WINNER OF FIVE SOCIETY OF PROFESSIONAL JOURNALISTS D.C. AWARDS Don't Miss this Month's WI Bridge Center Section Vol. 56, No. 15 • January 28 - February 3, 2021
Disenfranchised and Marginalized Communities See Hope with Biden, Harris
COVID-19 UPDATE
Stacy M. Brown WI Senior Writer
5 Teachers and staff who are already working in schools or returning next week for in-person instruction, line up to receive COVID-19 vaccinations late Tuesday evening at Dunbar Sr. High School in Northwest. (Shevry Lassiter/The Washington Informer)
Local Advocates Say Assistance for Statehood is Not Enough While Washingtonians want President Biden to push for statehood, they also want his administration to help the city by providing economic security for low-income and working-class residents, creating more affordable housing and improving health outcomes, particularly in predominantly Black neighborhoods. “We need statehood for D.C. there is no doubt about that,” Ambrose Lane Jr., chairman of the Ward
Racine: 'We're Going to Enforce the Law' D. Kevin McNeir WI Editor
7-based Health Alliance Network, said. “But the city has so many other problems and we need Biden to focus on those especially.”
ECONOMIC SECURITY
The DC Fiscal Policy Institute (DCFPI), a think tank which studies poverty in the city, published data in 2017 showing a lopsided relationship between the District’s rich and
BIDEN Page 34
HOPE Page 40
Capitol Riot Probe Yields Scores of Police Arrests
D.C. Residents Want Biden's Support to Battle City Woes James Wright WI Staff Writer
Before he won the 2020 election, President Joe Biden campaigned on a promise to reverse many of the previous administration’s assaults on the nation’s racial progress. The president ran on the premise of “reclaiming the soul of America” and ensuring that African Americans --“They’ve always had my back,” he declared--and other minorities would finally experience a level playing field. On his first day, just hours after taking the oath of office, President Biden signed a host of executive orders – one of them aimed at ensuring racial equity.
“It is, therefore, the policy of my administration that the federal government should pursue a comprehensive approach to advancing equity for all, including people of color and others who have been historically underserved, marginalized, and adversely affected by persistent poverty and inequality” Biden proclaimed. He continued: “Affirmatively advancing equity, civil rights, racial justice, and equal opportunity is the responsibility of the whole of our government. Because advancing equity requires a systematic approach to embedding fairness in decision-making
5 D.C. Attorney General Karl Racine (Courtesy photo)
The fallout from the assault on the U.S. Capitol continues with nearly 400 American citizens now identified as participants in the riots and over 150 facing federal charges – many being significant felony violations including the assault of an officer or sedition. But what may be more alarming remain the growing number of law enforcement officials who have either been suspended or face investigation for their participation in,
support of or behavior during the Jan. 6 riots. Federal agents say they continue to determine if both current and former law enforcement officers played a role in the riot. At least two U.S. Capitol police officers have been suspended with nearly a dozen others being scrutinized for what roles they may have willingly played. One U.S. Capitol police officers has been reported as taking a selfie with a member of the mob while
RIOTS Page 31
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4 - JANUARY 28 - FEBRUARY 3, 2021
CIRCULATION Paul Trantham
Women the Cycle of wi hotBreak topics Domestic Violence Md. Senator Miller Honored President Biden Seeks to
they Harriet Before Being Laidlawtoenforcement. Rest She saidPut threat,” she Tubman said. on $20
By Tia Carol Jones WI Staff Writer
had come together to bring a Among the programs Marlow sense of uniformity in the way wants implemented arePresident After four yearstoof see pushback from former When L.Y. Marlow's 23-year- domestic violence victimsDonald and Trump’s stricteradministration, restraining order policies, the conductor of the old daughter told her the father survivors are treated. moreRailroad, rights forHarriet victim's familiesmay finalUnderground Tubman, of her daughter threatened her “She's using her own personal on behalf of atovicly appear to on intervene U.S. currency, according a statement life, and the life of their child, story, her own personal pain tim,House a domestic violenceJen assessfromtoWhite Press Secretary Psaki on Jan. she knew something had to be push forward,” Davis-Nickens ment unit coupled with further 25. done. Out of her frustration said about Marlow. for law enforcement In Apriltraining 2016, then-President Barack Obama anwith law enforcement's handling Davis-Nickens said anyone agencies, a Child's Life Protecnounced that Tubman would replace Andrew Jackson of the situation, she decided to who reads Marlow's book will tion Act and mandatory counselon the $20 bill. Obama expressed a desire to have the start the Saving Promise cam- “get it.” She said she “puts the ing for batterers. new bill released in 2020 to coincide with the 100th paign. case in such a way, the average “If we are ever going to eradiof the passage of the 19th amendment. “It seems to be a vicious cycle person can get it.” She said anniversary at the cate domestic violence, we must However, Trump an affinity toward Conthat won't turn my family end of the day, the book will look at expressed both sides of the coin. federate figures and sang the praises loose,” Marlow said. Marlow help people begin to have a dia- We need to address both of theJackson, vic- claiming that hetim hadand led the U.S. to great success shared her story with the audi- logue about domestic violence. the batterer,” Marlowduring his two terms in office (1829 – 1837). Trump suggested 5 Maryland President Thomas V. Mike Miller, Jr. was laid ence at the Senate District Heights Also present at the event was said. image to rest on Saturday, Jan.Symposium 23. (Anthony Tilghman/The Domestic Violence Mildred Washinton Muhammad, thethatex-he considered Marlowplacing wouldher also like on to asee$2 bill but Informer) not replacing Jackson. on May 7 at the District Heights wife of John Allen Muhammad, programs designed to raise Longtime Maryland Thomas V. Mike President Biden hasamong vowed children to correct in the Trump Municipal Center. The Senate sympo-President who was sentenced to six consecawareness Miller, a public tributeutive beforelifebeing laid to administration’s many wrongs, including sium wasJr. received sponsored by the terms without parole public and private schools. She working rest Saturday, 23. Miller served by forafive decadesjury in the toward race relations Family and Jan. Youth Services Maryland for his role in improving feels children need toinbeAmerica educat-and offerGeneral years as Senate president, lon- attacks ing more opportunities to people of color. Center of Assembly the city and of 33 District the Beltway Sniper in ed about domestic violence. ger than any lawmaker in the nation. Heights and thestate National Hookwouldhave be tothestop firstbeing African-American 2002. Mildred MuhammadTubman is “We pasUp ofHeBlack Women.his resignation Dec. announced 23 as heof battled woman featured on U.S. currency. the founder After the Trauma, sive-aggressive with poor chilMarlowHe hasdied written cancer. Jan. a15.book, Although Miller residedthat in helps Visit website the complete story @ www. an organization the our dren aboutfordomestic violence,” “Color MeCounty, Butterfly,” which istraveled a survivors Calvert a procession through of parts of his violence domestic washingtoninformer.com. Marlow said. WI story about four generations native Prince George’s Countyofin Clinton. Stops made on and their children. Marlow has worked to break domestic violence.his The “I lived in fear Jan. 23 included lawbook office,isa county firehouse andfor hissix years. Six the cycle of abuse in her family, inspired by herofown experiences, years inThe fearnext is a day, long time. It is and is confident the policies she alma mater Surrattsville High School. and of her grandmother, aninside easy the thing to come out is pushing for will start that thethose state held a public visitation for not Miller State herHouse mother and her Adaughter. of,” sheplace said.Saturday process. in Annapolis. private service took She saidJohn every she reads Muhammad said “I plan to take these policies to at St. thetime Evangelist in Clinton.Mildred Some used social excerpts from book,toshe still people who want to help a Congress and implore them to media to payher homage Miller. can not believe domestic “Well beforethe mywords tenurecame as principal, Mike violence Miller andvictim must change our laws,” Marlow said. from her. “Color Me Butterfly” be careful how they go into “I will not stop until these polithe Miller family stood shoulder to shoulder of with Surwon the 2007 National “Best the victim's life, and rattsville students celebrating their academic accomplish- understand cies are passed.” Books” that she may be in “survival Tia Carol Jones can be reached mentsAward. and cheering for them at Homecoming and Grad“I was just 16-years-old when mode”. at tiacaroljones@sbcglobal.net uation. Rest In Peace,” said Surrattsville Principal Katrina my eye first blackened and my “Before you get to 'I'm going Lamont. WI lips bled,” Marlow said. to kill you,' it started as a verbal WI Elaine Davis-Nickens, president of the National Hook-Up of Black Women, said there is no consistency in the way domestic Prince George’s County Executive Angela Alsobrooks, who oversees the secviolence issues are dealt with by ond largest jurisdiction in Maryland, may seek the state’s highest office in 2022. According to campaign finance reports, the Democratic lawmaker raised more than $827,000 between Jan. 9-13. The majority of donations came from those in Prince George’s and slightly more than half received came from donations of $100 or less. Alsobrooks has a cash balance of more than $1 million according to her filings. She received most of her donations after Oct. 1, the date when a state law went into effect that allows developers with pending projects in Prince George’s to donate to county executives or a slate of candidates which includes them. Other possible Democratic candidates running for governor include Baltimore County Executive John “Johnny O” Olszewski raised the second highest amount at $805,750. However, he has the most cash-on-hand at $1.6 million. Comptroller Peter Franchot, the first person to declare for governor, raised about $790,430. According to campaign documents reported Jan. 20, Franchot’s cash 5 Prince George’s County Executive balance stands at $2.2 million. The state’s Democratic Party plans to push hard to Angela Alsobrooks. (FILE: Rob Rob- take the governor’s mansion when Republican Gov. Larry Hogan’s second, fouryear term expires next year. WI erts/The Washington Informer)
“
Alsobrooks Raises Most Money in Possible Gubernatorial Race
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
COMPILED BY D. KEVIN MCNEIR, WI EDITOR, WILLIAM J. FORD, WI STAFF WRITER
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L.Y. Marlow
Equestrian Program Helps Young People Battle Depression during Pandemic Sam P.K. Collins WI Contributing Writer Throughout the pandemic, many children relegated to their homes have struggled to overcome the loneliness of virtual learning, so much so that cases of anxiety and depression have skyrocketed among this age group over the course of a year. For District resident Selina Brown, such circumstances have intensified the significance of her equestrian program through which dozens of young people have been able to learn about and ride horses while enjoying each other’s company in a socially distanced environment located miles outside of the District. “Just like horses, humans like to be together. We’re herd animals,” said Brown, founder and CEO of the Strengthening Thoughts and Nurturing Dreams (STAND) Foundation. “It’s a little painful when we’re separated.” Since last July, the STAND Foundation, headquartered east of the Anacostia River, has facilitated 15 trips to horse ranches located in southern Maryland. A total of 40 students between the ages of 8 and 14 have since connected with nature and acquired a basic knowledge of animal anatomy, oftentimes at little to no cost to their parents. Another cohort is scheduled to launch on Jan. 29 with a Facebook horse movie watch party. Brown, an original member of the Cowgirls of Color rodeo team, launched the STAND Foundation’s six-week hybrid program at the start of the pandemic, sending each young person home with tech supplies they could use during the virtual component of the program under the guidance of their instructor. While out and about on a horse ranch in La Plata, Md., participants dissected a donkey’s fetus and fostered a sense of comradery that the virtual learning, to an extent, couldn’t provide. “To bring these children together and give them some sort of social life is therapeutic in itself,”
Brown told The Informer. “We have a lot of strangers who are best friends because they get to see [each] other [and] build relationships,” she added. “ It’s a beautiful thing to see them come together and be free to enjoy the world outside of technology.” In the beginning of 2020-2021 academic year, some District public charter and private schools across the District incorporated outdoor learning in its offerings; some public schools later followed suit with the launch of CARE classrooms. Amid a rise in COVID cases among school-aged children toward the end of last year, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser (D) issued a ban on socially distanced outdoor activities on the District’s public schools and high-contact youth and amateur exhibitions. That move raised questions among outdoor sporting enthusiasts about safe alternatives for safe youth engagement. On each trip the STAND Foundation has facilitated, a maximum of 10 youth board a school bus, with each of them wearing a mask and sitting in a seat of their own. Brown told The Informer that program organizers thoroughly clean materials, initiate temperature checks and keep a sizable amount of hand sanitizer on deck. On certain occasions, they’ve also allowed parents to accompany youth. Donna (Aza) Smith, the mother of an 11-year-old participant by the name of Amari Jackson, recounted such experiences. With the uncertainty of summer plans looming over her in the midst of a pandemic, the Southeast resident embraced the STAND Foundation’s equestrian program. She revealed plans to enroll Amari in a future cohort. “My daughter absolutely loved the program and that once-a-week interaction where the STAND Foundation provided transportation to La Plata, where they went to a ranch owned by a woman and they were being taught by a woman of color who’s a veterinarian,” Smith told The Informer.
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“The power in it was just so layered [because of the] horses who are these animals that are so sensitive that our children don’t know about and get to interact with,” she added. “I remember my daughter coming back so excited and thinking this is such a wonderful program.” WI @SamPKCollins 4 Young equestrians learn the ropes. (Photo courtesy STAND Foundation)
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black facts
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1960 – Famed African American novelist Zora Neale Hurston, author of "Their Eyes Were Watching God," dies in Fort Pierce, Florida, at age 69 of complications from a stroke. 1970 – Tennis great Arthur Ashe is denied entry to compete on the U.S. team for the South African Open tennis championships due to his stance on South Africa's racial policies.
JAN. 29
1954 – Entertainment mogul Oprah Winfrey is born in Kosciusko, Mississippi. 1966 – Charles Mahoney, the first Black American delegate to the United Nations, dies,
JAN. 30
1844 – Richard Theodore Greener, the first African American graduate of Harvard College and dean of the Howard University School of Law, is born in Philadelphia. 1944 – Former D.C. Mayor Sharon Pratt, the first African American woman to serve as mayor of a major American city, is born in the District. 1979 – Franklin Thomas is named the first Black president of the Ford Foundation.
JAN. 31
1865 – The 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which outlawed slavery and indentured servi-
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tude, is passed by the U.S. Congress. 1919 – Baseball great Jackie Robinson (top), who broke Major League Baseball's color barrier in 1947, is born in Cairo, Georgia. 1933 – Actress and singer Etta Moten becomes the first Black star to perform at the White House. 1988 – Washington Redskins quarterback Doug Williams becomes the first Black starting quarterback in a Super Bowl, winning MVP honors in Washington's 42-10 victory over the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl XXII.
FEB. 1
1902 – African American writer and social activist Langston Hughes is born in Joplin, Missouri. 1960 – The Greensboro sit-in, an act of nonviolent protest against a segregated lunch counter in Greensboro, N.C., begins. 1976 – President Gerald Ford officially designates February as Black History Month in the United States. 1978 – The United States Postal Service issues the first stamp of the Black Heritage Series, honoring Harriet Tubman, abolitionist and Underground Railroad "conductor."
FEB. 2
1990 – South African President F. W. de Klerk lifts a 30-year ban on leading anti-apartheid group the African National Congress. 2009 – Eric Holder (above) becomes the first Black person to be confirmed as United States attorney general.
FEB. 3
OPRAH WINFREY
6 - JANUARY 28 - FEBRUARY 3, 2021
1870 – The 15th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, which granted African American men the right to vote, is ratified. 1920 – The Negro National League, one of several organized Black baseball leagues, is founded. 1956 – Autherine Lucy enrolls as a graduate student at the University of Alabama, becoming the first African American ever admitted to a white public school or university in the state. 1989 – Bill White is named president of Major League Baseball's National League, becoming the first Black to head a major professional sports league. WI
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We don't need tokens. … Democrats are experts at empty symbolic gestures! We need the money he promised on day one in office — the $2,000 stimulus. Cut the check, Joe!
DERWIN BARNET / WASHINGTON, D.C.
They would rather change the dollar than give us reparations. They think we're dumb. Plus Jackson still going to be on the bill, so essentially Tubman is still running.
GREGORY A. HENDERSON / KINSTON, NORTH CAROLINA
I'm looking forward to it. It's time out for old white men and their version of history.
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The World According to Dominic
I Celebrate Harris as America’s ‘First’ but Lament the Number of ‘Firsts’ That Remain
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As Kamala D. Harris took the oath of office on Jan. 20 to become America’s first Black woman, first South Asian and first woman elected vice president of the U.S., I found myself shedding tears of joy as another hurdle for unfettered access among the nation’s people of color came tumbling down. And yet, despite the significance of her achievement and the message it delivers to little Black girls and boys – expanding the realistic scope of their dreams for tomorrow – I found myself equally saddened – even angry – because of the hundreds of years it has taken before the world’s bastion of democracy placed competence above both color and gender. Harris has been the first to admit that she stands on the shoulders of a long list of talented Black women who could have easily served our country as vice president or president if they had been born during a different time in American history. Noteworthy “firsts” include: Carole Moseley Braun, the first Black woman elected to the U.S. Senate in Illinois; Barbara Jordan, the first Black elected to the Texas Senate after Reconstruction and the first Southern African-American woman elected to the U.S.
