WINNER OF FIVE SOCIETY OF PROFESSIONAL JOURNALISTS D.C. AWARDS Georgia Election, D.C. Riots Hold Many Public Policy Teachable Moments Vol. 56, No. 13 • January 14 - 20, 2021
Page 24
Donald Trump Makes History Again – Impeached for Second Time
Several Republicans, including Sen. Mitch McConnell, Break Rank with President Stacy M. Brown WI Senior Writer
COVID-19 UPDATE
5 Ward 7 D.C. Councilmember Vincent C. Gray, who chairs the Committee on Health, receives the first of two Moderna COVID-19 inoculations at United Medical Center in Southeast on Tuesday, Jan. 12. (Anthony Tilghman/The Washington Informer)
Rule Change Grants D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser Access to House Floor
Trump Will Not Attend, Breaking with 152-Year Tradition Amid rising speculations and mounting evidence that the deadly assault on the U.S. Capitol led by thousands of pro-Trump supporters on Wed., Jan. 6 was carefully planned in advance, political leaders and law enforcement agencies across the D.C. region have ramped up security measures to avoid a similar occurrence both in the days leading up to and
James Wright WI Staff Writer
on Jan. 20 when the inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris will take place. On Tuesday, Jan. 12, House Democrats briefed on security preparations ahead of the inauguration concluded that there’s an “increased threat” to the Capitol. Meanwhile, just one day earlier, U.S. Capitol Police, already suffer-
POLICE Page 28
IMPEACHED Page 30
D.C. Statehood Advocates Strategize for 117th Congress
D.C. Ramps Up Security Days Before Jan. 20 Inauguration D. Kevin McNeir WI Editor
President Donald Trump and his allies were “stoking the anger of a violent mob,” Democratic Rep. Jim McGovern, the Chairman of the House Rules Committee, remarked as he formally opened the proceedings on Wednesday, Jan. 13 that led to the unprecedented second impeachment of the outgoing commander-in-chief. “A member of this very body proclaimed on that stage, today is the
day American patriots start taking down names and kicking ass,” the Massachusetts congressman stated. “Trump’s personal attorney Rudy Giuliani called for trial by combat. Then Donald Trump told the crowd, ‘we’re going to have to fight much harder. You’ll never take back our country with weakness.” Despite some pushback from die-hard Trump supporters in Congress, the House pushed forward
5 Mayor Muriel Bowser (Courtesy photo)
The election of two Democrats from Georgia to the U.S. Senate has sparked the enthusiasm of D.C. statehood advocates as they engage in planning on how they will convince the U.S. Congress to make the District the 51st state. The opportunity for the passage of D.C. statehood legislation by Congress heightened with the victories of the Rev. Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff, two Georgia Democrats
elected to the Senate on Jan.5. Both men back D.C. statehood and President Biden has indicated his support. The Georgians’ wins came a day after a rule change Jan. 4 by the U.S. House of Representatives to allow the District’s mayor access to that chamber’s floor, a privilege governor of states and territories possess and abandoning days during the session when bills affecting the District can only be considered. The House also adopted another rule change when it
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non following the deadly riot at the Capitolthreat,” in she said. By Tia Carol Jones law enforcement. She U.S. said they WI Staff Writer had come together toefforts bring“to a protect Among the programs Marlow sense of uniformity inthe the conversation way wants to see implemented are When L.Y. Marlow's and service stricter restraining order policies, on our Twitter recently and 23-yearpermanentlydomestic suspendedviolence Presidentvictims old daughter told her the father survivors are treated. to rights for victim's families Donald Trump's account, @realDonaldTrump, citing a from attemptsmore ofpattern her daughter threatened hercompany “She's using her ownincite personalviolence, to intervene on behalf of a vicof behavior that violated rules. The action life, andasthe their child, story,any hermajor own personal pain to attacks tim, a domestic violence assessserves the life mostofsweeping punishment social organize she knew something had to be push forward,” Davis-Nickens ment unit coupled with further and share delibermedia company has ever taken against Trump, who has done. Out of her frustration about Marlow. training for law enforcement used his Twitter account to announcesaid White House policy, ately misleading with lawrivals enforcement's Davis-Nickens saidinformation anyone about agencies, a Child's Life Protecthe election outcome.” The company attack and widelyhandling disseminate misinformation. of the situation, shebeen decided to towho Act andthe mandatory said itwill began tion suspending accounts counselon Jan. 8, citing Twitter has long pressured eitherreads limit Marlow's the reach book start the Saving Promise cam- “get it.” She said she an the risk ing of forharm batterers. increased between online speech and reof Trump's tweets or to ban him due to a multitude of “puts paign. case in such a way, the average “If we are ever going to eradifalse claims. And while Twitter’s officials have supported al-world events. “It seems to be a vicious cycle person can get it.” She said at the cate domestic violence, we must Meanwhile, Amazon, Twitter and other tech compaTrump’s right to maintain an account, their stance changed that won't turn my family end of the day, the book will look at both sides of the coin. nies continue to face blowback for other efforts to adfollowing the violent riots that overtook the Capitol on Jan. loose,” Marlow said. Marlow help people begin to have a dia- We need to address both the vic6 afterher numerous poststhe attempted derail the result of the dress harmful content online – including decisions to shared story with audi- tologue about domestic violence. tim and the batterer,” Marlow ban Trump and numerous websites that had glorified presidential election. ence at the District Heights Also present at the event was said. violent mob which assaulted the Capitol last week. "After close reviewSymposium of recent TweetsMildred from theMuhammad, @realDon- the Domestic Violence the exMarlow would also like to see The aforementioned platforms have banned now banned aldTrump account and the context around them — specifon May 7 at the District Heights wife of John Allen Muhammad, programs designed to raise Trump and awareness his allies. Twitter Trump’sinpreferred ically howCenter. they are The beingsymporeceived and on and Municipal whointerpreted was sentenced to six consecamongwas children means of ramping up attacks on his adversaries, off Twitter we have permanently the account sium was — sponsored by the suspended utive life terms without parole public and private schools. Shespreading conspiracies during his four due to the risk Youth of furtherServices incitement by of violence," thejury comFamily and a Maryland for his role in and feelsprovoking children other need nations to be educatyears in the White House. pany said in a statement. Center of the city of District the Beltway Sniper attacks in ed about domestic violence. It’s anisunprecedented moment forbeing tech platforms that Trump silencedMildred him andMuhammad his Heights andsaid theTwitter’s Nationaldecision Hook- has2002. “We have to stop pashave simultaneously faced pressure to restrict misinforsupporters, “the 75,000,000 great patriots who voted for Up of Black Women. the founder of After the Trauma, sive-aggressive with poor chilmationthe and hate speech anddomestic to defendviolence,” free speech. other. me,” and in the social media Marlow hasa written written statement a book, accused an organization that helps dren about Twitter wasMarlow Trump’ssaid. preferred channel for amplifying company banning free speech. “Color Me of Butterfly,” which is a survivors of domestic violence spreading conspiracies and provokrelatedfour news, on Jan. 11,ofTwitter more than attacks on his rivals, storyInabout generations andpurged their children. Marlow has worked to break ing other nations during his four years in power. domestic violence. affiliated The bookwith is conspiracy 70,000 accounts theory QA“I lived in fear for six years. Six the cycle of abuse in her family, inspired by her own experiences, years in fear is a long time. It is and is confident the policies she and those of her grandmother, not an easy thing to come out is pushing for will start that her mother and her daughter. of,” she said. process. She said every time she reads Mildred Muhammad said “I plan to take these policies to excerpts from her book, she still people who want to help a Congress and implore them to can not believe the words came domestic violence victim must change our laws,” Marlow said. from her. “Color Me Butterfly” be careful of how they go into “I will not stop until these poliMetro officials released a Metrorail schedule for won the 2007 National “Best the victim's life, and understand cies are passed.” More than a month after longtime the Martin Tia Luther King, holiday weekend. All Books” Award. that she may be in “survival Carol JonesJr.can be reached Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-Maryland) won his 91 Metrorail stations will provide normal weekend “I was just 16-years-old when mode”. at tiacaroljones@sbcglobal.net bideye for reelection, markingand his 20th holiday service with no scheduled track work my first blackened my term “Before you get to 'I'm and going in bled,” Congress, Greenbelt Saturday, lips Marlow said. Mayor Colin to kill you,' it started as a verbal Jan. WI16 through Monday, Jan. 18. Trains Byrd announced that he will chalwill operate from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. on Saturday. StaElainehasDavis-Nickens, presilengeofHoyer for the 5th Congressional tions will open an hour later at 8 a.m. Sunday, Jan. dent the National Hook-Up 17. Trains will begin running at 5 a.m. on Monday, ofdistrict. Black Women, said there is no Byrd, 28,in willthe faceway an uphill battle in his consistency domestic but operate on Saturday service with trains operating quest to issues unseat Hoyer, 81, who violence are dealt withserves by as House Majority Leader. every 12 to 15 minutes on the Red Line and every 15 And he’s already begun his campaign – criticizing Hoyer on social to 20 minutes on the other five lines. media including a statement he made on Facebook on Friday, Jan. 8. For more details, go to www.wmata.com/service/ “Majority Leader Steny Hoyer had a lot of nice philosophical status/details/weekend.cfm, or call 202-637-7000. platitudes to offer [Jan. 6] but, like Ted Cruz and unlike House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Congressman Jerry Nadler, Steny STILL has not expressed support for the removal or impeachment of Donald J. Trump for his latest assaults on democracy and inciting of a terrorist attack on the Capitol,” Byrd wrote. Several hours later, Hoyer issued a statement which called for Congress to sanction the president. “Donald Trump has demonstrated he is a clear and present danger to the American people and our democracy and he should be removed from office,” Hoyer said. “The Twenty-Fifth Amendment would be the quickest way to proceed, but Congress should consider impeachment if that Amendment is not invoked.”
Suspends Trump
Greenbelt Mayor Colin Byrd to Challenge Hoyer for Congressional Seat
“
Metrorail Service Changes Set for MLK Weekend
We have to stop being passive-aggressive with poor children about domestic violence. I plan to take these policies to Congress and implore them to change our laws. I will not stop until these policies are passed.
“
SOMETHING NEW EVERYDAY
Women the Cycle of wi hotBreak topics Domestic Violence Twitter Permanently
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L.Y. Marlow
AROUND THE REGION
The Wright Way: Foundation Helps D.C. Homicide Victims, Brokers Peace Stacy M. Brown WI Senior Writer Independence Day 2020 is one of those days that’s in Sade Wright’s memory. The District-based activist held a cookout with guests that included Ward 8 Councilman Trayon White. The event was festive, with friendly conversations, music and delicious barbecue, helping Wright’s high-profile friends and family members delight. “Then all of a sudden, everyone’s phones started going off and the next thing you knew, everyone had left,” Wright recalled. Text messages had been sent to the Councilman and the other guests, alerting them to 11-yearold Davon McNeal’s shooting death. The shooting occurred on Cedar Street Southeast, which had been the subject of a round-the-clock watch by the Metropolitan Police Department because of a previous shooting earlier that week. Wright, who started the Wright Family Foundation just a year before Davon’s murder, immediately organized a drive-by event to honor Davon. About 30 cars lined the Southeast streets, driving from The Big Chair in Anacostia to MPD’s 7th District station in Buena Vista. During the drive-by memorializing Davon, Wright said someone informed her of the murder of another Southeast resident, Dawaun Simmons. Affectionately known as “Woosie” Dawaun, 17, was killed two months earlier, but Wright simply cried upon learning about the murder. “We have a saying with leaders in Southeast,” Wright revealed. “We say, ‘put the guns down, pick the children up.’” She and her husband, Duane Wright, fund the family’s foundation and all its philanthropic efforts. Wright noted that grant applications have failed, and donations are almost non-existent. “We are supported by the community and that’s it,” Wright remarked. But it still has not stopped the
foundation from organizing tributes to the fallen, assisting victims’ families, providing thousands of meals for those in need during its Feed the Streets program. The foundation also has hosted toy drives for children, gun giveback events and assisted those with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Wright insists that she has routinely tried to engage MPD’s hierarchy on several occasions to help police relations in the community and assist in brokering peace. “I have gone to the police station, and I have asked the commander to talk to us and have a relationship with the community,” Wright said. “These officers cannot just come into the community and drive around, see these Black boys and just jump on them. That is why they do not respect them. That’s why they run.” Wright’s family has endured its share of violence and loss. A cousin was murdered in 2006 at his home in Maryland, and in 2016, Duane Wright’s brother, Rashawn, was shot and killed in Southeast. “I had to sit at his murder trial and watch the murderers get off,” Sade Wright recalled. “So, when I see these juveniles being killed, it’s upsetting. It is why I had to do something.” Wright, who once suffered a stroke, has lived all her life in Southeast. She said she could easily relate to young ones growing up there today. “I used to be a bad girl. I used to always like to fight,” Wright noted. “Things are not like they were when I was growing up, so when I see these young girls and guys in the area, I feel like we need to, and we can, make a change in the community. “That is what made me want to give back so that I can show my community that there are other ways than the way we are currently seeing things done.” The Washington Informer has started a series called, “Black Lives Lived,” where we will profile African American homicide victims. In bringing the stories of unsolved Black victims of crime, we hope to show that these are real people,
with real families, who loved and cared about them. We also hope the profiles will help preserve their dignity and legacy and perhaps lend a hand to MPD in bringing those responsible to justice. If you’d like your loved one featured, email us at stacybrownmedia@ gmail.com To support the Wright Family Foundation, a nonprofit, you can use $WFFGIVEBACK at (202) 6073804. You can also visit https://www. instagram.com/wright_family_foundation/ WI Twitter: @StacyBrownMedia Facebook: StacyBrownMedia
5 Sade and Duane Wright (Courtesy Sade Wright)
5 Sade Wright (Courtesy Sade Wright)
ASSOCIATION FOR THE STUDY OF AFRICAN AMERICAN LIFE AND HISTORY®
THE 2021 BLACK HISTORY MONTH
VIRTUAL FESTIVAL CELEBRATING THE 95TH ANNUAL BLACK HISTORY THEME
The Black Family: Representation, Identity, and Diversity Monday, February 1, 2021
Wednesday, February 24, 2021
FREE COMMUNITY EVENT - OPEN TO PUBLIC Announcement of the Black History theme and Introduction of ASALH’s Inaugural Virtual Black History Month Festival
FREE COMMUNITY EVENT - OPEN TO PUBLIC Diving with a Purpose
Saturday, February 6, 2021 12:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. EST
FREE COMMUNITY EVENT - OPEN TO PUBLIC ASALH Prince George’s County Truth Branch Event Featuring a conversation with Dr. Bernice King
FREE COMMUNITY EVENT - OPEN TO PUBLIC From the Continent to the Americas: Foodways, Culture and Traditions in the African American Family
Wednesday, February 10, 2021 FREE COMMUNITY EVENT - OPEN TO PUBLIC Presentation of the Inaugural ASALH Book Prize
Sunday, February 28, 2021 12:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. EST
Sunday, February 28, 2021 7:00 p.m. EST FREE COMMUNITY EVENT - OPEN TO PUBLIC ASALH and PBS Books Present: A Conversation with Ngugi Wa Thiong’o and Sundiata Cha-Jua
Marquee Event
Saturday, February 20, 2021 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. EST (TICKETED EVENT: $50.00) Finding Our Roots in African American History A Conversation with… Henry Louis Gates and Evelyn Brooks Higginbotham
Henry Louis Gates, Jr.
Evelyn Brooks Higginbotham
Acclaimed for his scholarship, his documentary films about African, Afro-Latin, and African American History, and his popular television series, “Finding Your Roots,” Henry Louis Gates, Jr., has brought fascinating African American family stories to the wider public. The Black History Month Festival in 2021 is proud to feature a conversation between ASALH’s national president Evelyn Brooks Higginbotham and Henry Louis Gates, Jr., who will share his thoughts and motivations in popularizing Black History through the heritage of African American families and communities and their search for roots. ASALH BRANCHES WILL HOST VIRTUAL PROGRAMS THROUGHOUT THE MONTH ASALH BRANCH EVENTS CAN BE FOUND AT ASALH.ORG/BRANCH-EVENTS
ASSOCIATION FOR THE STUDY OF AFRICAN AMERICAN LIFE AND HISTORY THE FOUNDERS OF BLACK HISTORY MONTH WWW.ASALH.ORG | 202-238-5910 | #ASALH
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JANUARY 14 - 20, 2021 5
AROUND THE REGION
black facts
SOURCE: BLACK AMERICA WEB
JAN 14 - 20, 2021
JAN 14
1916 – Fiction writer John Oliver Killens is born in Macon, Georgia. 1940 – Famed civil rights leader Julian Bond (bottom right) is born in Nashville, Tennessee.
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1908 – Alpha Kappa Alpha, the first Black Greek-letter sorority, is founded at Howard University. 1929 – Iconic civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. is born in Atlanta. 1998 – Civil rights activist James Farmer 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
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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.
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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.
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.
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1847 – William R. Pettiford, founder of the Alabama Penny Savings Company, is born in Granville County, North Carolina. 1870 – Hiram R. Revels is elected by the Mississippi legislature to fill the Senate seat once held by Jefferson Davis, the former president of the Confederacy. Revels is the first African American ever to sit in Congress. 1954 – Chicago advertiser W. Leonard Evans Jr. founds the National Negro Network, the first Black-owned radio network in the country. 1986 – Martin Luther King Jr. Day is observed as a federal holiday for the first time. 2001 – Colin Powel (top) is sworn in by President George W. Bush as U.S. secretary of state, becoming the first African American to hold the position. 2009 – Barack Obama is inaugurated as the first Black president of the United States.
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A growing number of congressional leaders are calling for President Trump to be removed from office in the wake of the U.S. Capitol riot, either by impeachment or by invoking the 25th Amendment, less than a week before President-elect Joe Biden is inaugurated. What are your thoughts?
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LAKISHA TYLER / ATLANTA, GEORGIA
I hope they impeach him instead. That way he loses all his presidential benefits.
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LETTA PERDUE / ATLANTA, GEORGIA
He needs both. The 25th will get him gone ASAP. And impeachment will assure he'll never be eligible to hold public office again!
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STEPHANIE HAWKINS / NEWARK, NEW JERSEY
Give him a two-piece! Invoke the 25th and impeach! He needs the book thrown at him and he should absolutely not receive any presidential benefits when he is thrown out of office!
TINA SIMS /
PORT ARTHUR, TEXAS
If he can get impeached, he should. He doesn't deserve a penny. Too much water under the bridge and we are definitely tired of drowning.
YVETTE CHEATHAM / WASHINGTON, D.C.
A second impeachment would be better, since it would strip him of a Secret Service detail, $1 million in travel allowance a year and a pension of $200,000 a year. He deserves none of that.
