its first publication shall so inform the Register of Wills, including name, address, and relationship. Date of first publication: 2/3/2022 Ade Soudan Personal Representative
Yvonne Thorne Decedent Donald R. Marlais, Esq. 411 10th Street NE Washington, DC 20002 Attorney NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS Korie Twiggs, whose address is 9401 Lanae Lane, Manassas Park, VA 20111, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Yvonne Thorne who died on May 7, 2004 without a Will, and will serve without Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance in this proceeding. Objections to such appointment shall be filed with the Register of Wills, D.C., 515 5th Street, N.W., Building A, Third Floor Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before 8/3/2022. Claims against the decedent shall be presented to the undersigned with a copy to the Register of Wills or filed with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned, on or before 8/3/2022, or be forever barred. Persons believed to be heirs or legatees of the decedent who do not receive a copy of this notice by mail within 25 days of its first publication shall so inform the Register of Wills, including name, address, and relationship. Date of first publication: 2/3/2022 Korie Twiggs Personal Representative
TRUE TEST COPY
TRUE TEST COPY
Nicole Stevens Register of Wills
Nicole Stevens Register of Wills
Washington Informer
Washington Informer
Nicole Stevens
50 FEBRUARY 10 - 16, 2022
THE WASHINGTON INFORMER / WWW.WASHINGTONINFORMER.COM
LEGAL NOTICES
LEGAL NOTICES
In God We Trust. Declaration of Nationality. Notice of White Flag Surrender. Notice of Special Appearance : I am that I am: " Ronald James Shermen Chrichlow© ", in full life, in propria persona, sui juris, in solo proprio, Haqdar by natural issue, the beneficiary and heir of: “RONALD JAMES SHERMEN CHRICHLOW ", corp.sole Dba.: " RONALD CHRICHLOW© ", having reached the age of majority, being aboriginal to the northwestern and southwestern shores of Africa, the Atlantic Islands, the continental Americas, being duly certified, hereby affirms to declare my tribal intention to be as my pedigree subscribes, as a: Moorish American, but not a citizen of the United States. I declare permanent, and unalienable, allegiance to The Moorish Empire, Estados al-Marikanos, Societas Republicae Ea Al Maurikanuus Estados, The Constitution for the united States of America, Article III Section 2, The Lieber Code, Hague Conventions of 1899 & 1907, The Geneva Conventions, [ United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples ], and all natural laws governing moors, and hereby declare and proclaim my nationality in good faith as a: Moorish American. I am that I am: “ Ronald James Shermen Chrichlow ", from this day forward, in harmony with my Nationality / Status / Jurisdiction, shall be known as: " ronald james shermen chrichlow ". Notice of White Flag Surrender: as "hors de combat", pursuant to The Geneva Conventions, Article III, as a minister of The Moorish Empire, and Internationally Protected Person. Notice of: LAWS AND CUSTOMS OF WAR ON LAND ( HAGUE, IV), ARTICLE: 32, 45, 46, & 47. Notice of Claim pursuant to Public Law 87-846, TITLE II, SEC. 203. Notice of Bailment Merging of Legal Title with Equitable Title : This order is to preserve legal and equitable title , and to reserve all rights, title, and interest, in the property, Re: STATE OF NEW YORK : STATE FILE NUMBER: 156-91-065171 " RONALD JAMES SHERMEN CHRICHLOW © ", is as a special deposit order conveyed to “Ronald Chrichlow Trust ". All property of the same issue and amount, in like kind and specie, is to be returned fully intact , as a Special Deposit order of the Depositor / Beneficiary / Bailor / Donor / Principal / Creditor: " ronald chrichlow, nom deguerre: " Ronald James Shermen Chrichlow", as a special deposit order in lawful money. This special deposit is to be used exclusively for the benefit of : “Ronald Chrichlow Trust ", an Inter Vivos Unincorporated Divine Grantor Trust. This deposit is not to be commingled with general assets of any bank, nor depositary / trustee / agent / bailee / donee / debtor. This deposit is not limited to, but including: discharge and set off, of any and all outstanding liabilities as accord and satisfaction. Inter alia enact fuit. All Rights Reserved. Deo volente.
In God We Trust. Declaration of Nationality. Notice of White Flag Surrender. Notice of Special Appearance : I am that I am: “Brittney Alexandra Chrichlow© ”, f.k.a., “ Brittney Alexandra English© ”, in full life, in propria persona, sui juris, in solo proprio, Haqdar by natural issue, the beneficiary and heir of: “BRITTNEY ALEXANDRA ENGLISH© ”, corp.sole Dba.: “BRITTNEY ENGLISH© ”, and “ “BRITTNEY ALEXANDRA CHRICHLOW © ”, corp.sole Dba.: “ BRITTNEY CHRICHLOW© ” having reached the age of majority, being aboriginal to the northwestern and southwestern shores of Africa, the Atlantic Islands, the continental Americas, being duly certified, hereby affirms to declare our tribal intention to be as our pedigree subscribes, as: Moorish Americans, but not a citizens of the United States. We declare permanent, and unalienable, allegiance to The Moorish Empire, Estados al-Marikanos, Societas Republicae Ea Al Maurikanuus Estados, The Constitution for the united States of America, Article III Section 2, The Lieber Code, Hague Conventions of 1899 & 1907, The Geneva Conventions, [ United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples ], and all natural laws governing moors, and hereby declare and proclaim our nationality in good faith as: Moorish Americans. I am that I am: “ Brittney Alexandra Chrichlow© ”, from this day forward, in harmony with my Nationality / Status / Jurisdiction, shall be known as: “ brittney chrichlow© from this day forward, in harmony with our Nationality / Status / Jurisdiction, shall be known as: “ Brittney Chrichlow© ”. Notice of White Flag Surrender: as "hors de combat", pursuant to The Geneva Conventions, Article III, as a minister of The Moorish Empire, and Internationally Protected Person. Notice of: LAWS AND CUSTOMS OF WAR ON LAND ( HAGUE, IV), ARTICLE: 32, 45, 46, & 47. Notice of Claim pursuant to Public Law 87846, TITLE II, SEC. 203. Notice of Bailment Merging of Legal Title with Equitable Title : This order is to preserve legal and equitable title, and to reserve all rights, title, and interest, in the property, Re: STATE OF NEW YORK : STATE FILE NUMBER: 136314, document registration no. 295 “ BRITTNEY ALEXANDRA CHRICHLOW© ”, is as a special deposit order conveyed to “Brittney Chrichlow Trust© ”. This is also a separate order to preserve legal and equitable title, and to reserve all rights, title, and interest, in the property. All property of the same issue and amount, in like kind and specie, is to be returned fully intact , as a Special Deposit order of the Depositor / Beneficiary / Bailor / Donor / Principal / Creditor / Trustee: “ brittney chrichlow© ”, nom deguerre: “ Brittney Alexandra Chrichlow© ”, as a special deposit order in lawful money. this special deposit is to be used exclusively for the benefit of: “ Brittney Chrichlow Trust© ”, an Inter Vivos Unincorporated Divine Grantor Trust”, All deposits are not to be commingled with general assets of any bank, nor depositary / trustee / agent / bailee / donee /debtor. All deposits are not limited to, but include: discharge and set off, of any and all outstanding liabilities as accord and satisfaction. Inter alia enact fuit. All Rights Reserved. Deo volente.
SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA Probate Division Washington, D.C. 20001-2131
SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA Probate Division Washington, D.C. 20001-2131
2021 ADM 1616
2021 ADM 1552
Saul Shampain Decedent
Charles S. Grigsby aka Charles Grigsby aka Charles Sylvester Grigsby Decedent
NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS
Julius Terrell 1455 Pennsylvania Ave., NW Ste. 400 Washington, DC 20004 Attorney
In God We Trust. Declaration of Nationality. Notice of White Flag Surrender. Notice of Special Appearance : I am that I am: “ Terrell De Von Green© ”, in full life, in propria persona, sui juris, in solo proprio, Haqdar by natural issue, the beneficiary and heir of: “ TERRELL DE VON GREEN© ”, corp.sole Dba.: “ TERRELL D GREEN© ”, having reached the age of majority, being aboriginal to the northwestern and southwestern shores of Africa, the Atlantic Islands, the continental Americas, being duly certified, hereby affirms to declare my tribal intention to be as my pedigree subscribes, as a: Moorish American, but not a citizen of the United States. I declare permanent, and unalienable, allegiance to The Moorish Empire, Estados al-Marikanos, Societas Republicae Ea Al Maurikanuus Estados, The Constitution for the united States of America, Article III Section 2, The Lieber Code, Hague Conventions of 1899 & 1907, The Geneva Conventions, [ United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples ], and all natural laws governing moors, and hereby declare and proclaim my nationality in good faith as a: Moorish American. I am that I am: “Terrell De Von Green©”, from this day forward, in harmony with my Nationality / Status / Jurisdiction, shall be known as: “terrell de von green©”. Notice of White Flag Surrender: as “hors de combat”, pursuant to The Geneva Conventions, Article III, as a minister of The Moorish Empire, and Internationally Protected Person. Notice of: LAWS AND CUSTOMS OF WAR ON LAND (HAGUE, IV), ARTICLE: 32, 45, 46, & 47. Notice of Claim pursuant to Public Law 87-846, TITLE II, SEC. 203. Notice of Bailment Merging of Legal Title with Equitable Title : This order is to preserve legal and equitable title, and to reserve all rights, title, and interest, in the property, Re: STATE OF MARYLAND, Department of Health and Mental Hygiene Division of Vital Records : State File Numbers: 1977 -22- 11549, & 1977 11549, “ TERRELL DE VON GREEN© ”, “TERRELL D GREEN© ”, “ TERRELL GREEN© ”, & “ GREEN, TERRELL DEVON ”, is as a special deposit order conveyed to “ Freed Ruach 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: “terrell de von green©”, nom deguerre: “Terrell De Von Green©”, as a special deposit order in lawful money. This special deposit is to be used exclusively for the benefit of: “Freed Ruach Trust©”, an Inter Vivos Unincorporated Divine Grantor Trust. This deposit is not to be commingled with general assets of any bank, nor depositary / trustee / agent / bailee / donee / debtor. This deposit is not limited to, but including: discharge and set off, of any and all outstanding liabilities as accord and satisfaction. Inter alia enact fuit. All Rights Reserved. Deo volente.