House of Representatives; Shirley Chisholm, the first Black woman elected to the U.S. Congress, representing New York’s 12 congressional district for seven terms and a former candidate for president; and Condoleezza Rice, the first female African-American Secretary of State and the first woman to serve as National Security Advisor. Still, these women remain the tip of the proverbial “iceberg.” They, like Harris, stood on other shoulders – many whose names, if known at all, are only included among the footnotes of life. While it is true that the number of Black elected officials has increased since 1965, Blacks remain underrepresented at all levels of government. Black women make up less than 3 percent of U.S. representatives and there were no Black women in the U.S. Senate as late as 2007. Even when fighting for such fundamental rights as voting equality, Black women have not only faced sexist men who challenged their rise to power but racist white women who viewed them as less than their equal. As President Joe Biden continues to assemble his Cabinet and build his Administration, he has shown his commitment to keeping his word – nominating a host of firsts that include a Black man – retired Army General Lloyd Austin who shatters another glass ceiling as the newly-confirmed SecreRich In Vitamin C
tary of Defense. During the 2020 election cycle, the U.S. also marked the first successful bid by a transgender for state senator in Delaware, the first trans person of color elected to the Kansas state legislature and not one but two openly gay Black men elected to Congress in New York State. Yes, we have much to celebrate as we see more “firsts” being achieved by men and women. Yet, even more noteworthy and because of their accomplishments, today’s youth can see themselves taking on roles and serving as leaders in ways that their parents just a generation ago could never have imagined. Still, I wonder what unimaginable heights America could have reached – what medical breakthroughs we could have garnered – what societal ills we could have overcome – what life-threatening situations and challenges we could have avoided in the past and those which continue to hover on the horizon – if we could only shed our tendency for judging others based on race, gender, sexual orientation and other “differences.” Some long entrenched walls are finally coming down in many significant ways. But as the recent riots on the U.S. Capitol illustrate, there are still many rivers which
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Coping with COVID-19: Counselors, Educators, Faith Leader Speak Out Hamil R. Harris WI Contributing Writer
A vaccine for COVID-19 is making the rounds but, with more than 400,000 people dead in the U.S., life permanently altered, officials, counselors and the clergy are struggling to help people cope with stress a year after the virus erupted in the Washington region. While parents are holding down jobs in one part of the house while their children are taking class in another part, this self-quarantine era has meant tremendous lifestyle changes. Dining out in a restaurant has shifted to carryout. Movie theaters are closed and attending spirit filled worship services has shifted to Zoom, Facebook live and other online outlets. Rev. Grainger Browning is pastor of the Ebenezer African Methodist Episcopal Church in Fort Washington. Even though his congregation is meeting on-line he still stands in the pulpit of his massive sanctuary to preach. “No one is in the church and about 10 people are in the choir loft but one of our members who is a former gang member is very creative and he uses technology. We are in a series about Revelation and he made it look like I was in the movie Star Wars.” Even though most people don’t venture far from homes and social distancing and wearing a mask is part of the order of the day, Dr. Jessica Smedley, a clinical psychologist who practices in the District, said embracing faith is a key to coping with mental stress. For parents of young children this period has been particularly challenging. “Parents are starting to hit a wall for what I can tell,” Smedley said in an interview. “We want them to go back to school but we are struggling with this new variant of the virus. Teachers are not vaccinated yet and I think that there is a lot of stress from children who have to do work at home to parents who have to work at home.” In addition parents and their children, Smedley said adding, “Sometimes we see a “trickle down affect among parents in terms of relationship stress between the parents struggling with anxiety, increased worry or depressive symptoms or struggling with motivation, that is a big one, the motivation to function in a limited capacity.”
In addition to being a science teacher at Charles Carroll Middle School, Ed Snowden has been a basketball coach for many years in Prince George’s County and in Baltimore. Snowden said this past year has been really challenging for young athletes. “How can I inspire them to go to the next level when they don’t know what the next level looks like. Snowden said that even though the gyms are closed he encourages the young athletes to come up with a conditioning plan and to host group chats, “Where they can come together and fellowship.” Allison Prince, a pupil placement specialist with the Montgomery County Public School told the Washington Informer that she has been working with administrators and teachers for the last year to help them to work with their students and she too is a parent with a son in college. “Since the onset of COVID and virtual leaning, the case load for educators and staff has really increased,” Prince said. “For teachers and students the key word is well-being. We want to reinforce the relationships between school and community. We want to reassure the students that they are going to be okay and safe.” “As parents, caregivers and educators we all have a critical role and responsibility to play to ensure the well-being of the children,” Prince said. “The key word is calming through emotional cures because so many things have happened and things seem to be out of control.” Rev. Browning said despite what is going on now expecting a brighter future is crucial. “We must start to re-imagine what our future is going to be. We can choose to be in despair or we can choose hope.” Multiple agencies and the counselors have identified signs and symptoms of anxiety and depression among adults and there are many similarities: • Feelings of fear, anger, sadness, worry, numbness, or frustration • Changes in appetite, energy, desires, and interests • Difficulty concentrating and making decisions • Difficulty sleeping or nightmares • Physical reactions, such as
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5 Dr. Jessica Smedley, clinical psychologist, helps adults in the District deal with stress. Martin Luther King, Jr. statue is in the background. (Hamil Harris/The Washington Informer)
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WORDS TO LIVE BY “Black women could hardly strive for weakness; they had to become strong, for their families and their communities needed their strength to survive . . . Harriet Tubman, Sojourner Truth, Ida Wells and Rosa Parks are not exceptional Black women as much as they are epitomes of Black womanhood.”
– Angela Davis
“Women, Race and Class,” [1981], scholar and activist, born Jan. 26, 1944
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D.C. Paid Leave Policy Law Receives Mixed Reviews
James Wright WI Staff Writer
The District’s universal paid leave law faced a six-month review by the D.C. Council recently with some residents saying adjustments should be made to reflect the needs of workers and others satisfied with the way it exists. In the District, as of July 1, 2020, people who work in the city are eligible for paid leave from their employers under District law. Options available to employees are eight weeks of parental leave to care for a new child whether it be through childbirth, adoption or foster care; six weeks of family leave to care for a seriously ill offspring, parent, grandparent, spouse or sibling and two weeks of personal medical leave if the employee has a serious health condition that prevents them from physically or mentally performing their jobs. D.C. Councilmember Elissa Silverman (I-At Large), who chairs the Committee on Labor and Workforce Development and a supporter of the paid leave law, said the program has worked well since its inception. “The program was launched on time and in the middle of a pandemic,” Silverman said. She praised the D.C. Department of Employment Services Director Dr. Unique N. Morris-Hughes for shepherding the program in addition to other projects that had to be done with COVID-19 ravaging the District. Silverman said paid leave provides economic security in times of crisis whether an employee has to take care of an ill loved one or themselves. She said since its launch, the paid leave program has processed 4,800 claims and said 1,750 of those claims went to District residents. Silverman acknowledged many District workers live in neighboring states and are the beneficiaries of the city-funded program. She also said District residents who work in the neighboring states don’t have access to the paid leave program. Gavin Baker, a Ward 4 resident, complimented the program but said some adjustments need to be made. He noted he and his wife have an infant daughter and costs have incurred since her birth. “The maximum benefit we get is less than what we earn if we were working,” Baker said. “It doesn’t help
us with infant care. It costs $24,000 a year in D.C. to pay for infant care. You are hit with a double whammy of paying for infant care and having reduced pay to take care of your children.” Baker urged the council to provide more cash to low income and working-class employees. Plus, he said the federal government offers up to 12 weeks of paid leave and Canada extends up to 35 weeks and those facts should be kept in mind when the council considers revising the program. While Baker supports the paid leave law, former D.C. Councilmember Vincent Orange has his reservations. Orange served on the council representing Ward 5 from 1999-2007 and 2011-2016. Orange also served as president and CEO of the D.C. Chamber of Commerce from 2016-2020. Orange said the paid leave law has few benefits for District residents. “The paid leave law excludes 94,000 D.C. residents from coverage,” he said, speaking mainly about District residents who work in Maryland and Virginia. “On the other hand, 320,000 non-residents are eligible under the law for paid leave. The problem is that states like Maryland and Virginia don’t provide reciprocity to District residents who work there. Those District residents have no paid leave law to benefit from.” Orange said the paid leave program amounts to a $250 million tax on businesses in the District. He noted non-residents are aided to the level of $160 million from the taxes supporting the program as opposed to east of the Anacostia River residents who
Orange said the paid leave program amounts to a $250 million tax on businesses in the District.
only receive $12 million in benefits. Orange said D.C. Councilmember Mary Cheh (D-Ward 3) offered an alternative to the present paid leave structure. Cheh, said Orange, wanted the District government to assess non-residents in the form of a fee to pay for the program. However, Cheh’s idea didn’t have the support of Silverman and her council allies and it died. Fred Hill III, the founder and CEO of Gotta Go Now, a portable sanitation company based in Ward 8, said he complies with the paid leave law. “It’s the law and I have to deal with it,” Hill said. “It forces me to raise costs to comply. I have to do something
for employees who are getting paid but not putting the work in. I agree people should be protected when an issue in their lives comes up.” Hill notes the paid leave law leaves no room for employee shenanigans. “The law clearly states that if it is found an employee is abusing the process by pretending to be sick and they are not or if they say they are taking care of a sick relative and they are not, that’s theft and grounds for termination,” he said. WI @JamesDCWrighter
4 Vincent Orange is a former Ward 5 and at-large member of the D.C. Council. (WI File Photo)
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
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JANUARY 28 - FEBRUARY 3, 2021 11
PRINCE GEORGE'S COUNTY More Prince George’s Residents to Receive Vaccine
Indoor Dining Scheduled to Resume Soon William J. Ford WI Staff Writer After news recently broke that residents from other jurisdictions had been driving to Prince George’s County to receive COVID-19 vaccinations, the county canceled pending appointments and designated most of sites county senior citizens and those who work in Prince George’s. County Executive Angela Alsobrooks said during a press conference Monday, Jan. 25 health officials will now check for proof of residency and
employment in the county. “I just want to send out an apology to everyone because I know it caused great concern, great consternation as it should have,” she said. “When we realized so many were taking up appointments that were intended for Prince Georgians, we made adjustments there.” Alsobrooks said the problem occurred due to a state website that allowed people to schedule vaccine appointments but didn’t prohibit individuals from other jurisdictions to sign up and receive them.
As of Monday, 500 appointments had been cancelled from those who reside outside the county, health department spokesman George Lettis said in an email. Residents and people who work in the county categorized in the first two parts of phase one will be moved into those slots. For those who already received the first dose and scheduled an appointment to get the required second dose in Prince George’s, the county will honor those appointments. The county health department has opened the Wayne K. Curry Sports and Learning Complex in Landover for residents and employees who work in the county to have a COVID-19 vaccine administered. To expand access for vaccinations, the training of personnel to administer the vaccine has begun at the Southern Technology Regional and Recreation Complex in Fort Washington. Ernest Carter, chief health officer for the county, said a third site will open in the northern part of the county in the near future. Carter and other health officials in the more populated jurisdictions throughout the state have requested more COVID-19 vaccines to keep up with the demand. “If we had an adequate supply and we had a national distribution plan… but we have neither,” Carter said. “So
5 People wait to get a COVID-19 vaccine Jan. 25 inside the Wayne K. Curry Sports and Learning Complex in Landover. (Anthony Tilghman/The Washington Informer)
we have to do it this way to ensure that our Prince George’s County residents get vaccinated.” As of Saturday, Prince George’s has received 18,000 doses. The county estimates about 95,000 people represent phase 1B which includes people ages 75 and older, educators, primary care physicians and residents and staffers in assisted-living and group homes. Neighboring Montgomery County with more than one million people has received nearly 27,000 doses. The county ranks second with the most confirmed corona-
Black Republicans? There are More Than You May Believe William J. Ford WI Staff Writer Fred Price Jr. decided to become a registered Republican when Democratic Congressman Anthony Brown served as Maryland’s lieutenant governor in 2013 when he led the botched health care website rollout. “If Brown couldn’t handle the
Affordable Care Act, then I didn’t think he could handle the state of Maryland,” Price, of Cheverly, said. The 80-year-old retired federal worker and Marine Corps veteran calls himself a “colored man” and an unashamed member of the state’s Black Republican Council. “I am the child of what President [Harry S.] Truman said about integrating the military for colored
5 From left to right: Nicole Bennett, Brenda Thiam and Kyna McKenzie during a Maryland Black Republican Council meet and greet Sept. 24. (Photo courtesy of Nicole Bennett)
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troops. You will get all the advantages through that and I did,” Price said. “I’m a Black Republican because the other party hasn’t done much I agree with, but I’m still willing to help other Blacks in Prince George’s County.” Black Republicans are scarce in the majority-Black Prince George’s County in which Democrats outnumber Republicans nearly 10-to-1. In addition, Prince George’s has the highest number of registered Democrats in Maryland. Although Republican Gov. Larry Hogan won a second, four-year term as the state’s top leader, the ratio of Democrats to Republicans in the state stretches almost 2-to-1. To help showcase another political perspective, the Maryland Black Republican Council plans to host a town hall next month. With about 45 registered members, the council wants to present a simple message as the state battles the ongoing coronavirus pandemic: support other viewpoints in a civil manner, maintain conservative val-
ues and help residents and business owners with no new tax increases. Nicole Bennett, president of the council who resides in Charles County, said, the state shows more partisan work versus what goes down the road in Washington, D.C. The council supports House Bill 1 that seeks to provide $577 million in a 10-year period for the state’s four historically Black colleges and universities. The legislation proposes to settle a lawsuit about 15 years old that stems from predominately white school’s duplicating programs at the state’s HBCUs of Bowie State, Coppin State, Morgan State and University of Maryland Eastern Shore (UMES). “As someone who went to Grambling [State University], I absolutely support HBCUs,” said Bennett, who is also serves as a vice chair of the state’s Republican Party. “There has to be a level of parity in education. Some kids learn better in a smaller environment with people
GOP Page 13
virus cases behind Prince George’s. Shots being administered for those in phase 1A include frontline health care and emergency workers and residents and staff in nursing homes. Appointments in Prince George’s can be made now for individuals in phase 1C, the third and final part of the state’s first phase of the vaccination roll out which includes adults ages 65 to 74, public safety and health workers not covered in phase 1A and other essential workers such as those at grocery stores, postal service and public transit. People can register online at mypgc.us/ covidvaccine. About 49 percent of those vaccinated so far have been out-of-county residents but phase 1A mainly focuses on where a person works and not residency. As of Monday, about one-third of non-county residents received vaccines in Phase 1B. County officials expect that figure to decrease with a focus on vaccinating residents who work and live in the county. Meanwhile, the county’s COVID-19 metrics have improved enough to allow indoor dining to resume starting Jn. 29 at 25 percent capacity. The county’s positivity rate from last week decreased to 9.2 percent and the infection rate fell below 1.0 at .93 which assesses how many people are infected by COVID-19. About 44 percent of the hospital beds are occupied by COVID-19 patients. Carter reenforced how residents can help decrease the figures even further: wear a mask over the nose and mouth, stand six feet apart from each other when outside, limit gatherings to those only in your household, keep hands as clean as possible and “get the [COVID-19] shot when it’s your turn.” WI @jabariwill
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PRINCE GEORGE’S COUNTY
Push is on to Resume In-Person Instruction in Washington Region
William J. Ford WI Staff Writer
Tonya Sweat agrees with Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan: students need to be back in the classroom with their peers and teachers. Sweat, parent of a nine-year-old daughter who attends Accokeek Academy, said COVID-19 vaccinations should be provided for school personnel before children enter the buildings. The education advocate who stepped down in November as vice president of advocacy for the Maryland PTA said the March 1 deadline Hogan has imposed for students to return back in the classrooms remains too soon. “What I need the governor to understand is our local school systems need money, they need guidance and they need honest information so that they can effectively plan and return our children to school without putting the students, educators and support staff in harm’s way,” she said. “I don’t know where he got his magic wand from but we need a little more.” Hogan, state superintendent Karen Salmon and Dr. Jinlene Chan, acting deputy secretary for public health, said help is on the way. Salmon, who joined several education professionals to receive a COVID-19 vaccine last week in Annapolis, said $780 million will be used for school systems to implement summer programs and to purchase technology and other education tools. Hogan announced Jan. 25 that the state will provide nearly $21 million toward education which includes $10 million in competitive grants. A school
GOP from Page 12 who look like me, who sound like me and hold my same cultural beliefs.” As for the future of the GOP, she said the “future looks bright.” On a national level during the November general election, Democrats lost 13 seats in the House of Representatives that reduced their margin from 36 to 10. Several of those seats belong to women and two Black Republicans – reps. Burgess Owens of Utah and Byron Donalds of Florida. In Maryland, Brenda Thiam of Washington County became the state’s first Black Republican woman sworn-in as a legislator. Thiam works
system would receive $1 million in grants if officials “present a unique or innovative approach to engage students, teacher and school communities” during the coronavirus pandemic. Priority will be given to programs that address at-risk students, the governor’s office said in a statement. Meanwhile, Hogan said the Maryland National Guard will help administer shots and other logistics during the vaccine rollout. The state education and health departments implemented two educational designs. The first deals with daily in-person learning for students with disabilities, special learning needs, students with challenges to virtual learning and career technology students. Elementary and secondary students can receive phasedin daily instruction or a combination of remote and in-person learning known as hybrid “if health and safety requirements cannot be met.” The second option for elementary students would be hybrid learning with phased in daily in-person instruction. Secondary students would start with remote learning first. Chan said reopening decisions shouldn’t be based on vaccination availability or the level of vaccinations among staff. “I do encourage all education staff to get a vaccine when it becomes available,” she said. Although the state cannot force school systems to reopen, Hogan provided examples in other cities and states such as Chicago that have cut off pay for teachers who refused to return to the classroom. Ohio will offer vaccinations
only for educators who commit to returning to the classrooms. “We do not want to have to take such actions here in Maryland,” Hogan said. “But if school systems do not immediately begin a good faith effort to return to the classrooms, we will explore every legal avenue in our disposal. The time has come to get all of our kids back into the classrooms and to reopen our schools.” Education leaders described Hogan’s words as “disrespectful” and a form of “bullying.” Cheryl Bost, president of the Maryland State Education Association, said she’s pleased that more than 76,000 members are eligible to receive a vaccine. However, vaccination distribution hasn’t been done equally statewide. One of Maryland’s smallest counties, Caroline along the Eastern Shore, moved into the third part of the state’s first phase vaccination plan. Bost said all of its educators have been vaccinated. However, the bigger jurisdictions with the highest confirmed coronavirus cases such as Baltimore City and Montgomery and Prince George’s counties still need more vaccines and assistance to administer them. Buildings remain closed for students who’ve been in virtual learning since mid-March. “We’re not trying to finds all of the ways we can’t go back but we’re trying to find all of the solutions so that we can go back,” Bost said. “We’ve been doing that since the first day we left but it takes money, time and people. For the governor to say people just aren’t trying to do it, they’re setting up roadblocks. None of that’s true.”
