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Maya Angelou First Black Woman on U.S. Coin

D.C. Auto Show Returns After One-Year Hiatus from COVID-19

Famous author and noted civil rights leader Maya Angelou became the first African-American woman featured on the 25-cent coin. The U.S. Mint began shipping the quarters on January 10.

Reportedly, the Angelou coin is the first in a series designed to celebrate the accomplishments of American women.

“Each time we redesign our currency, we have the chance to say something about our country — what we value, and how we’ve progressed as a society,” U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet L. Yellen said in a statement. “I’m very proud that these coins celebrate the contributions of some of America’s most remarkable women, including Maya Angelou.”

Angelou, whose works include such classics as “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings,” “And Still I Rise,” and “The Heart of a Woman,” died in 2014. She received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor, from President Barack Obama. The commemorative new coin features Angelou with her arms uplifted a bird in flight and a rising sun behind her.

“They are images inspired by her poetry and symbolic of the way she lived,” officials at the U.S. Mint said in the statement.

To the right are the words “e pluribus Unum,” Latin for “out of many, one,” a phrase also on the national seal. The flip side features a portrait of George Washington.

“Excited to announce that Maya Angelou becomes the first Black woman to appear on a U.S. quarter,” California Democratic Rep. Barbara Lee wrote on Twitter.

“The phenomenal women who shaped American history have gone unrecognized for too long – especially women of color,” Rep. Lee wrote. WI

Annual Tax Season Promises to Bring More Headaches

Three-quarters of all Americans get an annual tax refund from the IRS, which often is a family's biggest check of the year. But this tax season could see a repeat of last year's snarls in processing, when about 30 million taxpayers had their returns and refunds held up by the IRS. Treasury Department officials warned on Monday that this year's tax season will be a challenge once the IRS starts processing returns on January 24. That's largely due to the IRS' sizable backlog of returns from 2021. As of December 23, the agency had 6 million unprocessed individual returns –a significant reduction from a backlog of 30 million in May, but far higher than the 1 million unprocessed returns that is more typical around the start of tax season.

"The first thing you know if you are going to cook a meal, you have to have the kitchen cleaned up from the last meal," said Mark W. Everson, vice chairman at Alliantgroup and former Commissioner of Internal Revenue at the IRS. "It just snowballs into a terrible situation."

Compounding the challenge, tax preparers remind Americans that it remains difficult to reach IRS personnel on the phone. Last year, the IRS answered less than 30% of the calls it received, according to Treasury officials.

But here are a few tips on how to ensure a swift tax refund: File electronically; get your refund via direct deposit; don't guesstimate; and save IRS letters about stimulus and Child Tax Credit payments. WI

Ward 8 Residents React to Councilmember Trayon White’s Mayoral Bid

James Wright WI Staff Writer

For more than a month, the Washington Informer has attempted to secure an interview with Ward 8 D.C. Councilmember Trayon White to discuss his plan and platform as he seeks to become the next mayor of the District.

But to date, we have been met with postponements, cancellations and other challenges that have frustrated our best efforts. Still, we have not given up and remain cautiously optimistic.

White will challenge D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser and D.C. Councilmember Robert White (D-At Large), and several others, in the mayoral Democratic primary that will take place on June 21.

But with the clock continuing to tick, we have asked a few Ward 8 residents their views on White’s candidacy.

D.C. State Board of Education at-large member Jacque Patterson said he generally supports White’s aspirations and thinks his entry into the mayor’s race will raise issues that might not otherwise be discussed.

“However, I do have concerns about whether Trayon White has citywide appeal,” Patterson said. “I think he will do well in Ward 8 and in Ward 7, but in Wards 1, 2 and 3, he may have some problems. Wards 1, 2 and 3 have certain perceptions of executive expectations that are different from Wards 5, 6, 7 and 8.”