LEGAL NOTICES SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA Probate Division Washington, D.C. 20001-2131 2022 ADM 000018 Ernest W. Ghee, Jr. Decedent Donald R. Marlais, Esq. 411 10th Street NE Washington, DC 20002 Attorney NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS Waltergerard Ghee, whose address is 1126 48th Street NE, Washington, DC 20019, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Ernest W. Ghee, Jr. who died on August 25, 2021 without a Will, and will serve without Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance in this proceeding. Objections to such appointment shall be filed with the Register of Wills, D.C., 515 5th Street, N.W., Building A, Third Floor Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before 8/3/2022. Claims against the decedent shall be presented to the undersigned with a copy to the Register of Wills or filed with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned, on or before 8/3/2022, or be forever barred. Persons believed to be heirs or legatees of the decedent who do not receive a copy of this notice by mail within 25 days of its first publication shall so inform the Register of Wills, including name, address, and relationship. Date of first publication: 2/3/2022 Waltergerard Ghee Personal Representative TRUE TEST COPY Nicole Stevens Register of Wills Washington Informer
Robert Shampain, whose address is 4050 20th Avenue, SW, Seattle, WA 98106, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Saul Shampain who died on September 19, 2021 with a Will, and will serve without Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance in this proceeding. Objections to such appointment (or to the probate of decedent’s Will) shall be filed with the Register of Wills, D.C., 515 5th Street, N.W., Building A, Third Floor Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before 8/10/2022. Claims against the decedent shall be presented to the undersigned with a copy to the Register of Wills or filed with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned, on or before 8/10/2022, or be forever barred. Persons believed to be heirs or legatees of the decedent who do not receive a copy of this notice by mail within 25 days of its first publication shall so inform the Register of Wills, including name, address, and relationship. Date of first publication: 2/10/2022 Robert Shampain Personal Representative
TRUE TEST COPY Nicole Stevens Register of Wills Washington Informer
NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS Sehon Grigsby Edwards, whose address is 2208 R Street, NE, Washington DC 20002, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Charles S. Grigsby aka Charles Grigsby aka Charles Sylvester Grigsby who died on 4/9/2013 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., 515 5th Street, N.W., Building A, Third Floor Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before 8/10/2022. Claims against the decedent shall be presented to the undersigned with a copy to the Register of Wills or filed with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned, on or before 8/10/2022, or be forever barred. Persons believed to be heirs or legatees of the decedent who do not receive a copy of this notice by mail within 25 days of its first publication shall so inform the Register of Wills, including name, address, and relationship. Date of first publication: 2/10/2022 Sehon Grigsby Edwards Personal Representative TRUE TEST COPY Nicole Stevens Register of Wills Washington Informer
WWW.WASHINGTONINFORMER.COM / THE WASHINGTON INFORMER
CAR JACKING from Page 1 On Jan. 30, D.C. police announced a 17-year-old District Heights, Md. resident had been arrested in connection to the crime. Contee said the arrest resulted from collaborative efforts led by D.C. and Prince George’s County police. Fleming expressed satisfaction following the arrest. “I’m pleased to see that MPD has made an arrest of one of the suspects in this incident,” Fleming said. “We know that in the majority of these carjacking, juveniles are the assailants. We need to attack juvenile violent crime comprehensively both in the short-term and long-term. In the past two weeks, there have been numerous carjackings throughout the District, including another one at the same gas station where I was carjacked and several carjackings in the blocks nearby. Urgent action is needed.”
two other boys, 15 and 13, both also of District Heights, had been arrested and charged with multiple counts of armed robbery, attempted armed carjacking and assault. Allegedly, the boys engaged in a series of carjackings and assaults across both D.C. and Prince George’s, the bulk of which spanned an eight-hour period on one day. Racine said the District government must get to the root of the violence. He said getting needy communities the resources they need so young people don’t have to turn to violence, curtailing the access to guns and rehabilitating youngsters from a life of crime should be the focus of city leaders. Alsobrooks said youth carjackers are angry and traumatized, adding, “hurt people hurt people.” “We have a number of programs in the county for our youth who need direction,” she said. “We have diver-
Bowser said many of the young carjackers cross the District-Prince George’s County border to commit their crimes. Realizing many of the youth lack a strong direction in their lives, the mayor said the city offers activities that can distract them from crime such as sports, afterschool programming and employment opportunities. In 2021, youth made up 85 of the 132 people arrested in the District for carjacking while in Prince George’s, 86 out of the 152 arrested consisted of minors. Bowser said many of the young carjackers cross the District-Prince George’s County border to commit their crimes. Realizing many of the youth lack a strong direction in their lives, the mayor said the city offers activities that can distract them from crime such as sports, afterschool programming and employment opportunities. In the District, the attorney general prosecutes juvenile offenders. Karl A. Racine, the attorney general, said in a Feb.1 email titled “Calling on All Leaders to Make D.C. Safer” that “we are prosecuting all violent crimes committed by juveniles where we have strong evidence.” “Because convictions can only be secured where an arrest was constitutional and where proof is beyond a reasonable doubt, we prosecute the strongest possible case,” said Racine, who didn’t attend the news conference. On Feb. 2, police announced that in addition to the 17-year-old boy,
sion and re-entry programs. the Rev. Tony Lee has a program, Hope in Action, designed to help young people and I have the Alsobrooks Summer Passport Experience program that helps youth to explore new ideas and possibilities. People need to step up because this must end.” Contee said the District’s carjacking unit, which he formed in February 2021, will be expanded with more resources. He said part of that expansion includes posting more police officers on the shared border. “Last year, there were 456 carjackings in the District,” Contee said. “We have to hold people accountable for their actions. We are finding that it is the same kids over and over. We have to put a stop to this. Play time is over.” Aziz noted that in 2021, 393 carjackings occurred in Prince George’s. However, he believes arresting people won’t entirely solve the problem. . “We can resolve these issues now by working with the city and their police department but we must get the information out to those officers because they play such a vital role,” he said. WI @JamesWrightJr10
FEBRUARY 10 - 16, 2022 51
CL ASSIFIEDS
CL ASSIFIEDS
Reader Advisory: The National Trade Association we belong to has purchased the following classifieds. Determining the value of their service or product is advised by this publication. In order to avoid misunderstandings, some advertisers do not offer employment but rather supply the readers with manuals, directories and other materials designed to help their clients establish mail order selling and other businesses at home. Under NO circumstance should you send any money in advance or give the client your checking, license ID, or credit card numbers. Also beware of ads that claim to guarantee loans regardless of credit and note that if a credit repair company does business only over the phone it s illegal to request any money before delivering its service. All funds are based in US dollars. 800 numbers may or may not reach Canada.