as a behavioral health technician for Achieving True Self in Hagerstown. Hogan appointed Thiam (pronounced “cham) to replace Paul Corderman, who Hogan appointed to fill a vacant Senate seat to represent Washington County. “We find ourselves in the position we’ve gained a lot of minority voters from the Trump administration. We’ve had these Blacks for Trump. Minorities for Trump. Latinos for Trump. Asians for Trump,” said Bennett, who’s been a GOP member for at least 12 years. “He had a significant outreach program to engage with minority communities. That was one of the genius things about his campaign. I think we’re sitting pretty right now.”
However, the Republican Party lost control of the White House with Democratic President Joe Biden sworn into office last week. He’s signed dozens of executive orders with several to reverse policies implemented by Donald Trump. After being sworn-in several hours later, Vice President Kamala Harris swore in three new Democrats to the Senate that gives Harris constitutional power to cast tie-breaking votes when there’s a 50-50 tie. Rep. Andy Harris, Maryland’s only GOP representative on Capitol Hill and a Trump supporter, is under investigation by Capitol Police for carrying a concealed gun that set
GOP Page 26
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5 Donyelle Cottingham, right, a high school counselor in Wicomico County, Md., receives a COVID-19 vaccine Jan. 21 at St. John’s College in Annapolis. (William J. Ford/The Washington Informer)
WILL SCHOOLS REOPEN IN FEBRUARY?
While a Memorandum of Agreement [MOA] signed by Washington Teachers’ Union President Elizabeth Davis and D.C. Public Schools [DCPS] Chancellor Lewis Ferebee last year allowed DCPS to call in teachers for in-person learning starting Feb. 1, it also provided the union an opportunity to challenge reopening plans based on circumstances of the pandemic. As DCPS and public charter school teachers start vaccinations this week, concerns have centered on the likelihood that most, if not all, teachers conducting in-person learning would not receive the two doses of the COVID-19 vaccine recommended by healthcare professionals in time for the phased reopening of schools. Meanwhile, WTU representatives have continued to press the DCPS’ central office about whether the proper protocols, as outlined in the MOA and a checklist released at the beginning of the academic year, have been followed to open all of the school campuses, especially those located east of the Anacostia River. “It was agreed in the Memorandum of Agreement that each school before reopening would have a walk through and they would use the checklist to do so,” said James Isreal, WTU’s vice president of middle schools and a teacher at Hart Middle School in Southeast. “Part of that checklist [ensured] the principal, the teachers’ union building representative, LSAT chair, parent, student and custodial staff would go through each room of the building and use the checklist to make sure they’re in compliance. I don’t think that’s been
done at all 115 schools, which is what the teachers’ union is requesting to verify from the chancellor,” he said. Across the border in Northern Virginia, some parents in Arlington County continue to push for schools to reopen. Arlington Public Schools Superintendent Francisco Durán announced at a virtual school board meeting last week about 192 students enrolled in the career and technology education program can return the week of Feb. 2. Those students would work in one building. Officials with Alexandria City Public Schools revised phased-in reopening plans for some students to also come back Tuesday. Students in grades kindergarten through fifth who can return for in-person instruction include those with disabilities, early childhood special education and English language learners. All remaining elementary students can return a week later on Feb. 9. Special needs students and English learners in middle and high school enrolled in citywide special education and language arts and math instruction programs may also return the same day. The rest of the students and those in adult education can return Feb. 16. “We are working tirelessly to try and get our students back as soon as we possibly can,” Superintendent Gregory Hutchins, Jr. said in a video last week. These community metrics are just not affording us the opportunity right now.” WI WI Contributing Writer Sam PK Collins contributed to this story. @jabariwill
JANUARY 28 - FEBRUARY 3, 2021 13
Housing Authority of Prince George’s County Seeks County Partners to Rent to Housing Choice Voucher Tenants
The Housing Authority of Prince George’s County (HAPGC) wants to partner with landlords interested in renting their unit(s) to individuals and families with Housing Choice Vouchers (HCV). HAPGC is looking for landlords who rent single-family homes and apartment units to join the HCV program. Housing Choice Vouchers provide rental assistance for low-income families in the private rental market through the HAPGC’s Housing Assistance Payments Program (HAP). Housing Choice Voucher holders select a unit from the private rental market. The rental assistance provided by HAPGC makes market rate housing affordable for voucher holders. Program participants normally pay no more than 30% of monthly adjusted income towards rent and utilities. The Housing Assistance Payments subsidizes the balance of the rent to the property own-
er. Guaranteed rent payments are made directly to the landlords’ bank account on time each month. In order to increase the supply of accessible housing for tenants with Housing Choice Vouchers, the Housing Authority is also seeking landlords who will make their property accessible for voucher tenants with disabilities. For a limited time only: HAPGC is now offering cash incentives to landlords to become a part of the HCV Program, and even more if the property is accessible for families and individuals with disabilities. This program is for landlords of multi-family buildings as well as single family homes.
ACCESSIBLE HOUSING/HOME MODIFICATIONS FOR PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES
Owners of a rental property reg-
14 - JANUARY 28 - FEBRUARY 3, 2021
istered with the Housing Choice Voucher Program can now apply for a grant that can be used to make their property accessible for persons with disabilities. The grant is a reimbursable payment, up to $10,000, that will enable the owner to make changes to the property that will assist disabled residents and families to live comfortably in the home. The grant can be used for both single family homes and multi-family properties.
LANDLORDS MUST:
• Complete a grant application to apply for the funding; • Select licensed, bonded and insured contractors to make the units or single-family homes accessible; • Pass an HQS and UFAS inspection. • After the work is completed, the landlord will be reimbursed for expenses. Interested landlords must attend a landlord briefing presented by the HAPGC. These briefings
are held every third Wednesday of each month. Landlord must register in advance. Check the Housing Authority website for a list of
briefing dates and times: https://www.princegeorgescountymd.gov/2650/Landlord-Briefings
QUESTIONS:
Call (301) 883-5501 or visit the website: https://www.princegeorgescountymd.gov/3746/LandlordRecruitment-Campaign
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BUSINESS Biden Extends Relief for Student Loan Borrowers
Foreclosure and Eviction Moratoriums Extended as Well Sarafina Wright WI Contributing Writer In one of his first moves in office, President Biden has issued an executive order to extend pandemic relief for roughly 41 million federal student loan borrowers through Sept. 30. The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security [CARES] Act signed into law in March, allowed for borrowers loans to be paused with zero percent interest as the coronavirus pandemic forced millions out of work and upended the nation’s economy. Before Biden's executive order the relief was set to expire on Jan. 31. “At the request of President Biden, the Acting Secretary of Education will extend the pause on federal student loan payments and collections and keep the interest rate at 0%,” the White House said in a statement. “Too many Americans are struggling to pay for basic necessities and to provide for their families. They should not be forced to choose between paying their student loans and putting food on the table.” Currently, borrowers owe over $1.5 trillion in federal student loans, according to the U.S. Department of Education. The White House says borrowers of all ages are often faced with a tough tradeoff between making their student loan payments, investing in their long-term financial future, or paying their bills. “The pandemic has only increased the economic hardship of the millions of Americans who have student debt.”
The Biden administration also requested the extension of the federal eviction and foreclosure moratorium initially put in place by the CARES Act. “The COVID-19 pandemic has triggered an almost unprecedented housing affordability crisis,” the White House said in a statement. “Today, 1 in 5 renters and 1 in 10 homeowners with a mortgage are behind on payments.” Acting Housing and Urban Development [HUD] Secretary Matthew E. Ammon announced last Thursday that the Department has implemented Biden's requests to immediately extend eviction and foreclosure moratoriums on federally backed single family mortgages through March 31. This also includes the Public and Indian Housing [PIH] eviction and foreclosure moratorium. “In order to provide much-needed economic relief and support to working families, HUD has implemented the president’s requests,” Ammon said. He continued that throughout the pandemic, this looming wave of evictions and foreclosures have disproportionately impacted communities of color. He says these executive actions are a critical first step to ensure that families hit hard by the economic crisis will not be forced from their homes during their time of need. “Failing to prevent widespread evictions and foreclosures would lead to untold hardship for families and to overwhelmed emergency shelter capacity, increasing the likelihood of COVID-19 spread in our communities,” Ammon said.
(Courtesy photo)
“The Biden administration is committed to using the tools at its disposal and to working with congress to help struggling households keep a roof over their heads. These agency actions support the administration’s broader strategy by immediately extending nationwide restrictions on evictions and foreclosures.” WI
The White House says borrowers of all ages are often faced with a tough tradeoff between making their student loan payments, investing in their long-term financial future, or paying their bills.
THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA HOUSING AUTHORITY REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS (RFP) SOLICITATION NO.: 0001-2021 CALL CENTER AFTER-HOURS SERVICES The District of Columbia Housing Authority (DCHA) requires Call Center After-Hours Services for DCHA. SOLICITATION DOCUMENTS will be available beginning Monday, January 18, 2021 on DCHA’s website at www. dchousing.org under “Business” and “Solicitation”. SEALED PROPOSAL RESPONSES ARE DUE ON OR BEFORE Thursday, February 18, 2021 at 11:00 AM. Email Lolita Washington, Contract Specialist at lwashing@dchousing.org with copy to business@dchousing.org for additional information.
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JANUARY 28 - FEBRUARY 3, 2021 15
NATIONAL Advocacy Groups Applaud Biden Administration in its First Days of Leadership ‘Pronouns Matter,’ GLAAD Says; Praise for White House Website Revamp Sarafina Wright WI Contributing Writer Following the inauguration of the 46th president of the United States, the White House’s official website immediately showed changes that advocacy groups are calling accessible and inclusive. The site for the first time ever, now includes gender-inclusive pronouns and prefixes in its contact form such
as “they/them,” the gender-neutral “Mx.” alongside “Mr.” and “Ms.” and “other” for Americans to self-declare how they see fit. GLAAD, a national advocacy group for the LGBTQ community says four years after the Trump administration erased all mentions of LGBTQ people from the White House website, the Biden administration has quickly embraced inclusion.
“On day one, the Biden administration has taken immediate steps to include trans, nonbinary and gender nonconforming people in the conversation,” GLAAD President and CEO Sarah Kate Ellis said. “Pronouns matter, and adding inclusive pronouns to a contact form is more than just a demonstration of allyship. Research has shown that recognition and respect of our pronouns can make all the difference for our health and wellbeing—especially when it comes to LGBTQ youth.” GLAAD cites research from the Trevor Project, a non-profit that focuses on suicide prevention for LGBTQ youth on the importance of people’s chosen pronouns being acknowledged. “Respecting pronouns is part of creating a supportive and accepting environment, which impacts well-being and reduces suicide risk.” The Biden administration has also relaunched the White House’s Spanish-language website, “La Casa Blanca” after former president Trump got rid of it during his one-term presidency. “This commitment to accessibility for all begins with this site and our efforts to ensure all functionality and all content is accessible to all Amer-
(Courtesy of Pexels.)
icans,” the White House said in a statement. Groups like the Hispanic Federation are applauding President Biden for speedy actions to bolster Spanish speakers and immigrants. “We were heartened that on his first day in office, President Biden signed a series of Executive Orders that address climate change, safeguard LGBTQ rights, strengthen DACA, tackle the economic consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic, and honor our history as a nation open to all immigrants,” said the Hispanic Federation in a statement.
“This is the sort of leadership that has been sorely missing in Washington for the last four years and we welcome the President's bold start to his term in office.” The organization also praised the vice presidency of Kamala Harris — saying it signals progress for all immigrants. “As a woman of color and the daughter of immigrants, Vice President Harris is a powerful and needed example that the United States is a country that draws its greatest strength from its diversity of backgrounds and experiences.” WI
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NATIONAL
President Biden Makes Sweeping Reversals in First Days at the Helm
New Administration's Foci Include Climate Change and Immigration Sarafina Wright WI Contributing Writer In his first days in office President Biden swiftly began his agenda with several executive orders reversing several Trump era policies on immigration, LGBTQ rights, the coronavirus pandemic and climate change. Biden immediately took on the climate crisis by rejecting the Keystone XL pipeline, stopping construction on the southern border wall to Mexico and returning the U.S. into the international community of fighting global warming by re-joining the Paris Climate Accord. The rejoining of this global agreement comes after Trump pulled out in June 2017, saying he was “elected to represent the citizens of Pittsburgh, not Paris.” The Sierra Club, one of the country’s largest environmental organizations with chapters in all 50 states and the District, has applauded Biden’s environmental moves. “What an incredible breath of fresh air that President Biden is already delivering on his promise to prioritize immediate executive action to tackle the climate crisis on day one,” Melinda Pierce, legislative director of the Sierra Club, said. “These actions are rooted in the rightful recognition of the fact that our planet, our lands, our air, our water and our communities do not belong to corporations, lobbyists, or government institutions – they belong to us, the people, and protecting them is essential.” The Sierra Club and other groups also applauded Biden for rescinding Trump’s national emergency declaration used to erect the unfinished border wall they say is illegal and constructed on sacred land. “Our sacred river is not a border but the life-giving force that connects us all together. The wall itself is an immoral monument to settler colonial destruction,” Christopher Basaldú, Ph.D., organizing manager for Sierra Club and a member of the Carrizo Comecrudo Tribe of Texas [Esto’k Gna] said. “It embodies and expresses centuries of white supremacy, racism
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5 President Joe Biden (Photo courtesy White House)
and genocide. Ongoing border militarization and the wall devalue the lives of human beings on both sides of the river, thus reinforcing settler-white supremacist oppression.” “This most recent executive order should be a critical first step in stopping and eventually dismantling this immoral wall and the connected systems of border militarization,” he said. Biden also ended the travel ban from some Muslim countries, reinstated deferred forced departure for Liberians and rejoined the World Health Organization [WHO] after his predecessor pulled the U.S. out last summer as the coronavirus pandemic surged. “The WHO plays a crucial role in the world’s fight against the deadly COVID-19 pandemic as well as countless other threats to global health and health security,” Biden said in a statement. “The United States will continue to be a full par-
ticipant and a global leader in confronting such threats and advancing global health and health security.” Biden’s reversal comes just in time as Trump’s decision would have taken effect this July as the formal withdrawal from the WHO requires a year's notice. Trump halted funding for the organization in April of 2020, prompting global concern over the health agency’s ability to respond effectively to the coronavirus pandemic as the U.S. served as the largest donor to the agency, contributing almost $893 million for its programs in 2018-2019, according to the United Nations [UN]. UN Secretary-General António Guterres welcomed the announcement by Biden. “Now is the time for unity and for the international community to work together in solidarity to stop this virus and its shattering consequences,” he said. WI
The Sierra Club and other groups also applauded Biden for rescinding Trump’s national emergency declaration used to erect the unfinished border wall they say is illegal and constructed on sacred land.