Patterson said that in order to be successful in the race, White must convince voters in Wards 1, 2 and 3 that he will maintain the level of city services they expect. He said White will do a good job articulating the concerns of residents east of the Anacostia River. Patterson said White should try to mimic the mayor of a nearby city in terms of reaching out and getting the support of people outside of his Ward 8 base. “Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott is a good example that White should follow,” Patterson said. “Scott has done well in balancing the concerns of the poor in that city and those who are well-to-do. Scott served on the Baltimore’s city council and as its president, so he has had the time to know the whole city and what the needs of its residents are.”

However, there are some residents who remain skeptical about White’s effectiveness as the next mayor.

“I think Trayon White is the worst thing that has happened to Ward 8,” said Stephen A. Slaughter, a former advisory neighborhood commissioner. “While he has been on the council, he hasn’t passed a decent piece of legislation benefitting the ward. He should not be a candidate to be the next mayor of our city. He cannot take the city to the next level.”

Former commissioner Joe Johnson said White shouldn’t run because he can’t win.

“I think White will have a hard time beating Muriel Bowser for re-election,” Johnson said. “I think he may end up taking votes away from Bowser, with Robert White in the race. He will take votes from somebody but he won’t win.”

Johnson said White should focus on the needs of Ward 8 residents.

“He can do better for Ward 8,” he said. “I don’t see a future Mayor Trayon White.”

Stuart Anderson, a longtime civic and political activist, has supported White’s past campaigns. But he said he agrees in principle with Johnson that White should foc us on his council duties.

“Councilmember White should focus on obtaining more tenure on the council,” Anderson said. “Let’s say he were to win the mayor’s race this year. The ward would have to elect another councilmember and that person would be a rookie on the council, at the bottom. That would be a disservice to the ward. Tenure gives a councilmember more opportunities to obtain resources and programs for constituents.”

Anderson said White should be using his organization on getting the best results for redrawing advisory neighborhood commission lines and educating residents about the economic opportunities available with the likely development of Poplar Point.

Poplar Point, a 110-acre site on the eastern shores of the Anacostia River, will become property of the District from the federal government in the near future and Anderson stressed that Ward 8 residents should be involved in the economic development projects that could be there.

“Redistricting, focusing on how the ward can benefit from Poplar Point and gaining more seniority on the council should be his focus,” Anderson said. “That is more important than running for mayor.” WI @JamesWrightJr10

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5 Ward 8 Councilmember Trayon White is a candidate for the Democratic nomination for mayor on June 21. (WI File Photo)

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black facts

JAN 13 - 19, 2022

SOURCE: BLACK AMERICA WEB

1998 – Civil rights activist James Farmer (below right) is awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Clinton.

JAN. 16

1871 – Jefferson Long becomes the first African American from Georgia to be elected to the United States House of Representatives. 1920 – Sorority Zeta Phi Beta is founded at Howard University. 1941 – The War Department announces the creation of an all-Black fighter squadron to train at an airfield in Tuskegee, Alabama. 1967 – Lucius D. Amerson, the first Black sheriff in the South in the 20th century, is sworn in at Tuskegee,

Alabama.

JAN. 17

1759 – Quaker businessman and abolitionist Paul

Cuffee is born in Cuttyhunk Island, Massachusetts. 1942 – Boxing legend and civil rights activist Muhammad Ali is born Cassius Clay in Louisville, Kentucky.

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JAN. 13

1835 – Isaac Myers, pioneer of the African American trade union movement, is born in Baltimore. 1869 – The Colored National Labor Union, the nation's first Black labor union, is founded in Washington, D.C. 1873 – P.B.S. Pinchback ends service as Louisiana governor. 1913 – Sorority Delta Sigma Theta is founded at Howard University. 1953 – Don Barksdale becomes the first Black to play in the NBA All-Star Game. 1989 – Poet and literary critic Sterling A. Brown, D.C. native and longtime Howard University professor, dies in Tacoma Park, Maryland, at 87.

JAN. 14

1916 – Fiction writer John Oliver Killens is born in Macon, Georgia. 1940 – Famed civil rights leader Julian Bond is born in Nashville, Tennessee.

JAN. 15

1908 – Alpha Kappa Alpha, the first Black Greek-letter sorority, is founded at Howard University. 1929 – Iconic civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. (right) is born in Atlanta.