and Tuition is located at CareerTechnical.edu/consumer-information. (M-F 8-6 ET)
MEDIABIDS MISCELLANEOUS
MISCELLANEOUS The Generac PWRcell solar plus battery storage system. Save money, reduce reliance on grid, prepare for outages & power your home. Full installation services. $0 down financing option. Request free no obligation quote. 1-855-270-3785
Become a Published Author. We want to Read Your Book! Dorrance Publishing-Trusted by Authors Since 1920. Book manuscript submissions currently being reviewed. Comprehensive Services: Consultation, Production, Promotion and Distribution. Call for Your Free Author`s Guide 1-877420-7280 or visit http://dorranceinfo.com/informer Two great new offers from AT&T Wireless! Ask how to get the new iPhone 11 or Next Generation Samsung Galaxy S10e ON US with AT&T's Buy one, Give One offer. While supplies last! CALL 1-877-370-2155 DISH Network. $64.99 for 190 Channels! Blazing Fast Internet, $19.99/mo. (where available.) Switch & Get a FREE $100 Visa Gift Card. FREE Voice Remote. FREE HD DVR. FREE Streaming on ALL Devices. Call today! 1-855402-3370 SAVE 67% PLUS 4 FREE BURGERS - The Favorite Feast ONLY $49.99. ORDER Today 1-888-318-1190 Use Code 48643VFW or www.OmahaSteaks.com/ ffmb93 Do you know your Testosterone Levels? Call 888-692-5146 and ask about our test kits and get a FREE Trial of Progene All-Natural Testosterone Supplement Diabetes/Cholesterol/Weight Loss Bergamonte, a Natural Product for Cholesterol, Blood Sugar and weight. Physician recommended, backed by Human Clinical Studies with amazing results. Call today and save 15 percent off your first bottle! 866-640-5982 ATTENTION DIABETICS with Medicare. Get a FREE talking meter and diabetic testing supplies at NO COST, plus FREE home delivery! Best of all, this meter eliminates painful finger pricking! Call 888-421-1874 READERS & MUSIC LOVERS. 100 Greatest Novels (audio books) ONLY $99.00 (plus s h.) Includes MP3 Player & Accessories. BONUS: 50 Classical Music Works & Money Back Guarantee. Call Today! 1-866-680-1822 Any laptop repaired just $79. Macs too. REALLY! FREE Fedex shipping! $69 extra for screen or motherboard replacement. CALL Authorized Laptop Repair Specialists 1-866-437-6184 Ever Consider a Reverse Mortgage? At least 62 years old? Stay in your home & Increase cash flow! Safe & Effective! Call Now for your FREE DVD! Call Now 888-420-4716 READERS & MUSIC LOVERS. 100 Greatest Novels (audio books) ONLY $99.00 (plus s h.) Includes MP3 Player & Accessories. BONUS: 50 Classical Music Works & Money Back Guarantee. Call Today! 1-866-680-1822 Personalized holiday gifts for Everyone on your list! Save 20 percent off qualifying products from Personal Creations! To redeem this offer, visit www.PersonalCreations.com/ Beauty or Call 1-888-732-0679 Diabetes/Cholesterol/Weight Loss Natural Product for Cholesterol, Blood Sugar and weight. Physician recommended, backed by Human Clinical Studies with fast acting results within 30 days. Call to hear about our special offer 866-640-5982 ATTENTION DIABETICS with Medicare. Get a FREE Talking Meter and diabetic testing supplies at NO COST, plus FREE home delivery! Best of all, this meter eliminates painful finger pricking! Call 888-421-1874 SOCIAL SECURITY DISABILITY BENEFITS. You WIN or Pay Us Nothing. Contact Disability Group, Inc. Today! BBB Accredited. Call For Your FREE Book & Consultation. 888-649-5110 Attention Joint & Muscle Pain Sufferers: Clinically proven all-natural supplement helps reduce pain and enhance mobility. Call 888-760-5952 to try Hydraflexin RISK-FREE for 90 days. HEAT YOUR HOME FOR 5¢ AN HOUR! Portable infrared iHeater heats 1000 sq. ft. Slashes your heating bills by 50%. FREE Shipping too! Use claim code 6239 WAS $499 NOW $279 Call 1-866-784-5182 CADNET & NANI CLASSIFIED NETWORK EDUCATION Train online to do medical billing! Become a Medical Office Professional at CTI! Get trained & certified to work in months! 888-572-6790. The Mission, Program Information
52 FEBRUARY 10 - 16, 2022
HEALTH & FITNESS VIAGRA and CIALIS USERS! 50 Generic Pills SPECIAL $99.00. 100% guaranteed. 24/7 CALL NOW! 888-4455928 Hablamos Español Dental insurance - Physicians Mutual Insurance Company. Covers 350 procedures. Real insurance - not a discount plan. Get your free dental info kit! 1-888-623-3036 www. dental50plus.com/58 #6258 Attention oxygen therapy users! Inogen One G4 is capable of full 24/7 oxygen delivery. Only 2.8 pounds. Free info kit. Call 877-929-9587
GENERAC Standby Generators provide backup power during power outages, so your home & family stay safe & comfortable. Prepare now. Free 7-yr extended warranty $695 value! Request a free quote today! Call for terms & conditions. 1-844-334-8353 Eliminate gutter cleaning forever! LeafFilter, the most advanced debris-blocking gutter protection. Schedule free LeafFilter estimate today. 15% off Entire Purchase. 10% Senior & Military Discounts. Call 1-855-995-2490 Directv Now. No Satellite. $40/mo 65 Channels. Stream news, live events, sports & on demand titles. No contract/ commitment. 1-866-825-6523 AT&T Internet. Starting at $40/month w/12-mo agmt. 1 TB of data/mo. Ask how to bundle & SAVE! Geo & svc restrictions apply. 1-888-796-8850 BATH & SHOWER UPDATES in as little as ONE DAY! Affordable prices - No payments for 18 months! Lifetime warranty & professional installs. Senior & Military Discounts available. Call: 855-761-1725 Donate Your Car to Veterans Today! Help and Support our Veterans. Fast - FREE pick up. 100% tax deductible. Call 1-800-245-0398 Update your home with beautiful new blinds & shades. Free in-home estimates make it convenient to shop from home. Professional installation. Top quality - Made in the USA. Free consultation: 877-212-7578. Ask about our specials! HughesNet - Finally, super-fast internet no matter where you live. 25 Mbps just $59.99/mo! Unlimited Data is Here. Stream Video. Bundle TV & Internet. Free Installation. Call 866-499-0141 Looking for assisted living, memory care, or independent living? A Place for Mom simplifies the process of finding senior living at no cost to your family. Call 1-833-386-1995 today! Become a published author. We want to read your book! Dorrance Publishing trusted since 1920. Consultation, production, promotion & distribution. Call for free author’s guide 833-719-3029 or visit dorranceinfo.com/acp Paying top cash for men's sportwatches! Rolex, Breitling, Omega, Patek Philippe, Heuer, Daytona, GMT, Submariner and Speedmaster. Call 833-603-3236 Put on your TV Ears & hear TV w/unmatched clarity. TV Ears Original - originally $129.95 - now w/this special offer only $59.95 w/code MCB59! 