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JANUARY 14 - 20, 2021 7
The World According to Dominic
Dr. King’s Words Hauntingly Prophetic for an America in Crisis
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It’s hard to believe that Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., the chief spokesperson for nonviolent activism and the eradication of racial discrimination, was assassinated almost 53 years ago. But what cannot be disputed is the relevance of his often-prophetic writings and political thought – much of which remains underappreciated and rarely examined except by those within the community of scholars. When King died at the age of 39, I was an eight-year-old boy – blessed and fortunate enough to be living in a loving, two-parent, middle class household in Detroit. At the time, the mission of Dr. King and the ministry to which he devoted his life had little significance to me. In fact, it would be nearly three decades later before I would secure the knowledge, as a seminarian in Atlanta at the Emory University Candler School of Theology, to fully comprehend King beyond the more typical, romanticized version of his life. During the summer prior to King’s tragic death, Detroit had reached the boiling point – exploding in racial turmoil after Blacks had become fed up with a mostly-white police department that
harassed, humiliated and abused our men, women and sometimes children. And while my parents and older sister understood the danger around us, I was kept in the dark – safely ensconced in a cocoon of Black love. Shortly after King’s death, efforts began by a multi-racial contingency to make his birthday, January 15, a federal holiday. It would take the herculean efforts of thousands of Americans before President Ronal Reagan signed the holiday into law in 1983 and it would first be observed three years later. However, just as we see hundreds of thousands of Americans today refusing to accept the defeat of Donald Trump and the victory of President-elect Joe Biden – hanging on to conspiracy theories and unable or unwilling to put their personal prejudices and desires aside for the good of our democracy, many Americans were adamant in their refusal to accept the MLK Day. At first, some states resisted observing the holiday, giving it alternative names or combining it with other holidays. It would not be until 2000 when MLK Day was officially observed in all 50 states. Yes, change can indeed be difficult. This year, Dr. King’s birthday will be celebrated, as the law prescribes, on the third Monday of the month, which is January 18. And once again, The Washington Informer, under the direction of our
publisher, Denise Rolark Barnes, will lead our city in celebrating his life and legacy. There will be differences from previous King Day celebrations not only because of the still deadly COVID-19 pandemic but because of fears that the winds of violence have not yet dissipated after last week’s assault on the U.S. Capitol by right-wing insurgents. I recommend that you read King’s “Stride Toward Freedom” – his influential account of the Montgomery bus boycott which offers an original story of African-American nonviolence, the Civil Rights Movement’s adoption of “the principle of love” and of King’s realization of its power. As one writer notes in a recently-published collection of essays about the philosophical writings of King, ‘To Shape a World: Essays on the Political Philosophy of Martin Luther King, Jr.,’ “Christ furnished the spirit and motivation, while Gandhi furnished the method. But King’s ‘pilgrimage to nonviolence’ was marked by moments of doubt.” Like Christ and Gandhi, King would also lose his life at the hands of a world obsessed with violence and hatred of “the other.” Yet, somehow and despite his fears and doubts, Dr. King stayed the course. As we celebrate Dr. King and honor the sacrifice he made for Blacks, our nation and the world, we should remember that he bore a cross which many of us would never consider hoisting upon our own shoulders. WI
There will be differences from previous King Day celebrations not only because of the still deadly COVID-19 pandemic but because of fears that the winds of violence have not yet dissipated after last week’s assault on the U.S. Capitol by right-wing insurgents. 8 - JANUARY 14 - 20, 2021
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Council Chairman Mendelson Explains Consolidation of Education Committee Sam P.K. Collins WI Contributing Writer During a recent legislative session, the D.C. Council unanimously approved the consolidation of its Committee on Education into the Committee of the Whole, where issues concerning the District’s public and public charter schools will share space with a bevy of other topics. Despite pushback among some constituents in the weeks preceding the vote, Council Chairman Phil Mendelson (D) described his recommendation as one that would better allow him and his colleagues to scrutinize instruction of nearly 100,000 K-12 students. “I want to use oversight to press the public schools to move faster and further in closing the achievement
gap and ensuring quality schools throughout the city, not just in certain neighborhoods,” Mendelson told The Informer. Mendelson later outlined issues he would focus his attention on during upcoming oversight hearings, including D.C. Public Schools Chancellor Lewis Ferebee’s reopening plan and what he described as the school system’s abnormally high teacher turnover rate. “It’s quite possible that my colleagues have a number of bills in their mind, but I’m convinced that improving education is a function of the classroom,” Mendelson said. “We don’t need to pass a law to suddenly get better teaching. We need to ensure we have better teachers, and the Council has a role in that through the oversight process.”
In another move that irritated some District residents, Mendelson removed D.C. Councilmembers Brianne Nadeau (D-Ward 1) and Trayon White (D-Ward 8) from the Committee on Housing and Neighborhood Revitalization, and replaced them with Councilmembers Brooke Pinto (D-Ward 2) and Kenyan McDuffie (D-Ward 5). Mendelson’s other recommendations, made after extensive meetings with other council members, involved the merging of the Committee on Government Operations and the Committee on Facilities and Procurement, creating a special committee in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, and assigning oversight of cultural agencies, the Office of Cable Television, and District public libraries to the Committee on Recreation, Librar-
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ies, and Youth Affairs. Over the last couple of years, the Committee on Education, under then At-large D.C. Councilmember David Grosso (I), worked closely with the Committee of the Whole. As part of that arrangement, the committees held joint hearings and the Committee of the Whole, which includes all 13 council members, marked up pending education legislation. Education committee hearings during that two-year period focused on distance learning, the public library system, charter school transparency and curbing truancy. Within that same time, legislation originating from this committee centered on the creation of an education data auditor and
MENDELSON Page 36
5 Phil Mendelson (Courtesy photo)
JANUARY 14 - 20, 2021 9
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WORDS TO LIVE BY “I have no separate feeling about being an American citizen and colored. I am merely a fragment of the Great Soul that surges within the boundaries. My country, right or wrong.” – Zora Neale Hurston
“How it Feels to Be Colored Me,” folklorist and novelist, born Jan. 7, 1891 in Notasulga, Al. 10 - JANUARY 14 - 20, 2021
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Quest for D.C. Jail Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner Continues
James Wright WI Staff Writer
While hundreds of advisory neighborhood commissioners took the oath of office on Jan. 2, District 7F07, which encompasses the D.C. Jail, did not have someone sworn-in to take that position but efforts are underway to fill the seat. District law stipulates no commissioner vacancies will be filled outside of the election cycle during a public health emergency. D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser declared a public health emergency in the city in March 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic. Even though the public health emergency continues, Tyrell M. Holcomb, a commissioner who served as the chairman of the 7F commission in 2020, said this year there will be an active effort to get a resident to fill the seat. “It is my understanding some apartments will be built in the near future and we are hoping to get one of those
residents to fill the position,” Holcomb said. “We should have voices of men and women who are in the D.C. Jail and the women’s shelter.” Holcomb said 7F07 encompasses the Hill East site which houses the former D.C. General Hospital and is primed for economic development. Hill East will be a state-of-the-art complex that will have 262 residential units and over 12,000 square feet of retail on one parcel and 100 permanent supportive housing units for low-income residents and 12,000 square feet of retail space on another parcel opening in the near future. He said the request for proposals to build the parcels have been issued by the Office of the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development. Holcomb said when the projects are complete and if 7F07 stays intact during this year’s redistricting process, a commissioner could be a Hill East
resident. Until then, Holcomb said, an inmate of the D.C. jail could be the commissioner. The 7F07 seat came into being as a result of the 2010 decennial census. The area used to be in Ward 6 as a part of the 6B commission. However, since its formal inception in 2013, no one has filled the position. Interest in the issue increased in July when the D.C. Council passed a law allowing D.C. Jail inmates, regardless of criminal charge, to vote in District elections. Some inmates, most notably first-degree murder inmate Joel Caston, sought to fill the position in the Nov. 3, 2020 general election. However, none had success due to technicalities or errors with paperwork, D.C. Board of Elections officials said. Former 7F04 Commissioner Charlene Exum represented her district for 10 years until Jan. 2. Exum agreed with Holcomb that the seat should be filled. “That seat has been vacant too long,”
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she said. “In the absence of a commissioner, we represented their interests. If it is an inmate at the jail serving as the commissioner comes through, that will be good.” However, Exum said Ward 7 needs to retain 7F07 and not let it go back to Ward 6. “We are aware Ward 6 leaders’ interest in getting it back because of the economic development that will take place there at Hill East,” she said. “We should not let it go; it belongs to Ward 7.” Community leaders such as Charles Thornton, chairman of the D.C. Corrections Council and former director of the District’s Office of Returning Citizens, have called for 7F07 to have a commissioner and preferably with an inmate. Eric Weaver, the founder and chairman of the National Association for the Advancement of Returning Citizens, supports Thornton’s idea. “It will allow the residents of the jail to become more politically involved,”
5 Tyrell M. Holcomb serves as an advisory neighborhood commissioner on the 7F commission. (WI File Photo)
Weaver said. “It will also add more voices to the returning citizens movement. I think it could lead to residents who leave the D.C. Jail to go back into the community to run for commissioner in their neighborhood or even the D.C. Council.” WI @JamesDCWrighter
JANUARY 14 - 20, 2021 11
PRINCE GEORGE'S COUNTY South County Looking for Resources and Respect William J. Ford WI Staff Writer During the coronavirus pandemic, John H. Bailey IV helped provide food to the homeless, toys for children and other community endeavors for Camp Springs. The efforts of Bailey and his wife, Titania, received the attention of Sheehy Ford. The company donated $2,000 to couple’s nonprofit organization called “Arch of Knowledge Inc.”
“This is great to have, but we still have work to do,” John Bailey said Thursday, Jan. 7 inside the dealership’s showroom in Camp Springs. Bailey plans to step down in May as president of the Camp Springs Civic Association. He said it will allow him to not only focus on his nonprofit, but also encourage new leadership to help the Camp Springs community comprised of 20,000 people. One goal for his nonprofit will be to provide mental health support for
young and adult males who not only reside in Camp Springs, but throughout the southern part of Prince George’s County. Residents in the area known as “South County” have long clamored for more quality-of-life resources and support in boosting the tax base from residential and commercial developments. Some major projects produced in the northern and center part of the county include Woodmore Towne Center in Glenarden, a mixed-used development called Riverdale Park Station near the University of Maryland in College Park and Konterra Town Center in Laurel. The county plans to open its biggest hospital, the $543 million University of Maryland Capital Regional Medical Center, this spring in central Prince George’s next to the Largo Town Center Metro station. RPAI US Management plans to build 3,000 residential units and 1.2 million square feet of commercial and office space on land adjacent to the hospital. The property known as Cap Capital Centre Blvd. would become called Carillon. Former County Executive Rushern
5 Giles Mulligan, general manager of Sheehy Ford in Camp Springs, Md., presents $2,000.00 to John E. Bailey IV and his wife Titania’s non-profit organization, Arch of Knowledge, Inc. (Robert R. Roberts/The Washington Informer)
L. Baker III labeled the area “downtown Largo.” Baker also encouraged transit-oriented development, which would enhance residential and commercial properties to be built next to Metrorail stations mainly located within urban settings in central and northern Prince George’s. Although South County has hundreds of acres of open land, Sarah Cavitt, president of the Indian Head Area Action Council, said the development
Alcohol Tax Proposed to Decrease Health Disparities in Md. William J. Ford WI Staff Writer A recent Rand Corp. report highlighted Prince George’s County’s summarized how residents in communities inside the Beltway such as Suitland have lower incomes, experience a decrease in population and adult primary-care physicians and specialists operate near county hospitals outside the Beltway.
(Courtesy photo)
12 - JANUARY 14 - 20, 2021
In contrast, residents who live in neighborhoods and municipalities such as the city of Greenbelt have higher incomes and growing populations. Del. Jazz Lewis (D-District 24) of Glenarden gave a startling statistic: there’s a16-year life expectancy gap between Suitland and Greenbelt. In other words, people who live in Suitland may die sooner. “As a basic principle, that should mean that everyone gets high quality, affordable health care no matter where they live, no matter their zip code,” he said. “It’s time for us to expand access to quality care now.” That’s why Lewis and his fellow District 24 partner, Del. Erek Barron, are pushing for legislation increase the state’s alcohol tax from nine percent to 10 percent. The goal would be for the money to establish grants toward health coverage, community outreach efforts, substance abuse programs and other societal needs in underserved communities. With the county’s new regional medical center in Largo scheduled to open this spring, Barron said adding this incentive would help boost health
care for municipalities in his district such Capitol Heights, Fairmount Heights and Seat Pleasant. They are located inside the Beltway. “If we add this proposal to it, we’re in a place (to) preventing the racial and ethnic disparities that plague our community,” he said. “A number of our municipalities stand to benefit…” A similar bill has been filed in the state Senate by Sen. Antonio Hayes (D-Baltimore City). The bill number, SB172 at https://bit.ly/2L7AydL, would allow colleges and universities, nonprofit hospitals, nonprofit organizations and local governments to apply for the money. Barron and Hayes have the support of more than 250 groups, including Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore. “We understand that health place matters. Place shapes where we go, who we see, where we learn, where we eat and what services we have access to,” said Johns Hopkins University president Ron Daniels during a virtual press conference Friday, Jan. 8. “We know that addressing needs and equity is not only possible, but highly feasible.” The program, labeled Health Equi-
ty Research Communities, will mirror the state’s former Health Enterprise Zones. The four-year pilot program ended in 2016 with an annual $4 million budget to reduce health disparities among race in geographic areas, cut health care costs and improve access in underserved communities. This current proposal seeks to establish $14 million in each of the first two years and about $22 million annually thereafter. Because bar and restaurant owners have been hurt by the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, the tax wouldn’t affect them for two years. However, the tax would be passed along to those who buy alcohol and retail stores. The Maryland State Licensed Beverage Association already noted in its journal this month 1.pdf (mslba. org) the group doesn’t support a tax increase. “Customers tend to shop with their feet. It won't take them long to figure out that some of our surrounding states have a lower tax burden,” said attorney and association lobbyist J. Steven “Steve” Wise. If approved, the law would go into effect Oct. 1. WI @jabariwill
of homes and businesses is “a twoedged sword.” She said the number one problem is flooding. “We could use the development along (Route) 210, but you can’t pave over everything for development without doing some mitigation to not exacerbate routine flooding,” said Cavitt, who’s lived in Fort Washington since 1977. “There is a downside to heavy development.” Prior to voters approving two atlarge seats in November 2018, held by Council Chair Calvin Hawkins II and Mel Franklin, council mainly had two members representing thousands of residents in southern Prince George’s. The two main council members who solely represent that area are Monique Anderson-Walker (D-District 8) of Fort Washington and Sydney Harrison (D-District 9) of Upper Marlboro. Residents such as Maurice Fitzgerald said limited representation make it more difficult and time consuming to push for “resources and projects we deserve.” Twenty-four of the county’s 27 municipalities are located in the central and northern part of the county. Some of these incorporated towns and cities are equipped with local fire, public works and transportation departments and even a mayor to serve as a local leader. The other three municipalities in South County are the towns of Eagle Harbor, Forest Heights and Upper Marlboro (portions of Upper Marlboro located in District 6 are represented by Council member Derrick Leon Davis). Some of the unincorporated locales include Accokeek, Brandywine, Fort Washington and Oxon Hill. Residents in unincorporated communities rely on regional services from the county such as police, fire and environmental needs.
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PRINCE GEORGE’S COUNTY
Hogan Proposes Stimulus, Tax Relief Package William J. Ford WI Staff Writer ANNAPOLIS, Md. – Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan proposes a $1 billion economic stimulus and tax relief package Jan.11 that would provide money for specific residents in need and benefits for small business owners. However, the governor’s proposal, labeled “RELIEF Act 2021,” must be approved by state lawmakers who began the annual 90-day legislative session Wednesday, Jan. 13. He made the act emergency legislation so that once approved and signed into law, checks can be sent and tax credits can immediately kick-in as the state continues to combat the coronavirus pandemic. “We will ask both houses of the legislature to act on it immediately so that I can sign it into law…and get these much needed dollars out the door and into the pockets of those who desperately need it,” Hogan said Monday, Jan. 11 during a press conference at
the State House in Annapolis. The state proposes to offer $450 for individuals and $750 for families to benefit about 400,000 people. Marc Nicole, the state’s deputy budget secretary, said one of the stipulations to receive the money are for those who qualified for earned income tax credit in 2019 and those eligible for it in 2020. According a summary from the governor’s office, here’s a breakdown of annual household earnings for those who may qualify: • $50,954 ($56,844 married filing jointly) with three or more qualifying children. • $47,440 ($53,330 married filing jointly) with two qualifying children. • $41,756 ($47,646 married filing jointly) with one qualifying child. • $15,820 ($21,710 married filing jointly) with no qualifying children “These are the lowest income Marylanders who get that,” Hogan said at the State House in Annapolis. “It would be in addition to and separate
from the federal [stimulus funding].” Another part of the governor’s proposal aims to provide $300 million in tax relief for small businesses. Each of the estimated 55,000 businesses would receive a sales tax credit of up to $3,000 for four months for total of $12,000. The act proposes to provide unemployment tax relief for small businesses to halt any tax hikes during this year. According to a summary, it protects a business against any tax increases if a business owner received a state loan or grant during the pandemic. Hogan said some of the money comes from budget savings that includes $100 million from the state’s Rainy Day fund. Senate President Bill Ferguson and House Speaker Adrienne Jones released a joint statement thanking the Republican governor in speaking with them for several months on a COVID-19 relief plan. “This session, Democrats are focused on getting families and small
5 Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan announces a $1 billion economic stimulus, tax relief package during a press conference Jan. 11. However, the plan must be approved by the state legislature. (William J. Ford/The Washington Informer)
businesses back on their feet; getting students back to school as soon as possible; and ensuring our seniors are safe so 2021 can become the year of rebuilding and recovery,” the presiding officers said. “We look forward to the
governor working with us to accomplish these goals and demonstrating for the country what the true value of bipartisanship can be.” WI @jabariwill
Paid Leave Legislation Returns to Annapolis William J. Ford WI Staff Writer Although Del. Kris Valderrama left her previous employer several years ago, her emotions flow when she recalled to use sick and vacation leave to care for her late ailing mother when diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. That’s why Valderrama (D-District 26) of Fort Washington will once again introduce state legislation for thousands of Maryland workers to receive paid family leave. State Sen. Antonio Hayes (D-Baltimore City) has a similar bill scheduled for a hearing Jan. 28 before the Senate Finance Committee. As of Tuesday, Jan. 12, a hearing hasn’t been scheduled
for Valderama’s bill before the House Economic Matters Committee. “This bill is very near and dear to me,” Valderrama said. “A lot of us can use the benefits of this bill. This could or would be [an] extreme benefit.” The coronavirus pandemic forced last year’s Maryland General Assembly to end early, which caused hundreds of bills to not receive formal approval that included paid family leave. The proposed legislation labeled Family and Medical Leave Insurance Program, or “Time to Care Act,” allows an employer to receive time off to care for a spouse, child, parent, sibling, or a family member
The coronavirus pandemic forced last year’s Maryland General Assembly to end early, which caused hundreds of bills to not receive formal approval that included paid family leave.
that’s a legal guardian of the worker. Adopted children, stepchildren and grandchildren are also covered. Workers can provide assistance for family member in the military that includes spending up to 15 days with a service member “on short-term temporary rest and recuperation leave during the period of deployment.” To help fund the program, it would be supported through a state-administered insurance pool equally split between both employee and employer. It’s estimated an “average worker” would pay $3.62 per week out a paycheck. According to the legislation, low wage workers are proposed to receive up to 90 percent of their weekly pay when using paid family leave. Higher income workers would receive about 50 percent of weekly pay. Partial wage replacement would stem between $50 to $1,000 per week for a maximum period of 12 weeks. An employer must provide written correspondence of the updated leave policy such as ability to request time off within five business days.