JAN. 18

1966 – Robert Weaver

is sworn in as the first secretary of Housing and Urban Development, becoming the first African American to be appointed to a U.S. Cabinet-level position.

JAN. 19

1918 – American businessman and publisher John H. Johnson, founder of the Johnson Publishing Company and the first African American to appear on the Forbes 400, is born in Arkansas City, Arkansas. 1961 – The PGA of America removes its "Caucasian-only clause," opening the door for all players to participate in professional golf tournaments. WI

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BY SARAFINA WRIGHT

Former Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Antonio Brown, who walked off the field midgame on Jan. 2 against the New York Jets, alleges that the organization attempted to force him to play while injured and is lying about the events that led to his outburst. What are your thoughts?

RICH ALLEN /

DALLAS, TEXAS It’s just football for entertainment. Just because he walks out on some billionaire’s team doesn’t mean something is wrong with him. The team lets players go when they feel the need, and no one thinks there’s something wrong with them.

KIM CRAWLEY /

NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE There is something going on. We as a village need to help Mr. Brown. Professional football players have the same mental health problems as everyone else, but they also face some unique challenges, such as confusion, depression, aggression, dementia, and other symptoms that can accompany a degenerative brain disease called chronic traumatic encephalopathy [CTE] that’s caused by repeated hits and blows to the head. I’m sending prayers and love to Antonio Brown and his family.

DELVIN GEORGE /

WASHINGTON, D.C. I hate that people talked about this man like he was nothing. You never know what this man was going through at the moment. All I can do is pray that this man gets the help he needs for his life. All people worry about is winning and losing a football game. I pray he wins in life. Football is a dangerous game, and the hit he took in Cincinnati was bad. Let’s lift him up in prayer, not talk about him.

JASON GROVE /

PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA We need to stop making excuses for these athletes. All of a sudden, we can diagnose mental health and CTE/TBI as unqualified fans. It’s great to give them the benefit of the doubt, but sometimes, no matter how much we love them as fans, we need to accept bad behavior without trying to steer it toward mental health. My opinion: money and fame changed AB, and the more he got away with just empowered his ego.

HENRY HILL /

NEW KENT, VIRGINIA He was at an NBA game last night looking unconcerned. So if he is not concerned for himself, why should I be? He is a clown — wasted talent.

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Leading health officials from the CDC recently shared the prediction that “everyone will eventually get COVID-19. But that’s not news to me. I contracted the virus more than two years ago during a visit back home to the city in which I was born, Detroit.

Unfortunately, during December 2019 when I came down with COVID-19, then President Trump and his cronies had not informed us that we were facing a new virus that had the potential to kill the young, the old, the healthy and the less-than healthy. And so, believing I had simply come down with a powerful strain of the old-fashioned flu, I followed the same regiment that I had in the past when the flu had visited me.

With God’s grace, which is always essential and always sufficient, I recovered. But it was a rough couple of weeks. And I would not like to experience a repeat performance – not for all the tea in China.

Fast forward to 2022. This mysterious virus has been identified. We have found medical weapons that can protect us better. And we continue to learn as the health community, led by the CDC and a host of others, take the helm in research, evaluation and the identification of best practices and protocols.

Millions have been hospitalized or have lost their lives across the globe. Somehow, we have survived the Delta variant only to be struck by another, new variant. And given the highly-contagious Omicron variant which today continues to sweep across the U.S. and Europe at record numbers, the CDC’s warning, that we will all eventually contract COVID-19, seems both logical and inevitable.

No matter how we slice it, it appears that COVID-19, like the flu, will probably be with us for a very long time – certainly for the foreseeable future.

However, this should not be a reason for us to react like the protagonist Henny Penny in the children’s folk tale in which Henny Penny, also known as Chicken Little, runs around in a frenzy of fear, trepidation and heightened anxiety, after being struck by an object from an overhanging tree which leads Henny Penny to proclaim, “the sky is falling.”

This story from my childhood came to mind recently after a friend who had visited me about a week ago, called me with the news that he had tested positive for COVID-19. But he also sent me his medical records and shared his testimony of certain doom and gloom.