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Ethiopian Official Claims Egypt Linked to “Destabilization” Campaign
The Egyptian government has been stepping up its long-standing policy of destabilizing and weakening Ethiopia by “providing full support to anti-peace elements” and pitting neighbors against it, according to a top Ethiopian diplomat. The official, who holds a high position in the Ethiopian Foreign Ministry and asked for anonymity, told Anadolu Agency that “Egypt has intensified its destabilization efforts against Ethiopia and the volatile Horn of Africa region.” Ethiopia’s administration led by Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, who took office in 2018, has faced multiple domestic and external security challenges. Last November, Ahmed told Parliament that since he became premier, Ethiopia had witnessed 114 ethnic and religious conflicts, resulting in the deaths of thousands and displacements of millions of people. According to Ahmed, all those conflicts were manufactured, instigated and led by Ethiopian armed and unarmed forces bent on thwarting his administration’s political, social, and economic reform agenda in order to trigger a regime change or failed state. The diplomat said that for more than half a century the Egyptian establishment has been providing financial, military and diplomatic assistance to armed and unarmed Ethiopian forces in its bid to destabilize and weaken Ethiopia and thwart its ambition to utilize the resources of the Nile River. Despite strong opposition from Egypt and Sudan, Ethiopia is planning to begin the second phase of defense this August. Early power generation is slated to start this January or February. “It is in light of this development that Egypt has intensified its covert and overt anti-Ethiopian activities over the past couple of years,” he said. The armed Gumuz militia has been unleashing brutal ethnic attacks on ethnic minorities in Ethiopia’s western Benishangul-Gumuz state, where the dam is located. Hundreds of civilians have been massacred and tens of thousands displaced. According to the Ethiopian government, the sole aim of the Gumuz militia, which has been trying to block the main road leading to the dam, is to trigger a civil war in the region and beyond and eventually delay or thwart the dam’s construction. “We have credible intelligence that Egypt has been assisting the Gumuz militia,” the diplomat said. “Egyptian security agents have been in touch with the leaders of the rebel group, and they are working on enhancing their support.” Sudan and Ethiopia have maintained peaceful relations for decades despite a long-standing border dispute over the agricultural area known as al-Fashaqa, which is adjacent to Ethiopia’s northwest Amhara region. But last November, while the Ethiopian army was busy battling TPLF rebels, the Sudanese army took control of the contested area. Weeks after the move, Sudanese officials declared that the Sudanese army had managed to regain about 90 percent of the al-Fashaqa area and demanded that the Ethiopian army vacate the remaining two localities. Last week, Ethiopian Foreign Ministry spokesman Dina Mufti accused Sudan of deploying its army further into the contested region and warned that Ethiopia’s “peaceful approach to the dispute has limits.” Tensions remain high between the two countries, with thousands of heavily armed troops amassed along the disputed areas. WI
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Dionisio D’Aguilar, Bahamas Minister of Tourism and Aviation, warned on Friday, Jan. 1, that the new US quarantine requirements are “simply devastating” for the Bahamian tourism industry’s rebound, adding: “This keeps us on the edge that much longer.” D'Aguilar told The Tribune, one of The Bahamas’ leading newspapers, that President Joe Biden’s executive order on COVID-19 restrictions relating to international travel are yet another “significant deterrent” that will hit every aspect of The Bahamas tourism sector. In a bid to contain skyrocketing U.S. infection rates that have resulted in 24.5 million COVID-19 cases and 414,229 total deaths as of Jan. 22, President Biden has implemented a policy that requires all returning American citizens and foreign travelers to “comply” with Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines that include “recommended periods of self-quarantine or self-isolation.” These guidelines, according to the CDC’s website, include getting tested for COVID-19 within three to five days after arriving back in the U.S. from “higher risk activities” during international travel. They advise persons to “stay home” for seven days after travel, even if they test negative for the virus, while those who elected not to have the test are told to stay home for ten days after returning. Tourism Minister D’Aguilar said “higher risk” international travel was defined as coming from countries that presently have a ‘Level 2’, ‘Level 3’ or ‘Level 4’ Health Travel Notice from the CDC. The Bahamas is presently in ‘Level 4’ and, while the minister argued that this risk rating should be much lower due to the decline in COVID-19 cases in The Bahamas, the country falls squarely within the new quarantine measures. “It’s devastating. It’s simply devastating,” D’Aguilar told The Tribune. “This is a significant deterrent to travel…This is potentially economically devastating. COVID-19 took us to the edge, and this will keep us on the edge that much longer.” WI
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HEALTH COVID-19 UPDATE
Early Childcare Educators, Other Teachers Lament COVID Vaccine Rollout Timeline By Sam P.K. Collins WI Contributing Writer With Term 3 of the academic year scheduled to start next week, teachers across the District remain in a race to get the highly coveted but scarce coronavirus vaccine. For early childhood educators, this endeavor has been even more of a struggle as the D.C. Department of Health [DOH] and the Office of the State Superintendent of Education [OSSE] haven’t included them in the vaccination schedule, despite their essential worker designation. “The people who work in these early childcare programs are credentialed teachers and they’re essential,” said Sia Barbara Kamara of the DC Early Learning Collaborative, an entity representing more than 100 education professionals,
organizations and coalitions. “They’ve been required to come back to work and [the District] has not been paying for the enrollment,” she added. After learning about DOH and OSSE’s decision, Kamara and others joined forces with the Under 3 DC campaign to spread the word among more than 6,000 District-based childcare workers and develop an advocacy plan to effect change within the mayor’s office and DOH. Part of those efforts include a letter writing and social media campaign, along with a virtual forum hosted by D.C. Councilmember Janeese Lewis George (D-Ward 4). “Early childhood educators are just like public and public charter school teachers,” Kamara told The Informer as she explained the hur-
“It would be in the best interest [of teachers] to get both doses [of the vaccine] before going back into the building around children,” said Grier, who also serves as chair of the Ward 8 Education Council.
5 Jasmine Holloway engages Araya Hall-Peters, a toddler in the 2/3-year-olds early childhood class in a COVID-19 safe environment, at Roots Activity Learning Center in Northwest. (Shevry Lassiter/The Washington Informer)
dles early childcare facilities have faced during the pandemic with a unique funding structure. “Most parents aren’t sending their children back because of the fears [and] early childhood programs don’t get paid if they do distance or virtual learning,” she said.
A VACCINATION SCHEDULE SOME TEACHERS DEEM INEQUITABLE
In their response to early childcare education advocates, DOH Director Dr. LaQuandra Nesbitt and D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser (D) cited a dearth of vaccines as the rationale for the decision that has caught the ire of District early childhood educators. This week, DCPS partnered with Children’s National Medical Center for the rollout of vaccines at Dunbar High School in Northwest. Charter school teachers have also been scheduled to receive guidance from OSSE for the vaccination program. As recommended by public health officials, essential workers, healthcare professionals and elders are among the first groups to receive two doses of the coronavirus vaccine in 30-day intervals. As of Tuesday, 60 percent of the slots for teacher vaccinations have been filled, DCPS central office personnel told The Informer. With the District, the 50 states and U.S. territories all getting a weekly allot-
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ment of vaccines, there have been concerns about whether teachers would be fully vaccinated by February 1. Despite some teachers’ misgivings about not being fully inoculated before the start of Term 3, DCPS Chancellor Ferebee said other safeguards had been implemented in the reopening of schools. “The vaccine was never considered a prerequisite for us to reopen school,” Ferebee said while explaining the rollout of teacher vaccinations to take place throughout the week and into the weekend. “We have a layered approach for safety protocols that we consider the conditions for a safe environment for people to [hold classes]. We are excited to offer this additional layer [of vaccines].” Other apprehensions about the vaccine according on one local teacher focus on what’s been described as the rush to manufacture a treatment. “Even though there’s a vaccination schedule, you have teachers who are nervous about taking the vaccines, although some people said this is the same vaccine our outgoing president took,” said James Isreal, a teacher at Hart Middle School. Though he opted out of in-person learning, Isreal said he has been selected to return to the campus in February to meet parent demands for teachers. “As far as the schedule, the mayor and D.C. Public Schools should
consider pushing it back until both doses are secured by those feeling comfortable [enough to take the vaccine],” said Isreal who also serves as the Washington Teachers’ Union vice president for middle schools. As of Sunday, DOH has recorded more than 35,000 coronavirus cases, more than 200 of which transpired over the weekend. Even as plans for reopening continue to come into fruition, the city’s coronavirus death toll is approaching 900. Despite his support for reopening schools, local middle school math teacher Michael Grier remained critical of DCPS’ timing, telling The Informer that it hasn’t been aligned with the vaccination schedule, nor has it taken into account teachers’ demand for vaccines. He too has concerns about the brand of vaccine, opting to choose Moderna over Pfizer through his healthcare provider. “It would be in the best interest [of teachers] to get both doses [of the vaccine] before going back into the building around children,” said Grier, who also serves as chair of the Ward 8 Education Council. “This raises the question of when did DCPS really make the decision with vaccinations,’ Grier continued. “It seems like they waited a few weeks before wanting us to return. You’re not necessarily guaranteed to get it. That’s just registration. You have to wait until they call you.” WI @SamPKCollins
JANUARY 28 - FEBRUARY 3, 2021 19
HEALTH Howard University Launches Novovax COVID-19 Clinical Trial James Wright WI Staff Writer
In an effort to fight the coronavirus, Howard University announced Jan. 11 its participation in the Phase 3 COVID-19 clinical trial to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of a vaccine developed by Novovax, a Gaithersburg, Md. biotechnology company. Dr. Wayne I. Frederick, president of Howard University, said the Novovax clinical trial will benefit the community. “Along with following COVID-19 prevention guidelines, effective vaccination is the most promising approach to mitigating and ending the pandemic,” Frederick said. “Our goal through participation is to ensure a safe and effective product is developed to address the needs of the Black, Latino and other minority communities.” In the District, Blacks comprise 45 percent of the population but makeup
48 percent of its positive tests for the coronavirus and 74 percent of virus-related deaths, according to the statistics from the D.C. Department of Health. In reference to clinical trials nationally, Blacks consisted 10 percent of Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna programs, while 2019 census data reports 13 percent of the nation’s population consists of African Americans. Dr. Siham Mahgoub, medical director of Howard’s Center of Infectious Disease Management and Research and principal investigator for the Novovax trial at Howard, said inclusion of people of color in clinical trials aids in the fight against the virus. “Black and Latino communities already have an unequal burden of chronic health conditions like cancer, heart disease and hypertension,” Mahgoub said. “If the vaccine trials include significant numbers of people with diverse medical histories, we can have greater confidence that vaccines will
be safe for people with a wide range of health conditions.” Novovax also has coronavirus vaccine clinical trials with predominantly Black Meharry Medical College in Nashville, Tenn., and the Morehouse School of Medicine in Atlanta. To participate in the Howard trial, one must be 18 years or older and be in the high-risk category medically. People who work with the elderly or in a correctional institution or senior-living facility or nursing home are also eligible. Clinical trial participants are compensated. Participants in the clinical trial can be served at the hospital’s Clinical Research Unit or through a mobile unit that will circulate in the District. Darnella McGuire-Nelson participates in the Howard clinical trial. She heard about it on the radio and watched a webinar featuring Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s leading expert on infectious diseases, talk about the importance of
Black participation in clinical trials. “To hear a man of the caliber of Dr. Fauci talk about the benefits of getting vaccinated had a lot of influence on me,” she said. “The fact he mentioned his colleague at the National Institute of Health, Dr. Kizzmekia Corbett, a Black woman, played a major role in the development of the vaccine only encouraged me more.” McGuire-Nelson said she contacted the hospital which led to her registering online. She said since her enrollment, she has been to the hospital several times and received her second shot on Jan. 25. McGuire-Nelson confessed to not knowing whether she received a Novovax vaccine or a placebo. If she has been receiving the placebo, she will get the Novovax vaccine. If she has been getting the vaccine, she will continue to participate in the two-year trial. McGuire-Nelson encourages Blacks
5 Darnella McGuire-Nelson is a participant in the Howard University Novovax COVID-19 clinical trial. (Courtesy photo/Howard University)
to participate in clinical trials and to be immunized. “Don’t be scared to ask questions,” she said. “I participated in the trial because I don’t want to get sick. If you are interested in a clinical trial, go for it.” WI @JamesDCWrighter
COMMUNITY ENERGY CENTER
WELCOME
TO OUR NEW SITE CommunityEnergyCenter.org will Educate the Public about Energy Empowerment among Diverse Communities Diverse communities not only will be shaped by an evolving energy sector, they will shape it. Our new website – CommunityEnergyCenter.org – welcomes perspectives from commentators and journalists from publications in diverse communities to promote a deeper understanding of how energy and economic matters play a role in daily life. This new content hub will educate diverse communities to explore job opportunities and participate in the energy sector’s growth and vitality.
Visit www.communityenergycenter.org to learn more.
The Community Energy Center, a cooperative with the National Newspaper Publishers Association and National Association of Hispanic Publications Media, will provide information and perspectives on the integral role of the energy sector in daily life for American families in a wide range of communities.
20 - JANUARY 28 - FEBRUARY 3, 2021
THE WASHINGTON INFORMER / WWW.WASHINGTONINFORMER.COM
EDUCATION DCPS
BRIEFS Compiled by Dorothy Rowley WI Staff Writer
NO CLASSES
Friday, Jan. 29 Records Day for Staff: No School for Students; Half day for staff
PGCPS BRIEFS Compiled by Dorothy Rowley WI Staff Writer
EARLY CLASS DISMISSAL
Jan. 28: 2-Hour Early Dismissal for Students: Teacher Professional Day
CONFIDENTIAL TEACHER SURVEY
To understand the thoughts and experiences of teachers during virtual teaching, their perceptions of their students’ virtual learning success, and what supports they need to work effectively, the D.C. State Board of Education has launched an anonymous, online survey for public and public charter teachers in D.C. The Board-administered survey, in partnership with Resonant Education, is open to traditional public and public charter teachers who currently hold a teaching position. The confidential survey is anonymous, and the aggregated results of the survey will be published in a report for the State Board and other as the PGCPS Blueprint Schools program.
EMPLOYEE VACCINATIONS
PGCPS will work in collaboration with Kaiser Permanente to vaccinate its employees with a tentative start date of Monday, Feb. 1. All staff will be encouraged to get the vaccine. As vaccination efforts ramp up, school officials are reassessing learning options and the timeline for implementation of in-person learning. Among the factors under consideration are the percentage of positive COVID-19 cases in Prince George’s County, the number of daily new cases and the average daily case rate based on population.
District education leaders. The survey should take approximately 15–20 minutes to complete on any device that can connect to the internet. The survey is open until Friday, Jan. 29. Teachers can access the online survey here: http://bit.ly/SBOEAllTeacherSurvey.
CHANCELLOR’S STATEMENT
DCPS Chancellor Lewis Ferebee said he was angered by the Jan. 6 siege on the US Capitol, yet inspired inspired and encouraged by how the community continues to come together to ensure that students have the language and space to express their feelings. “As always, our educators and school-based staff are at the forefront, guiding students through open and honest conversations,” Ferebee recently wrote in a letter to the school community. “Our Equity team continues to offer affinity spaces for our staff to process. Our teaching and Learning team and school teams have provided resources to help teachers lead lessons on the historical context of events and guide students to think critically about its significance. As we prepare students to be college and career ready as well as civically engaged, seizing teachable moments such as this one is critical” Ferebee continued. “Please continue to check in with yourself and others in this time. If you are
5 Chancellor Lewis Ferebee said his teaching and learning team have provided resources to help teachers lead lessons on the historical context of events. (DCPS photo)
in need help, our school mental health teams are here for support and the District’s Mental Health Hotline is available. This 24/7 telephone line is staffed by professionals who can refer a caller to immediate help or ongoing care. To receive the support you need, call 1(888)7WEHELP or 1-888-793-4357.”
Do you work with grades 6-12? Apply to become a paid Family Engagement Collaborative Fellow this spring. Learn more at http://bit.ly/fecspring21 and apply by Jan. 31.
MY SCHOOL DC
Students who are poised to accept an in-person seat must have a general immunization certificate on file by the start of Term 3. There are 64 immunization clinics across the city that are ready to respond to the needs of families to complete immunizations. http://dchealth.dc.gov/ sites/default/files/dc/sites/doh/ page_content/attachments/Pediatric%20Community%20Facilities_080320.pdf WI
Considering a DCPS or public charter school in the fall? Then submit an application. Applicants will have until May 3 to make a decision about a matched school. Get started now: https://apply.myschooldc.dc.gov/login.aspx
PAID FAMILY ENGAGEMENT POST
Attention Educators: Are you passionate about family engagement?