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5 Del. Kris Valderrama during a virtual press conference Jan. 8. (Screen grab: Courtesy of Maryland General Assembly)
A poll conducted last month by Opinion Works of Annapolis showed about 88 percent of 1,011 registered surveyed support paid family and medical leave. The poll conducted between Dec. 11-26 showed 68 percent “think [the $3.62] cost is less than or about what you would expect” to pay. “To being moral, logical [and] practical, paid leave is affordable and beneficial to businesses in the
business community,” said Aaron Seyidian of Montgomery County, who founded Well-Paid Maids three years ago to provide housecleaning services in the D.C. area. “I’m skeptical about any business who thinks this is going to burden them.” To read Valderrama’s legislation labeled House Bill 375, go to https://bit. ly/3seTNlY. wi @jabariwill
JANUARY 14 - 20, 2021 13
BUSINESS Social Worker Pens Book Highlighting Pandemic of Child Sexual Abuse Stacy M. Brown WI Senior Writer
“Body Safety Zones Activity and Coloring Book” serves as a publication that Maryland social worker and therapeutic consultant Terri Johnson has long wanted to publish. “It’s been a book that I’ve been writing in my heart for about 30 years,” Johnson said. “When I was young, I started noticing violations of young people, including myself, in terms of not feeling like my body belonged to me.” She said she became protective of her younger siblings and cousins, and later offered counsel to many who suf-
fered sexual abuse as children. According to the anti-sexual violence organization RAINN, child sexual abuse counts as an international public health crisis. In the U.S., child protective service agencies substantiate or find evidence for a claim of sexual abuse every nine minutes, RAINN officials said. Johnson’s book follows a school social worker and students discussing the four “body safety zones” – mouth, chest, private parts, and bottom. The characters also share ways to tell adults “no” if they’re made to feel uncomfortable and also suggest that boys should also speak up. “Sometimes, a person who touches
children will tell them lies or things that are not true, such as … ‘This is a secret, so don’t tell anyone.’ Don’t trust them, friends, tell a trusted adult,” Johnson writes in the book. “I have had a lot of clients in my private practice share with me the devastation of sexual abuse,” Johnson recalled. “My spirit was unsettled. Children are my favorite people and sexual abuse is a pandemic that is silent and ignored. It was hard for me to get people to spread the word about this book. It’s just a tool to start the conversation.” The Morgan State and University of Maryland graduate said there’s a lot of information available to the public about child sexual abuse. However, Johnson pushes prevention over intervention. “You have to prevent child sex abuse and the devastation that comes with it,” Johnson said. “It’s a violation of not just your body, but your soul. There is a lot of anxiety, depression, relationship issues, sexual health issues and identification issues like ‘Who am I,’ and “Where do I fit.’ There’s a lot of uncertainty.” “I’m a proponent of prevention, so what better way to empower little people than with information and let them know that adults have to respect
their bodies?” At 32 pages, the book includes a glossary of terms and a resource page featuring child advocacy organizations. “In the book, I didn’t name actual body parts. That’s why it’s ‘zone,’” Johnson said. “But in the back of the book, there’s a glossary that encourages parents to give the proper name because that’s how predators capitalize – by giving a private area a different name and normalizing it. Knowing the correct names empowers children. I want to leave parents with a plethora of resources, so they can further educate themselves to see how devastating this can be for children,” she said. Johnson spent the summer and fall teaching body safety zones to classes at the Arena Player’s Theater in Baltimore. The book pays homage to the school and Johnson’s great grandmother, Rhoda Lee Jones, who raised her and inspired her passion for children. “I asked the kids if they want to be a body safety advocate or ambassador,” Johnson noted. “I shared with them that when you speak up and see something that’s not right, that’s being an advocate. An ambassador is spreading the word
5 Terri Johnson (Photo courtesy Terri Johnson)
and teaching others about body safety zones. Many of the kindergarteners and pre-kindergartners said they want to be ambassadors. They get it,” she said. A portion of the book’s proceeds will benefit a book scholarship in Johnson’s great grandmother’s name and child organizations that work toward the prevention of child sexual abuse. To learn more about Johnson, visit her Instagram page @persistenceistheway. To purchase “Body Safety Zones,” visit https://www.etsy.com/shop/PersistenceistheWAY. WI Twitter: @StacyBrownMedia Facebook: StacyBrownMedia
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Snubbed No More: Notable D.C. Judge Nominated for U.S. Attorney General
DOJ Appointments Lauded by Some Groups, Others Are Skeptical Sarafina Wright WI Contributing Writer President-elect Joe Biden has nominated Merrick Garland, Chief Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, as the next Attorney General. During the announcement last week, Biden lauded Garland as “one of the most respected jurists of our time.” “Brilliant yet humble. Distinguished yet modest. Full of character and decency,” Biden added. “Those same traits he will now bring to the Attorney General of the Unites States. Not as a personal attorney to the president, but as the people’s lawyer. He’ll restore trust in the rule of law… and I fully expect that he’ll receive a fair and swift confirmation.” “Once he’s confirmed I will move promptly to nominate his replacement on the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals and I fully expect the distinguished nominee will receive a prompt and fair hearing as well.” This nomination comes almost five years after former President Barack Obama nominated Garland to the Supreme Court following the death of Justice Antonin Scalia. The Senate Judiciary Committee, who held a Republican majority, did not hold a confirmation hearing for Garland’s nomination. Senate Majority Leader Mitchell McConnell (R-Ky.) said the incoming president should fill the vacancy because it was Obama’s last year in office. After 293 days Garland’s nomination expired resulting in an unprecedented situation — for the first time since the 19th century a Supreme Court nominee didn’t receive consideration. Garland says reentering the justice department as the top lawyer will be a homecoming for him. Throughout his career he’s held numerous roles at the department from U.S. attorney, to criminal division supervisor and senior official in the office of the Deputy Attorney General. He served in the Carter and Bush administrations and was nominated by President Clinton to the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals where he has served since 1997. Garland touted his career during the announcement highlighting that he’s
5 Merrick Garland (Courtesy photo)
worked on every issue in the department from civil rights and antitrust to domestic terrorism and national security. The nominee said he would run the department with fair democracy in mind taking inspiration from former attorneys general. “The essence of the rule of law is that like cases are treated alike. That there not be one rule for Democrats and another for Republicans. One rule for friends, another for foes, one rule for the powerful, another for the powerless. One rule for the rich and another for the poor or different rules depending upon one’s race and ethnicity. “To serve as Attorney General at this critical time…I am honored and eager to answer,” Garland said. Biden also made other notable justice department appointments with Lisa Monaco as deputy attorney general, Vanita Gupta as associate attorney general and Kristen Clarke as assistant attorney general for civil rights. Advocacy groups like The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights applauded Biden’s selections to lead the nation’s highest branch of law enforcement. “With Garland, Monaco, Gupta, and Clarke at the helm, the department can work to ensure police accountability, fairness in sentencing, enforcement of hate crimes laws, and educational equity, as well as protect the rights of Black and brown communities, people with disabilities, LGBTQ individuals, and religious minorities,” LaShawn Warren, executive vice president of government affairs at The Leadership Conference said. Al Sharpton, civil rights leader and founder of the National Action Net-
BUSINESS
Shocked but Not Surprised Aimee D. Griffin, Esq
I was prepared to write an article about the joy of ending 2020 and starting fresh in 2021. I was ready to write about setting new goals of excellence and fortitude. I was thrilled about my new commitment to intentionality and creating a vision that enforces and inspires the actions and movements for the new year. I was relieved that the end of 2020 was at hand. I was thankful that we were getting through to the end of the sequestration and quarantining due toCOVID-19, thanks to the initiation of vaccinations. I was thankful that we could imagine an end to the mask wearing. I was happily planning my November birthday trip. I was celebrating the new Administration that is inspiring new possibilities and hope. I was elated when Georgia reinforced that this was a new day. BUT THEN! Then, the unbelievable began to unfold before my eyes. I was at work and began getting text messages from loved ones who were not sure where I was physically located and if I was at risk. The “surreal” nightmare that took place on January 6, 2021 brought to mind that we must always be thoughtful and be prepared. We must be hopeful and excited but we must anticipate and be ready. If 2020 has taught us anything it is that we have no way of anticipating what is going to happen tomorrow. There are so many of us who have lost loved ones or got sick this year, that we should have learned that tomorrow is indeed not promised or scripted. We don’t know what tomorrow will bring. I am still hopeful and excited about the future but let’s get our houses in order to be prepared. 2020 helped me to think about “JIT”, Just In Time thinking; it just doesn’t work. We should always have the staples in life to get through if we have the resources. We should not have to run to the store for food to get through the next few days as we see with snow storms, or stock up on toilet paper for the next six months denying our brother and sister their ability to be sustained for the week. We should have cash on hand for necessities. We should approach the possibility of expected and unexpected events with a plan and steady preparation, not while panicked in response to a crisis as it unfoldss. We should be strategic and considerate. If we move into crisis mode we are focused on survival and forget about our brothers and sisters and community. We know that life and death are a part of life. We know that sickness and incapacitation happens. When we don’t plan, those we love are impacted. We forget that together we are better. The theme for this year is intentionality. Without thoughtfulness, we are by default letting life happen. With thoughtfulness, we are living each day with purpose. I am blessed to have the opportunity to sit with individuals and families who are committed to strategically planning and building their legacy with purpose. They are not willing to let whatever happens happen. They are seeking to build their future with intentionality. This week has been one where actions and reactions have been shocking. But if we had been paying attention we should not have been surprised. The actions, the words, the energy has been consistent with what has gone on before. I am intentionally being mindful of what is happening around me and intentionally choosing the path to peace that passes all understanding and joy unspeakable. The Griffin Firm, PLLC www.yourestateplanningattorney.com (202)379-4738 5335 Wisconsin Ave NW, Suite 440, Washington DC 20015 1401 Mercantile Lane , Suite 383, Upper Marlboro MD 20774 100 International Drive, 23rd Floor, Baltimore MD 21202 1100 Peachtree ST NE, Suite 200, Atlanta GA 30309 2530 Meridian Parkway, Suite 300, Durham NC 27713 work says while he too applauds the new leadership coming to the department, he has some trepidation towards Garland. “I would have still preferred a Black Attorney General nominee or someone with a clear record on voting rights and police reform, particularly at this day and time,” Sharpton said. I’m unclear on Judge Garland’s record on both and there are very few, if any, written arguments that he has as a Judge to track these positions.” “I therefore think that he should
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immediately meet with the civil rights leadership that has met with President-elect Biden and Vice President-elect Harris to discuss things like enforcement of voting rights and police accountability as well as pending legislation with both.” Sharpton says despite his reservations, Garland’s nomination is a clear message to Republicans who stopped his appointment to the Supreme Court. “This is a thumb in the eye to Mitch McConnell, the former majority leader
of the Senate,” he said. “I am nonetheless excited about the nomination of Vanita Gupta as associate attorney general and Kristen Clarke to head up the civil rights division.” “The potential of them in the Justice Department gives me some cause to feel that this Justice Department will at least be a radical change from the four years of anti-civil rights, anti-voting-rights and anti-police reform of the outgoing administration.” WI
JANUARY 14 - 20, 2021 15
NATIONAL District Preps for Unusual Presidential Inauguration Stacy M. Brown WI Senior Writer The Jan. 20 inauguration of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris as America’s 46th president and vice president promises to be like no other that the District of Columbia, or the world, has seen. The pandemic has restricted much of the usual pomp and circumstance – there will be no parade – and government officials are limiting the crowd to a relative and select few. But as much as the pandemic has dampened plans, the riot by an angry mob of outgoing President Donald Trump supporters has left the Capitol in shambles. The act of domestic terrorism has the nation reeling and federal and local police on edge. Festivities are scheduled to get underway at 9 a.m. with the theme, “Our Determined Democracy: Forging a More Perfect Union.” Former presidents Barack Obama, George W. Bush and Bill Clinton, along with their respective former first ladies, have all said they will attend. Former President Jimmy Carter and his wife have decided not to attend.
Carter is 96. After receiving a permanent suspension from Twitter, Trump reemerged to announce that he would not attend. “To all of those who have asked, I will not be going to the Inauguration on January 20,” Trump tweeted. The president will join a small group of outgoing presidents who did not attend his successor’s inauguration. John Adams, John Quincy Adams and Andrew Johnson all declined the attend. Most recently, after resigning in 1973, Richard Nixon skipped Gerald Ford’s inauguration. Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.), an avid Trump supporter who voted to toss out Pennsylvania’s Electoral College votes, joined some others urging the president to attend. “I am urging the President to reconsider his decision to skip the inauguration of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris. Of course, he is not constitutionally required to attend, and I can imagine losing an election is very hard, but I believe he should attend,” Scott remarked in a statement. Traditionally, the inaugural ceremony is held at the West Front of the Capitol.
5 President Barack Obama’s Inauguration in 2013 (WI file photo)
During Obama’s first inauguration in 2009, more than 1.8 million people attended the ceremonies. Slightly more than 1 million attended Obama’s second inauguration in 2013. For Trump’s 2017 swearing-in, about 800,000 were in attendance. Under ordinary circumstances, the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies reportedly distributes more than 200,000 tickets to congressional offices for their constituents. This year, each office will receive just two tickets. The committee has joined health officials in urging people not to go to Washington because of the pandemic. Another traditional part of the ceremonies that will not occur is the parade that usually traverses Pennsylvania Avenue to the White House. However, a televised virtual parade that showcases communities around the nation will take place. Biden plans to walk to the White House with a socially distanced escort. On Tuesday, Jan. 19, one day be-
The Washington Convention and Sports Authority (t/a Events DC) Bid Announcement The Washington Convention and Sports Authority (t/a Events DC) is soliciting proposals from qualified contractors to provide Sponsorship Sales and Services in connection with Events DC’s venues and Events DC initiatives. Interested parties can view a copy of the Request for Proposal (RFP) by accessing the Event DC’s E-procurement website (“APEX”) at www.wcsapex. com and opening APEX BID #21-S-037-669. Key Dates: Optional Zoom Site Tour: 11:00 AM EST, Tuesday, January 26, 2021 Proposal Due Date: 3:00 PM EST, Wednesday, February 17, 2021 Notification of intent to attend be provided via e-mail to Kiara Short, Contracts & Procurement Analyst at KShort@eventsdc.com.
16 - JANUARY 14 - 20, 2021
fore the inauguration, a lighting ceremony that honors those who lost their lives due to the coronavirus is scheduled at 5:30 p.m. at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool.
Organizers have invited all of America’s communities to light their buildings and ring church bells to observe the moment. “In the midst of a pandemic – when so many Americans are grieving the loss of family, friends, and neighbors – it is important that we honor those who have died, reflect on what has been one of the more challenging periods in the nation’s history, and renew our commitment to coming together to end the pandemic and rebuild our nation,” Pili Tobar, the communications director for the inaugural committee, said in a news release. For additional information about all inauguration-related events, visit the Presidential Inaugural Committee at https://www.inaugural.senate.gov/. WI Twitter: @StacyBrownMedia Facebook: StacyBrownMedia
Is Removing Confederate Monuments, Changing Sports Teams' Names Just A Distraction? Stacy M. Brown WI Senior Writer
Protests and unrest in 2020 sparked by the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis shined an even brighter spotlight on police brutality against African Americans. The actions led to renewed calls to remove Confederate statutes and other racially insensitive structures. Professional sports team, including the Washington Redskins and Cleveland Indians, announced they would drop the names that many said were offensive to Native Americans. Despite incremental progress, many still argue that unless much more is done to show that Black lives matter, removing racist monuments and changing racially insensitive team names and logos are just mere distractions. In other words, those who spoke with the Black Press on the subject said they are eager to see more tangible results. “Dismantling Confederate monuments and ridding sports teams and brands of racist imagery is not enough,” Marcos Martinez, the owner of the blog, www.themenwhobrunch.com, wrote in an email. “For there to be racial progress, there need to be drastic improvements in failing schools in minority
5 The Washington Football Team rid its nickname after the uprising that followed the killing of George Floyd (Image Washington Football Team)
communities,” Martinez exclaimed. He noted the many academic studies that prove education leads to better life opportunities. “I know this firsthand because I lived in Brownsville, one of the most impoverished neighborhoods in New York,” Martinez remarked. “Many of my [peers] who attended the schools in Brownsville didn’t graduate or didn’t pursue higher education. Most of them are either incarcerated or deceased due to gun violence.” Darryl Smith, the founding partner for the firm, Florida Car Accident Law Team, said backlash remains from the dismantling of racist statues and the changing of names by some sports teams. “The dismantling of the monuments and the rebranding of the teams’ racist imagery is not an end
MONUMENTS Page 28
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HEALTH COVID-19 UPDATE
Region Ravaged by Post-Holiday COVID-19 Infections, Death Spike Hamil R. Harris WI Contributing Writer
More than 12,000 people have died from the novel coronavirus in D.C., Maryland and Virginia, according to the latest data released Jan. 9 and more than 728,000 people have contracted COVID-19. The United States has reported 21.8 million infections and 367,458 deaths since February of 2018 and last week more than 4,000 people died of COVID-19 in one single day. National and state officials have expressed concerns about a spike in the coronavirus following the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays because many people refused to adhere to travel warnings. The new spike, reported by John Hopkins University, came during a week when five out of the past 10 days, saw record high numbers. Top health officials — including Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases — said warning that the outbreak is likely to get worse before it gets better. "We believe things will get worse as we get into January," Fauci said Thursday in an interview with National Public Radio. He said Americans can still "blunt that acceleration" if they strictly adhere to public health protocols to control COVID, including hand washing, mask wearing and social distancing. Nearly 20,000 people in the country have died of COVID this month and that number could pass December as the deadliest month yet of the pandemic. Top health officials, including
Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, are warning that the outbreak is likely to get worse before it gets better. Experts expected a surge in COVID-19 because many people ignored medical advice and engaged in both commercial travel and gatherings during the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays in which social distance protocols were disregarded. In the District 367,428 have been tested for COVID-19 and of that number, 31,107 have tested positive and 809 people have died while 21,851 have been cleared from isolation. In Maryland there are now more than 300,000 coronavirus cases and the state has set a new second-highest single-day increase of more than 1,000 cases in one day. Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan said on Jan. 5 that distributing vaccines to block COVID-19 “will
be the largest peace time undertaking in American history.” The state has recorded 303,364 coronavirus cases since the pandemic began. Saturday morning, there were 3,758 new confirmed coronavirus cases -- the second-highest daily total. The state set a new single-day highest record on Dec. 4 with 3,792 cases. There were 28 more deaths reported Saturday for a total of 6,075. The MDH statewide positivity rate currently sits at 9.16%. The Johns Hopkins positivity rate is 7.2%. Saturday's numbers also show the number of hospitalizations down by eight for a total number of hospitalizations of 1,877. In Virginia, there have been 393,715 cases since the pandemic began in March. Last Friday that number increased by 5,798. Since the start of the pandemic: 19,025 have been hospitalized and that number is up 107 since Friday. Since the start of the pandemic 5,381 (up 69 from Friday) have died and those vaccinated with at least one dose is 148,909, which is up by 13,046 since Friday. The highest cluster of Covid-19 cases is in the Washington, D.C., suburbs. Prince Georges County has 58,954 cases and Montgomery County has 50,428. The District has partnered with Maryland and Virginia, to share vaccine doses. First responders and healthcare workers were the first to be inoculated. "Having a vaccine is not the endgame," Dr. LaQuandra Nesbitt, director of D.C. Department of Health, told Patch last month. "Getting vaccinated is the endgame.” WI
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Obiozor Gets Backing of Former Minister of External Affairs Chief Tom Ikimi, a former Nigerian Minister of External Affairs, on Monday said the Igbo made a better choice in Professor George Obiozor as the new president of Ohanaeze Ndigbo at this auspicious time in the history of the people, The Nigerian Times reported on Monday, Jan. 11. The former minister spoke against the backdrop of the pedigree of Obiozor, who won with 403 votes to defeat other candidates at the election of the apex Igbo organization held on Sunday at the Dan Anyiam Stadium in Owerri, the Imo State capital. Obiozor is Nigeria’s former Ambassador to the United States and one-time director-general of the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs (NIIA), Victoria Island, Lagos. Chief Ikimi said the victory of Professor Obiozor was heartwarming as he would use his wealth of experience to advance the cause of the Igbo. The Igbo are currently seeking to produce the next president of the country in 2023, with various prominent individuals and groups championing the cause. While congratulating Obiozor on his election the former minister expressed optimism that the new Ohanaeze president would deploy his vast network to advance the cause of the Igbo. In the congratulatory message he personally signed, Ikimi stated: “The Igbo nation have made a better choice with Obiozor’s election in this crucial period of the nation’s history.” He noted that the quest by the Igbo to play a significant role in the country would find appropriate leadership in Obiozor, who has over the years established very robust contacts across the country. Ikimi also lauded the outgoing president of the pan-Igbo organization, Chief John Nnia Nwodo on the completion of what the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) stalwart described as an exciting and eventful tenure. The ex-minister stated: “I have received with utmost pleasure the news of the election of Ambassador George Obiozor as the new President General of the apex Igbo socio-cultural group, Ohanaeze Ndigbo. “The Igbo nation could never have made a better choice, particularly at this time of our nation’s evolution other than this erudite scholar and exquisite diplomat, who has earned my respect over the past three to four decades of our association. “Ambassador George Obiozor, former Director-General of the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs (NIIA), Nigeria’s former Ambassador to Israel, Cyprus and the United States of America (USA), an accomplished academic would blend most admirably today with all political parties. “He takes over from John Nnia Nwodo, who has successfully completed a very exciting and eventful tenure. WI
caribbean now Chastanet Praises Commitment of Teachers to Saint Lucia’s Youth
Saint Lucia’s whas lauded the nation’s teachers while praising them for their commitment to this country’s youth. Chastanet’s comments came after he visited the Soufriere-Fond St Jacques constituency on Saturday, Jan. 9, to view the progress of ongoing projects. One of the projects is the block of the Les Etangs Combined School which workers have completed. Chastanet wrote Sunday on his official Facebook page that the improvements impressed him and he recalled that he spoke to a few of the teachers. According to the prime minister, they were busy preparing for the reopening of schools. “Their commitment to our nation’s youth is extremely admirable,” Chastanet said. “And we remain forever grateful to them and all teachers across Saint Lucia for their
continued dedication.” Schools in Saint Lucia were scheduled to reopen on Monday, Jan. 11, despite lingering concerns over the spread of COVID-19. On Saturday (Jan. 9) the Ministry of Health and Wellness announced 43 new cases of the virus, the highest number of cases officials have ever announced. As a result, the total number of cases diagnosed in country up to that time was 438. WI
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EDUCATION In Aftermath of Siege on Capitol, Teachers Seek Strategies for Instructing Young Students Sam P.K. Collins WI Contributing Writer The recent attempted coup at the U.S. Capitol not only highlighted the lengths white supremacists would go to challenge election results but raised questions among local educators on how to help District youth understand the significance of the historic event. For Ward 8 D.C. State Board of Education [SBOE] Representative Dr. Carlene Reid, pending revisions to the District’s social studies standards provide a perfect opportunity. And while not directly involved in the process, Reid said the changes could better inform youth on the intricacies of the U.S. government and their place within it. “The group working on the social studies standards is giving a holistic way [of studying history and government]; not just events but the full scope of what actually happened, what led to it and how it’s processed,” Reid said. On January 6, Reid counted among tens of thousands worldwide who watched as Trump supporters scaled the walls of the U.S. Capitol in an attempt to disrupt the certification of President-elect Joe Biden’s electoral victory. She said those who breached Capitol security lacked the education necessary to disregard President Donald Trump’s conspiracy theories. “Civics plays a role in that,” she said. “I heard about the protest coming into town but was more interested in seeing the Electoral College votes for the first African-American vice president. You have to know the key constructs of our government to appreciate these events. It shows
the true checks and balances that are in place.” (An upcoming Washington Informer report will share more about SBOE's plans to update the District’s social studies standards).