1-833-530-1955 Aloe Care Health medical alert system. Most advanced medical alert product on the market. Voice-activated! No wi-fi needed! Special offer w/code CARE20 for $20 off Mobile Companion. 1-855-521-5138 Hero takes stress out of managing medications. Hero sorts & dispenses meds, sends alerts at dose times & handles prescription refill & delivery for you. Starting at $24.99/month. No initiation fee. 90-day risk-free trial! 1-888-684-0280 WANTED TO BUY Wants to purchase minerals and other oil and gas interests. Send details to P.O. Box 13557 Denver, CO 80201 MID ATLANTIC COMMUNITY PAPERS ASSOCIATION CLASSIFIED NETWORK (MACNET) ANNOUNCEMENTS Become a Published Author. We want to Read Your Book! Dorrance Publishing-Trusted by Authors Since 1920 Book manuscript submissions currently being reviewed. Comprehensive Services: Consultation, Production, Promotion and Distribution Call for Your Free Author`s Guide 1-866482-1576 or visit http://dorranceinfo.com/macnet Replace your roof with the best looking and longest lasting material steel from Erie Metal Roofs! Three styles and multiple colors available. Guaranteed to last a lifetime! Limited Time Offer - $500 Discount + Additional 10% off install (for military, health workers & 1st responders.) Call
CL ASSIFIEDS Erie Metal Roofs: 1-855-338-4807 SELL YOUR ANTIQUE OR CLASSIC CAR. Advertise with us. You choose where you want to advertise. 800-450-6631 visit macnetonline.com for details. AUTO INSURANCE Looking for auto insurance? Find great deals on the right auto insurance to suit your needs. Call today for a free quote! 866-924-2397 GENERAL SERVICES Internet & WiFi Starts at $49 Call us Today to Get Started. Find High Speed Internet with Fiber Optic Technology No Credit Check, No SSN Required. Call us Today! 866396-0515 HEALTH/MEDICAL DENTAL INSURANCE from Physicians Mutual Insurance Company. Coverage for 350 plus procedures. Real dental insurance - NOT just a discount plan. Do not wait! Call now! Get your FREE Dental Information Kit with all the details! 1-877-553-1891 www.dental50plus.com/macnet #6258 VIAGRA & CIALIS! 60 pills for $99. 100 pills for $150. FREE shipping. Money back guaranteed! 1-844-596-4376 Don ’t let the stairs limit your mobility! Discover the ideal solution for anyone who struggles on the stairs, is concerned about a fall or wants to regain access to their entire home. Call AmeriGlide today! 1-844-317-5246 HOME IMPROVEMENT Eliminate gutter cleaning forever! LeafFilter, the most advanced debris-blocking gutter protection. Schedule a FREE LeafFilter estimate today. 15% off Entire Purchase. 10% Senior & Military Discounts. Call 1-855-791-1626 GENERAC Standby Generators provide backup power during utility power outages, so your home and family stay safe and comfortable. Prepare now. Free 7-year extended warranty ($695 value!). Request a free quote today! Call for additional terms and conditions. 1-855-465-7624 The bathroom of your dreams for as little as $149/month! BCI Bath & Shower. Many options available. Quality materials & professional installation. Senior & Military Discounts Available. Limited Time Offer - FREE virtual in-home consultation now and SAVE 15%! Call Today! 1-877-540-2780 MISCELLANEOUS DISH TV $64.99 For 190 Channels + $14.95 High Speed Internet. Free Installation, Smart HD DVR Included, Free Voice Remote. Some restrictions apply. Promo Expires 7/21/21. 1-855-270-5098 NEED IRS RELIEF $10K - $125K+ Get Fresh Start or Forgiveness. Call 1-844-431-4716 Monday through Friday 7 AM - 5 PM PST Wesley Financial Group, LLC Timeshare Cancellation Experts Over $50,000,000 in timeshare debt and fees cancelled in 2019. Get a free informational package and learn how to get rid of your timeshare! Free consultations. Over 450 positive reviews. Call 888-965-0363 PEST CONTROL Find Pest Control Experts Near You! Don't let pests overtake your home. Protect your loved ones! Call today to find great deals on Pest Control Services - 833-872-0012 REAL ESTATE FOR SALE READY TO BUY, SELL, OR RENT YOUR VACATION HOME OR HUNTING CAMP? Advertise it here and in neighboring publications. We can help you. Contact MACnet MEDIA @ 800-450-6631 or visit our site at MACnetOnline.com WANTED AMERICAN & FOREIGN CLASSIC CARS AND MOTORCYCLES WANTED $$PAYING CA$H$$ Corvettes, Mustangs, Jaguars, Austin Healeys, Broncos, Blazers, Ram Chargers, AMX, and Triumphs KRMiller1965@yahoo.com 717-577-8206 MARYLAND STATEWIDE CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING NETWORK HOME IMPROVEMENT SERVICES UPDATE YOUR HOME with Beautiful New Blinds & Shades. FREE in-home estimates make it convenient to shop from home. Professional installation. Top quality - Made in the USA. Call for free consultation: 888-814-0566. Ask about our specials! BATH & SHOWER UPDATES in as little as ONE DAY! Affordable prices - No payments for 18 months! Lifetime warranty & professional installs. Senior & Military Discounts available. 877-738-0991 MISC. SERVICES LONG DISTANCE MOVING: Call today for a FREE QUOTE from America’s Most Trusted Interstate Movers. Let us take the stress out of moving! Call now to speak to one of our Quality Relocation Specialists: 866-314-0734. WANT TO BUY OR TRADE FREON WANTED: We pay $$$ for cylinders and cans. R12 R500 R11 R113 R114. Convenient. Certified Professionals. Call 312-291-9169 or visit RefrigerantFinders.com