IN-PERSON SEATS
BLUEPRINT SCHOOLS SMALL GROUP Schools CEO Dr. Monica INSTRUCTION Goldson and the Prince George’s County Education & Community Partners have announced the creation of a $1 million endowed fund to support students and educators, along with student internships, mentoring opportunities and apprenticeships valued at $4.7 million as part of the school system’s Alternative Construction Finance Program, formally known
As PGCPS plans for a safe return to in-person learning, school officials will consider implementation of small group instruction by identified grade levels and/or designated populations of students based on several factors including: the percentage of positive COVID-19 cases in the county, number of new cases per day and average daily case rate based on population. WI
WWW.WASHINGTONINFORMER.COM / THE WASHINGTON INFORMER
JANUARY 28 - FEBRUARY 3, 2021 21
EDUCATION
Public Education Policy Advocates Respond to Biden Presidency
Sam P.K. Collins WI Contributing Writer
For some education advocates, the Biden administration brings the
promise of conditions more amenable to progressive causes, such as the safe reopening of schools and additional funding for public education in Black and brown communities.
As the national director of the Alliance to Reclaim Our Schools [AROS], Keron Blair has spent much of the last four years organizing with legions of teachers,
Girls’ nights IN are gonna take COVID-19 OUT. We don’t get enough laughs these days. But, wherever they are, our friends are as close as a click. Vaccines are coming. But until enough of us are vaccinated, we still need to slow the spread. We can watch our distance, and not let COVID-19 keep us apart. 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
22 - JANUARY 28 - FEBRUARY 3, 2021
students, parents and community members around these issues. He vowed to continue along that path, regardless of who now occupies the White House. “We’re hoping that Education Secretary Miguel Cardona will come to deliver on promises of investing in public schools, making sure we’re leading with equity and reopening schools when it’s safe to do so with the infrastructure in place for Black, brown, and poor students,” Blair said. More than a year ago, AROS hosted a public forum during which Democratic presidential candidates, including now President Joe Biden, outlined their agenda before an audience of parents, students and educators committed to public education and racial equity. The organization has since facilitated days of action where activists coalesce around issues of importance for Black and brown communities. “Those are good signs,” Blair continued as he touted Biden’s choice for education secretary. “Cardona’s selection signals a willingness to move on a number of things that are important to us [like] making sure that educators and school staff are paid well and there are restorative practices in schools,” he said.
BIDEN ADMINISTRATION GETS STARTED DESPITE PANDEMIC
An executive order signed by President Biden earlier this month mandates the Department of Education to collect data about the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on schools. This includes how schools are measuring students’ academic progress, how many K-12 systems across the country have launched in-person learning and the degree to which students aren’t signing on to virtual learning platforms. The degree to which the Biden administration may be able to actualize its vision of a safe reopening has been called into debate, particularly due to teachers’ unions apprehensions about reopening. The American Federation of Teachers [AFT] recently issued a five-point safe reopening plan that highlight-
ed smaller class sizes, the mass deployment of public health tools and collaborative efforts of teachers, parents and community leaders as key points. AFT leadership didn’t reply to The Informer’s inquiry about its leadership’s thoughts about education policy and the phased reopening of schools as the Biden administration takes over.
SIGHTS SET ON RACIAL EQUITY
Other items on Biden’s agenda concern increasing teacher pay, access to mental health resources and other wraparound services in schools and securing investments in early childhood and middle school education. But well before clinching the presidency, Biden expressed a desire to prioritize racial equity, boosting educator diversity and forging a pathway for students in underserved communities to acquire a postsecondary education. These points resonated with Serena Lewis, an academy manager for D.C.-based nonprofit Words, Beats and Life (WBL). She has spent the better part of the pandemic preparing to facilitate a virtual learning component intended to allow Black and brown students to study the music business and arts activism. With the WBL’s first virtual learning cohort scheduled to start next week, Lewis said she’s looking forward to seeing an embrace of arts education by the Biden administration and the additional funding that reflects the president’s goal to improve students’ access to extracurricular programming and instructors of various racial, ethnic and professional backgrounds. “Representation matters because sometimes students in Black and brown communities don’t connect with their teacher. They simply don’t look like them so they’re not feeling them,” Lewis said. “We make sure we take that into account when we hire our teaching artists for the academy. They’re from the D.C. metropolitan area and want to let [our students] know that they deserve access to all that education has to offer.” WI @SamPKCollins
THE WASHINGTON INFORMER / WWW.WASHINGTONINFORMER.COM
womxn in business on clubhouse
January 2021. Volume 7. Issue 1
Start the Year Right with Your Finances
pg. 10-11
black financial consultants pg. 4
black voices for black justice funding a revolution pg. 5
cryptocurrency the next wave of finance pg. 6-7
how to make it in a pandemic with patisdope pg. 8-9
JANUARY 2021
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Lafayette Barnes IV Tyrous Morris managing Editor : Claudia M. Watts copy Editor : Sam P.K. Collins Layout Design : Lafayette Barnes IV cover Art : Lafayette Barnes IV Writers : Cherrelle Swain, Lindiwe Vilakazi, Marcus K. Dowling, Sam P.K. Collins CEO/publisher:
creative director :
Contributing
JANUARY 2021
black financial consultants
Though there are twice as many Black billionaires in America as there were five years ago, there is also a gap, set at a factor of ten, between the median incomes of white and Black families in the United States. Black financial coaches and Black-owned wealth management firms have thus grown in importance. Thankfully, a well-established sector of financial professionals of color can help those struggling to achieve financial solvency, and others seeking to eclipse Oprah Winfrey’s standard of top dollar-earning excellence. 1. In 2001, Lecount Davis founded the Association of African-American Financial Advisors. During his more-than-40 years as a financial planner, he’s become the first African American to hold the Certified Financial Planner designation. Plus -- via his time as a teacher at Howard University, author, and television show host --he has helped countless Black people “become better stewards in handling money,” as he told Think Advisor.
African-American wealth has reached a harrowing crossroads.
Davis’ note regarding his early client base resonates in the Black community today, too: “They made money, but they did everything on a cash basis and spent everything they made. They weren’t retaining anything. They weren’t doing estate planning or transferring their money to the next generation.” 2. Suppose you’re a corporate-leaning Black business owner who is looking to increase wealth. In that case, Rockville-based Stanfield Global CEO Dr. Cedric J. Franklin’s track record in the investment banking and securities industries is peerless and worthy of consideration. For three decades, Franklin has worked as an investment advisor and executive with distinguished Wall Street firms. Stanfield Global, based in Rockville, Maryland, currently handles more than $6 billion in capital. Franklin, an eco-friendly investor and leader in the “green” marketplace tells Black Enterprise that his work involves growing investment banking into a “feel good” industry. 3. Working from home and unable to commit to in-person consultancy? New Jersey-based Tiffany “The Budgetnista” Aliche has -- according to her website -- “helped over 800,000 women worldwide collectively save more than $100 million, pay off over $75 million in debt, purchase homes, and transform the way they think about their finances.” Aliche Aliche’s online-based Live Richer Academy employs 50 financial experts to teach their clients how to invest smartly, start sustainable businesses, and maximize their economic potential. “Tuition” ranges from monthly payments of $50 to a $500 one-year membership that, paid in full, includes two free months. It’s ideal. 4. Donald T. Anderson represents half of six-year-old Waldorf, Maryland-based Taylor and Anderson, LLC. With two decades of experience in receivables management, mortgage origination, credit counseling, and financial services, he’s an ideal professional for the 30-something working to brighten their economic outlook after the uncertainty of paying off college debt, establish homeownership, start a new family, or become a self-employed entrepreneur.
Words Marcus K. Dowling
4
“You can easily decide if your future includes traveling across the world, or if it's simply retiring somewhere where the weather is perfect all year round,” Anderson’s website notes. “But, having those goals in mind now can help you achieve the financial security you'll need when it's time.”
JANUARY 2021
As far as earth-shattering social justice movements are concerned, behind every frontline change agent are financially endowed supporters committed to providing the resources needed to agitate the powers that be and actualize the vision for a just and more equitable society. For instance, the Black church counted as a primary benefactor of formerly enslaved Black people in the decades following the end of the Civil War. During the Civil Rights Movement, actors Sidney Poitier and Harry Belefonte, among several others, garnered financial support for The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Throughout much of the 1970s, a bevy of actors, producers, and directors also assisted Huey P. Newton and the Black Panther Party in their hour of need. More than 50 years later, this legacy of activism and philanthropy continues with Black Voices for Black Justice DMV, through which nearly a dozen grassroots organizations in the D.C. metropolitan area will each receive $30,000.
Black Voices for Black Justice DMV Continues Legacy of Philanthropy & Activism
These grants, to be awarded to those with a history of on-the-ground work, will help activists cover their living expenses throughout the year and allow them to continue the pursuit of racial justice and equity that started in the aftermath of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor’s police-involved killings. “There has always been a relationship between philanthropists and people who are on the front lines advocating for social change in the arts and through social justice movements,” said Tonia Wellons, president & CEO of the Greater Washington Community Foundation, which is funding this endeavor with Bridge Alliance. Black Voices for Black Justice DMV’s visionary committee members are Wellons, Angela Rye, Linda Wilson, Darius Baxter, and WI Bridge’s own Cherrelle Swain. Toward the end of last year, a review panel received 3,000 nominations for Black Voices for Black Justice DMV. it’s currently undergoing the process of narrowing down the choices, which will culminate in February.
Cherrelle Swain
Darius Baxter
Tonia Wellons
Activist, Filmmaker
CEO GOOD Projects
President & CEO Greater Washington Community Foundation
Last La summer, a study featured in The Chronicle of Philanthropy found that white-led social justice groups had a budget 25 percent greater than those led by people of color. The study, which focused on more than 100 organizations, also suggested that Black women received less funding than white women and Black men. When it came to donations that can be used for any purpose, Black-led groups received three-fourths less than those run by white people. That’s why Wellons said the ideal candidates must have demonstrated leadership and visibility in pushing for racial justice and social change. This fellowship, the funds of which will be directly awarded to those selected by the review panel, is intended to relieve organizations’ financial burdens. To launch this endeavor, the Greater Washington Community Foundation collaborated with local nonprofit GOODProjects. “If we’re lucky and fortunate enough to undergird someone so they can be an impactful local leader, that would be a great outcome,” Wellons told WI Bridge. “These awards are one time for now, but my message to philanthropists is that this needs to be ongoing. We need people who are doing fantastic work and are willing to do the heavy lifting to help make us a better country and society.”
Words Sam P.K. Collins
5
JANUARY 2021
Cryptocurrency: The Next Wave of Finance
6
JANUARY 2021
Though 2020 has pushed many Americans into financial hardship, alternative currencies and investment options, such as cryptocurrency, continue to pique their interest. For instance, Blockchain, a top-rated international crypto company, manages roughly 65 million wallets, allowing investors to purchase, and sell crypto transactions with ease. Such circumstances have forced some D.C.-area millennials to weigh their options and explore the competency of the trade. “They say you can make some money off of the investment, but what do you do in the [meantime] is my concern. You have to wait for that money,” said Dominic Chittams, a music producer and owner of No Nonsence Studios in Beltsville, Maryland. Chittams said he has wrestled with the decision to invest in cryptocurrency over the last year. The pandemic's stifling effects on the economy inspired his research and consideration to purchase Bitcoin and Ripple cryptocurrency. “Mo “Most people are in need of money now, so it can be a deterrent to invest if someone is dependent on income at that moment,’ Chittams added. A survey of more than 2,000 adults conducted by The Harris Poll and Blockchain Capital found that people between the ages of 18 and 34 showed a higher awareness of cryptocurrency than their counterparts above the age of 65. As recently as January 12, Bitcoin stocks have reportedly dropped 10 percent because the value rate is continuously fluctuating. Darnell Parker, a banking expert, explored the adverse effects of how the economic market is afflicting Bitcoin, and other cryptocurrencies. “Early in 2020, around January through May, if you had bought cryptocurrency, you could have been in some of the key cryptocurrencies, making four- or 10-times your money,” Parker recently explained on WOL-AM’s Carl Nelson Show. “But in the past two months, there has been a big push for people to get into the cryptocurrency,” he added. Despite cryptocurrency’s rising profits early last year, the Federal Reserve and financial institutions have recently halted efforts to push money into the market due to changes to the lines of credit that move money through these variant payments. Consequential to credit facility closures at the top of this year, the Federal Reserve is now pulling money out of the cryptocurrency, and stock markets, essentially drawing funds back into its pockets and causing Bitcoin investment rates to skyrocket. “In the last week a lot of celebrities were telling people to buy cryptocurrency, but now it’s on the high end,” Parker told radio host Carl Nelson on January 12. “Buying bitcoin at $30,000 or higher during the end of last year, or beginning of this year is too high. You should have bought Bitcoin back when it was $3,000 to $6,000. That would have been a smart buy because you make money when you buy it, not when you sell.” Even though cryptocurrency markets continue to fluctuate, leading companies, as has been the case for nearly a decade, have applauded Bitcoin in particular, finding it a leading asset in today’s virtual spaces.
Words
“Bitcoin is a remarkable cryptographic achievement, and the ability to create something that is not duplicable in the digital world has enormous value,” Eric Schmidt, executive chairman and former CEO of Google, reportedly said in 2018.
Lindiwe Vilakazi
7
JANUARY 2021
HOW TO MAKE IT IN A PANDEMIC 8
JANUARY 2021
“This pandemic is making a lot of people (economically). Still, it’s causing just as many people to endure sadness and depression, too.” El Eleven years ago, Washington, D.C.-based entrepreneur PATisDOPE was an online blogger with a six-figure online fanbase. His followers were hyper-intrigued by rising rappers, sneaker culture, and cut-and-sew fashion. A decade later, he’s being “made” during quarantine via the commercial evolution of his prior interests. PATisDOPE, born Patrick Blanchard, owns What Should I Call My Store, a Bowie Town Center-based, brick-and-mortar establishment. Like many online-based creators worldwide -- he isn’t just dope. He’s successful. Pat received the keys to his business on January 1, 2020. He tells WI Bridge that he was granted two rent-free months of operation. Given that the first day of COVID-19 quarantine was March 13, it put the new business owner at a bit of a disadvantage. However, due to a rabid following of nearly 200,000 profiles across Instagram and Twitter, he’s excelling. At COVID’s onset, Vogue Business published a story entitled “Fashion influencers find new opportunities during Covid-19.” In the article, it’s noted that “influencers who can pull in audiences across multiple content categories and do behind-the-scenes creative work for brands will thrive.” Pat operates a physical store, while serving as an apparel ambassador for legendary retail brand Shoe City. He’s also styling photo shoots and maintaining a hyper-engaged social media presence. Vogue’s prediction, in the case of this local mastermind, is yielding dividends.
“The risk I assumed and the mistakes I made were all part of the groundwork I put in toward my development,” Pat says. “I now have the business structures in place -- the brand, the store, the content, the marketing, the means of income, and distribution -- to achieve success.” For those engaging as customers with brands, the experience is undoubtedly reflective of a dynamic that benefits online-first marketers and business owners.
Words Marcus K. Dowling
Pat points to his “respectable and highly-engaged fanbase” that has “trusted [him] and [his] content for over a decade” as serving as his retail demographic, marketing database, and a substantial percentage of his consumer base, all-in-one. “Whenever I create content -- and I’m creating more than ever -- people can hit me up on DM, text the store’s phone number, and order directly from me,” he says. Pat also notes that COVID forcing most of his store and personal business online has eased his concerns. His store -- which finally opened for business last October -- is currently open on Thursday through Sunday as a pop-up. During the rest of the week, he’s able to profit from online sales. The previously mentioned Vogue Business article also notes that roughly three-out-of-five North American brands delayed product and service launches in 2020. Their reasoning ranged from marketing budget constraints to fears that promoting luxury products does not resonate in a time of crisis. Inso Insofar as his work with brands, Pat highlights that it has been a “roller-coaster ride” of working with companies that initially suffered “major hits” in 2020. Key to both them attempting to reach their bottom-line profit goals and creators staying active with apparel to promote was the impact of customer bases receiving stimulus checks or targeting their spending for traditional in-person retail holidays. In closing, WI Bridge asked Pat to explain what success as an online-first entrepreneur attempting to conquer real-time consumer interaction will entail in this era. Brands built from the creative minds of multi-hyphenate influencers with broader skillsets stand to expand into a global economy that, before the pandemic, was rumored to range into the amount of $8 billion. When contemplating how he sees this era sustaining itself at-present, as well as its future, the expanding entrepreneur remains hopeful. His answer distills a decade’s worth of hard-earned, nuanced knowledge into a few sentences.
“This is an unpredictable time that requires being serious about yourself as a business person if you want to excel,” Pat said. “Many people are still making money and receiving free money as there are people who are hurt by the recession. Save as much capital as possible, and find an investor. People are spending less money than usual, but if they trust you and your product, they will still spend.”
Photography Courtesy Pat Is Dope
9
JANUARY 2021
Womxn in Business on Clubhouse Featuring Christina Holder
10
JANUARY 2021
Chri Christina Holder, a D.C.-based finance professional and creator of Womxn in Business, the largest club for women on Clubhouse, recently drew contrasts between an audience and a community. On her Instagram post, she said an audience engages you when you engage it, while community members engage each other on their own.