STUDENTS REFLECT ON THE ASSAULT
equitably.” The District’s social studies standards, as outlined by the Office of State Superintendent for Education, divides instructions into the following categories: history, geography, economics, and politics and government. And while much of the curriculum focuses on the District, the U.S. and Europe, students begin to learn about American history upon entering the fourth grade. In the months preceding the insurrection, fourth graders at Boone Elementary, a majority-Black school located east of the Anacostia River, learned about the Great Migration of the 1920s. They also analyzed how various texts, depending on the author, characterized Christopher Columbus’ violent encounters with indigenous people in the Western hemisphere. Jamila Thompson, a social studies and English instructor at Boone, said students must continue to learn about American history and government in the context of their lived experiences as marginalized people.
In the days following the recent U.S. Capitol breach, political pundits and activists of color have highlighted contrasts between how law enforcement officials prepared for protests led by white versus nonwhites in previous encounters throughout the District, particularly following the deaths of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor. Similar conversations have so dominated virtual classroom discussions that educators have allowed time for students to explore their feelings and to analyze the racial implications of the U.S. Capitol insurgency. At Jefferson Middle School Academy, eighth graders under the tutelage of Langston Tingling-Clemmons, jotted down their thoughts and touched on encounters they’ve had with federal law enforcement officials on their walks between campus and L’Enfant Plaza Metro Station before the pandemic. “I think some students have a lot of questions. [The attempted coup] has definitely sparked their curiosity,” said Tingling-Clemmons who teaches American history. “I think a lot of students have demonstrated that they’re jaded with how authority treats people of different colors and I’m not sure if they understand how systemic it is. But they understand that the status quo doesn’t treat both communities, as far as race is concerned, equally and
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5 Dr. Carlene Reid (Courtesy photo)
On the day following the Capitol riots, she allowed her students to discuss what happened and to establish connections between that event and previous moments in American history during which Blacks were terrorized. “As teachers, our role in civics is to help students have that passion for history,” Thompson said. “I know I’m doing a good job when my stu-
dents are angry, asking questions, invested in understanding and making connections – especially connections that lead to the president. That’s something that won’t leave them even though they’re fourth graders and it’s going to give them the eye to see what stories have been left out and whose perspective is missing.” WI @SamPKCollins
JANUARY 14 - 20, 2021 19
January 2021 Message from Department of Aging and Community Living Laura Newland, Director, Department of Aging and Community Living Happy New Year! Like every year around this time, I’ve been reflecting on the past 12 months. 2020 was a year unlike any other: a global pandemic, social unrest and injustice, and a slew of other issues that left us all anxious for a fresh start. With all the challenges came lessons. We learned so much. As an agency, we learned why it’s so important to show up for you—no matter what. It doesn’t matter if you live alone or if you live with family members; if you’re gay or straight; or if you live east or west of the river. It doesn’t matter if there’s a global pandemic that forces us all to wear masks and stay home! No matter what’s happening in the world, in our country, in our city, DACL’s commitment to you does not and will not change. As a community, we learned that even though we needed to social distance, nobody wants to become socially distant — we need each other. The need for human connection is more important now than it has ever been before. And we’ve learned this from the hundreds of volunteers, of all ages and from all over the region, who’ve contacted our office wanting to call a senior who would be alone over the holidays. We were able to connect 250 seniors to volunteers over the holidays to check-in, chat and build friendships. That’s what Thriving Together means — you’re not alone. And we’ll continue to expand these intergenerational connections through our annual Cupid’s Kids initiative. In past years, we’ve worked with students at DCPS and Public Charter Schools to create Valentine’s Day cards for our homebound seniors. This year, we’re asking the entire community to join us in
20 - JANUARY 14 - 20, 2021
making this Valentine’s Day extra special! If you want to receive a Valentine’s Day card from a community member, give us a call and we’ll get a card delivered to you. Or, if you want to join us in making cards for other seniors, visit dacl.dc.gov/page/cupidskids or call us at 202-724-5626 for more information. Across all of DACL’s programs, we’re also calling our participants just to check in. We’ll continue to connect and engage with you through programs like Call & Talk and our virtual events hub — your one-stop shop for fun and engaging activities you can participate in right from home. With our community partners, we’re updating and creating programming that’s designed with you in mind.
More and more seniors are making real connections with our team, with the community, and with each other, and I’d love for you to join us. We might be spending most of our time in our homes these days, but we all need connection. We need each other. So join us online or on the phone! I’m not usually someone who makes New Year’s resolutions, but 2020 has brought changes for all of us! My personal resolution
is also DACL’s resolution — I’m (we’re) resolving to continue to show up more for the community I (we) love. Let’s do this together. Join me in making a New Year’s resolution to reach out to just one more person in your life. Let’s make 2021 the year we commit whole-heartedly to being a part of our community — no matter what the New Year brings. With Gratitude, Laura Newland
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OPINIONS/EDITORIALS
EDITORIAL
Children Have Seen but What Will They Learn?
An irate white anti-protestor taped a profanity-laced tirade on Twitter, castigating the angry mob that seized upon the U.S. Capitol and led an insurrection incited by President Donald Trump. The red-faced white male demanded a response to a question he repeatedly asked: “What the hell do you want?” The insurrectionists led a failed attempt to keep the Democratic and Republican members of the House of Representatives and Senate from certifying the Electoral College vote for Joe Biden and Kamala Harris as U.S. President and Vice President, respectively. Still, the destructive rioters were successful in causing the deaths of six individuals, including a U.S. Capitol Police officer, who died of his injuries incurred during the melee, and another officer who died a few days later. The Twitter rant that went viral, and the tweeter, who we will not identify, asked what many have asked who watched the destruction of America’s national treasure. “Do you ever not sit there and think, ‘My kids are going to see this. My grandkids are going to see this. They’re going to put it in a textbook and you’re going to look like the dumbest MFs in the world.’” He spoke nothing but the truth. Children were watching. Many accompanied their parents to the National Mall where they witnessed first-hand the anger, contempt, violence and destruction of property and physical attacks on other Americans that will be emblazoned in their memories forever. The insanity was akin to the children who accompanied their white fathers and mothers to watch the lynching of mostly Black men and boys throughout the South. For many, it led to a repudiation of their parent’s racist beliefs. For others, it helped to further brand hatred and racism into their hearts and in their DNA. How do you explain to children of all races what a mob of mostly-white men did on January 6, 2021? What lessons can be learned from the vitriolic rhetoric that continues to threaten innocent people who fear what their next actions will be? We must talk to our children and help them to make sense of this nonsense. More important, we must listen to them to see how they are processing what they’ve seen and heard. And we must help them find the answers to the questions we can’t answer, including, “Why are those people so angry?” This craziness opens the door to hard conversations about race and how the next generation will learn to deal with it. WI
What’s Next for America: More Meltdowns or a Makeover?
Since the unprecedented assault on the U.S. Capitol, led by thousands of angry, frustrated, right-wing, pro-Trump enthusiasts on Jan. 6, Americans continue to ask, “How could this happen?” “Why did it happen?” and “Could this happen again?” In attempting to provide possible answers to the first two questions, one of the more questionable beliefs that has long dominated the American psyche could provide great insight. Since the early 20th century, if not before, America has claimed to be “that great city on the hill,” that country whose borders are “open to all” people seeking a better life and a place where anyone can achieve the so-called “American Dream.” But Blacks have known, certainly since 1619, that the opportunities for a better life, for “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness,” have never been extended in equal measure to all people. Gender, race, religion – even country of origin, sexual orientation, economic status and educational achievement – have often been used as measuring rods in determining who has the best chance for accessing “privilege, American style.” However, with the nation’s economy still in an upheaval because of shutdowns and setbacks related to the COVID-19 health pandemic, and with jobs continuing to be lost in the U.S. and sent to countries most notably China, many Americans may feel overcome by a sense of desperation and inescapable decline. Perhaps, those who claim membership with the right wing and who, at least on the surface, are predominantly white, are beginning to experience what Blacks have suffered for centuries: anger, frustration, injustice, disenfranchisement. If so, it seems that
TO THE EDITOR Georgia on My Mind For Us, By Us What a glorious day! Georgia is Blue! I'm so proud of all of the work that went into getting Rev. Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff elected. The Democrats now control the Senate and that means brighter days ahead for many Americans as the new administration takes office. 2021 is starting off great! Lillian Malvey Washington, D.C.
if things remain the same, what happened at the U.S. Capitol last week may be only the beginning of more outbursts of public unrest. During the 20th century, countries like Germany fueled by the rise of the Weimar Republic, El Salvador, Chile and The Philippines each faced political, social and economic upheaval in which the right and left were pitted against one another. Some sociologists and economists believe that America now stands at a similar crossroad because of the current financial and political crises that threaten our nation. They have cause to be alarmed. In many ways, the conditions are now ripe in
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Lots of great stories in the last issue of The Washington Informer. Love how you guys keep me "informed" with news stories that I as a Black Washingtonian care about. I'm looking forward to more of your unique coverage. And kudos to Bianca Smith, the first Black woman coach in the MLB! Benjamin Peterson Washington, D.C.
the U.S. But America has somehow, always found a way to pick itself up, to shake off the dust and to secure a new, better path to follow. We remain cautiously optimistic that America, despite the obstacles which stand before us, will once again rise to the occasion. But it won’t be without pain. It will require sacrifice. And it will not happen overcome. However, if the choices are meltdown or makeover, there’s only one way to go. Blacks have long called it “making a way out of no way.” WI
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OPINIONS/EDITORIALS Guest Columnist
Julianne Malveaux
Was the Insurrection an Inside Job?
If you watched the disgraceful invasion of the United States Capitol and the horrific destruction that took place on Jan. 6, you observed a legion of limited-intelligence lowlife louts. But you'd be mistaken if that's all you thought of the Trump-incited mob. Those people could not have infiltrated the Capitol without the help of some "law enforcement" officers in the Capitol. Somebody had to open locked doors and side entrances. Somebody
had to tell the invaders where certain congressional offices were. And too many Capitol police officers took selfies with the invaders and treated them with extreme courtesy, going so far as to open doors for them and even walk them down steps. Why were the Capitol police so woefully unprepared for the throngs of people who had been communicating by internet since an unhinged 45th president invited them to the Capitol weeks ago, on Dec. 18? Contrast that under preparation to the army of thousands that Black Lives Matter activists faced this summer. The contrast was stark.
Guest Columnist
After the invasion passed, many speculated about the inside nature of this invasion. Some of the Capitol police seemed to feel quite comfortable, even chummy, with the invaders. Why shouldn't they be? Some members of the mob might be their cousins. There is a historical relationship between so-called law enforcement and white supremacy, so it is easy to believe that the Capitol invaders may have had help from the inside. We could go into history to explore the founding of the Ku Klux Klan and its purpose to terrorize and otherwise oppress Black people. We could explore how many Klan mem-
bers were also "law enforcement" officers. In Wilmington, North Carolina, we could consider how sheriffs deputized more than 200 racist civilians to force Black people to turn their property over to them and leave town. But if we had to go back to the late 19th and early 20th century, that would allow us to talk about how much our nation has changed instead of focusing on the intransigence of the myth of white supremacy. Michael German of the D.C.based Brennan Center for Justice released a report in the fall that explored law enforcement and white supremacists' connection. Titled "Hidden in
Plain Sight: Racism, White Supremacy, and Far-Right Militancy in Law Enforcement," the report is a comprehensive exploration of racism in law enforcement. It documents notes ties between law enforcement and "violent racist and militant groups." It says that the FBI has not appropriately responded to the threat that is posed from this connection. But, according to German, "Despite the FBI's acknowledgement of the links between law enforcement and these suspected terrorists, the Justice Department has no national strategy de-
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Patrick J. Kennedy
At-Risk Populations Need to be Priority Beyond Vaccine
An end to the pandemic is finally in sight. Both Pfizer and Moderna reported that their vaccine candidates are 95 percent effective, and subsequently received emergency use authorization from the FDA. Prioritizing the delivery of vaccines to people most at risk — including those with underlying illnesses and those who live in communities dis-
proportionately affected by the virus — is the right thing to do. Chronically ill patients are six times more likely to be hospitalized and 12 times more likely to die following infection, compared to their otherwise healthy peers. Meanwhile, hospitalization rates among African Americans and Hispanic/Latino individuals were 4.7 times the rate of Caucasian individuals; and the death rate of those with intellectual disabilities is roughly twice that of the general population. Policymakers' recognition that
Guest Columnist
patients facing the most risk deserve early access to the vaccine is worth applauding. But inexplicably, an increasing number of policymakers also seem comfortable with the exact opposite approach for other critical medicines. Among both Republicans and Democrats, there's growing interest in the use of "quality-adjusted life years," or QALYs, to "value" medicines. QALY-based value assessments are discriminatory, especially to elderly and those living with disabilities.
Here's how the QALY approach works: If a treatment provides a patient with an additional life-year of "perfect health," it is awarded one QALY. If a treatment extends a patient's lifespan, but fails to return them to perfect health, it only receives a fraction of a QALY. The more QALYs a drug provides, the more "valuable" it is. The Institute for Clinical and Economic Review, or ICER, has long urged policymakers and insurers to rely on QALY analyses when decid-
ing how much to pay for new drugs.
Trump enabled him to rise to the highest seat of power in America. While our white friends did not vote for this dangerous bigot, too few of them said or did anything to try to dissuade their mothers and fathers, brothers and sisters, neighbors and co-workers from voting for him. It is time for our white friends to stop standing on the sidelines with sad faces as their loved ones and neighbors cheer Trump as he spews his most hateful and racist rhetoric. It is time for
those white friends to confront these bigoted people and demand that they be better citizens and better people. It is also time for people of color to stop tiptoeing around those of our white friends who give their friends and relatives a pass when it comes to bigoted behavior. This is an uncomfortable conversation that no one wants to have because it lays bare the failure of our friends to
The result is as heartless as one might expect. Suppose a patient suffers from a neurological disorder that produces a range of symptoms from blindness to partial paralysis. Now, let's suppose the FDA approves a new treatment that restores the patient's vision, but does little to address their mobility issues.
KENNEDY Page 37
Oscar H. Blayton
America is Choking
Two weeks after Donald Trump’s 2016 inauguration as president of the United States, I wrote a commentary titled "America Chose Donald Trump, Now It Will Choke on Him." It has been four years in coming but America has finally choked. On Jan. 6, 2021, as the U. S. Congress was on the verge of ceremoniously certifying Joe Biden as
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the winner of the 2020 election and attesting that he would become the 46th president of the United States, Trump incited a violent mob of thugs to riot and attack the U.S. Capitol for the purpose of effecting a coup that he hoped would allow him to remain in office. There is no question that Trump sought to void a lawful election using violence and intimidation when he whipped this mob into a destructive frenzy that resulted in an insurrection.
But while Trump lit the match that ignited the flames of insurgency, it must be kept in mind that the rioting mob was comprised of Americans who claimed to be aggrieved for one imagined reason or another. It is no surprise that a majority of white voters wanted to give this human dumpster fire another four years in order to drive this country further into rack and ruin. But it should be surprising that a large percentage of white voters who did not vote for
BLAYTON Page 37
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OPINIONS/EDITORIALS Guest Columnist
Charlene Crowell
$900B Stimulus: What's In it, What's Not, What Remains
Although a new year has begun, many American consumers and small businesses continue to feel a financial hangover from the challenges of 2020. To make matters worse, a $900 billion federal stimulus package passed on Dec. 22 by Congress did not receive a presidential signature until Dec. 27, thereby delaying access to additional federal aid for a nation in need. The delayed aid, a
fraction of the $2.3 trillion aid package passed in March and the $2.4 trillion HEROES Act that House Democrats passed in June, will tackle greater needs with fewer revenues spread over a wide range of categories affecting consumers, education, small businesses, public health, transportation and more. For consumers, there are three main types of direct assistance through the new funding bill. First, for an estimated 14 million former workers who exhausted their respective state unemployment benefits in 2020, $286 billion will extend and expand unemployment as-
Guest Columnist
sistance through March 2021. These federal payments will also include nontraditional employees like those who are self-employed or classified as gig workers. Unemployed workers who by March 14 exhaust their full state unemployment benefits will continue to receive this federal assistance until April 5. Second, for consumers, a onetime, direct payment of $600 will go to workers whose tax status as either a single person or head of household in their 2019 tax returns showed an adjusted gross income of $75,000 or less. For joint filers earning that same year an adjusted gross
income of $150,000 or less, the single payment increases to $1,200. Further, households meeting these income guidelines and who also have children under the age of 17 will receive an additional $600 per child. Those earning adjusted gross amounts above $75,000 but less than $87,000 will receive reduced stimulus checks, discounted by $5 for every $100 earned above the guidelines. Paper checks and debit cards will be delivered by mail over the next few weeks. Third, other consumer-directed assistance includes an additional $25 billion in federal rental assistance to
be administered by state and local officials for consumers who have fallen behind on their monthly payments. These funds are also approved to help pay future rent and utility bills to prevent their shutoff. It is estimated that up to 17 million struggling renters who are disproportionately Black and Latino already owe an estimated $70 billion in back rent. For these consumers, the threat of eviction is imminent. However, the bill only extends the current eviction moratorium through Jan. 31 and provides no relief or assistance for
CROWELL Page 38
Ben Jealous
Organizing Made the Victories in Georgia Possible
In recent days, we've seen the dying gasps of the Trump administration turn into tragic violence in Washington, D.C. There is much to say about that, and serious reckoning ahead when it comes to the causes and the solutions. But in spite of the anger and sadness, here is my plea to you today: Don't let the chaos created by Donald Trump and his supporters distract you from appreciating something beautiful
— the victories of Rev. Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff in Georgia's Senate runoff races and the organizing that made those victories possible. The stakes in these races were as big as they get. It would take both wins to get control of the U.S. Senate away from Mitch McConnell, who was ready to use his power-abusing ways to block any meaningful progress during the Biden-Harris administration. I can tell you that many people in the world of politics did not really expect Democrats to pull it off, even after Biden and Harris won the state. They
Askia-At-Large
thought beating Trump was a fluke. They still couldn't imagine Georgia going blue. That's because they weren't paying attention. I had faith that Warnock and Ossoff were going to win, because I saw how focused and determined Georgia's progressive organizers were. Trump and his supporters spread lies about the presidential election being stolen and tried to generate chaos in the streets and the courts. But the people responsible for the Biden-Harris victory didn't get distracted. They focused all their energies
on getting voters to turn out one more time. And they went even further, identifying and registering and mobilizing new voters. And it worked. Democrats — and Black voters especially — went back to the polls more than Republicans did. Turnout in the runoff elections was higher in precincts carried by Biden in November than in precincts carried by Trump. That doesn't just happen. It takes hard work — and not just a few weeks' worth of frenzied activity just before an election. Building the ability to shift power like Georgia Democrats have
just done for their state — and for the rest of us — takes long-term vision and long-term commitment. I've been following and learning from Stacey Abrams since we met more than 25 years ago at a training for student organizers. Abrams has been committed to making positive change in Georgia — and making good trouble, as the late John Lewis would say — ever since. Abrams deserves every bit of attention and praise she has gotten. And
Barbara Lee, the only member of the House to vote against authorizing George W. Bush's illegal and immoral war against Iraq back in 2001. I don't have any specific objections to Biden's pick, but choosing a Black four-star general to be defense secretary might not be as spectacular as choosing Gen. Colin Powell, a Black four-star general was to be George W. Bush's secretary of state. What I've observed is that white folks have been disgustingly consistent. Over the decades I've watched wacko white
nationalists dominate the Republican sphere of influence morphing from Barry Goldwater to Richard Nixon to Ronald Reagan to George W. Bush to the Tea Party to the Freedom Caucus to QAnon to the Boogaloo Boys to the Proud Boys to Trump, with each one becoming more toxic than the one who went before. But for us, every time the game is played, Black folks are suckers for the multicultural rope-a-dope. Blacks ap-
JEALOUS Page 38
Askia Muhammad
Multicultural White Power
Even as most everyone in this country is still recoiling in disbelief after the treasonous, violent assault on the U.S. Capitol by a mob directed by Donald J. Trump, aimed at disrupting the democratic process of certifying Joe Biden's Electoral College presidential victory, some Black folks are bordering on giddiness over the rash of diversity in recent high-level appointments by Biden.
