RECIPIENT OF THE DC BLACK MBA ASSOCIATION 2023 LEGACY AWARD
Serving Our Community in the DMV
Council Mulls over Secure D.C. Omnibus Bill, Activist Questions Officer Use of Force Policy
Vol 59 No 17... February 8-14, 2024
Mayor Bowser Kicks off Black History Month with Major Event, and Racial Equity Plan
Racial Equity Plan Comes Amid Questions about Quality of Life for Black Washingtonians By Sam P.K. Collins WI Staff Writer
By Sam P.K. Collins WI Staff Writer
As the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia (USAO) determines whether to charge the officer involved in a fatal shooting that took place along North Capitol Street in Northwest last month, Jay Brown said he has more questions than answers about the situation. Brown, executive director of Northeast-based grassroots organization Community Shoulders, said that, shortly after the Jan. 24 shooting,
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5D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser (D) started Black History Month with an inaugural kick-off event that highlighted the District’s cultural economy and ongoing efforts to boost the quality of life for Black Washingtonians. (Ja'Mon Jackson/The Washington Informer)
Ward 5 Councilmember Introduces Bill to Ban Water Utility Shutoffs in Homes By Kayla Benjamin WI Climate & Environment Reporter
5Residents and activists such as Jay Brown continue to question the circumstances surrounding the officer-involved fatal shooting of a man who was experiencing a mental health episode on Jan. 24 on the 1300 block of North Capitol Street NW. (Courtesy Photo)
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Councilmember Zachary Parker introduced legislation last week that would prohibit DC Water from shutting off residential customers for nonpayment, a practice he called “inhumane.” Citing the utility’s own slogan, Parker named the bill the “Water Is Life Amendment Act of 2024.” One Brookland resident, who asked to remain anonymous, described her experience with a water disconnection as “nerve-wracking
and infuriating.” She found herself without water just before Thanksgiving in 2018, when she expected to host her mother, her siblings and their families for the first time. “When you don't have running water in a building, it's considered uninhabitable,” the Ward 5 homeowner said. “So why would you do that to people?” Parker’s bill, introduced Feb. 1, also aims to provide wider access to water utility assistance programs. Some provisions would make it easier for residents to enroll in ex-
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D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser (D) started Black History Month with an inaugural kick-off event that not only allowed her to shed a light on the District’s cultural economy, but what she described as her ongoing efforts to boost Black Washingtonians’ quality of life. This year, the Association for the Study of African-American Life and History designated the theme for Black History Month as “African Americans and the Arts.” As such, Bowser and others who spoke at the Carlyle Room in Northwest on Thursday evening paid homage to the District’s arts scene and those who contribute to it.
Bowser, flanked by the Rev. Thomas Bowen, director of the Mayor’s Office on African-American Affairs, and Dr. Amber A. Hewitt, D.C.’s chief equity officer, touted her administration’s achievements in the realms of arts and racial equity. Such achievements, she said, include Art All Night, an annual citywide overnight arts festival, and 202Creates, through which D.C.’s Creative Affairs Office and the Office of Cable Television, FIlm, Music and Entertainment (OCTFME) engage D.C. residents and connect local creatives with resources. It also includes the District’s racial equity plan, the finalized version of
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REMEMBERING ‘THE BLACK EAGLE
Tributes Pour In For Host, Activist Joe Madison By Stacy M. Brown and Hamil Harris WI Senior Writer and WI Contributing Writer
Tributes have continued to pour in for the talk show host, activist and philanthropist known as “The Black Eagle.” After a lengthy bout with prostate cancer, Joe Madison the popular SiriusXM host died on Feb. 1 at 74. 5Talk show host and activist Joe Madison, Those familiar with Madison and known as “The Black Eagle,” died on Feb. 1 after a lengthy battle with prostate cancer. He was 74. (Robert Roberts/The Washington Informer)
Celebrating 59 years. Your credible and trusted source for Black news and information.
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