I must confess, that I was nonplussed.

Perhaps I should have been more anxious after receiving his call but in my defense, I had already weathered that storm. Further, I am fully vaccinated and have also received the booster shot. Finally, if the advisory from the CDC is correct, my friend’s call, which came seven days after our contact, was probably a little too late. The five-day isolation period had passed and I had been without any symptoms.

But at first, I rushed around my home like Henny Penny, looking for my home test kit and my thermometer. I called my personal physician and I began to worry. But I was feeling just fine. I had not been around anyone else. I was eating voraciously and sleeping quite well. And I was wearing my mask whenever I ventured outside of my home.

What else could I do? What else should I do? Certainly, there was little cause for me to fear the worst much less to speak it into my existence.

For the record, I have since tested negative and I, and my two faithful companions, my beloved boxer, Baby Girl and her sidekick, my little mongrel and rescue dog, Duchess, are doing just fine.

But this experience has reminded me of how dangerous it is to jump to conclusions or to predict the worst about life. Neither today nor tomorrow are promised. Still, I believe that the sun will come out tomorrow and that I will be here to see the sunrise.

In the meantime, I will make sure I’m vaccinated and being guided by science-based protocols, not the idiots who enjoy retweeting falsehoods and fake news on social media platforms.

WI

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5 Protestors gather at the White House to bring attention to voting rights, voter suppression and DC Statehood. (WI File Photo/Anthony Tilghman)

VOTE DC from Page 1

registration and voting access, election integrity and security, redistricting and campaign finance laws with the thrust of the bill to ensure that eligible Americans can participate without hurdles in the political process.

The John Lewis bill would restore sections of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 gutted by the U.S. Supreme Court in 2013 in the case of Shelby County vs. Holder.

Members of the King Family, including Martin Luther King III, Arndrea King, his wife, and their daughter, Yolanda Renee King, will join other civil and human rights activists and congressional leaders, including U.S. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), during the Peace Walk in the District.

D.C. Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton, the sponsor of The Washington, D.C. Admission Act of 2021 in the House and D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser, a staunch statehood supporter, have confirmed their participation as well.

Among other participants, there will be members of several pro-statehood organizations: Stand Up! for Democracy in DC Coalition; 51 for 51; and Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., the only Black Greek letter fraternal organization to officially embrace the city’s right to self-determination.

However, there have been murmurs from some statehood activists that the cause will take a secondary place in actions on fighting voter suppression even though the Peace Walk will be held in the city.

Bo Shuff, the executive director of DC Vote, said nothing could be further from the truth. He said he doesn’t feel offended that D.C. statehood will not count as a central focus of the Peace Walk.

“I have not talked to the organizers of the national portion of the MLK Peace Walk but I do understand their strategy,” he said. “The reason they are focusing on the Freedom to Vote and John Lewis Advancement Act has to do with the order of bills in the Senate. Both of those bills have solid Democratic support with 50 senators. The Washington, D.C. Admission Act of 2021 has the strong support of 46 senators, all Democrats co-sponsoring the bill and we have the possibility of getting 48 Democrats, but we are not at 50.”

Shuff said eliminating the filibuster, a procedural tool in the Senate where legislation can only proceed to the floor if there are 60 votes to advance, has become the real purpose of the Peace Walk.

“This is really a push to eliminate the filibuster,” Shuff said. “The strategy is to put the Freedom to Vote and John Lewis Act first as a way to eliminate the filibuster, at least for those bills. If that is done, then the D.C. statehood bill, operating under the rules of those other two bills, can be considered by the Senate later.”

Shuff said he has no doubt of the King family’s support of D.C. statehood.

“Members of the King family support statehood and I have seen them wear t-shirts indicating that,” he said.

Oye Owolewa, the District’s shadow representative, said the Peace Walk and its thrust serve a purpose and send a clear message.

“D.C. having two votes in the Senate can be the deciding votes on legislation stopping voter suppression,” Owolewa said. “We can also make a difference in the Senate on other progressive legislation and help to stop the filibuster. In the District, we care about voting rights and people having the right to vote and that is why we need to step up and become the next state.”