“At the end of the day, I want to change the face of power,”
Christina credits much of Womxn in Business’ success on Clubhouse Chri to an understanding of this distinction.
Christina explains to WI Bridge when reflecting on the potential of the community she has built.
Womxn in Business on Clubhouse is a rapidly growing community where women say they feel heard. While the club was created for a diverse array of women in business, Black women in particular are experiencing breakthroughs on this platform. Studies have shown that they, more than women of other racial backgrounds, inherently rely on each other's shared experiences and support to grow.
As Christina’s community grows like wildfire, already surpassing 100,000 members with another 50,000 people remaining on the waitlist, Clubhouse’s value has reached $1 Billion, a figure 10-times greater than the app's valuation eight months ago.
The pandemic has made it increasingly clear that people miss being in an active community.
The need for this peer-to-peer connection is necessary because Black women are often undervalued in business. A National Women’s Law Center analysis showed that, last month, 96 percent of the jobs lost in the U.S. economy belonged to Black women. That’s a whopping 154,000 jobs. Since Sin Clubhouse’s inception, it has held a reputation for being exclusive. As an invitation-based app with roots in Silicon Valley’s venture capitalist space, Clubhouse’s beta users were oftentimes celebrities, industry executives, and investor types. Christina joined Clubhouse on October 22, 2020, when there were Chri less than 20,000 users on the app. At the time, she browsed the platform looking for “rooms” for women to engage in substantive conversation. She felt the need for an easier way to find and connect with like-minded individuals so she could not only feel a sense of belonging, but build business support networks. When she couldn’t find anything quite like that, Christina took it upon herself to create the Womxn in Business Club. With the goal of creating a place where diverse groups of women felt welcomed, she designed the community as an inclusive space, different from many of the existing clubs on the app that had stringent rules for membership and only allowed influencers to moderate, get on stage, and host rooms. Chri Christina’s club democratizes knowledge so that any member could moderate a conversation, start a room, or nominate others to join.
Though Black women have helped to grow the platform and engage users, the question remains of how do they benefit from platforms like Clubhouse. Similar to the way that many startups get funded, Clubhouse’s early investors were largely White, male, and based out of Silicon Valley. Right now, people fitting this profile are vying to lead Clubhouses next round of funding. Social media firms use the customer to try out new features and collect feedback to generate revenue. That’s why on the Netflix documentary, “The Social Dilemma,” former Google design ethicist Tristan Harris said, “If you are not paying for the product, you are the product.” Black female innovators, like Christina, have carved out a niche among Black users. As more have joined, they have changed the way that people engage with the voice-chatting app. There certainly lies an opportunity for Clubhouse to take the lead in welcoming Black women as early investors in the app. For instance, award winning actress and comedian Tiffany Haddish was the first Clubhouse user to gain more than 1 million followers. During a recent event, she expressed interest in becoming an investor and revealed that no one from Clubhouse has contacted her, despite the evident value and powerful impact she is contributing as an early adopter. Meli Melissa Bradley, a District-based venture capitalist, expressed a similar notion to WI Bridge. “Once again Black people create culture, but we're not reaping the benefits of the value that we're creating for that company,” said Melissa, founder of 1863 Ventures. “In this moment of time there has been a significant creation of new funds focused on Black people. I think if we're going to do it, this is our time,” she added.
Words Cherrelle Swain
Photography Tyrous Morris
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OPINIONS/EDITORIALS
EDITORIAL
Executive Orders Bring a New Day in America
Rolling out the welcome mat for the Biden-Harris Administration while closing the door on the Trump Administration has most definitely generated a sigh of relief from politicians and voters alike all across the nation. The enthusiasm was tepid. The impact of a global pandemic that has proven deadlier in the U.S. than any other place in the world contributed to the fact the new administration is unproven, but for the role the former senators played in supporting national and state legislation and determining how the law would impact those accused of abusing it. For Black voters, especially, to have a Black woman in the White House holding a position of power as the second in command is outstanding, but what more can they expect from her. The nation watched as President Biden spent the afternoon in the White House, immediately after being inaugurated, signing executive orders ranging from refocusing on the climate crisis to revising immigration enforcement policies to requiring mask-wearing on federal property and ending the ban on U.S entry from majority-Muslim countries. On day two of the new administration, Biden continued to sign more executive orders addressing the nation’s COVID-19 crisis. They ranged from the reopening of schools to allowing states to use the National Guard in response to COVID-19 efforts. He also established a COVID-19 Health Equity Task Force to ensure funds distributed to fight the pandemic do not perpetuate disparities in outcomes. Yes, the President’s signing hand has been extremely busy setting a new tone for America and ensuring Black Americans are not left out. Often with Vice President Harris standing nearby, the President’s orders promote racial equity in all federal agencies, a topic Trump sought to prohibit. Biden has gone even further by banning discrimination based on gender identity and sexual orientation. He ordered a pause on federal student loan payments, reversed a military ban on transgender people, ended the federal government’s reliance on private prisons and expanded food assistance programs. He is even moving forward on placing the image of Harriet Tubman on the $20 bill. With these actions, the Biden-Harris Administration has provided reasons to feel optimistic that the American voter’s concerns will be heard and addressed. Each day they offer reasons to grow more excited that a new day is occurring now in America. WI
DOMINIC from Page 8 we as Americans must cross. And along the way, if we truly want the best for our children and their children – if we really believe in the lofty words of our Constitution and the promises it makes to every citizen, as well as the invitation it extends to those oppressed people from other countries, we must be willing to embrace a paradigm shift of monumental proportion. Then, I too, and you too, in the words of the great poet, Langston Hughes, will be seen, accepted and respected as an equal American – with all rights, privileges and opportunities to pursue our dreams and share our gifts for the benefit of our community, our nation and all of humankind. Certainly the election of Vice President Harris leaves me hopeful and optimistic. And yet . . . WI
I, Too
By Langston Hughes I, too, sing America. I am the darker brother. They send me to eat in the kitchen When company comes, But I laugh, And eat well, And grow strong. Tomorrow, I'll be at the table When company comes. Nobody'll dare Say to me, “Eat in the kitchen,” Then. Besides, They'll see how beautiful I am And be ashamed— I, too, am America.
TO THE EDITOR True Hero
Historically Black
Very cool to read last week's issue and find out that the hero U.S. Capitol Police Officer Eugene Goodman hails from Southeast! I applaud his work and I was additionally glad that he was able to participate in the inauguration and get his flowers now rather than later.
HBCU graduates are indeed playing a role in unifying America. Kudos for the story and pointing out how so many Black college grads are on the national stage of our country right now! I think the likes of Kamala Harris, Stacey Abrams and Rev. Raphael Warnock will contribute to a surge of HBCU enrollment!
Mesie Chatham Washington, D.C.
Helen Gaither Washington, D.C.
Readers' Mailbox
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The Washington Informer welcomes letters to the editor about articles we publish or issues affecting the community. Write to: lsaxton@washingtoninformer. com or send to: 3117 Martin Luther King Jr Ave., SE, Washington, D.C. 20032. Please note that we are unable to publish letters that do not include a full name, address and phone number. We look forward to hearing from you. JANUARY 28 - FEBRUARY 3, 2021 23
OPINIONS/EDITORIALS Guest Columnist
Julianne Malveaux
What a Difference a Day Makes
It took only one day, one inauguration, for the shift between pessimism and optimism. Just one day to anticipate new opportunities, new possibilities. The skies opened up on the day that President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris of the inauguration, and the sun of truth and light shone in. I had a mixtape running through my brain. The Fifth Dimension, "Let The Sun Shine In"; Nina Simone, "Here Comes the Sun"; Nina
Simone, "To Be Young, Gifted and Black"; McFadden and Whitehead, "Ain't No Stopping Us Now." You could not have wiped the grin off my face if you had a Brillo pad. The inauguration met my expectations. Biden spoke hope and reconciliation. Harris spoke history and healing. The highlight of the inauguration for me, though, was young Amanda Gorman, the Poet Laureate, at 22, the youngest poet laureate ever. There have been many times in the last few years when I wished that Dr. Maya Angelou was alive. Sometimes it's personal — I'd like her advice, her words, her soothing. Sometimes
Guest Columnist
it's political — I'd like to know what she thinks. But on Inauguration Day, I wanted her to see a brilliant young lady stand on her shoulders, to watch Amanda Gorman recite her poem, "The Hill We Climb." It is a complex, hopeful, alliterative and aspirational poem that declared that our country "is not broken but unfinished." What shone through her appearance was not only her bold words but also her shining presence. Nina Simone. To Be Young, Gifted and Black. While the substance of inauguration was most important, those of us who are fashionistas had plenty of
eye candy. Jill Biden's light blue outfit. Kamala's purple (a combination of blue and red), Michelle Obama's bold maroon with a striking belt, and the monochromatic look that many of the women rocked. The presence of women, especially Black women, was also notable. Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar was part of the Presidential Inauguration Committee and opened the ceremony. Firefighter Andrea Hall spoke and signed the Pledge of Allegiance. Black girl magic was in the house. My mixtape is running through my head. The symbolism was stunning, but it was far more critical that President
Biden hit the ground running, and he did. He signed 17 executive orders, reversing some of the most onerous declarations of his predecessor. He dissolved the 1776 Commission, an odious truth-erasing propaganda body charged with developing "patriotic education." Replete with lies, peppered with quotes by Dr. Martin Luther King and Abraham Lincoln, neither of whom would have cosigned the report, the previous administration had the utter audacity to release this madness on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s birth-
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Rev. Jesse L. Jackson, Sr.
Our System is Rigged So the Minority Can Rule
The majority does not rule in the United States. The foundation of any democracy — one person, one vote — is mocked by institutionalized impediments that allow the minority to win even when they lose at the ballot box. In this era, even when Democrats win, they lose. And the will of the majority of the people is frustrated by a system rigged to empower the minority.
Consider: Democratic candidates have won the popular vote in seven of the last eight presidential elections but have become president only five times. Trump became president four years ago despite losing the popular vote by nearly 3 million votes. Presidents who lost the majority of the votes have nominated five of the nine Supreme Court justices. The reason, of course, is the Electoral College, which tallies votes by state, not by voter. This institution is a legacy of slavery, designed by the founders to en-
Guest Columnist
sure that the less populated slave states would be able to balance the free states that had nearly three times the population. In frustrating the popular vote, the Electoral College puts the democracy at risk. Because of the Electoral College, Trump's margin of defeat wasn't 7 million across the nation, but about 65,000 votes in three states and the 2nd District of Nebraska. That helped empower him to mislead millions by claiming the election was stolen, despite Biden's landslide
popular vote victory. In the Senate, Democrats and Republicans each have 50 senators (with Vice President Kamala Harris the tie-breaking vote). The 50 Democrats represent 41 million more voters than the 50 Republicans. Smaller, more rural states with few people, like Wyoming or Idaho, have as many senators as large populous states like California and New York. To add insult to injury, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico, which have more voters than several states,
are denied statehood with no final vote on any legislation. That means, among other things, that three Supreme Court justices — Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh, and Amy Coney Barrett — were all nominated by a president who lost the popular vote and confirmed by a bloc of senators who represent less than half the country. In the House, Democrats have a small majority. But to win a majority,
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Marc H. Morial
Biden, Harris Face Confront Historic Challenges of Pandemic, Racial Justice
"A cry for racial justice some 400 years in the making moves us. The dream of justice for all will be deferred no longer. A cry for survival comes from the planet itself. A cry that can't be any more desperate or any more clear. And now, a rise in political extremism, white supremacy, domestic terrorism that we must confront, and we will defeat. To overcome these chal-
lenges — to restore the soul and to secure the future of America — requires more than words. It requires that most elusive of things in a democracy: Unity." — President Joe Biden, inaugural address I had the honor of attending the inauguration of President Biden and Vice President Harris. It was an inauguration unlike any in my lifetime, and perhaps unlike any in
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American history. The twin pandemics that plague our nation — COVID-19 and racially-motivated violence — meant there were no cheering crowds of hundreds of thousands. Those of us who were invited to attend were tested for COVID and required to wear masks. 25,000 National Guard members were on hand to prevent a repeat of the deadly riot of Jan. 6.
But the inauguration was historic for other, more hopeful reasons, as well. Kamala Harris became the first woman, the first African American, and the first person of South Asian descent to hold the office of vice president. A 22-year-old Black woman, the nation's first Youth Poet Laurate, captivated the nation with her vision of hope and healing. It was a ceremony that was at once uplifting and weighty with the life-
and-death challenges that face the new administration. Among the very first actions he took upon assuming office — after mandating masks and social distancing on federal property —was directing every federal agency to review its state of racial equity and deliver an action plan within 200 days to address any disparities in policies and programs.
MORIAL Page 41
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OPINIONS/EDITORIALS Guest Columnist
Charlene Crowell
Consumer Advocates Push President Biden in His First 100 Days
As President Joe Biden begins his term of office, the nation and much of the world are waiting and watching to see how his promises become policies and practices that relieve long-term and widespread suffering. The 2021 inaugural also made history as former California Sen. Kamala Harris took the oath to serve the nation as its vice president. No woman has ever served
in this key role, nor has an HBCU graduate. Yet in the aftermath of an administration that will likely be recorded as the worst in American history, a suffering nation is anxious for promises to become policies and programs that provide overdue relief. Following his inauguration, President Biden signed a series of executive orders, many of which repealed a range of issues from his predecessor. For example, on the international front, the 46th president ended the Muslim travel ban and rejoined two global efforts —
Guest Columnist
the Paris Agreement on Climate Change and the World Health Organization. Other executive orders focused on domestic issues like ending the border wall construction and extending the current pause on student debt payments and interest, as well as moratoriums on evictions and foreclosures. Still, many advocates raised their voices in pushing the Biden administration to do even more. "It's not enough to have an election and put new people into office," Rev. Dr. William Barber II, co-chair of the Poor People's Campaign, recently told the New
York Times. "We must push and continue to push for the kind of public policy that really establishes justice." A still-ravaging pandemic that has taken more than 400,000 American lives is intertwined with an economic recession that added 1.15 million workers to the ranks of the unemployed in the first week of 2021, according to the Department of Labor. These updated unemployment figures also revealed that Black and Latina women have been hit hardest by unemployment. This increase adds even more financial stress to the
more than seven million people who in the last week of December continued to rely on unemployment insurance. "We applaud the extension of the eviction, foreclosure and student loans moratoriums, the institution of a 100-day mask mandate, and the rejoining of the World Health Organization, and are ready to work with President Biden, Vice President Harris and our Senate partners to build on these measures with the swift passage of a comprehensive and bold
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Ben Jealous
Biden and Harris Flex Their Muscles on Their First Day in Office
Joe Biden and Kamala Harris aren't wasting any time. When we all woke up on the morning of Jan. 20, Donald Trump and Mike Pence were still president and vice president. By the time we went to bed, Vice President Harris had sworn in new Sens. Raphael Warnock, Jon Ossoff and Alex Padilla. And President Biden had signed a dozen ex-
ecutive actions to reverse harmful Trump policies on the pandemic, the economy, immigration and climate change — and renew a national commitment to equality under the law. No other administration has done so much so quickly. And the flurry of executive actions was just a jump-start to the new direction that we the people voted for. Let's celebrate for a moment what a remarkable week this was. I deeply appreciated the national pause that Biden and Har-
Askia-At-Large
ris gave us the night before the inauguration. They stood at the Reflecting Pool on the National Mall to remember the more than 400,000 Americans who have died from COVID-19 and honor our caregivers. We needed that simple, humane recognition of our collective grief. The next morning, Trump got up early to take a cowardly flight out of town rather than attend the swearing-in of the team that beat him by 7 million votes. It was probably just as well because
we didn't have to think about him during the ceremony. We could focus instead on the history-making Vice President Kamala Harris. We could welcome the fact that she was escorted to the inaugural stage by the heroic Eugene Goodman, the U.S. Capitol Police officer who kept a violent mob away from the Senate chamber during the insurrection Trump had incited just two weeks earlier. We could enjoy great musicians and the brilliant performance of
Amanda Gorman, a radiant young Black woman whose poetry, like Biden's inaugural speech, was honest about the challenges we face and hopeful about our ability to take them on. As the day wore on, we could deeply appreciate the magnitude of what we accomplished when we replaced Trump, Pence and his team with Biden, Harris and their team. Some changes Biden ordered in
Here's a man who told 30,573 lies or misleading statements — half of them during his last year in office. Here's a man who said even before he was elected (despite receiving 3 million fewer votes than his opponent in 2016) that he could "shoot someone in the middle of New York's Fifth Avenue and not lose a single vote." Surely shooting someone in cold blood is illegal. He filed 80 frivolous, lawsuits claiming election fraud,
and every single one of them was laughed out of court, even by judges he'd appointed. What law? He even boasted once, after he took office, that no one could enforce a law that he didn't like against him. All he needed was for Pence to go along with his scheme and reject the certified Electoral College votes which declared Biden the new presi-
JEALOUS Page 42
Askia Muhammad
Joe Biden Should Thank Mike Pence
I realize that he may have already done so in private, but on behalf of at least 81 million voters in the 2020 election, Joe Biden should thank former Vice President Mike Pence and his "Better Angels" for saving the American republic itself. After three years, 11 months, and two weeks of obedient sub-
servience to Donald J. Trump, Pence took a stand for principles and saved the nation from a coup d'état which was attempted by the Twice Impeached Private Citizen (TWIMPRIC) who now resides in Florida instead of at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. Not many people want to recognize how close they came to witnessing the Birth of the Fourth Reich, on Jan 6. "Oh, we're a nation of laws, not men," they are quick to say, insisting
that Pence had no constitutional authority to dismiss the certified votes of the Electoral College and permit the TWIMPRIC to declare himself "president for life." Such actions would have been patently illegal. Patently illegal. But The Donald has never been bound by the law, or by international treaties, or by decency. A coup is illegal, but that didn't stop him from trying to pull one off on Jan. 6.