There is much to applaud. But Biden's boasting that his super-diverse Cabinet is the best thing since sliced bread is a bit overblown. Because of the centuries-old history of racist and sexist exclusion of Blacks and women from positions they deserve, and even from opportunities to pursue careers in so many fields, there is good reason to cheer when glass ceilings are shattered. But some of Biden's and the appointments of others seem to me like choices were made like folks dining in a Chinese restaurant: take one person
from "Column A," another from "Column B," and so on. I never thought I would understand how folks feel who object to quotas, but California Gov. Gavin Newsom's selection of California Secretary of State Alex Padilla to fill the Senate seat of Vice President-elect Kamala Harris left me feeling robbed, and that perhaps he didn't choose the best-qualified person for the job, in order to appoint the heavily-Latinx state's first Chicano senator. A "quota" appointment. My choice would have been Rep.
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ASKIA Page 38 JANUARY 14 - 20, 2021 23
LIFESTYLE Georgia Election, D.C. Riots Hold Many Public Policy Teachable Moments Game Plan for Democrats and Republicans Will Change Brenda C. Siler WI Contributing Writer Normally, a political scientist or a law school professor is unnoticed. But the events of Jan. 5 and 6 made them a treasured resource. How do you explain a run-off election and the Electoral College? And what does anybody make of the U.S. Capitol under siege by white people? Where we are now is different from where the country was in 2008 and 2016, according to Justin Hansford, Law professor and director of the Thurgood Marshall Civil Rights Center at the Howard University School of Law. “With the election of President Obama and his eight years in office, we were like ‘That’s our guy he’s in!’,” said Justin Hansford. “The energy the community had during the 2008 campaign, was not there once Obama got in office. People chilled. We were not organized to bang down those doors.” “Once the Black Lives Matter movement sprouted up, there was a generation of folks, me included, that naively thought that getting the people in office that we wanted was going to solve the problem,” Hansford explained. “We did not realize we still had to organize, we still had to push. Even if we had our person in there, they still needed to be made to do what we needed them to do. The political capital of having folks push them was necessary.”
WHERE ARE WE NOW?
America’s political landscape
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now feels like a “ball of confusion.” Hansford says it has been 12 years since there has been organized energy pushing from the outside in. That type of outside energy describes the mobilization behind the successful Georgia senatorial campaigns. Georgia became a huge national campaign. Stacey Abrams took the loss from her 2018 Georgia gubernatorial run and created Fair Fight an initiative to combat voter suppression. Georgia did not stop with the victory by Joe Biden. A new dynamic will be in place with the Jan. 20 inauguration. Democrats will control the executive branch and Congress. What does that mean for how Democrats and Republicans will organize for desired results? The biggest fear is that people will say let us go back to the status quo. Hansford along with faculty and students at the Howard School of Law gathered to discuss what happened over the past week with a look to the future. “With any crisis there is an opportunity for us to make some real changes,” said Hansford referring to the rioting. “Instead of focusing on calming things down focus on creating more justice, more fairness, and creating a better system.” The GOP is forced to undergo a major evaluation. Hansford reminds us that Republicans went into their convention without a platform. That lack of a platform offers a lot of flexibility for the party, but who will lead the party? Will it really be Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), or will another GOP leader emerge? “The Republican Party totally collapsed from an ideological standpoint because they had
5 From left: Justin Hansford, executive director of the Thurgood Marshall Civil Rights Center and associate professor at the Howard University Law School, and Professor of Law and Dean of Howard University School of Law Danielle Holley-Walker, May 2018 at the Howard University School of Law (Photo credit: Brigette Squire for the Washington Informer)
no agenda other than following Trump and a certain level of grievance against the Democratic Party or liberals,” said Hansford. “What is left for Republicans are cultural issues, pro-choice/pro-life, and pro-guns. If you ask the average Republican what the party stands for, they can’t cite formal policy positions.” The Democrats have a similar rebuilding process following years of trying to come back in a robust manner. Hansford sees a scenar-
io like the ANC in South Africa where there is a one-party dominance with different wings of the party. “For Democrats, here is going to be a struggle between the agenda from the Bernie Sanders wing and the Biden-Pelosi wing,” said Hansford. “So, there is still going to be a lot of fighting within the party.” Faculty and students in the Thurgood Marshall Civil Rights Center will continue to monitor the reworking of the political and
public policy landscape in America. The Center offers pro bono assistance to various organizations and lawyers who are working on justice and policy cases. Recognizing its history, Hansford says the Howard University School of Law will continue to work on solutions. “Whenever there is a medical crisis, you go to the doctor,” said Hansford “When there is a crisis with justice, leadership, and governance, you to go the lawyers in the community.” WI
The Rev. Jesse L. Jackson, Sr. Rolls Up His Sleeves Civil rights icon The Rev. Jesse L. Jackson, Sr. now joins others leading the charge for protecting the health of Blacks and the elderly after recently rolling up his sleeve to take the COVID-19 vaccine. He received his first dose of the Pfizer BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine on Friday, Jan. 8 at Roseland Community Hospital in Chicago. Jackson, 79, said in a Rainbow PUSH Coalition-issued press statement that “eradicating this horrible virus from our lives [will help] move [us along] to our new normal.” Jackson, accompanied for his vaccine by Dr. Kizzmekia Corbett, an immunologist at the Vaccine Research Center at the National Institute of Health, is working in collaboration with Corbett and the hospital to spread awareness, especially to minorities, those with compromised immune systems and the elderly, that the vaccines are safe and will help save lives, according to the press statement. “Right now, there is a lack of trust in medical establishments,” Dr. Corbett said. “The hope is that seeing an influential figure such as Rev. Jackson receive the vaccine will positively influence community to follow suit.” Jackson, who also serves as Rainbow PUSH Coalition president, added that, “The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted existing disparities in our nation and specifically in the Black community resulting in a hospitalization rate 3.7 times greater and a death rate 2.8 times greater than that of the white 5 The Rev Jesse L. Jackson, Sr. (Courtesy photo) community.” WI
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This shouldn’t be how we say hello ...or goodbye.
It’s our reality right now. But it won’t be if we do what it takes to beat COVID-19. Vaccines are coming, but until enough of us are vaccinated, we all still need to wear our masks, stay at least six feet from others, and avoid indoor social gatherings. The more we slow the spread, the faster we’ll return to normal hellos … and fewer goodbyes. Learn more about vaccines and slowing the spread at cdc.gov/coronavirus Brought to you by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
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JANUARY 14 - 20, 2021 25
LIFESTYLE
Pizza for the Police Post Riots Smithsonian’s Anacostia Community Museum: Squire It Happened Here in Anacostia: One Century of History Brigette WI Contributing Writer By Alcione Amos, Curator and Author, Smithsonian’s Anacostia Community Museum 1867 was a year of great stress for the Black community in the District of Columbia. As far as I know, there was no worldwide pandemic, but the community was suffering from a crushing lack of housing. At least 40,000 enslaved people had sought refuge in Washington DC during the Civil War. They had come from adjacent Virginia and Maryland and mostly had settled on the streets. Eventually, many built makeshift housing with discarded material and formed small settlements. One of these settlements was visited by General O.O. Howard, the superintendent of the Freedmen's Bureau. He investigated how a group of Black refugees had come to create a small village in a prime downtown location. When asked what it would take to vacate the land, he was told, "Give us land!" And that is the beginning of the saga told in the just published book that I have written. Barry Farm-Hillsdale in Anacostia: A Historic African American Community tells the history of a historic community established in 1867 on the east side of the Anacostia river adjacent to the White neighborhood of Anacostia. The Freedmen's Bureau bought the land from the Barry family, thus the community's name. The Bureau then plotted the land and sold the lots to Blacks interested in owning their own land. The large one-acre lots were ideal for these rural people who knew how to cultivate the land and raise small animals. The Bureau also sold the new settlers’ timber to build their new homes. Nothing was given for free. At first, the homes were tiny two-room houses, but they were a boon to people who had not even own their freedom shortly before. The community prospered immediately. Shortly there was a school for the children, a church for worship and a group of residents respected for their civic demeanor established as leaders. Also, as their economic situation prospered, the settlers built larger houses. One thing remained a point of discontent…the name of the community. The Barry family had owned
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enslaved persons, and the community did not feel it was appropriate to name this Black neighborhood after them. For awhile, Potomac City was considered for the new name and even appeared on a map. In 1873, the name of Hillsdale was approved by Washington, DC's city council, but it never appeared in the maps, and to this date, when one buys a house in Anacostia within the footprint of the original Barry Farm, that is the name that appears in the deed. In acknowledgment of this complex naming history, we, at the museum, have adopted the hyphenated name Barry Farm-Hillsdale. In the 20th century, the neighborhood was well established and very successful. Barry Farm-Hillsdale's main commercial blocks, between Morris Road and Howard Road on Nichols Avenue, today Martin Luther King Jr. Ave. were thriving with various businesses from beauty parlors to food markets to funeral homes. The elementary school that served the community, Birney, also was located in this area, its building today occupied by Thurgood Marshall Academy. Despite all its success in the 20th century, the community suffered from the lack of infrastructure, enough classrooms for its children and a profound feeling of isolation because it was located between two hostile white neighborhoods, Anacostia and Congress Heights. After World War II, Barry Farm-Hillsdale became one of the centers of Civil Rights activism in Washington, D.C. In the summer of 1949, the youth of Barry Farm-Hillsdale helped desegregate the Anacostia swimming pool, thus contributing to the eventual desegregation of all recreation facilities in the city. In the early
1950s, parents in Barry Farm-Hillsdale were at the forefront of the fight to desegregate schools. In the 1960s, residents of Barry Farm Dwellings— the public housing complex built on just ten percent of the original footprint of Barry Farm-Hillsdale during World War II—were at the forefront of the fight for welfare rights. Nevertheless, by the1970s, the community's identity had been subsumed under the general name of Anacostia. This book is a record of this stirring history. It honors the memory of all the well-known and anonymous residents of this neighborhood who made history through their actions over a century. To acquire a copy, please access Arcadia Publishing https://www.arcadiapublishing. com/Products/9781467147699 or Amazon.com available in paperback and as an e-book https://www.amazon.com/ B a r r y - Fa r m - H i l l s d a l e - A n a costia-Historic-Community/ dp/1467147699/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=barry+farm-hillsdale&qid=1608574297&s=books&sr=1-1
4 Cover of book, Barry Farm-Hillsdale: A Historic African American Community by Alcione Amos, Smithsonian’s Anacostia Community Museum
5 Original map of the Barry Farm settlement in 1867. Source: Library of Congress
Chef José Andrés, founder of the food relief organization World Central Kitchen, delivered pizzas to law enforcement officers and first responders after the Capitol insurrection in Washington, D.C. on Wednesday. The riots forced members of Congress to evacuate, and left five people dead. Andrés said he wanted to deliver food to police officers and members of the National Guard who were on duty as a mob stormed the U.S. Capitol building due to the 6pm shutdown. “Hi everybody...what can I say... today was a tragic day for America. I’m here in Bethesda, picking up 120 pizzas to bring to downtown DC to the heroic women & men keeping our city safe tonight,” he said in a tweet. In a video in the same tweet, Andrés added that he was there with his daughter, Ines. Restaurants were closed because of Mayor Bowser's citywide emergency curfew, and he wanted to ensure that members of law enforcement had meals. “Hopefully in a very strange, complicated night, we’re going to make sure that those young men and women, often forgotten, can be taken care of,” he said in the video. He and his staff also apparently worked late into the night preparing food for first responders. "I don’t know what else to do right now...so we @WCKitchen just started cooking," the chef said in another tweet. "Pizzas weren’t enough for everyone...many have been working over 30 hours nonstop. So, we turned Jaleo into WCK kitchen cooking 100s of hot stews on this cold night...plus fried egg sandwiches & fruit!" Andrés is known globally for his disaster relief work. The World Central Kitchen has prepared millions of meals for survivors of disasters including Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico and Hurricane Harvey in Texas. He has also been active during the COVID-19 pandemic. In March, he transformed eight of his restaurants in Washington, D.C. and New York City into community kitchens. And in October, he and his organization also founded Chefs for the Polls, an initiative that recruited local restaurants and food establishments to bring meals to voters waiting in long lines. “Chef Andrés deserves a Purple
5 José Andrés (Courtesy photo)
Heart for all the good he has done in the world,” states Kathleen Curless of Maryland. It’s people like him that give us hope in the future of this country. I don’t agree with the current list of nominees for the Purple Heart under this administration. I will be writing a letter to Biden to honor Chef Andrés in the future. He deserves it.” Several people criticized Andrés on Twitter about his choice to feed law enforcement officers at the Capitol. “You should give it to the maintenance staff in the capital building that had to clean it all up. Not cops that allowed it to happen,” one person wrote to him on Twitter. “We will try! All around Capitol is secure...building still lock down...but we will try to get food to them,” Andrés responded. In another Twitter video, he explained his ideals about serving whoever is in need during a crisis. “I know it’s a lot of controversy and everything, but we feed people,” he said. “We feed anybody and everybody and we activate when there is need, and today police (are keeping) my beautiful Washington, D.C. safe.” He also mentioned that at the end of the night, he visited the National Archives, which houses historic documents including the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. "It’s late here in Washington DC and we @WCKitchen just finished delivering the last meals," he wrote on Twitter. "But after today’s attack on our democracy...I couldn’t go home without seeing the National Archives, where our nation’s founding documents live. #WeThePeople." WI
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LIFESTYLE
wi book review "Mediocre: The wwDangerous Legacy of White Male America" By Ijeoma Oluo c.2020, Seal Press $28.00 / $35.00 Canada 336 pages
By Terri Schlichenmeyer WI Contributing Writer This year, you are going to roar. You're going to seize every opportunity, wrestle every bad habit to the ground, and do better than your best. You're gonna kick the universe in the tail. This is absolutely going to be your year – unless, as in the new book "Mediocre" by Ijeoma Oluo, someone's standing in your way, now and for a hundred years. In addition to a quiet setting and uninterrupted time to write, on a recent retreat for women, Ijeoma Oluo noticed that when socializing, most of the attendees talked about men – but not the boyfriend-husband-partner men. They discussed bad "dudes," particularly the white ones that largely controlled publishing. That conversation morphed into bad men, white men in general, that are "found just about everywhere." There are, Oluo says, "a thousand memes" that feature the words, "Lord, give me the confidence of a mediocre white man," meaning that "white male mediocrity is a baseline" from which all power rotates, "regardless of skill... or talent." It's as if some sort of higher rank should be granted just because those individuals happen to be white men. None of this is new. It's been going on for hundreds of years, Oluo says, and Black women aren't the only ones on the receiving end of it. It exists in the West, as white men fight against white men over land that white men stole. We see white male privilege all over politics, from the top down and especially in political arenas where white supremacy exists. It's been on college campuses, and in places of higher education where Black people were historically denied entrance. It's in the workplace, where Black women continue to make far less money than their white male counterparts. White male privilege exists today in economics, pro sports, in language, in an ignorance of history and the contributions of Black men and women, and in entertainment. It's a "very dark place," Oluo says, and there are things every American can do about it – starting with two things: an acknowledgment that we need white men and an admission to our complicity in this terrible, untenable legacy. Got a few days to read? Yeah, and grab a packet of those sticky-flag things, too. "Mediocre" is a book that practically demands them: though this is not a 700page manifesto, there's that much information inside its covers. What's more, author Ijeoma Oluo asks readers to think about her words, and not lightly. This is a read-a-few-paragraphs, put-it-down kind of book, making you live with the facts before moving forward. Oluo uses stories to illustrate many of her points, diving into American history, politics, and economics to help readers to see how quietly, totally entrenched white male privilege is and has been. Most eye-opening are her many statements of relevancy, showing how white males enjoy other cultures blithely, often while denigrating those very cultures. Be prepared to give yourself a lot of time with this book – it needs that. And then be prepared for action, because "Mediocre" is going to make you roar. WI
horoscopes
JAN 14 - 20, 2021
ARIES Today, you have the opportunity to reach a bigger world. This could be through a community organization or charity you support. Consider professional networking groups where you can reach people who will collaborate with you. You can also send out your message through social media to make the world a better place. Lucky Numbers: 13, 19, 33 TAURUS Your desire to expand your skills has been heard, and a new opportunity is available to you. This could be related to your career or a hobby you want to turn into a business. The knowledge you need is at your fingertips, including someone to guide you if you choose. What you learn adds to your considerable storehouse of knowledge. Lucky Numbers: 9, 21, 37 GEMINI Today, you may be thinking about going back to school or wondering if you're in the right school. You might be thinking it's time to change majors. Most severe indecision is solved by improving your ability to learn material quickly. Consider finding a better system for learning. This will cut study time and help you get better grades. Lucky Numbers: 18, 19, 42 CANCER Today, you are lucky when it comes to financial matters, especially ones related to investing and banking. This is a good day to ask for a loan. Consider investing in the stock market or funding your 401(k). You can find people who will help you and answer your questions about investing. Lucky Numbers: 17, 51, 57 LEO A very important project may fall on your desk. And you will want to do the best job on it that you can. If you have a new business, you may be getting your first client or your first sale. Right now, it's good to give 110 percent to make a great impression. Lucky Numbers: 4, 13, 45 VIRGO You may be inundated with work. Your inbox could be overflowing, your voice message box full, and you haven't seen the top of your desk in some time. It would be wise to delegate some of this if possible. Find ways to streamline what you're doing to make things go more quickly. Help is coming soon. Lucky Numbers: 9, 31, 49 LIBRA Curiosity melds with enthusiasm today. You may go down the rabbit hole of internet surfing, finding one interesting fact after another. The best use of this aspect is to do something creative and to explore a new way of doing things. Don't waste time on conspiracy theories. Instead, learn how to make two-minute microwave mug breakfasts or how to make your own animated GIFs. Creativity is key. Lucky Numbers: 11, 23, 25 SCORPIO For the most part, everyone is getting along in the family, though, there's one extended family member who seems to rain on everyone's parade. This party pooper maybe a little more self-absorbed or just not supportive of the family. Scorpio native, you tend to hang back and observe, and what you've been seeing has not made you happy. But this doesn't necessarily mean that action is necessary. Lucky Numbers: 5, 7, 26 SAGITTARIUS Legal matters and contracts can go well now, Jupiter is on your side. You can get most of what you are looking for through some skillful back and forth. But be mindful about going overboard. Don't ask for more than you need. Lucky Numbers: 22, 23, 35 CAPRICORN You are magnetic today, manifesting what you want, especially if it involves meeting important and influential people. Today, create a goal board that doesn't have pictures of objects you want to buy, but instead has pictures of people you want to meet. This will help activate this amazing energy. Lucky Numbers: 19, 36, 41 AQUARIUS Today's a lucky day—you can reach the person you're trying to get a hold of or connect on a deeper level with someone you care about. You might meet someone new to fall in love with. Try to pack in a lot of out-of-the-ordinary, over-the-top activities into your day. Lucky Numbers: 3, 10, 14 PISCES Today, you could meet someone extraordinary—an influencer, or a mentor. This person doesn't necessarily run in your circles but now that there is an overlap of your life and theirs, you may get some amazing help. This is not like someone who just happens by to help you do a somersault in the park but a world-class gym teacher who spots your talent and invites you to train. Keep an eye on possibilities today. Lucky Numbers: 17, 23, 29
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JANUARY 14 - 20, 2021 27
MONUMENTS from Page 16 unto itself, and that should be remembered in the face of the expected backlash from those who really don’t want to see that imagery go away and make outsized noise about it,” Smith offered. “We want to remember that these things are distance markers on the road to moving society toward a more inclusive future,” he continued. “[Monuments] are inappropriate for spaces that are meant to represent all of the people in a particular jurisdiction as opposed to a select few. This is different from the concept of fighting systemic racism.” Since the murder of Floyd in May, an estimated more than 100 Confederate symbols have been removed from around the country, including a Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee from the U.S. Capitol that had represented Virginia for more than a century. In July, the Washington Football Team announced it would drop the racist nickname, Redskins, after Pepsi, Nike and FedEx received letters from investors calling on them to end their more than $620 billion sponsorship deals with the team. The Cleveland baseball team later announced it would drop “Indians” as its nickname after the 2021 season. “Changing sport teams names and tearing down statues are great PR moves by companies and politicians, but we’re never going to fix the problem until we educate the youth,” pronounced Jamie Hickey, the founder of Coffee Semantics.Com. “Racist parents that raise racist
kids is the reason why we still have an equality issue in America. Kids aren’t born racist. They are raised to be racist,” Hickey declared. “It’s the same as when people say pit bulls are mean. There is no such thing as a mean pit bull, only mean owners.” Ken Eulo, the Smith & Eulo Law Firm’s founding partner in Orlando, Fla., said tangible change is needed. “In 2021, rebuilding is likely to be a recurring theme. Black Americans want to reinforce the idea of rebuilding and developing communities in what we hope will be a postCOVID-19 society,” Eulo said. “We want to see news, think pieces and human-interest stories that lend themselves to the idea of this being the time for Black innovation and excellence in a way that may not have been advisable before.” This year needs to be a time “where we as individuals and a community find new ways to uplift ourselves after a year where we saw widely held beliefs, and long-standing conventions broken and cast aside in the wake of a global pandemic,” concluded Smith, of the Florida Car Accident Law Team, “This is a time where finding ways to function outside the box can reap real benefits at a time when all bets appear to be off,” Smith demanded. “We need to see examples of Black people and Black communities thriving in the face of this unprecedented adversity, and examples of our political and economic influence being wielded for the betterment of Black Americans and the Black diaspora.” WI
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28 - JANUARY 14 - 20, 2021
POLICE from Page 1 ing record-low morale and heavy criticism for their inability to quell the siege until their numbers were boosted by members of the National Guard and Metropolitan Police Department, recently described the potential upcoming violence as “chilling and horrific,” according to a spokesperson for the U.S. Capitol Police. Five people died after insurgents stormed the U.S. Capitol last Wednesday including U.S. Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick, 42, whose funeral procession traveled throughout downtown D.C. including along New Hampshire Avenue in Northwest on Sunday, Jan. 10. Scores of local citizens and many of his colleagues as well as other law enforcement officials lined the streets to pay their final respects. Sicknick, a retired military veteran, joined the force in 2008 and had recently been assigned to the First Responders Unit. Prosecutors in the U.S. Attorney’s office said they plan to open an investigation into Sicknick’s death. Both the Capitol Police and D.C. Metropolitan police will participate in the investigation. Hours after the insurgence was brought under control by a combined team of local police officers, including members of the National Guard, Steven Sund, U.S. Capitol Police chief, tenured his resignation, effective Jan. 16. “The violent attack on the U.S. Capitol was unlike any I have ever experienced in my 30 years in law enforcement here in Washington, D.C.” Sund said in a written statement. He further added the following caveat: “Maintaining public safety in an open environment – specifically for First Amendment activities – has long been a challenge.” In an interview on Jan. 12 with WJLA-TV (ABC 7 News) reporters, Sund stated his belief that the attack on the U.S. Capitol had been carefully planned with many of the insurgents heavily armed – wielding a plethora of various weapons in numbers far greater than he had ever experienced during his years of service for the Capitol Police. In related news, a second U.S. Capitol Police officer died Jan. 9, apparently in connection with the riots on the U.S. Capitol. to the capitol insurgence. Officer Howard Liebengood, 51, died on Saturday by suicide. “We are reeling from the death of Officer Liebengood,” Gus Papatha-
nasiou, said the union chairman for the U.S. Capitol Police on Sunday. “Every Capitol Police Officer puts the security of others before their own safety and Officer Liebengood was an example of the selfless service that is the hallmark of USCP. This is a tragic day.” The local law enforcement agencies are wrestling with other problems, though. Investigators are exploring potential involvement between proTrump forces and active officers. Two D.C. officers are under investigation, as are unidentified Anne Arundel officers, according to D.C officials.