MAYOR WARD from Page 30 system. He then directed technology for KIPP DC, the city’s public charter school network. He later joined EastBanc Technologies to work with schools, financial institutions and other organizations on software development. In 2015, Ward decided to enter local politics and voters elected him to the city council. That same year, the city became the second municipality in the country to allow 16-year-old teenagers to vote in city elections, which included Ward’s oldest son, Sydney, then 16. Two years later, Ward’s colleagues nominated him to serve as council vice president. In 2019, he became council president. During the funeral service, Stephanie Oriabure described when she and Ward met on the Texas A&M campus as freshmen in 1995. She moved to the D.C. re-
BIDEN from Page 12 ments; and $31.5 million for airports. “[It’s about] greater investment in modernizing our bridges, our roads, our transit. But also making sure as we do this, we make sure workers are paid good wages and have good benefits,” said Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Maryland), who attended the bill signing Friday. “That’s what unions are all about. Making sure you put skilled workers on the job,” he said. The Ironworkers Local 5 operation moved to Largo more than two years with union offices and a large shop where union members learn how to erect steel, install window walls and lift machinery sometimes weighing several tons. One of its members, Carnita Jordan, said she received doubts from a former employee because she “was a young woman and stuck in a truck all day,” so she applied for the Local 5 four-year apprenticeship program. She graduates this summer and because of the knowledge and experience she secured in welding, structural and other construction work, she’ll be eligible to work at any union shop across the nation. “Project labor agreements also help create diversity and help and bring in people like me who’ve been historically pushed out from the construction industry,” said Jordan, 27, of Charles County, Md. “This order will help the country build back better with opportunities for all Americans of every race and gender.” The union, chartered in 1901,
gion around 2007, the same year as Ward and Copeland. “I had no idea then that when Kevin and I became friends, it was a life sentence . . . full of love, laughter, sorrow and indescribable joy,” she said. “I could have easily earned a degree in Kevinism. Some of you know Kevin as a mentor, or as a neighbor, as a colleague, or as the mayor. For me, he was simply my friend. I am grateful for our life sentence of friendship. A sentence that ended too soon.” NOTE: If you or someone you know continues to endure emotional distress, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-272-8255. In Maryland, you can dial 2-1-1. Locally in Prince George’s County, residents can call the crisis hotline at 301-429-2185. For more information, go to www. suicidepreventionlifeline.org. WI @WJFjabariwill represents more than 1,000 ironworkers in the Mid-Atlantic region. In Maryland, members reside in Calvert, Charles, Montgomery, Prince George’s and St. Mary’s counties and portions of Anne Arundel and Frederick counties. The Biden administration’s visit to Largo marked at least its fifth to Prince George’s County within a year. Harris visited the majority Black jurisdiction four times and which included a stop at National Harbor in July during which she headlined the National Association of Counties (NACo) conference – her first as vice president. Jennifer Granholm, secretary for the U.S. Department of Energy, toured the New Carrollton Federal Building in December. She joined Biden and Harris in Largo on Friday. Prince George’s County Executive Angela Alsobrooks said talks continue which may eventually result in the relocation of current or construction of new federal government agencies in the county including the long-debated FBI headquarters which remains headquartered in downtown D.C. Alsobrooks noted that while an estimated 20% of the federal workforce resides in the county, only 4% of federal agencies are currently located in Prince George’s. “It’s an equity issue. We believe that the [federal] presence should be here, too,” she said. “The administration has been very amenable to it and very welcoming and receptive to it. We’re excited about what we can accomplish together.” WI @WJFjabariwill
THE WASHINGTON INFORMER / WWW.WASHINGTONINFORMER.COM
UQDAH from Page 26 riers to entry that may be caused by historic injustice. With that in mind, this Black History Month, we at Curaleaf have partnered with the Black Farmer Fund, who works to ensure that Black farmers, land stewards and business owners are benefiting equitably from financing, intellectual capital, technical assistance, networking and public policies. All month long, Curaleaf customers at stores across the nation will have the ability to round-up on purchases, donating the changes towards the Black Farmer Fund. We’re excited about this important partnership during Black History Month but of course the work doesn’t stop here. Curaleaf, more specifically our Rooted in Good program, of which I’m proud to serve as director, is committed to racial and social equity work in cannabis year-round. We’ve committed to doing business with
KING from Page 26 heat in the winter and adequate air conditioning when it was intensely hot, others did not. These disparities will continue to exist in our schools as long as we continue to neglect the needs of Maryland students. The pandemic has created additional academic and socioemotional challenges for students across the state and worsened disparities between communities. As a current Montgomery County Public Schools parent, I am particularly disappointed by the governor's continued lack of attention to addressing the needs of our public schools. I know I'm not the only one. Parents, educators, and students are frustrated and exhausted by these circumstances – and understandably so.