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ASKIA Page 42
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LIFESTYLE Grocery Stores Offer Cash to Employees to Encourage Coronavirus Vaccination
Lidl Will Pay Workers $200 with New COVID-19 Initiative Sarafina Wright WI Contributing Writer Grocers like Trader Joe’s, Dollar General, a discount retailer, Lidl and Aldi have committed to paying workers to take the coronavirus vaccine. Aldi officials said all hourly workers who wish to receive the vaccine are able to do so without concern about lost pay or penalty for lost work time. The company will cover costs
associated with vaccine administration and will provide employees with two hours of pay for each dose they receive, up to four hours total, as well as scheduling flexibility for salaried employees. “Since the onset of the pandemic, our entire ALDI team has worked to keep stores safe and stocked, and serve communities without interruption,” Jason Hart, CEO, ALDI U.S. said. “Providing accommodations so employees can receive this critical
vaccine is one more way we can support them and eliminate the need to choose between earning their wages and protecting their well-being.” The company says it will continue to work with government and health care officials to do its part to reduce exposure to COVID-19 and search for ways to enhance vaccine accessibility. For example, Aldi plans to implement on-site vaccination clinics at its warehouse and office locations to ensure its employees have easy access to the vaccine. Lidl, headquartered in Arlington, Va. will provide $200 in extra pay to all Lidl US workers who choose to receive the vaccine. The grocer says the initiative builds on Lidl's ongoing effort to protect the health of its employees. Last January, Lidl began to offer comprehensive medical coverage to all full and part-time employees, regardless of the number of hours they work per week. In March, Lidl developed a first-in-the-industry program with CareFirst-BlueCross BlueShield to give all its employees access to comprehensive COVID-19 medical coverage at no cost, says the grocer. Dalilah McCary, 20, an employee of a Lidl location in Bowie, Md.
(Photo courtesy of Pexels.com.)
said she was unaware of the company offering to pay employees for vaccinations but she would take it. Owen Patterson, 22, who works at Trader Joe’s in Northwest says he was recently informed of the vaccine program. “I think that companies should pay their staff.” He continued, “I would get it when it comes out regardless.” According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control [CDC], healthcare personnel and nursing home residents are receiving the first dosages of vaccinations followed by people over 75 and essential workers in a later phase. Lidl says according to an internal survey, store employees are eager to receive the vaccine. Near-
ly eight in 10 of them plan to get the vaccine as soon as it becomes available. “We are proud to provide our employees the resources they need to receive the COVID-19 vaccine free of any obstacles,” said Johannes Fieber, CEO of Lidl US. “From the outset of the pandemic, we have worked hard to put the health and safety of our employees first.” “From offering free COVID-19 healthcare to our entire workforce, to installing hospital-grade air filtration in our stores and warehouses to assure cleaner and healthier air, Lidl has made it a priority to adapt our policies to work better for our people during this pandemic.” WI
GOP from Page 13 off a metal detector near the House chamber. The device became installed after the Jan. 6 riots by Trump supporters. “Andy Harris should be held to the same standard as any other congressman,” Bennett said. “There is a highly level of scrutiny on Trump supporters that sets a horrible, dangerous precedent that may come back and bite people in the tail really soon.” Yvette Lewis, chair of the Maryland Democratic Party, called Harris “an embarrassment to our state.” The party will continue its work statewide in preparation for the 2022 midterm elections such as work to unseating Harris’ first congressional district and electing a Democrat for governor. “We are going to organize in every part of the state because we recognize voters need to know that the Democratic Party represents the entire state and not a portion of the state,” Lewis said. “We’re going to expand our majority in the General Assembly, so we have a full plate.” WI @jabariwill
The party will continue its work statewide in preparation for the 2022 midterm elections such as work to unseating Harris’ first congressional district and electing a Democrat for governor. 26 - JANUARY 28 - FEBRUARY 3, 2021
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Gen. Austin Confirmed as First Black Defense Secretary Stacy M. Brown WI Senior Writer Retired Gen. Lloyd Austin, a Black man, will run the U.S. Department of Defense. On Friday, Jan. 22, the Senate confirmed President Joe Biden's defense secretary pick, making Austin the first African American to serve in that role. "I pledge to fight hard to rid our ranks of racists and extremists," Austin said during his confirmation hearings. He also pledged to overturn several discriminatory bans on military service put in place by the previous administration.
The confirmation vote cleared by a 93-2 margin. Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) and Sen. Josh Hawley (RMo.) were the lone no-votes. One day prior, the U.S. House approved a waiver to allow for Austin's confirmation. The decorated veteran required a congressional waiver to confirm the civilian post because he retired from active duty only four years ago. Federal law requires seven years of retirement from active duty before becoming defense secretary. President Biden and others had previously pointed to the Congressional waiver received in 2017 by retired Marine Gen. James Mattis, who served as defense secretary in
the previous administration. "The law that we keep waiving actually exists for a good reason," remarked Sen. Minority Leader McConnell (R-Ky). "Civilian control of the military is a fundamental principle of our republic. We emphatically do not want high-ranking military service to become a tacit prerequisite for civilian leadership posts over the Department of Defense." Gen. Austin's confirmation cements him as one of the most prominent members of President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris' Cabinet. The secretary of defense controls the country's largest government
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agency, commanding troops worldwide and the Pentagon's internal workings. The confirmation also keeps with Biden's promise to have a staff and cabinet that reflects America's diversity. "I know firsthand from our time together on the [United Technologies] board that General Austin will be a wonderful choice for Secretary of Defense," former Gov. Christine Todd Whitman of New Jersey tweeted. The 67-year-old has accumulated many awards and decorations, including five Defense Distinguished
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5 Gen. Lloyd Austin (Courtesy U.S. Central Command via Wikimedia Commons)
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“Racially Discriminatory Legislation & Policies Must Be Stopped” The Unintended Consequences of a Ban on Menthols to Black Adult Citizens – January 25, 2021 – Message to the Black America
From tear gassing peaceful Black and Brown protesters vs. opening gates to White rioters, to countless fatal arrests of unarmed Black men vs. polite requests to put down the Congressional gavel, American history is clear: the color of your skin CAN determine your fate when faced with armed and unarmed law enforcers. And racist laws and discriminatory bans can protect the badge and not the Black and Brown victims. It’s not just the over-aggressive actions of police officers that resulted in the untimely deaths of Rayshad Brooks, Eric Gardner and George Floyd, but also the system of unjust and discriminatory laws that emboldened the officers’ actions. The Law Enforcement Action Partnership (LEAP) and National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA) have joined together with other African American law enforcement executives to call on you - our readers in Black communities across the nation and here in Maryland - to see the warning signs of yet another proposed racially discriminatory law that could increase negative interactions between Black adult citizens and law enforcers: a ban on menthols. Let us not forget the mothers of Trayvon Martin and Eric Garner who in 2020 courageously issued a public statement warning against the consequences of a proposed menthol cigarette ban. Sybrina Fulton and Gwendolyn Carr stated, “When you ban a product sold mostly in Black communities, you must consider the reality of what will happen to that very same over-represented community in the criminal justice system.” While proponents argue that a ban on menthols could encourage menthol cigarette smokers to quit smoking cold-turkey, the reality is they will strengthen the existing illicit tobacco market. Just look at Massachusetts. Studies show that illegal sales of menthol cigarettes are more concentrated in communities of color, which leads to greater police pres-
ence, citations, fines, and arrests for selling a product that for the past 50 years has been legal. Possible bans on menthol cigarettes are now being considered throughout the United States, and right here in Maryland, as add-ons to e-cigarette and youth vaping bans. The fact is teen cigarette use has steadily been on the decline over the past decade. Menthols are favored by Black adult citizens, not teens. And despite the harms our community faces, Black adult citizens do still have a right to freedom of choice. Law enforcement leaders like Law Enforcement Action Partnership (LEAP), National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives (NOBLE), Grand Council of Guardians, and National Association of Black Law Enforcement Officers (NABLEO) have stated countless times that a ban on menthol cigarettes will have unintended negative consequences, especially for African Americans. Over the past 30 years, we have reduced tobacco consumption overall across this country by about 40 percent. And we did not do that with the criminal justice community. We did that with education, we did it with treatment, we did it from a health and educational perspective. Let’s continue with that. Let’s not do something that’s going to end up with these unintended consequences of increasing interaction between police and community members. Major Neill Franklin (Ret.), Former Executive Director of the Law Enforcement Action Partnership (LEAP): “I dedicated 34 years of my life to public THIS ADVERTORIAL IS PAID FOR BY THE LAW ENFORCEMENT ACTION PARTNERSHIP (LEAP)
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safety, enforcing the laws that our legislators placed before me. That’s what cops do, and we trust that those laws are well thought out, studied and based upon sound data and evidence. As we begin to mirror the days of alcohol prohibition with tobacco bans, expect the violence and corruption that comes with the illicit market and add something else, the over criminalization of the black community.” Jiles Ship, Past President of the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives – New Jersey (NOBLE): “Banning menthol cigarettes would be a 21st Century attempt at Prohibition, a past failure of government to restrict a previously legal product. As we learned with Prohibition, every time the government tries to ban something, it seems to cause other problems. And unfortunately, a menthol cigarette ban would be another example of government action that disproportionately disrupts the Black community.” Charles Billips, National Chair Person of Grand Council of Guardians, “The first question I asked is how are they going to implement this ban on menthol cigarettes, knowing that a large number of Black and Brown people smoke menthol cigarettes? It would be best to educate the communities on the affect it has on our health instead of a ban enforced through Law Enforcement.” The time is NOW to safely protect the Black and Brown adults in our communities who hope that their lawful, adult choices are protected and not questioned by an enforcement officer. The time is NOW for all who stand for freedom, justice and equality to speak out against all forms of racial discrimination, as well as the systems, laws, bans and policies that perpetuate them. Law-abiding Black and Brown adults deserve to just BE. Be free to live. Free to live their lives safely. And to reach this, we must, together, speak out against racism and discrimination before it becomes the LAW.
5 Man of Change LeBron James, Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Walter Iooss, © Walter Iooss
‘MEN OF CHANGE’ EXHIBITION TO OPEN AT SMITHSONIAN’S ANACOSTIA COMMUNITY MUSEUM
The Smithsonian’s Anacostia Community Museum presents from Feb. 1 – May 31 the exhibition, Men of Change: Taking it to the Streets, outside on the campus of Ron Brown High School and the Deanwood Community Center in Northeast. Men of Change offers powerful stories of significant African-American men – both known and unknown. It examines how each, in their own way, used inspiration from those before them to take charge of their identity and not be held back by stereotypes and societal barriers of their times. It’s a moving and uplifting experience featuring bold presentations, fresh literary excerpts and quotes and vibrant stories to highlight these revolutionary men and invite visitors to reflect on their own narratives. The creative reimaging of the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition’s in-gallery show exhibition for outdoor presentation in D.C.’s Ward 7 Deanwood neighborhood will be augmented over its run with pop-up building projections throughout Ward 8 and at Union Market, offering a safer approach to museum engagement in today’s COVID-19 environment. Original funding support was provided by the Ford Motor Company Fund which has also supported the local Taking it to the Streets installation along with the DC Commission on the Arts and the Smithsonian Women’s Committee. Media sponsorship is provided by The Washington Informer Newspaper. For more information, visit anacostia.si.edu. WI
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Baseball Icon Hank ‘Henry’ Aaron Dies at 86 Stacy M. Brown WI Senior Writer
Baseball's recognized home run king and an African American hero, Henry "Hank" Aaron, has died at the age of 86. Aaron, who broke Babe Ruth's all-time home run record on April 8, 1974, was not just a baseball legend but a hero to superstars. "He's the one man that I idolize more than myself," the late boxing legend Muhammad Ali once said about Aaron. While with the Atlanta Braves, Aaron tied Ruth's mark of 714 homers on April 7. A day later, he slugged No. 715 against the Los Angeles Dodgers' Al Downing. Before and throughout his chase of Ruth's longstanding record, Aaron was subjected to racism and hate. Death threats were common, and even some teammates and those throughout baseball despised Aaron as he approached their white hero's record. Despite beefed up security at Atlanta's Fulton County Stadium, some fans breached the outfield walls as Aaron trotted around the bases following his record-setting dinger. Legendary footage shows at least two fans were able to physically greet Aaron as he rounded second base and fireworks exploded in the Atlanta night. "A black man is getting a standing ovation in the deep South for breaking a record of an alltime baseball idol," Dodgers announcer Vin Scully, who called the game, proclaimed as Aaron's mother, family and teammates greeted him at home plate. Born Henry Louis Aaron on Feb. 5, 1934, in a poor Black section of Mobile, Ala., called "Down the Bay," Hank Aaron was the third of eight children born to Estella and Herbert Aaron. His father made a living as a tavern owner and a dry dock boilermaker's assistant. According to biography.com, Aaron and his family moved to the middle-class Toulminville neighborhood when he was eight years old. Aaron, who became known as "Hammering Hank," developed a strong affinity for baseball and
football at a young age and focused more on sports than studies. During his freshman and sophomore years, he attended Central High School, a segregated high school in Mobile, where he excelled at football and baseball. Aaron first starred in the Negro Leagues in 1952 and again in 1953, batting .366, with five home runs and 33 RBIs in 26 official games. He began his Major League Baseball career in 1954 with the Milwaukee Braves and spent 23 seasons as an outfielder with Milwaukee – the franchise eventually moved to Atlanta. Aaron finished his career with 755 home runs, a record topped by Barry Bonds of the San Francisco Giants in 2007. Many baseball purists still recognize Aaron as the record holder, alleging that Bonds used performance enhancing drugs to bolster his power. Bonds has denied those allegations. Aaron's biography at the Baseball Hall of Fame, into which he was inducted in 1982, noted that he was "a consistent producer both at the plate and in the field, reaching the .300 mark in batting 14 times, 30 home runs 15 times, 90 RBI 16 times and captured three Gold Glove Awards en-route to 25 All-Star Game selections." The Hall biography notes that 1957 was arguably Aaron's best season. He hit .322 that year with 44 home runs and 132 RBI, captured the National League MVP Award, and led the Braves to their first World Series Championship since 1914. The U.S. Postal Service once honored Aaron for receiving nearly 1 million pieces of mail, more than any non-politician. On the 25th anniversary of Aaron's 715th home run, Major League Baseball created the Hank Aaron Award, given annually to the players with the best overall offensive performance in each league. Aaron received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian award, from President George W. Bush in 2002. According to the New York Times, the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y., opened a
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permanent exhibit in 2009 chronicling Aaron's life. His childhood home was moved on a flatbed truck to the grounds of Hank Aaron Stadium, which was the home of the Mobile BayBears, a former minor league team, and opened as a museum in 2010. "Through his long career, Hank Aaron has been a model of humility, dignity, and quiet competence," former Atlanta Mayor and U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Andrew Young noted in a statement. "He did not seek the adoration that is accorded to other national athletic heroes, yet he has now earned it. " WI @StacyBrownMedia
4 Hank Aaron (Via Wikimedia commons)
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JANUARY 28 - FEBRUARY 3, 2021 29
LIFESTYLE
The Challenges Black America Face with Distant and Virtual Learning During COVID-19 Stacy M. Brown, WI Senior Writer
The coronavirus pandemic is now claiming more than 3,000 lives per day. Businesses are suffering, and schools are again going all-virtual and posing more challenges to minorities than ever before. The challenges are particularly pronounced in the African American community, where access to the internet, working parents and a haphazard learning model have undermined pre-pandemic gains. “The digital divide doubly impacts these students, as it completely stops
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our tutoring with almost all of our school partners,” said Richard Kaplan, the executive director of IvyTutorsNetwork.com, a New York City Department of Education-approved vendor that teaches students in multiple underserved public and charter schools in the Bronx, Harlem, and Bedford Stuyvesant. “For some, fully remote actually means they might as well be in Tahiti or Timbuktu, inaccessible to effective teaching and all but forgotten,” Kaplan said. The distance learning scheme or the online classes method of teaching are good strategies in reducing physical
contact and helps limit the spread of the virus, asserted Lewis Keegan, owner and operator of SkillScouter.com, which aims to help potential students find their learning paths via online learning platforms. “However, the solution might not be as inclusive, especially for people of color in other parts of the world,” Keegan observed. “This is because not everyone is privileged for such amenities. Some areas across the globe are still not introduced to the concept of the internet,” he said. Keegan continued: “Aside from this, having devices such as laptops and phones for learning are