D.C. TAKES ON SEMBLANCE OF AN ENTRENCHED FORTRESS
While D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser suspended her order to extend the pause of various activities in the District through the inauguration on Jan. 12 – an order issued just one day earlier – she continues to encourage residents to be cautious and to stay away from the inauguration. Instead she has urged Americans to participate virtually – a request made during a news conference on Jan. 11. Bowser has already issued the closing of several of the major thoroughfares in downtown D.C. until after the inauguration including: E. Capitol Street, Independence Avenue, 1st Street and Constitution Avenue. Un-scalable fences have been erected around the U.S. Capitol, the White House, the Washington Monument, the Supreme Court and several other federal buildings. Parking restrictions have also been ordered along these and other nearby streets by the mayor. And Capitol Police have announced that there will be “absolutely no public access” to Capitol grounds until further notice. Bowser (D), Gov. Larry Hogan (R-Md.) and Gov. Ralph Northam (D-Va.) held a joint call on Monday in preparation of the 59th Presidential Inauguration that covered requests by D.C. to the federal government and the importance of enhanced planning and preparation compared to previous inaugurations. “On January 20, there will be a transition of power, and we will work together, and with our partners in the federal government, to ensure the safety of the National Capital Region. Due to the unique circumstances surrounding the 59th Presidential Inauguration, including last week’s violent insurrection as well as the ongoing and deadly COVID-19 pandemic,
we are taking the extraordinary step of encouraging Americans not to come to Washington, D.C. and to instead participate virtually.” “In this very trying time, January 6 was a dark moment for our nation. But we know that we will get through this period because American ideals are stronger than one extreme ideology. Together, we will overcome extremism and get back to the work of our residents,” the statement said. Hogan, who says he will attend the inauguration, has doubled the number of National Guard officers representing the state of Maryland from 500 to 1,000 to assist with law enforcement efforts in the District. Estimates reveal that there are already or in a few short days will be close to 7,000 members of the National Guard representing Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey and Virginia.
TRUMP WILL NOT ATTEND; PENCE SAYS ‘YES’
President Donald Trump recently confirmed he will not attend the inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden, putting to rest any lingering questions about whether he would go. “To all of those who have asked, I will not be going to the Inauguration on January 20th,” Trump tweeted on Friday, Jan. 8. Biden, speaking to reporters in Wilmington, later on Friday, said that Trump not coming to his swearing-in was “one of the few things we agree on.” However, Vice President Mike Pence has indicated that he will attend the inauguration – a decision that has led to unbridled criticism by many of Trump’s supporters – even death threats lodged against Pence and his family. In U.S. history, there have only been a handful of times that an outgoing president did not attend the inauguration of his successor. John Adams, John Quincy Adams and Andrew Johnson all skipped the event, while Richard Nixon departed the White House after his resignation and did not attend Gerald Ford's swearing-in. Former presidents George W. Bush, Bill Clinton and Barack Obama have all said they will attend the inauguration. Former president Jimmy Carter, in failing health and 96-years-old, will not attend. WI Contributing Writer Curtis Knowles contributed to this report. WI @dkevinmcneir
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30 - JANUARY 14 - 20, 2021
STATEHOOD from Page 1 eliminated set-aside days of the session when only bills dealing with the District can be considered. D.C. Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D) thanked U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Rep. Jim McGovern (D-Mass.) for the rule changes. “With these important rules’ changes, a step toward statehood and equal treatment for the District [has been taken],” Norton said. “I’ve introduced legislation to change the mayor of D.C.’s title to governor and, now the mayor will be able to come to the House floor, just like governors of states and territories. Thank you, Speaker Pelosi and Chairman McGovern, for being champions of D.C. statehood and equality and making these changes. I look forward to working with my colleagues in the 117th Congress.” D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser expressed appreciation for the House rules changes. “To paraphrase Dr. King: when any American is denied democracy, our entire nation is denied those voices and votes,” the mayor said on Jan. 6. “But now, we are ready to finally fix this injustice by getting statehood on President Biden’s desk within the first 100 days of the 117th Congress. With our seats at the table, we can help build
IMPEACHED from Page 1 with impeachment. Unlike the January 2020 impeachment, Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), the Republican leader in the Senate, has declared support for impeaching Trump. At least seven other Republicans have also voiced support for impeachment. A Senate trial takes place next – lawmakers have not scheduled the proceedings. If convicted in the Senate, Trump would no longer be eligible to hold public office, lose his $200,000 pension for the rest of his life and forfeit a $1 million per year travel allowance. Trump would still maintain eligibility for secret service protection. The House impeachment resolution that passed on Wednesday cited “incitement and insurrection” for the president’s role in the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. Before introducing impeachment legislation, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) attempted to pass a resolution to
back better than ever before.” Bowser made her comments as proTrump supporters attacked the U.S. Capitol. She lamented her inability to call up the D.C. National Guard to assist the Capitol Police and said the time for District statehood is now. While a majority vote in the House is enough to pass a statehood bill, as it did Norton’s “The Washington, D.C. Admissions Act” in June, a measure to create statehood faces high hurdles in the Senate. For a bill of that type to make to the Senate floor, 60 senators are needed for a cloture vote to end any filibuster. The election of the Georgians splits the Senate evenly between Democrats and Republicans but Vice President-elect Kamala Harris, who will be president of the Senate in the 117th Congress, has the option of breaking ties, putting control of the chamber in Dems’ hands. While most Senate Republicans oppose D.C. statehood because they believe the District would send two Democrats to the chamber, Josh Burch, the founder of Neighbors United for D.C. Statehood, said GOP senators such as Tim Scott of South Carolina, Mitt Romney of Utah, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Susan Collins of Maine and Rob Portman of Ohio are open to persuasion on the issue. A local organization, 51
for 51, has been working to convince Senate leaders to allow District statehood legislation to pass the chamber without the need of a cloture vote. The District-based organization 51 for 51 wants to see Senate rules changed to prevent a filibuster of D.C. statehood legislation by having the measure pass by 51 votes. “Just two years ago, the Senate changed its rules so only 51 votes are needed to confirm Supreme Court justices,” a statement on the organization’s website said. “If 51 votes are enough to confirm a Supreme Court justice, it should be enough to make D.C. the 51st state and give D.C. residents the same rights as all other Americans.” Bo Shuff, the executive director of DC Vote, an organization supporting “full and equal representation for D.C. residents”, said everyday Washingtonians can play a key role in statehood legislation passing. “Washingtonians can call their family and friends in other states to teach them about what statehood means,” Shuff said. “We also want to keep the energy in the city up about statehood. We are glad to have Democrats controlling both chambers of the Congress and Biden’s support but it will be a long fight. We have to keep working.” WI @JamesDCWrighter
ask Vice President Mike Pence to invoke the 25th Amendment to remove the President from office. The law has only been used a handful of times, most recently when, on June 8, 2002, President George W. Bush's powers were transferred to Vice President Dick Cheney for about an hour because Bush had been sedated for a medical procedure. Section 4 of the Amendment strips power from the President. It states that “the Vice President and a majority of Cabinet can deem the President unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office." If the 25th Amendment were invoked, Pence would assume the presidency and serve out what’s left in Trump's term. However, Pence declined to invoke the measure. “[Trump] needs to be removed. He’s dangerous,” House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) stated, echoing the sentiments of more than 200 members of Congress. In the impeachment legislation, Congress members wrote that the "President demonstrated that he
would remain a threat to national security, democracy and the Constitution if allowed to remain in office, and has acted in a manner grossly incompatible with self-governance and the rule of law." Further, the resolution states, "President Trump warrants impeachment and trial, removal from office, and disqualification to hold and enjoy any office of honor, trust, or profit under the United States." Specifically, the resolution identifies Trump's January 2 phone call to Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger urging him to "find" enough votes to overturn the state's election results. "We cannot allow this unprecedented provocation to go unanswered," House members said in a statement. "Everyone involved in this assault must be held accountable, beginning with the man most responsible for it – President Donald Trump. We cannot begin to heal the soul of this country without first delivering swift justice to all its enemies — foreign and domestic." WI
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RELIGION
Robert A. Ridley, Veteran WI Photographer, Dies Peacefully at 90
Funeral Service to be Held at Friendship Baptist Church in Southeast, Jan. 14 D. Kevin McNeir WI Editor On Dec. 30, 2020, Robert Adron Ridley died peacefully at the Washington Hospital Center in the District. He will be remembered as a dedicated member of more than 80 years at Friendship Baptist Church in Southeast, a decorated veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps, an entrepreneur, a longtime and talented photographer for The Washington Informer, a loving family man and one dedicated to sharing his blessings with others. Ridley, born April 9, 1930 in D.C., the oldest of three siblings, attended Oxon Hill Elementary, Randall Junior High and Phelps High School, all located in the District. He joined Friendship Baptist Church in Southeast at 15 and became an usher at the age of 17 where he served in the same capacity for 83 years until his death – an indisputable testament of his love for serving others. He also shared his gifts as a member of the Men’s Ministry at his home church. Ridley married Mary C. Thomas (Brower) August 15, 1951 and to this union they were blessed with three children: Robert, Thomas and Inita. In 1952, he joined the U. S. Marine Corps where he served for six years before being honorably discharged and decorated with the Good Conduct Medal Award. Back in civilian life, he started his own upholstering business, eventually turning his attention toward the
5 Robert A. Ridley (right) displaying his love for family. (Photo courtesy Ridley family)
fulfillment of one of greatest dreams – photography. According to his church family, Ridley could always be counted on to be on hand with his equipment wherever two or three were gathered. As he perfected his skills, he became a photographer/videographer at Friendship Baptist Church – a position he held from the mid 80’s until health challenges forced him to put down his camera. Beyond the environs of his church, Ridley was well known around the Greater Washington Area because of his photographic prowess. He would join the ranks as a photographer for The Washington Informer Newspaper, working with the newspaper’s founder and publisher, Dr. Calvin W. Rolark, Sr. For decades, he captured unforgettable moments behind the lens, also interviewing preachers, teachers, pol-
Mt. Zion Baptist Church
iticians and almost anyone else who had a story to tell, video camera in hand. Known for his compassion and true commitment to both his family and friends, he would often say, “God has been good to me, so I don’t mind doing for others.” Preceded in death by his daughter, Joyce Marshal; son, Robert Ridley, Jr.; two siblings, Reginald Ridley and Nina-Mae Bell, his death will be mourned by his son, Thomas D. Ridley; daughter, Inita Cooper (Vernon); sister, Eunice Lewis; six grandchildren, 12 great-grandchildren and a host of nieces, nephews, other relatives and friends. Services will be performed by the Rev. J. Michael Little, both virtually and for a small number of family members, on Thursday, Jan. 14 at Friendship Baptist Church. WI
John F. Johnson Reverend Dr.
5101 14th Street, NW / Washington, DC 20011 Phone: 202-726-2220 Fax: 202-726-9089
1306 Vermont Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20005
“A Church with a past to remember – and a future to mold” www.mtzbcdc.org
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Mount Olivet Lutheran Church
Reverend John W. Davis Pastor
Service and Times Sunday Worship Service - 8:00 a.m. & 11:00 a.m. Children’s Church - 11:00 a.m. (1st & 3rd Sundays) Communion - 10 a.m. 4th Sunday Sunday School - 9:15 a.m. (4th Sunday 8:15 a.m.) Prayer Meeting & Bible Study - Wednesday 7:00 p.m.
(301) 864-6070
Service and Times Divine Worship, Sunday 10:00 a.m. Communion 1st and 3rd Sunday “Friendliest Church in the City” Website: mountolivetdc.org Email: mtolivedc@gmail.com
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JANUARY 14 - 20, 2021 31
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
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
Service and Times Sunday Morning Worship: 11:00 AM Holy Communion: 1st Sunday Sunday School: 9:45 AM Men’s Monday Bible Study: 7:00 PM Wednesday Night Bible Study: 7:00 PM Women’s Ministry Bible Study: 3rd Friday -7:00 PM Computer Classes: Announced Family and Marital Counseling by appointment E-mail: Crusadersbaptistchurch@verizon.net www.CrusadersBaptistChurch.org / “God is Love”
Greater Mt. Calvary Holy Church Bishop Alfred A. Owens, Jr.; Senior Bishop & Evangelist Susie C. Owens – Co-Pastor 610 Rhode Island Avenue, NE Washington, DC 20002 (202) 529-4547 office • (202) 529-4495 fax
Sunday Worship Service: 8:00 AM and 10:45 AM Sunday Youth Worship Services: 1st & 4th 10:45 AM; 804 R.I. Ave., NE 5th 8 AM & 10:45 AM; Main Church Prayer Services Tuesday – Noon, Wednesday 6:00 AM & 6:30 PM Calvary Bible Institute: Year-Round Contact Church / Communion Every 3rd Sunday The Church in The Hood that will do you Good! www.gmchc.org / emailus@gmchc.org
St Marks Baptist Come Worship with us... Dr. Raymond T. Matthews Pastor and First Lady Marcia Matthews St. Mark's Baptist Church 624 Underwood Street, NW Washington, dc 20011 Services and Times Sunday School: 9:00 AM Worship Service: 10:00 AM Wed. Noon Day prayer service Thur. Prayer service: 6:45 PM Thur. Bible Study: 7:15 PM
(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 Reverend Dr. Paris L Smith, Sr. Senior Pastor
Virgil K. Thomas, Sr. Senior Pastor/ Teacher
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
Reverend Dr. Calvin L. Matthews Senior Pastor 1200 Isle of Patmos Plaza, Northeast Washington, DC 20018 Office: (202) 529-6767 - Fax: (202) 526-1661 Service and Times Sunday Worship Services: 7:30 AM and 10:30 AM Holy Communion: 2nd Sunday at 7:30 AM and 10:30 AM Sunday Church School: 9:20 AM Seniors Bible Study: Tuesdays at 10:30 AM Noon Day Prayer Service: Tuesdays at Noon Bible Study: Tuesdays at 7 PM Motto: “A Ministry of Reconciliation Where Everybody is Somebody!” Website: http://isleofpatmosbc.org Church Email: ipbcsecretary@verizon.net
Reverend Dr. Paul H. Saddler Senior Pastor
Turning Hearts Church
421 Alabama Ave. SE Washington, DC 20032 Phone: 202-746-0113 Fax: 301-843-2445
“Ambassadors for Christ to the Nation’s Capital”
Rev. Dr. Alton W. Jordan Pastor
Isle of Patmos Baptist 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
“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
901 Third Street N.W. Washington, DC. 20001 Phone (202) 842-3411 Fax (202) 682-9423 Service and Times Sunday Church School : 9:00 AM Sunday Morning Worship: 10:10 AM Bible Study Tuesday: 6: 00 PM Prayer Service Tuesday: 7:00 PM Holy Communion: 3rd Sunday 10:10 AM
32 - JANUARY 14 - 20, 2021
themcbc.org
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
Rev. Daryl F. Bell Pastor 2324 Ontario Road, NW Washington, DC 20009 (202) 232-1730 Service and Times Sunday School: 9:30 AM Sunday Worship Service: 11:00 AM Baptismal Service: 1st Sunday – 9:30 AM Holy Communion: 1st Sunday – 11:00 AM Prayer Meeting & Bible Study: Wednesday -7:30 PM “Where Jesus is the King”
Dr. Earl D. Trent Senior Pastor
2409 Ainger Pl.,SE – WDC 20020 (202) 678-0884 – Office / (202) 678-0885 – Fax “Moving Faith Forward” 0% Perfect . . . 100% Forgiven!