MORIAL from Page 26 serve on the Board of Governors. He previously served as chair of the Economics Department at Swarthmore College, where he was the Centennial Professor of Economics. He was also an economist at the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System. A diverse perspective on the Fed's Board of Governors is critical to reducing racial gaps in wealth and income. Consider the fact that the board's decisions are based on maintaining a certain level of unemployment — generally around 5% —but until recently it only ever considered the overall unemployment rate, ignoring the racial disparities that widen during recessions. "Through the entire financial crisis
420 diverse businesses and brands by 2025, of which we’ve already exceeded more than one third of that goal. Partners range from African-American and minority-owned dispensaries to ancillary businesses and advocacy organizations. For example, we launched a product partnership in 2021 with the B NOBLE brand. The product includes two pre-rolls, the same amount of cannabis that Bernard Noble was sentenced to 13 years behind bars for in Louisiana. While only serving seven, Bernard’s story is similar to far too many African Americans in this country and is a call-to-action for cannabis reform. Whenever a customer purchases a B NOBLE product in a Curaleaf store, proceeds go directly towards local cannabis activism organizations. We’ve come a long way in cannabis. But, we still have a tremendous journey ahead. We can’t just talk about equity and diversity in the industry, we must ensure that it is instilled as
part of the industry. The 1970s drug war not only disproportionately impacted Black Americans but continues to have negative repercussions on generations of Black Americans today. Communities were destroyed, families were broken, people were killed and incarcerated – because of cannabis. Today, Black people are incarcerated at nearly 4 times the rate of white people for possession of marijuana. To this day, hundreds of thousands of individuals remain behind bars for marijuana charges during the drug war, many associated with amounts of cannabis that are legal all around the country, and the world, today. The Black community is owed a guaranteed seat at the modern-day, billion-dollar cannabis industry table. An important first step is for established companies to recognize this not just as a challenge but an opportunity – to do the right thing, and to do well by doing good. WI
Following through on the Blueprint is our best chance of getting all our students the education they deserve. Maryland families deserve leaders who will champion the full funding and implementation of the Blueprint while taking teacher and parent input into consideration every step of the way. Governor Hogan's budget proposal will underfund our public schools by $140 million while creating over $200 million in tax breaks that disproportionately benefit the wealthy. Unfortunately, this comes as no surprise to anyone who has been following his education policies over his years in office. After all, he vetoed the Blueprint when it crossed his desk, and the only reason we even have this framework for reform is because the General Assembly was able to override his veto. Gov-
ernor Hogan's decision to underfund the Blueprint is just another example that meeting the needs of Maryland students is simply not a priority for his administration. Maryland needs to prioritize quality education in order for our state as a whole to flourish. Our economic success, our health outcomes – all depend on the strength of our education system. By not making stronger investments in schools in his budget, Gov. Hogan is making it clear that Maryland's success isn't his top priority. I am deeply grateful for the voices of legislative leaders like Speaker Jones who are willing to call out the lack of funding we're seeing from the administration, and I hope that we see positive changes to address these concerns in the coming days. WI
and recovery from the Great Recession, we never put a chart in front of the Board of Governors with the Black-white unemployment rate — never," economist Claudia Sahm, who worked at the Federal Reserve from 2007 to 2019, told Next City. "You kind of know certain groups are always hit harder in a recession, but it's different when you stare at a line. We didn't do that, they never saw that, they only ever saw the national employment rate." Last week, the Senate Banking Committee held its first hearing to consider these As expected, all three candidates illustrated what we've long known — that their impressive credentials, experience, keen intellect and deep understanding of macroeco-
nomic policy would be an asset to our nation's central bank should they be confirmed by the United States Senate. Unfortunately, President Biden's efforts to elevate highly qualified nominees who reflect the nation's diversity have sparked an ugly, racially-tinged backlash. Renowned for her research on the ways racial inequality and violence have stifled economic growth, Cook represents a dire threat to the conservative crusade to stifle all debate about systemic and historic racism. The American Accountability Foundation, organized last year to dig up dirt on President Biden's nominees
Blazing Fast Internet! ADD TO YOUR PACKAGE FOR ONLY
19.99
$
/mo.
where available
2-YEAR TV PRICE GUARANTEE
64
$
99 MO.
America’s Top 120 Package
190 CHANNELS
Including Local Channels! CALL TODAY - For $100 Gift Card Promo Code: DISH100 for 12 Mos.
1-855-402-3370
Offer ends 11/15/21.
All offers require credit qualification, 24-month commitment with early termination fee and eAutoPay. Prices include Hopper Duo for qualifying customers. Hopper, Hopper w/Sling or Hopper 3 $5/mo. more. Upfront fees may apply based on credit qualification.
BE DEBT FREE in 24–48 months!
If you owe more than $10,000 in credit card or other debt, see how we can help. Call today:
1-888-318-8155 ACCREDITED BUSINESS ®
AIRLINE CAREERS Get FAA approved maintenance training at campuses coast to coast. Job placement assistance. Financial Aid for qualifying students. Military friendly. Call Aviation Institute of Maintenance
800-481-7894
MORIAL Page 54
WWW.WASHINGTONINFORMER.COM / THE WASHINGTON INFORMER
FEBRUARY 10 - 16, 2022 53
JEALOUS from Page 27
The Bath or Shower You’ve Always Wanted
IN AS LITTLE AS A DAY
500 OFF
$
*
OR
No Payments & No Interest For 18 Months **
OFFER EXPIRES 3.31.2022
CALL NOW
(844) 791-1618
*Includes product and labor; bathtub, shower or walk-in tub and wall surround. This promotion cannot be combined with any other offer. Other restrictions may apply. This offer expires Mar 31, 2022. Each dealership is independently owned and operated. **Third party financing is available for those customers who qualify. See your dealer for details. ©2022 BCI Acrylic, Inc.
Attention: VIAGRA & CIALIS Users There’s a More Affordable & Effective Alternative to U.S. Pharmacy High Prices! For discreet home delivery, CALL NOW!
800-995-1351
50 Pill Special:
Only $99 Plus Free Shipping!
Operators Available 24/7!
Pick a state! , any state MDDC Press works with fellow press associations across the country to give you the best possible buys on advertising wherever you need it. We take care of scheduling and placement at no extra cost to you, and you save time and money. Call Wanda Smith at ext. 6 today.
1-855-721-6332
Press Service 2000 Capital Drive, Annapolis, MD 21401
Subscribe!
www.mddcpress.com
There are many reasons to read The Washington Informer...
Each week you’ll get news from The District of Columbia, Prince George’s County, Montgomery County, and Northern Virginia. You will discover Arts and Entertainment, Social Tidbits, Religion, Sports, People’s Viewpoints, Letters to the Editor, Classified Ads and more! And best of all… No crime, no dirty gossip, just positive news and information each week, which is why… The Washington Informer is all about you! Name....................................................................................................... Address................................................................................................... City, State, Zip......................................................................................... Phone number (daytime)......................................................................... Yes! I want to subscribe for: n1 year/$55.00 n 2years/$70.00 Method of payment: n Check Enclosed n Visa/MasterCard Credit card number.................................................................................. Signature........................................................................................
54 FEBRUARY 10 - 16, 2022
ual level, and watching it play out in our political system, can be painful and discouraging. We can also allow it to motivate us to action. When we act, when we fight, we can win. After all, we as Black people and we as Americans have overcome far worse than what we are facing today.