Owolewa said he didn’t see the Peace Walk’s lack of emphasis on statehood as a snub.

“I see it as an opportunity for the people around the country to know where we stand on progressive issues,” he said. “People in the progressive movement tend to operate in silos. If D.C. residents get involved in other issues such as cancelling student debt or climate change, I think that will help our D.C. statehood cause. It is important that we get our story told and our voices heard.”

WI @JamesWrightJr10

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Ward 7 Celebrates Lidl Grocery Store Coming to Skyland Town Center

James Wright WI Staff Writer

Ward 7 residents and leaders say they’re thrilled that Lidl, a supermarket chain based in Germany with stores throughout the U.S. including Maryland and Virginia, will open its first store in the District at the Skyland Town Center located in the ward.

“This is absolutely fantastic,” D.C. Councilmember Vincent Gray (D-Ward 7) said at the groundbreaking ceremony on Jan. 8.

“We have worked long and hard to bring more grocery stores to Ward 7 and elsewhere on the East End of the District. Lidl will provide residents with more options and serve as an anchor to Skyland. The East End is a valuable market location for retail and hospitality providers. I am pleased that Lidl is investing in our community and leading the way,” he said.

Gray participated in the ceremony with city officials including D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser, D.C. Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development John Falcicchio, Ward 7 advisory neighborhood commissioners Tiffany L. Brown and Kelvin Brown, and corporate leaders from Lidl and Rappaport Companies, Skyland’s development company.

After many decades of lawsuits and delays, the Skyland Town Center came into fruition a few years ago with the support of the Bowser administration and the assistance of Rappaport,, W.C. Smith property management company, the Washington East Foundation, the Skyland Town Center Task Force and the Marshall Heights Community Development Organization. The town center features housing, retail and dining and will soon open the first Starbucks in the District to offer drive-through service.

Lidl started in Ludwigshafen, Germany in 1973. In 1990, it expanded beyond Germany to Europe and the U.S. Today, Lidl operates nearly 11,200 stores and employs 310,000 people in 32 countries with its U.S. headquarters based in Arlington, Va.

On Lidl’s website, the company said it wants “to offer customers the highest quality fresh produce, meat, baked goods and household products at unbelievably low prices.” Lidl officials say the Skyland store will open at the end of this year.

Gray’s legislation, The East End Grocery Store Incentive Act, has fueled the construction of full-service grocery stores like Lidl and offers co-anchor retail opportunities through the use of District government grants. The Bowser administration has undergirded the building of Lidl at Skyland with millions of dollars from specialized programs benefitting grocers and with tax incremental financing.

Lidl company officials say the Skyland store will have 445 employees with wages starting at $16.50 an hour and offer them the full range of employment benefits.

Carrie Thornhill, chairperson of the Washington East Foundation, praised the coming of Lidl.

“We did it Vince,” Thornhill said, looking at Gray who sat nearby. “I am so happy to be here to

5 District, Lidl and Skyland Town Center leaders recently broke ground for a new Lidl Grocery Store in Ward 7. (Ja’Mon Jackson/The Washington Informer)

celebrate this occasion. We have persevered. Now the residents of Ward 7 will have options when it comes to not only going to the grocery store but dining and other retail.”

Earl Williams, the chair of the Skyland Town Center Task Force, echoed Thornhill’s enthusiasm.

“The coming of Lidl is an example of what happens when the community and developers work together,” Williams said. “Rappaport has been a wonderful partner. Both Bowser and Gray have worked diligently to get this done.”

Lidl and the Skyland Town Center, both located in advisory neighborhood commissioner Tiffany L. Brown’s 7B02 single-member district, represent a future with greater options for residents.

“As a matter of fact, I live a few hundred feet from here,” Brown said, pointing north to her house. “I can’t wait to walk over here to buy my groceries. We have waited for this a long time.”

WI @JamesWrightJr10

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*For those who qualify. One coupon per household. No obligation estimate valid for 1 year. **Off er 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 Suff olk 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