623 Florida Ave.. NW - WDC. 20001 Church (202) 667-3409 / Study (202) 265-0836 Home Study (301) 464-8211 / Fax (202) 483-4009
Service and Times Sunday Worship: 8:00 AM & 10:45 AM Baptism/Holy Communion: 3rd Sunday Family Bible Study Tuesdays – 6:30 PM Prayer Service: Tuesdays – 8:00 PM www.emmanuelbaptistchurchdc.org
Sermon On The Mount Temple Of Joy Apostolic Faith
Lincoln Park United Methodist Church Rev. Richard B. Black Pastor
Elder Herman L. Simms Pastor
1251 Saratoga Ave., NE Washington, DC 20018 (202) 269-0288
1301 North Carolina Ave. N E Washington, D C 20002 202 543 1318 - lincolnpark@lpumcdc.org www.lpumcdc.org
5606 Marlboro Pike District Heights, MD 20747 301-735-6005
Service and Times Sunday Worship Service: 10:45 AM Sunday School: 9:15 AM Holy Communion1st Sunday: 10:45 AM Prayer Service: Wednesday at 6:30 PM Bible Study: Wednesday at 7:00 PM Bible Study: Tuesday at 10:30 AM
Mount Moriah Baptist Church Dr. Lucius M. Dalton Senior Pastor
Service and Times Sunday Worship: 10:00 AM Holy Communion: First Sunday 10:00 AM Sunday School: 9:00 AM Bible Study: Wednesday @ 12 noon and 6:30 PM Motto: "Faith On The Hill"
Service and Times Sunday Apostolic Worship Services 11:00 A.M and 5:00 PM Communion and Feet Wash 4th Sunday at 5:00 PM Prayer/Seeking: Wednesday at 8:00 PM Apostolic in Doctrine, Pentecostal in Experience, Holiness in Living, Uncompromised and Unchanged. The Apostolic Faith is still alive –Acts 2:42
New Commandment Baptist Church
Eastern Community Baptist Church Damion M. Briggs Pastor
Rev. Stephen E. Tucker Senior Pastor
1636 East Capitol Street, NE Washington, DC 20003 Telephone: 202-544-5588 - Fax: 202-544-2964
8213 Manson Street Landover, MD 20785 Tel: (301) 322-9787 Fax: (301) 322-9240
13701 Old Jericho Park Road Bowie, MD. 20720 (301) 262-0560
Service and Times Sunday Worship Services: 7:45 AM and 10:45 AM Holy Communion: 1st Sundays at 7:45 AM & 10:45 AM Sunday School: 9:30 AM Prayer & Praise Service: Tuesdays at 12 noon & 6:30 PM Bible Study: Tuesdays at 1 pm and 7 PM Youth Bible Study: Fridays at 7 PM
Service and Times Early Morning Message: 7:30 AM Sunday Morning Worship Service: 10:00 AM Sunday Church School: 9:00 AM Holy Communion: 1st Sunday 7:30 AM & 10:00 AM Prayer, Praise and Testimony: Wednesday 7:00 PM Bible Study: Wednesday 7:30 PM
Service and Times Sunday Worship: 11 AM Sunday School: 10 AM Wednesday Mid-Week Worship, Prayer & Bible Study: Wed. 7 PM
Rehoboth Baptist Church
Reverend Peter R. Blue Sr. Pastor
Rev. Curtis l. Staley Pastor
2001 Brooks Drive District Heights MD. 20744 240.838.7074
621 Alabama Ave., S.E.- Washington, D.C. 20032 P: (202) 561-1111 - F: (202) 561-1112
Service and Times Sunday Worship Experience: 10:15am Sunday School: 9:00am Holy Communion: 3rd Sunday Morning Noontime Bible Study: Tuesday @ 12:00pm Prayer Meeting/Bible Study: Tuesday @7:00pm Theme: "Building On A Firm Foundation"
Service and Times Sunday Service: 10:00 AM Sunday School for all ages: 8:30 AM 1st Sunday Baptism: 10:00 AM 2nd Sunday Holy Communion:10:00 AM Tuesday: Bible Study: 6:30 PM Prayer Meeting: 7:45 PM
Email: revprbstmbc@gmail.com Website: www.stmatthewsbaptist.org
Motto: “Where God is First and Where Friendly People Worship”
“Real Worship for Real People” Website: www.easterncommunity.org Email: ecc@easterncommunity.org
“A Church Where Love Is Essential and Praise is Intentional”
Foggy Bottom - Founded in 1867 728 23rd Street, NW - Washington, DC 20037 Church office: 202-333-3985 - Fax : 202-338-4958
Shiloh Baptist Church
Service and Times Sunday Worship Services: 10:00 AM Sunday Church School: 8:45 – 9:45 AM Holy Communion: Every First Sunday Intercessory Prayer: Monday – 7:00-8:00 PM Pastor’s Bible Study: Wednesday –7:45 PM Midweek Prayer: Wednesday – 7:00 PM Noonday Prayer Every Thursday
Matthews Memorial Baptist Church
4504 Gault Place, N.E. / Washington, D.C 20019 202-397-7775 – 7184 Service and Times Sunday Church School: 9:30 AM Sunday Worship Service : 11:00 AM The Lord’s Supper 1st Sunday Prayer & Praise Services: Wednesday 7:00 PM Bible Study: 7:30 PM Saturday before 4th Sunday Men, Women, Youth Discipleship Ministries: 10:30 AM A Christ Centered Church htubc@comcast.net
Christ Embassy DC
Dr. Joseph D. Turner / Senior Pastor 2616 MLK Ave., SE - Washington, DC 20020 Office 202-889-3709 - Fax 202-678-3304 Service and Times Early Worship Service: 8:00 AM Worship Service: 11:00 AM New Member’s Class: 9:45 AM Holy Communion: 1st Sunday, 11:00 AM Church School: 9:45 AM Wednesday 12:00pm Bible Study Prayer, Praise and Bible Study: 7:00 PM Saturday Bible Study: 11:00 AM Baptism 4th Sunday: 11:00 AM “Empowered to love and Challenged to Lead a Multitude of Souls to Christ”
Peace Baptist Church
Kelechi Ajieren Coordinator 6839 Eastern Avenue, R1 Takoma Park, MD 20912 (202) 556-7065 Service and Times Sunday Worship Service: 10:00 AM Wednesday Bible Study: 7:00 PM Friday Evening Service: 7:00 PM ; Last Friday “…Giving Your Life a Meaning” www.Christembassydc.org Christ.embassy.dc@hotmail.com
Pennsylvania Ave. Baptist Church
Rev. Dr. Michael T. Bell 712 18th Street, NE Washington, DC 20002 Phone 202-399-3450/ Fax 202-398-8836 Service and Times Sunday Early Morning Prayer & Bible Study Class: 8:00 AM Sunday School: 9:00 AM Sunday Morning Worship Service: 10:00 AM Wednesday Service: 12:00 PM “The Loving Church of the living lord “
Rev. Dr. Kendrick E. Curry Pastor 3000 Pennsylvania Ave.. S.E Washington, DC 20020 202 581-1500 Service and Times Sunday Church School: 9:30 AM Sunday Worship Service: 11:00 AM Monday Adult Bible Study: 7:00 PM Wednesday Youth & Adult Activities: 6:30 PM Prayer Service Bible Study
First Rising Mt. Zion Baptist Church
Mt. Horeb Baptist Church
Rev. Dr. Wallace Charles Smith Pastor
Rev. Oran W. Young Pastor
Rev. Dr. H. B. Sampson, III Pastor
9th & P Street, N.W. - W. D.C. 20001 (202) 232-4288
602 N Street NW - Washington, D.C. 20001 Office:(202) 289-4480 Fax: (202) 289-4595
2914 Bladensburg Road, NE Wash., DC 20018 Office: (202) 529-3180 - Fax: (202) 529-7738 Service and Times Worship Service: 7:30 AM Sunday School: 9:00 AM Worship Service: 10:30 AM Holy Communion: 4th Sunday 7:30AM & 10:30 AM Prayer Services:Tuesday 7:30 PM. Wednesday 12 Noon
www.stmarysfoggybottom.org Email: stmarysoffice@stmarysfoggybottom.org
Service and Times First Sunday Worship Service (one service): 10:00 AM Second, Third, Fourth, and Fifth Sunday Worship service: 7:45 AM and 10:55 AM Sunday Church School/Bible Study: 9:30 AM Thursday Prayer Service: 6:30 PM
All are welcome to St. Mary’s to Learn, Worship, and Grow.
Email: sbc@shilohbaptist.org Website: shilohbaptist.org
Service and Times Sundays: 10 a.m. Holy Eucharist with Music and Hymns Wednesdays: 12:10 p.m. - Holy Eucharist
Rev. Dr. George C. Gilbert Senior Pastor
Email Address: admin@pbc712.org
Historic St. Mary’s Episcopal Church The Rev. E. Bernard Anderson Priest
Holy Trinity United Baptist Church
Florida Avenue Baptist Church
Reverend Christopher L. Nichols Pastor
Rev. Dr. Jerryl V. Moody Pastor-Elect
Web: www.mountmoriahchurch.org Email: mtmoriah@mountmoriahchurch.org
St. Matthews Baptist Church
Emmanuel Baptist Church
King Emmanuel Baptist Church
WWW.WASHINGTONINFORMER.COM / THE WASHINGTON INFORMER
Service and Times Sunday School for All Ages: 8:00 AM Sunday Worship Services: 9:30 AM Midday Prayer & Bible Study: Wednesday 11:30AM Evening Prayer & Bible Study: Wednesday 7:00 PM Laymen's League: Thursday 7:00 PM Email: Froffice@firstrising.org Website: www.firstrising.org “Changing Lives On Purpose “
Email:mthoreb@mthoreb.org Website:www.mthoreb.org For further information, please contact me at (202) 529-3180.
JANUARY 14 - 20, 2021 33
LEGAL NOTICES
LEGAL NOTICES
LEGAL NOTICES
LEGAL NOTICES
LEGAL NOTICES
SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA Probate Division Washington, D.C. 20001-2131
SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA Probate Division Washington, D.C. 20001-2131
SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA Probate Division Washington, D.C. 20001-2131
SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA Probate Division Washington, D.C. 20001-2131
In God We Trust
2020 ADM 000779
2020 ADM 000495
2020 ADM 784
2020 ADM 000667
”, nom deguerre: “ quiles, gabriely marie© ”, in full life, in pro-
Margaruietta Engricia Jackson Decedent
Jean M. Harris aka Gene M. Harris Decedent
Lavania E. Hall Decedent
Mable L. Battle Decedent
James Larry Frazier, Esq. 918 Maryland Ave., NE Washington, DC 20002 Attorney
Edward G. Varrone, Esq. 1825 K Street, NW Suite 1150 Washington, DC 20006 Attorney
Nakia Gray, Esq. 800 Maine Ave, SW, Suite 200 Washington, DC 20024 Attorney
Joan M. Wilbon 1120 Connecticut Ave., NW Suite 1020 Washington, DC 20036 Attorney
NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS Yves Cartier Gaskins, whose address is 227 Missouri Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20011, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Margaruietta Engricia Jackson who died on August 28, 2020 without a Will, and will serve without Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance in this proceeding. Objections to such appointment shall be filed with the Register of Wills, D.C., Building A, 515 5th Street, N.W., Third Floor, Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before 6/30/2021. Claims against the decedent shall be presented to the undersigned with a copy to the Register of Wills or filed with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned, on or before 6/30/2021, or be forever barred. Persons believed to be heirs or legatees of the decedent who do not receive a copy of this notice by mail within 25 days of its first publication shall so inform the Register of Wills, including name, address, and relationship. Date of first publication: 12/31/2020 Yves Cartier Gaskins Personal Representative TRUE TEST COPY Nicole Stevens Register of Wills Washington Informer
SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA Probate Division Washington, D.C. 20001-2131
NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS Steven Weinberg, whose address is 2141 P Street, NW, Suite 103, Washington, DC 20037-1045, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Jean M. Harris aka Gene M. Harris who died on June 24, 2018 without a Will, and will serve without Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance in this proceeding. Objections to such appointment shall be filed with the Register of Wills, D.C., Building A, 515 5th Street, N.W., Third Floor, Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before 7/1/2021. Claims against the decedent shall be presented to the undersigned with a copy to the Register of Wills or filed with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned, on or before 7/1/2021, or be forever barred. Persons believed to be heirs or legatees of the decedent who do not receive a copy of this notice by mail within 25 days of its first publication shall so inform the Register of Wills, including name, address, and relationship. Date of first publication: 12/31/2020
NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS Andre Tyrone Curtis and Helen Allen, whose addresses are 5959 Sudley Rd., West River, Md. 20778 & 212 35th St., NE, Washington, DC 20019, were appointed Personal Representatives of the estate of Lavania E. Hall who died on April 15, 2016 with a Will, and will serve without Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance in this proceeding. Objections to such appointment (or to the probate of decedent’s Will) shall be filed with the Register of Wills, D.C., Building A, 515 5th Street, N.W., Third Floor, Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before 6/30/2021. Claims against the decedent shall be presented to the undersigned with a copy to the Register of Wills or filed with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned, on or before 6/30/2021, or be forever barred. Persons believed to be heirs or legatees of the decedent who do not receive a copy of this notice by mail within 25 days of its first publication shall so inform the Register of Wills, including name, address, and relationship. Date of first publication:12/31/2020
TRUE TEST COPY
TRUE TEST COPY
Nicole Stevens Register of Wills
Nicole Stevens Register of Wills
Nicole Stevens Register of Wills
Washington Informer
Washington Informer
Washington Informer
SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA PROBATE DIVISION
SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA Probate Division Washington, D.C. 20001-2131
SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA Probate Division Washington, D.C. 20001-2131 2020 ADM 760
2020 ADM 000766
Alice T. Lucas Decedent
NOTICE OF EXISTENCE OF REVOCABLE TRUST
Jeanne Wilson Woods Decedent
Kathy Brissette-Minus, Esq. Law Office of Kathy Brissette-Minus, LLC 9701 Apollo Drive, Suite 230 Largo, MD 20774 Attorney
Denys H. Vaughn-Cooke (Name and address of deceased Settlor) whose address was 1501 Hamilton Street, NW, Washington, DC 20011 created a revocable trust on December 21, 2001, which remained in existence on the date of his/her death on March 10, 2020, and Anika Vaughn-Cooke, whose address is 7149 Boyer Street, Philadelphia, PA 19119 is the currently acting trustee, hereinafter the Trustee. Communications to the Trust should be mailed or directed to Anika Vaughn-Cooke at 7149 Boyer Street, Philadelphia, PA 19119.
NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS
The Trust is subject to claims of the deceased settlor’s creditors, costs of administration of the settlor’s estate, the expenses of the deceased settlor’s funeral and disposal of remains, and statutory allowances to a surviving spouse and children to the extent the deceased settlor’s residuary probate estate is inadequate to satisfy those claims, costs, expenses, and allowances.
Date of first publication: 1/7/2021 Jacquelin L. Fulse Personal Representative TRUE TEST COPY Nicole Stevens Register of Wills Washington Informer
34 - JANUARY 14 - 20, 2021
Date of first publication: 12/31/2020
TRUE TEST COPY
Denys H. Vaughn-Cooke Name of Deceased Settlor
Jacquelin L. Fulse, whose address is 5800 Lawton Court, Lanham, MD 20706, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Alice T. Lucas who died on March 7, 2020 with a Will, and will serve without Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance in this proceeding. Objections to such appointment (or to the probate of decedent’s Will) shall be filed with the Register of Wills, D.C., Building A, 515 5th Street, N.W., Third Floor, Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before 7/7/2021. Claims against the decedent shall be presented to the undersigned with a copy to the Register of Wills or filed with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned, on or before 7/7/2021, or be forever barred. Persons believed to be heirs or legatees of the decedent who do not receive a copy of this notice by mail within 25 days of its first publication shall so inform the Register of Wills, including name, address, and relationship.
Gregory Battle, whose address is 20118 Pacific Coast Highway, Malibu, CA 90265, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Mable L. Battle who died on 5/4/2020 with a Will, and will serve without Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance in this proceeding. Objections to such appointment (or to the probate of decedent’s Will) shall be filed with the Register of Wills, D.C., Building A, 515 5th Street, N.W., Third Floor, Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before 6/30/2021. Claims against the decedent shall be presented to the undersigned with a copy to the Register of Wills or filed with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned, on or before 6/30/2021, or be forever barred. Persons believed to be heirs or legatees of the decedent who do not receive a copy of this notice by mail within 25 days of its first publication shall so inform the Register of Wills, including name, address, and relationship.
Steven Weinberg Personal Representative
2020 ADM 000576
Claims of the deceased settlor’s creditors are barred as against the Trustee and the trust property unless presented to the Trustee at the address provided herein on or before July 7, 2021 (6 months after the date of the first publication of this notice.) An action to contest the validity of this trust must be commenced by the earliest of (1) March 10, 2021 (One year from date of death of deceased settler) (2) July 7, 2021 , 6 months from the date of first publication of this notice) or (3) Ninety days after the Trustee sends the person a copy of the trust instrument and a notice informing the person of the trust’s existence, of the Trustee’s name and address, and of the time allowed for commencing a proceeding. The Trustee may proceed to distribute the trust property in accordance with the terms of the turst before the expiration of the time within which an action must be commenced unless the Trustee knows of a pending judicial proceeding contesting the validity of the trust or the Trustee has received notice from a potential contestant who thereafter commences a judicial proceeding within sixty days after notification.. This Notice must be mailed postmarked with 15 days of its first publication to each heir and qualified beneficiary of the trust and any other person who would be an interested person within the meaning of D.C. Code 20-101 (d).
James Larry Frazier, Esq. 918 Maryland Avenue, NE Washington, DC 20002 Attorney
Gregory Battle Personal Representative
Gloria Lavern Keaton Decedent Anthony M. Rachal III 5004 Cathedral Ave., NW Suite 200 Washington, DC 20016 Attorney
NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS
NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS
Jeanette W. Planes, whose address is 5548 Mulligan Way, Lakewood Ranch, FL 34211, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Jeanne Wilson Woods who died on July 22, 2020 with a Will, and will serve without Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance in this proceeding. Objections to such appointment (or to the probate of decedent’s Will) shall be filed with the Register of Wills, D.C., Building A, 515 5th Street, N.W., Third Floor, Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before July 7, 2021. Claims against the decedent shall be presented to the undersigned with a copy to the Register of Wills or filed with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned, on or before July 7, 2021, or be forever barred. Persons believed to be heirs or legatees of the decedent who do not receive a copy of this notice by mail within 25 days of its first publication shall so inform the Register of Wills, including name, address, and relationship.
Isaac A. Keaton, III, whose address is 607 Milton Drive, Wilmington, Delaware 19802, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Gloria Lavern Keaton who died on August 2, 2019 without a Will, and will serve without Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance in this proceeding. Objections to such appointment shall be filed with the Register of Wills, D.C., Building A, 515 5th Street, N.W., Third Floor, Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before 7/7/2021. Claims against the decedent shall be presented to the undersigned with a copy to the Register of Wills or filed with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned, on or before 7/7/2021, or be forever barred. Persons believed to be heirs or legatees of the decedent who do not receive a copy of this notice by mail within 25 days of its first publication shall so inform the Register of Wills, including name, address, and relationship.
Date of first publication: January 7, 2021
Date of first publication: 1/7/2021 Isaac A. Keaton, III Personal Representative
Jeanette W. Planes Personal Representative
Anika Vaughn-Cooke Signature of Trustee
TRUE TEST COPY
Nicole Stevens Register of Wills
Nicole Stevens Register of Wills
Washington Informer
Nicole Stevens Register of Wills Washington Informer
pria persona, sui juris, in solo proprio, Haqdar by natural issue, the beneficiary and heir of: ‘‘ QUILES, GABRIELY MARIE© ’’, corp.sole Dba.: ‘‘ GABRIELY MARIE QUILES© ’’. I being Trustee of ‘‘ QUILES, MIAELIZABETH© ’’, corp.sole Dba.: ‘‘ MIAELIZABETH QUILES© ’’, 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, as “hors de combat”, pursuant to The Geneva Conventions, Article III, and Lieber Code, as Taino moorish Americans, and ministers of The Moorish Empire, and Internationally Protected Persons. Notice of LAWS AND CUSTOMS OF WAR ON LAND (HAGUE, IV), ARTICLE: 45, 46, & 47. Notice of Claim pursuant to Public Law 87-846, TITLE II, SEC. 203. Notice of Bailment Merging of Legal Title with Equitable Title : This order is to preserve legal and equitable title , and to reserve all rights, title, and interest, in the property, Re: [1] THE COMMONWEALTH OF MASSACHUSETTS DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC HEALTH REGISTRY OF VITAL RECORDS AND STATISTICS, REGISTERED NUMBER: 120, STATE FILE NUMBER 065545, ‘‘ GABRIELY MARIE QUILES© ’’, is as a special deposit order conveyed to “ Gabby Boost Trust ”. [2] The Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Registry of Vital Records and Statistics, REGISTERED NUMBER: 2115, STATE FILE NUMBER: 007279, ‘‘ MIA ELIZABETH GUZMAN© ’’ whos legal name is “MIAELIZABETH QUILES© ” is as a special deposit order conveyed to “ Gabby Boost Trust ”. Individual Trust being an Unincorporated Divine Grantor Inter Vivos Trust. Inter alia. This deposit is not to be commingled with general assets of any bank, nor depositary/ trustee/ agent/ bailee/ donee/ debtor. This deposit is not limited to, but including: discharge and set off, of any and all outstanding liabilities as accord and satisfaction. All Rights Reserved.
In God We Trust Notice of White Flag Surrender Notice of Special Appearance : I am that I am: “ yashua bey© ”, nom deguerre: “ duarte, yashua© ”, in full life, in propria persona, sui juris, in solo proprio, Haqdar by natural issue, the beneficiary and heir of: ‘‘ DUARTE, YASHUA© ’’, corp.sole Dba.: ‘‘ YASHUA DUARTE© ’’. having reached the age of majority, being aboriginal to the northwestern and southwestern shores of Africa, the Atlantic Islands, the continental Americas, being
Date of First Publication: 1/7/2021
TRUE TEST COPY
Notice of Special Appearance : I am that I am: “ gabby boost©
hereby affirms the following: Notice of White Flag Surrender: NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS
Andre Tyrone Curtis Helen Allen Personal Representative
2020 NRT 27
Notice of White Flag Surrender
TRUE TEST COPY
duly certified, hereby affirms the following: Notice of White Flag Surrender: as “hors de combat”, pursuant to The Geneva Conventions, Article III, and Lieber Code, as Taino moorish Americans, and ministers of The Moorish Empire, and Internationally Protected Persons. Notice of LAWS AND CUSTOMS OF WAR ON LAND (HAGUE, IV), ARTICLE: 45, 46, & 47. Notice of Claim pursuant to Public Law 87-846, TITLE II, SEC. 203. Notice of Bailment Merging of Legal Title with Equitable Title : This order is to preserve legal and equitable title , and to reserve all rights, title, and interest, in the property, Re: [1] THE COMMONWEALTH OF MASSACHUSETTS DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC HEALTH REGISTRY OF VITAL RECORDS AND STATISTICS, REGISTERED NUMBER: 2175, ‘‘ YASHUA DUARTE© ’’, is as a special deposit order conveyed to “ Yashua Bey Trust ”. Individual Trust being an Unincorporated Divine Grantor Inter Vivos Trust. Inter alia. This deposit is not to be commingled with general assets of any bank, nor depositary/ trustee/ agent/ bailee/ donee/ debtor. This deposit is not limited to, but including: discharge and set off, of any and all outstanding liabilities as accord and satisfaction. All Rights Reserved.