KING from Page 27 ican people." Dr. King would urge President Biden to push hard to overcome those who stand in the way of democracy reform and of economic decency. Yet he also understood that citizen movements — citizens mobilized and demanding change — are essential if fundamental reform is to take place. He understood that it was Selma that moved the Voting Rights Act in Washington. So while he would call on the president to push, he would organize to force senators to face their own constituents. Joe Manchin, the senator from West Virginia, who has torpedoed the Build Back Better legislation, is a wealthy man, enjoying life on a yacht in Washington, D.C., profiting from fossil fuel investments, hanging out
ASKIA from Page 27 let alone a super-rich (and presumably intelligent) Black person like Robert F. Smith, billionaire, would want to pay millions of dollars in order to be able to smoke cigars in some fancy lounges with those corrupt team owners who — like the owner of the Washington Commanders has shown — treat their franchise like a cash cow, their players like stud animals, and women (cheerleaders) in their organizations as their private brothels. One of the two Black NFL coaches — Brian Flores of the Miami Dolphins — was fired at the end of the 2021 season, despite the fact that he had a winning record in each of the past two seasons. Flores was hired not to break a corporate glass ceiling, but to walk over a corporate glass cliff. That is, he was hired to fail. That's what kind of club Mr. Rob-
MORIAL from Page 53 and scuttle his agenda, tried to link Cook with the perceived (but largely fictional) violence of racial justice protests. The group even suggested that merely acknowledging systemic racism is a disqualification for serving
This year, and in every election year, we have another chance to make history. We made history in 2020 when we turned out in record numbers to vote. We elected President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, the first Black person and first woman vice president. We elected Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff to the U.S. Senate. And that has allowed President
Biden to appoint the most personally and professionally diverse set of judges in history, making our courts look more like our country. In this Black History Month, we will take another step forward with the nomination of our next Supreme Court justice. Later this year we will celebrate her confirmation. And history will be made again. WI
with the deep-pocket interests that finance his campaigns. He needs to face the West Virginians who need the child tax credit to help feed their children. The students who could attend college if community colleges were tuition-free. The seniors who can't afford the medicines they need. The young graduates who can't afford a family because they did the right thing and took out student loans to pay for college. The workers who have no future without targeted investments that provide alternatives to the coal industry that is rapidly dying. Let Joe Manchin tell them why he stands in the way. Kyrsten Sinema, the senator for Arizona, who now violates the promises she ran on and chooses to defend the filibuster over voting rights, needs to hear from Arizonans
— Black, brown, Native American, seniors, the disabled, the students — all of whom are victims of voter suppression efforts of the minority. That she already has a serious Democratic primary challenger can only help concentrate her mind. America is once more at a turning point. The need for change is apparent, though there are entrenched interests mobilized to stop it. It is only if citizens of conscience mobilize and work and demonstrate and organize that these interests can be overcome. Dr. King's triumphs came from understanding that essential truth - and by devoting his life to building that movement. We can celebrate his example and Black History Month by answering the call to action and by realizing that the work is not yet done. WI
ert F. Williams, billionaire, is proposing to join. Why, Flores says his upper management even offered him as much as $100,000 per game to intentionally lose games, so they would gain a higher pick in the coming player draft! The league is rife with reports of cheating, spying on teams, illegally and purposefully under-inflating the footballs to advantage a particular player; sex-merchandising the women, such as the woman who recently testified before Congress that Washington Commanders owner Daniel Snyder — who once boasted that he would "never" change his team's name, an offensive, dictionary-defined racial slur — that at a dinner once, she had to physically remove his hand from her thigh, under the table. So, what would having a Black owner with a reputation as a decent, honest person change among those
32 grimy sleazeballs? Nothing. Nada. Zilch. What would be changed would be Robert F. Smith, billionaire. Or maybe that's the kind of guy Robert F. Smith, billionaire, really is in his heart of hearts — a bottom-feeding, Trump kind of dude who belongs in the NFL shark tank as the token Black owner. Maybe he intends to have a franchise like the "Soul Plane" movie, where rappers abound, and hoochies are aplenty — oh, my bad, most of the teams are like that already. So, I'll advise Mr. Robert F. Williams, billionaire, paraphrasing the words the boll weevil in Brook Benton's song told the farmer: "Robert F. Williams, billionaire, I'd like to wish you well." After reading this, Robert F. Williams, billionaire's admirers will likely say to me, what the farmer told the boll weevil: "I wish you were in hell." WI
on the Fed. Former Donald Trump advisor Peter Navarro sunk even lower, calling Cook "more qualified to coach an NFL team" than to set economic policy. These conservatives don't oppose these diverse nominations because they think they're not qualified to
shape economic policies that create opportunity for all Americans, but because they know they are. A Federal Reserve Board of Governors that reflects the nation's diversity is a positive step not just for marginalized communities, but for the nation as a whole. It's also long overdue. WI
THE WASHINGTON INFORMER / WWW.WASHINGTONINFORMER.COM
WHERE
THE
MONEY
GOES.
Thanks to the support of our players, the Maryland Lottery set all-time records in Fiscal Year 2021. The Lottery generated more than $2.6 billion in sales, awarded more than $1.6 billion in prizes and contributed $667.4 million to support Maryland’s schools, public health and safety programs and the environment. Not bad. We’d like to think we generated a few million smiles as well. Please play responsibly. For help, visit mdgamblinghelp.org or call 1-800-GAMBLER. Must be 18 years or older to play.
WWW.WASHINGTONINFORMER.COM / THE WASHINGTON INFORMER
FEBRUARY 10 - 16, 2022 55
T:9.875"
T:10.935"
Whoa
America’s most reliable network is going Ultra. Ultra-fast, ultra-powerful 5G Ultra Wideband is now in more and more places.
5G Ultra Wideband available in select areas. Most reliable based on RootMetrics® US National RootScore® Report 1H 2021. Tested on 3 nat’l mobile networks across all available network types combined, excl. C-Band. Not specific to 5G networks. Results may vary. Not an endorsement.
56 FEBRUARY 10 - 16, 2022
THE WASHINGTON INFORMER / WWW.WASHINGTONINFORMER.COM Cyan,
Magenta,
Yellow,
Black