Washington Informer
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LEGAL NOTICES SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA PROBATE DIVISION Washington, D.C. 20001-2131 2020 FEP 80 June 6, 1998 Date of Death Fredric A. Tolson Name of Decedent NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT OF FOREIGN PERSONAL REPRESENTATIVE AND NOTICE TO CREDITORS Brian-Eric Henderson whose address is 4125 19th Street, NE, Washington, DC 20018 was appointed personal representative of the estate of Fredric A. Tolson, deceased, by the Orphans Court for Prince Georges County, State of Maryland, on August 19, 2020. Service of process may be made upon Brian-Eric Henderson, 4125 19th Street, NE, Washington, DC 20018 whose designation as District of Columbia agent has been filed with the Register of Wills, D.C. The decedent owned the following District of Columbia real property. 27 46th Street, NE, Washington, DC 20019. Claims against the decedent may be presented to the undersigned and filed with the Register of Wills of the District of Columbia, 515 5th Street, NW, Third Floor, Washington, D.C. 20001 within 6 months from the date of first publication of this notice. Date of first publication: 1/14/2021
2020 ADM 000776 Julius A. Moore III aka Julius Allen Moore III Decedent
Arthur Herbert Garrison, Jr. aka Arthur H. Garrison Decedent
National Indian Government, one that owes allegiance to
August 10, 2020 Date of Death
Robert L. Bell, Esq. 245 Farragut Street, NW Washington, DC 20011 Attorney NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS
Date of first publication: 1/14/2021
Date of first publication: 1/14/2021 Csaba T. Chikes Gabriel D. Chikes Personal Representative Nicole Stevens Register of Wills Washington Informer
SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA PROBATE DIVISION Washington, D.C. 20001-2131
SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA Probate Division Washington, D.C. 20001-2131
2020 FEP 000083
2020 ADM 871
Maura DeNoia, aka Maura Sohngen DeNoia whose address is 4 Cedarwood Drive, Falmouth, ME 04105 was appointed personal representative of the estate of Mary Alice Sohngen, deceased, by the Register of Wills for Lehigh County, State of Pennsylvania, on September 22, 2020. Service of process may be made upon Edward G. Varrone, Esq., 1825 K Street, NW, Suite 1150, Washington, DC 20006 whose designation as District of Columbia agent has been filed with the Register of Wills, D.C. The decedent owned the following District of Columbia real property. 4830 Calvert Street, NW, Washington, DC 20007; known for real property tax purposes as Square 394, Lot 0819. Claims against the decedent may be presented to the undersigned and filed with the Register of Wills of the District of Columbia, 515 5th Street, NW, Third Floor, Washington, D.C. 20001 within 6 months from the date of first publication of this notice. Date of first publication: 1/14/2021 Maura DeNoia Personal Representative Nicole Stevens Register of Wills
North America, and subject to the National Indian Government. El. Darrell Golidy tribal #G000101760 is a subject of the the sovereign and is governed by her laws. Extraterritorial Jurisdiction in Morocco Proclamation form 42820-A100539
NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT OF FOREIGN PERSONAL REPRESENTATIVE AND NOTICE TO CREDITORS Csaba T. Chikes and Gabriel D. Chikes whose addresses are 2207 Trinidad Street, Falls Church, VA 22043 and 12815 Kitchen House Way, Germantown, MD 20874 were appointed personal representatives of the estate of Maria V. Chikes, deceased, by the Orphans Court for Montgomery County, State of Maryland, on October 14, 2020. Service of process may be made upon Edward G. Varrone, Esq., 1825 K Street, NW, Suite 1150, Washington, DC 20006 whose designation as District of Columbia agent has been filed with the Register of Wills, D.C. The decedent owned the following District of Columbia real property. 4401 Burlington Place, NW, Washington, DC 20016. Claims against the decedent may be presented to the undersigned and filed with the Register of Wills of the District of Columbia, 515 5th Street, NW, Third Floor, Washington, D.C. 20001 within 6 months from the date of first publication of this notice.
NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT OF FOREIGN PERSONAL REPRESENTATIVE AND NOTICE TO CREDITORS
Jacqueline Moore, whose address is 7605 14th Street, NW, Washington, DC 20012, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Julius A. Moore III aka Julius Allen Moore III who died on January 21, 2018 with a Will, and will serve without Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance in this proceeding. Objections to such appointment (or to the probate of decedent’s Will) shall be filed with the Register of Wills, D.C., Building A, 515 5th Street, N.W., Third Floor, Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before July 14, 2021. Claims against the decedent shall be presented to the undersigned with a copy to the Register of Wills or filed with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned, on or before July 14, 2021, or be forever barred. Persons believed to be heirs or legatees of the decedent who do not receive a copy of this notice by mail within 25 days of its first publication shall so inform the Register of Wills, including name, address, and relationship.
Maria V. Chikes Name of Decedent
Toni Garrison-Perry, whose address is 4113 54th Street, Bladensburg, MD 20701, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Arthur Herbert Garrison, Jr. aka Arthur H. Garrison who died on April 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., Building A, 515 5th Street, N.W., Third Floor, Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before 7/14/2021. Claims against the decedent shall be presented to the undersigned with a copy to the Register of Wills or filed with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned, on or before 7/14/2021, or be forever barred. Persons believed to be heirs or legatees of the decedent who do not receive a copy of this notice by mail within 25 days of its first publication shall so inform the Register of Wills, including name, address, and relationship.
Mary Alice Sohngen Name of Decedent
NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS
Nicole Stevens Register of Wills
2020 FEP 000082
August 6, 2012 Date of Death
Jacqueline Moore 7605 14th Street, NW Washington, DC 20012 Attorney
TRUE TEST COPY
2020 ADM 000423
Washington Informer
SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA Probate Division Washington, D.C. 20001-2131
Jacqueline Moore Personal Representative
El.Darrell Golidy is a member of League Of Indian Nations of
Nicole Stevens Register of Wills
Washington Informer
LEGAL NOTICES
SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA PROBATE DIVISION Washington, D.C. 20001-2131
TRUE TEST COPY
Nicole Stevens Register of Wills
LEGAL NOTICES
SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA Probate Division Washington, D.C. 20001-2131
Toni Garrison-Perry Personal Representative
Brian-Eric Henderson Personal Representative
Date of first publication: January 14, 2021
LEGAL NOTICES
Estate of Michael F. Baylor NOTICE OF STANDARD PROBATE Notice is hereby given that a petition has been filed in this Court by Lisa M. Jacobs and Kevin E. Baylor for standard probate, including the appointment of one or more personal representatives. Unless a responsive pleading in the form of a complaint or an objection in accordance with Superior Court Probate Division Rule 407 is filed in this Court within 30 days from the date of first publication of this notice, the Court may take the action hereinafter set forth. In the absence of a will or proof satisfactory to the Court of due execution, enter an order determining that the decedent died intestate appoint an unsupervised personal representative
Date of first publication: 1/14/2020 Lisa M. Jacobs Kevin E. Baylor 1775 Eye St., NW, Suite 1150 Washington, DC 20006 Petitioner/Attorney:
TRUE TEST COPY Nicole Stevens Register of Wills Washington Informer
Washington Informer
Washington Informer
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“It’s a fight to get things down here,” said Fitzgerald, who’s lived in Fort Washington since 1984. “We’re getting stuff down here, but not as much as the northern and central part [of the county]. They have incorporated towns and representatives who can bang on the doors and get more things than us.”
‘A GREAT PLACE TO LIVE
South County occupies suburban and rural land with some of the most spacious subdivisions in Prince George’s. The area is the site of National Harbor, one of the county’s most visited places bordering Northern Virginia and the District. It houses one of the county’s biggest taxpayers, MGM casino and resort. Near the casino stands Tanger Outlets with several dozen retail stores such as Cole Haan, Nike and Van Heusen/ Izod. The historic 267-acre Miller Farms in Clinton has been in existence since 1879. Construction of the second phase continues on the $265 million U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services headquarters in Camp Springs slated to house 3,700 employees. Apartments, restaurants and other businesses are nearby. The Southern Regional Technology Complex and Recreational Complex in Fort Washington remains one of the county’s most utilized polling places during election season. One reason rest with the politically active South County Democratic
MENDELSON from Page 9 the Office of the State Superintendent of Education’s separation from the Executive Office of the Mayor. Throughout the pandemic, local parents like LaJoy Law of Ward 8 have been persistent voices, especially on resource allocation and resumption of in-person instruction, matters she said equally af-
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Club. Two of its members, former state Sen. Gloria Lawlah and Kent Roberson, served as representatives for the Maryland delegation last month to cast two of the 10 Electoral College votes for President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris. James Dula, a longtime community activist and former president of the South County Democratic Club, has lived in Clinton since 1984 because of the area’s family atmosphere. One way to make it better depends on the people themselves, he said. “What will improve our county is the people to stop speeding and stop throwing trash on the streets,” said Dula, a veteran affairs officer for the county. “The county is doing all it can to keep the streets safe and clean, but the people’s mindset must change.” Meanwhile, John Bailey will continue to educate everyone in South County that includes a divided Allentown Road. If a pothole or other crack opens on the west side of Allentown Road between the Branch Avenue overpass in Camp Springs and continues toward Tucker Road in Fort Washington, it’s the county’s responsibility to repair it. The east side of Allentown Road becomes Route 337, a state road, from the Branch Avenue overpass until it connects to Suitland Parkway in Upper Marlboro. “You have to call state [officials] for one side of the road and the county for the other side. It can be a mess,” said Bailey, a resident of Camp Springs since 2008. “Even with some of the challenges down here, South County is a great place to live.” WI @jabariwill fect public and public charter students living east of the Anacostia River. Consolidation of the Committee on Education into the Committee of the Whole, raises fears, Law said,l that parents in her community will have much less impact in legislative affairs. “The mayor and D.C. Council are the deciding factor on things concerning education, and I’m just afraid that things will get lost in the sauce with so much going on,” she told The Informer. “Education costs money and the city isn’t making that much money [during the pandemic] so what are we really doing?” Law added. “As a Ward 8 mother, I’m very disheartened. Ward 8 already has a hard time speaking with the different advocacy-related challenges. This is another barrier. The other wards in the city will be fine. We all know that.” WI @SamPKCollins
THE WASHINGTON INFORMER / WWW.WASHINGTONINFORMER.COM
MALVEAUX from Page 22 signed to identify white supremacist police officers or to protect the safety and civil rights of the communities they patrol. The Brennan report appropriately notes that "only a tiny percentage of law enforcement officials are likely to be active members of white supremacist groups." But even a tenth of a percent is enough. It only takes one armed white supremacist to aid and abet the terrorists who stormed the Capitol. It only takes one to unlock a door. It only takes one to turn the other way as terrorists bring weapons into the Capitol. The Brennan report documents several cases of white supremacists law enforcement "officers" who collect Klan paraphernalia, participate in racist social media posts, rant rhetoric on their government-issued radios, and more. Few face any consequences. Some have supervisors or police
KENNEDY from Page 22 For ICER, this hypothetical breakthrough drug would never yield a "full" QALY, as it wouldn't restore the patient to "perfect health." Despite greatly improving the patient's condition, the drug may only be deemed worthy of half a QALY, thus insurers would be urged not to cover it because it's not considered cost-effective by ICER's standards. Cost-effectiveness evaluations inevitably and systematically discriminate against those living with chronic illnesses, disabilities, and mental
BLAYTON from Page 22 support our right to be treated equally as human beings while indicting ourselves for enabling them to ignore our mistreatment in America. Once we begin this pushing, if our white friends are willing to allow people of color to be abused by acts of white supremacy for the sake of harmonious relations with their white friends and family members, then it will be clear their friendship with us has limitations. It is as clear as when the white friends of our Southern childhood would play with us in their yards but not dare to allow us to enter their homes. There are those who may try to normalize what happened during the Trump years as “just politics.” They may try to tell us that the Muslim ban was not really a ban against any one religion or even that locking children
chiefs who look the other way. Others have police union backing and often claim their First Amendment free speech rights. How does their racism affect their ability to enforce the law? Ask Breonna Taylor, or George Floyd, or Tamir Rice or Sandra Bland. Why have federal, state, and local law enforcement failed to tackle evidence of virulent racism among police officers? No wonder there is so little trust between law enforcement and the Black community. If there were an active attempt to combat law enforcement racism, it would be almost unthinkable that anyone could see the Trump insurrection as an inside job. But there has been no such attempt, perhaps because too many police officers are either outright racists or have sympathy with these racists. What to do? In March 2019, Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin (D) introduced the Domestic Terrorism Prevention Act. It gained 22 cospon-
sors but was never put on the floor for a vote. Durbin has now said he will reintroduce the legislation soon. The Brennan report offers other recommendations, including diversity training, anti-racist enforcement and the development of a database for law enforcement officers, since so many move from city to city, carrying their racist attitudes with them. Was there an inside job with this Trump insurrection? It is likely, and I look forward to the inevitable investigation and its results. One can't write about the insurrection without noting the murder of Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick. He was doing his work and defending the Capitol, and its flag has been flying half-mast in his honor. It is telling that the White House took four days after his death to lower its flag, perhaps because they so forcefully incited the terrorists who invaded our Capitol. Inside job? The rot goes straight to the top. WI
illness — those Americans for whom a return to "perfect" health is impossible. If ICER's valuation methods continue to gain clout, vulnerable groups may find that the medication upon which they once relied is no longer covered by insurance. Meanwhile, the prospect of advancing innovative new treatments that benefit Americans with chronic illnesses, disabilities, and mental illness will become bleaker. Three decades ago, Oregon tried to employ such discriminatory metrics in a public insurance program,
but a legal challenge ultimately found them in violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act. Unfortunately, QALYs are once again being considered by insurers, state-run Medicaid programs, and policymakers with the aim of reducing health care spending. While this goal is understandable, the target is off base. The incoming administration has a chance to put an end to QALYs. Vulnerable Americans desperately need our help. We cannot let them down. WI
in cages was not as bad as it appeared to be. They may try to convince us that they did not know that Trump was as bad as he was. They may try to explain that Trump’s calling NFL players “sons of bitc***” for taking a knee during the playing of the National Anthem was just his reaction to what he saw as an attack against our national symbol. But that does not square with his calling the insurrectionists who vandalized the U.S. Capitol while attempting to carry out a coup against our government, “very special people,” and telling them that he loved them. On Jan. 6, we got a good hard look at the enemies of America and the enemies are us. The enemies are certainly those who attacked democracy by assaulting the seat of our national government. But the enemies are also those of us willing to give a pass to their loved ones who are the haters and killers
that go berserk at the thought of racial equality. And the enemies are those of us people of color who subsume our best interest for the sake of harmonious friendships with people who are willing to allow us to be hung from the gnarled tree of white supremacy. As Ibram X. Kendi points out in his book ‘How To Be An Antiracist,’ “The opposite of ‘racist’ isn't 'not racist,' it's ‘antiracist.’" And we are choking as a nation because Donald Trump has shoved racism down America’s throat and America will continue to choke on it until we all become antiracists. It is time for people of color to put our white friends on the spot and call out their complacency with the bigotry and racial hatred of their loved ones. We cannot move forward as a nation if we are content to stay tucked away in our separate comfort zones. WI
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struggling homeowners. By comparison, the bill's combined $324 billion that reflects direct consumer benefits, allots only $82 billion to stretch across K-12 schools and higher education. The vast majority of these monies — $54.3 billion — is dedicated to elementary and secondary school relief, while relief for all higher education totals $22.7 billion. The higher education monies include $1.7 billion for historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs), tribal colleges and minority-serving institutions. Unfortunately, funds to relieve the nation's burdensome $1.7 trillion student loan debt were not included, nor was an extension of the pause on student loan payments that has helped millions of consumers over the course of the crisis. Meanwhile, just as with earlier packages, small-business relief was a centerpiece in the new bill and
JEALOUS from Page 23
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she always makes sure to recognize that progress in Georgia has been the collaborative effort of many organizers and many organizations working to bring Black people, Latino people, Asian-Americans, low-income people, and allies into greater political participation. I'm proud that the group I now lead, People For the American Way, was able to be part of that change-making coalition in Georgia. Our Latinos Vote project produced four radio ads featuring legendary organizer Dolores Huerta
ASKIA from Page 23 pear to me to be still mostly focused on, and eager to applaud, "first Negroes" integrating this-that-and-theother field of endeavor — entertainers, athletes, sex symbols (boobs and abs) and folks who accumulate mo' money, mo' money, mo' money. With each "success," we cheer simply a reflection, when someone wins the approval of and acceptance into the white, Neoliberal establishment by being more like white people. Retired Gen. Lloyd Austin, the incoming Pentagon chief, is an example. I wonder is his principal qualification simply that he will be the first Black secretary of defense? And while I remained mostly silent about what felt like Vice President-elect Kamala Harris' pandering to her "skee-wee" Alpha Kappa Alpha
includes $284 billion in Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans and $20 billion in Economic Injury Disaster Loan Advance program. From its inception in March, flaws in the PPP program structure and implementation prevented tens of thousands of Black and Latino business owners from accessing relief. Now, a new research report released jointly by UCLA's Center for Neighborhood Knowledge and its Latino Policy and Initiatives shares how the first version of the PPP program shortchanged Black and Latino neighborhoods on a per capita basis compared to predominantly White areas. For example, PPP supported far fewer jobs per resident in Black and Latino neighborhoods (5.8 and 4.9 jobs per 100 residents respectively) than in white neighborhoods (8.1 jobs per 100 residents), according to the UCLA report. Latino and Black neighborhoods also received fewer PPP dollars per resident than White
and Asian neighborhoods. Latino and Black neighborhoods received $367 and $445 per resident respectively, compared to $666 and $670 received by businesses in white and Asian neighborhoods. In response to the backlash surrounding the earlier iterations, significant structural improvements were made to PPP this time around. Hopefully, these changes will ensure that the PPP better serves Black and Latino business owners. Rep. Maxine Waters, California Democrat and chair of the House Financial Services Committee, echoed the need for more help. "The negotiations were difficult; they were tough and I wish we could have done even more," Waters said. "But I'm pleased we have done as well as we could have done to provide relief for so many in desperate need for their government to come to their aid. … Let me be clear: much more is needed, but this bill is a most important first step." WI
and comedian Cristela Alonzo — both People For board members — and ran those ads in every market with a sizable Latino population. We produced digital ads that were viewed more than 500,000 times in Georgia by undecided voters or voters who had not yet decided to vote. Separately, People For also encouraged civic participation through its nonpartisan Defend the Black Vote project, which produced radio ads featuring Georgia's Rev. Timothy McDonald, and reached 400,000 Black voters with text messages providing information on
when, where, and how to vote. Maybe the most encouraging thing about the extraordinary turnout in Georgia is that it was achieved despite years of voter suppression strategies designed to make it harder for some people to vote. Progress is usually met with backlash. So, we can expect that progressive victories in battleground states this year will spark another round of attempted voter suppression. Pro-democracy activists in those states can take heart — and take notes — from the successful progressive organizing in Georgia. WI
sorority sisters, and her traipsing all over the country in Converse Chuck Taylor basketball shoes, I think she took that cuteness a little too far when she posed for the cover of Vogue, one of the world's most prestigious fashion magazines. Instead of being smartly dressed in a dignified outfit like the Black suit and Black leather shoes she wore in October for her debate with outgoing Vice President Mike Pence, Harris is pictured on the magazine's cover in sneakers, in front of a backdrop representing the AKA colors. Even though Team Harris said they were blindsided and that was not the picture they agreed on with the publication, lots and lots of Black folks were tickled about the picture, criticizing those who complained about its tackiness, rather than having beef with the magazine — white passport, white
privilege, I suppose. Me, I'm tired of Black people being utensils in our own oppression, being the new, multicultural messengers of white supremacy thinking, of white oppression, being happy and content, just because one of us "made the cut." White folks want to bend us to their way, rather than accept us for the intrinsic genius of our own being. I agree with Brother Malcolm X, who reminded us that back in the day, when the master's house caught on fire, the house Negroes would rush to help put the fire out, but the unruly, field Negroes would pray for a strong wind. When it comes to white suppression, cultural and otherwise, I'm praying for a strong wind to fan the fire that is burning down the house of white supremacy — not at long last for a place inside that house. WI
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