Activist, Artist, Ayo Handy Kendi
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Sister, Ayo Handy Kendi takes us into the depths of hearing, learning, accepting and understanding how to live life secured with Love and its many powerful, unlimited, expressions. Treat yourself, family and friends @ www.blackonblackunity.com THEN CLICK Radio Information. A Must Hear for Peace of Mind and Heart. Show is dated January 23, 2021. Another VLB PRODUCTIONS
30 - JANUARY 28 - FEBRUARY 3, 2021
5 “If a child is in a lower socioeconomic category, then they are less likely to have high-speed internet or a device to use even to access the lessons. I know the Philadelphia School District had to get a grant to purchase tens of thousands of Chromebooks and the like.” (Photo: iStockphoto/NNPA)
not cheap and easily accessible. Because of this, more practical options are chosen by parents like spending their money in food and sustenance, rather than education.” As the pandemic shuts most people in for what promises to be a long, cold and socially distant winter, families are suffering, offered Dr. Karen Aronian of Aronian Education Design LLC. “Without a doubt, people of color are our most vulnerable populations. Special needs education students in isolated rural communities, those who are homeless, and food insecure, are in dire education straits,” Aronian stated. She noted that some reports have revealed that the pandemic has forced students to lose as much as 50 percent of their academic growth in math, at least 30 percent of their proficiency in English Language Arts (ELA) and perhaps a full school year of academic growth in some cases. “Strain, struggle and hardship abound in communities of color, which carries over into family life and lack of hope,” Aronian continued. “Children’s education becomes secondary to the basic needs of a home and family. The traditional in-person school has been, for many children, a respite from home life, family problems, and dysfunction. Without school, education has fallen off the radar in homes where survival is first, and education is a much lower rung during COVID times.” The pandemic has especially been tough on marginalized communities, including those with special needs, added Lisa Lightner, of A Day in Our Shoes, an organization that advocates on behalf of special education. “I have been chatting with all kinds of families, including Black and Brown families. Here is some of what I’m seeing. The challenges that these families are facing aren’t necessarily due to their
skin color – but because their skin color makes them much more likely to be in another category of marginalization,” Lightner proclaimed. According to a recent Duke University panel at the school’s Samuel DuBois Cook Center on Social Equity, many Black and Brown individuals face challenges that affect their and educators’ ability to resume in-person education safely. Further, Education Week reported that in-person learning yields superior educational outcomes for primary and secondary students — and that the pitfalls of virtual instruction are especially pronounced in minority communities and those living in poverty.3 School districts around the country that are strapped for cash have found it increasingly challenging to tackle the learning barriers minority students disproportionately have experienced during the pandemic. “The reality is in many economically distressed counties, over 60 percent of families don’t have reliable internet access, and that disproportionately affects students of color. In one of my counties, over 70 percent do not,” said Alex Beene, an adult and high school teacher in Tennessee. “And while I try to supplement those households with additional packets and materials, it’s just not the same. It’s impossible to attend daily classes and submit assignments digitally if you can’t even connect to join the conversation,” Beene remarked. “Many families of color also lack adequate nutrition and a culture of learning in the home. When schools are closed down, not having access to school lunches or educators that motivate students to go higher academically can have lasting effects that will stretch on long after the pandemic.” WI @StacyBrownMedia
THE WASHINGTON INFORMER / WWW.WASHINGTONINFORMER.COM
RIOTS from Page 1
one of the officer’s colleagues was photographed sporting a “Make America Great Again” while directing traffic. And while the actual number of officers under investigation has been reported from various sources from as few as eight and as many as 17, U.S. Capitol Police acting Chief Yogananda Pittman recently stated that “several officers” had been “suspended.” She said in a statement that the department “has been actively reviewing video and other open source materials of some USCP officers and officials that appear to be in violation of Department regulations and policies.” “Our Office of Professional Responsibility will investigate these behaviors for disciplinary action, up to, and including, termination. Several USCP officers have already been suspended pending the outcome of their investigations,” the statement continued. Officers from other parts of the U.S., including New York, Philadelphia, Chicago, Seattle, Texas and Virginia similarly remain under investigation by their respective departments for possibly violating rules. Other departments have joined the FBI as the federal law enforcement agency conducts its own criminal investigations with many predicting that with social media and the shifting public sentiment, more lawbreakers will be identified. One on-duty officer was killed in the Jan. 6 insurrection with dozens of others injured and one U.S. Capitol Police officer committing suicide. Specifically, the siege resulted in the death of five people, including Brian Sicknick, a U.S. Capitol Police Officer, who “was injured while physically engaging with protesters.” Officials say nearly 50 police officers were injured in clashes with the pro-Trump mob. Now, the District’s Attorney General, Karl Racine, who also serves as the president of the National Association of Attorneys General, must work with federal law officials to determine who should be charged, what those charges will be and whether their cases will be tried in federal courts or in the District. Racine spoke with SiriusXM Urban View Host Joe Madison on Jan. 19 during which he addressed
Draft Environmental Impact Statement
now available for comment! The Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for the Baltimore-Washington Superconducting Maglev (SCMAGLEV) Project is now available for review and comment!
5 The U.S. Capitol under seige on January 6. (Anthony Tilghman/The Washington Informer)
questions of whether former President Trump should be held accountable for the Capitol insurrection because it appears to have been pre-planned. ‘[The] argument has some merit if it is indeed the case that a group was hell-bent on doing what it did, such that an individual's words may not have mattered. But it's way too early to tell whether that's the case. And of course, even if the . . . argument is right, it may not be right as to every single person who stormed the Capitol. And there is no doubt that the individuals who went to the Capitol, went as they had told agents and people from my office, at the President's request,” Racine said. Racine also pointed to the role that social media platforms may have played. “The social media companies, and I'm talking Twitter, Facebook, Google – they’ve got a lot of answering to do as well,” he said. “We know that since the takedown of [President Trump] from the social media airwaves, that disinformation, misinformation, lies about the election, decreased 71 percent.” “Why did it take so long for those mega platforms to take lies down? You know why? Because they profited from that. Okay? And public profit from lies I think is something that we all need to take a look at and we need to urge these
companies to be held accountable,” Racine added. Racine, in an interview on Jan. 7 with The Washington Informer, said he and his office continue to work with law enforcement officials both locally and across the U.S. to identify rioters. In addition, he said that his office received calls and other forms of intelligence, both before the insurrection and since – some pointing to potential danger that would occur on Jan. 6. Other calls continue to come from those admitting their participation and seeking to turn themselves or with information about unidentified rioters still being sought by officials who remain at large. “We are going to enforce the law,” Racine said. “And while some have asked why rioters were not arrested on the spot, that’s something best answered by the U.S. Capitol Police. But it’s clear that the dissemination of outrageous comments led, at least in part, to the crowd getting hyped up.” “We will continue to work fully and zealously and let the facts go where they go. And we’re heartened that our office and the U.S. Attorney General’s office have put our heads together and agreed that the best way to uncover the facts and bring those who broke the law to justice is to work together,” he said. WI
WWW.WASHINGTONINFORMER.COM / THE WASHINGTON INFORMER
The DEIS, Draft Section 4(f) Evaluation, and Draft Section 106 Programmatic Agreement documents are available for viewing and download from the project website, bwmaglev.info. If you are unable to access the DEIS via the website or if additional assistance is required, please send an email to info@bwmaglev.info. The proposed SCMAGLEV system would operate between Washington, DC, and Baltimore, Maryland, with a station at BWI Marshall Airport. The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) and Maryland Department of Transportation (MDOT) plan to host virtual public hearings in the future. Due to the current COVID-19 protocols, the public hearings will be held virtually. The virtual public hearings will provide an opportunity for the public to verbally comment on the DEIS and the SCMAGLEV Project. The virtual public hearings are also part of a concurrent consultation in compliance with Section 4(f) of the United States Department of Transportation Act of 1966 and Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA).
Virtual public hearings are currently being planned, but will not be held earlier than March 22, 2021, at least 60 days after the release of the DEIS. For the most up-to-date information, visit bwmaglev. info and sign up to join the project mailing list.
The 90-day formal comment period is open until April 22, 2021. We welcome your input and encourage you to submit written comments to one of the following:
SCMAGLEV Project c/o Lauren Molesworth Maryland Transit Administration 6 Saint Paul St, Baltimore, MD 21202
info@bwmaglev.info
bwmaglev.info
Need Assistance or Accommodations? MDOT MTA Office of Customer and Community Relations: 410-767-3999 • 866-743-3682 • TTY 410-539-3497
JANUARY 28 - FEBRUARY 3, 2021 31
LIFESTYLE
wi book review "Kamala's Way: An American Life"
By Dan Morain c.2021, Simon & Schuster $28.00 / $37.00 Canada 259 pages
horoscopes
JAN 28 - FEB 3, 2021
ARIES Your goal may be to make more money. But to achieve any goal, you need an emotional connection to that aspiration. As Neptune squares the two poles of the lunar nodes, you have a choice of going forward toward what you want or going backward to escape the pressure of change. Today, look at creating a compelling vision to inspire you toward creating financial security. Lucky Numbers: 2, 4, 41 TAURUS Remember, you have to look for treasure to find it. Today's a good day to send out your resume, ask an attractive person on a date, or consider adopting that adorable kitten you saw on Adopt-a-Pet (though keep in mind Mercury goes retrograde on Jan. 30 and you may change your mind). Lucky Numbers: 14, 50, 52 GEMINI The decisions you are weighing also affect the people at home. It may mean breaking a lease or asking someone to live with you. Family members probably should be consulted. This is just to collect data as what you really want is to make your own decision. Lucky Numbers: 15, 19, 43
By Terri Schlichenmeyer WI Contributing Writer One step at a time. That's how you get anywhere: methodical, with purpose, one foot in front of the other until you get where you're going. You never waver. You never take shortcuts, side roads or easy-outs, and as in "Kamala's Way" by Dan Morain, you keep your eyes on the goal every minute of the journey. At this point in time, Kamala Harris almost needs no introduction. Much of what you need to know is summed up in this: says Morain, she "misses little and forgets even less." Still, a lot of things about her life were left out of her biography, "The Truths We Hold," or ignored by most articles written about her. Much has been said about Harris' mother but little has been said about her father, for example. Harris herself has said that they were "not close," and Morain offers reasons why, as well as some background on Harris' paternal side. Outside of California, Harris' rise to political fame might be perceived as meteoric, but the truth is that it took more than thirty years of focus. While studying at Howard University, Harris worked as an intern in Sen. Alan Cranston's office; after passing the California bar exam, she became deputy district attorney at the Alameda County District Attorney's office and she got a peek at politics; she worked in "the hothouse of San Francisco criminal justice politics," was later elected to the office once held by Cranston in the Senate, and is now in the second-highest position in America. Along the way, as one can expect from a no-nonsense woman, there were controversies. Morain shares little-discussed details of Harris' relationship with bigger-thanlife Willie Brown, former mayor of San Francisco. He writes deeply of Harris' vow not to call for the death penalty on any California inmate. He explains the strange tie between Harris and Kimberly Guilfoyle. And he writes of Harris, who gets things done and doesn't "care that she had ruffled [someone's] feelings." The first time you see "Kamala's Way," hold it in your hands, and think a minute. Did you read her autobiography "The Truths We Hold"? If so, then you've already read about thirty percent of this book; indeed, author Dan Morain liberally uses quotes from the bio. Is the other seventy percent – the parts you haven't read – worth reading? Probably, yes, if you're excited beyond measure to have Kamala Harris as Vice President, because Morain gives details on Harris' life that will be new to a good number of readers, especially political outsiders and non-Californians. These are the things Harris herself has avoided discussing, but Morain hasn't. They're not all hot-button, though; in fact, Morain shares stories of Harris when the cameras are gone, and he does it in a way that's not sensational or tabloid-ish. Instead, it's thorough, honest, and a quick-to-read education about our new Second in Command, so if you think you don't know much about her, add it to your Must-Read pile. Having "Kamala's Way" is a great next step. WI
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CANCER Change, wrapped in an opportunity, comes to visit as one decision could set you on a different path. You may be instrumental in forming an important group or take a leadership role in an organization you already belong to. Someone's ready to hand you a megaphone to get your message out. Lucky Numbers: 8, 13, 27 LEO Today, you can get back together with a lover from your past or have a nice conversation with your ex. This is a healing aspect about finding ways to coexist or even help each other. It's also good for your current relationship, as you discuss your needs and find ways to support each other. Lucky Numbers: 11, 20, 50 VIRGO Extraordinary things can happen today, completely out of the blue, throwing you into an entirely new set of circumstances. You could be accepted to a prestigious school. Get pulled over by the police. You could win a lawsuit or, perhaps, set off for a trip around the world. Or you could run off and get married. Today is a wildcard with this aspect. Lucky Numbers: 18, 24, 47 LIBRA Today's a day of healing. Consider spending some quality time with the kids, playing games, and watching TV together. Or perhaps you're pulling out paints and paper to do some art. You could pass out musical instruments to friends and have a jam session. Do things today that make you feel whole. Lucky Numbers: 2, 6, 8 SCORPIO Consider exchanging massages with your sweetheart, giving yourself a pedicure, or having extra vegetables on your plate. Give yourself time with no devices blasting in your ears. Be around nature, even if it's raining or snowing, and recognize how many good things are happening in your life. Lucky Numbers: 10, 20, 39 SAGITTARIUS This is a good day to heal some issues around the kids. If there have been arguments or maybe even getting the silent treatment lately, it's good to sit down with your kids and have some quality time together. Healing can take place spontaneously. It's also healing to do any creative endeavor today, such as art, music, or dance. Lucky Numbers: 1, 32, 49 CAPRICORN It's time to start treating yourself with more kindness and understanding. Capricorn native, you're naturally ambitious, and you will find yourself more productive when you treat yourself well. If you are berating yourself, motivation drains out of you. Lucky Numbers: 7, 22, 35 AQUARIUS Today, an opportunity may present itself that's in line with your strongest ambitions. These four planets together give you the strength of Thor's hammer to make an impact. It's time to take the biggest step forward you can, like giving notice at your current place, posting an ad for a roommate, scheduling your real estate exam, etc. Take action now before Mercury goes retrograde on Jan. 30. Lucky Numbers: 12, 17, 29 PISCES The more people you connect with today — friends, family, potential collaborators and mentors — the more opportunities the universe can bring you. This is a very fortunate combination of planets that could open a door for you, leading to something extraordinary. And more opportunities will come in after Mercury goes retrograde on Jan. 30. Lucky Numbers: 16, 33, 59
THE WASHINGTON INFORMER / WWW.WASHINGTONINFORMER.COM
SPORTS Losada New Man in Charge for D.C. United By Daniel Kucin Jr. WI Sports Writer D.C. United announced on Jan. 18 that Hernán Losada is the new head coach after the Black-and-Red suffered through a dismal Major League Soccer (MLS) campaign last year. With the hiring, Losada becomes the youngest head coach of an MLS club. He joins the team with experience from Belgian First Division side, Beerschot, where he had served as manager since 2019. United had a tough go last season
(5-12-6), departing from Ben Olsen, who was the longest-tenured head coach in franchise history. Losada will have his work cut out for him heading into the 2021 season, but the front office is pleased with their decision. "Our process to identify the right individual to lead our club has been extremely thorough, and we're confident that Hernán is the ideal person and coach to take us forward," said Dave Kasper, D.C. United General Manager and Vice President of Soccer Operations for D.C. United. "We believe wholeheartedly in Hernán's
SPORTS
approach to the game and his desire to play high-energy soccer with and without the ball. We look forward to getting to work with Hernán to start the 2021 season." In his first full season in charge (2018-2019), Losada navigated Beerschot to the top of the table late in 2020 after formerly sitting in 10th place as a cellar dweller. During that span, Beerschot scored the third-most goals in the league (41) and was only one point away from a UEFA Europa League qualification position. "I'm excited about the opportunity to join D.C. United and to write a new chapter of success with this storied club," said Losada. "I believe in playing every match to win, and in my opinion, the best way to do this is to create as many scoring chances as possible every time we step onto the field, through high-energy, vertical attacking soccer. I am looking forward to entertaining our fans and competing." Losada is no stranger to the pitch as a former attacking midfielder during his 15-year professional playing career, which began in Argentina with Independiente, where he made 50 appearances and scored six goals.
Hot off the Press
DANIEL KUCIN, JR. / WI CONTRIBUTING WRITER / DANIELKUCIN88
WFT Makes History
The Washington Football Team recently hired Martin Mayhew as the new general manager and promoted coaching intern Jennifer King to full-time offensive coaching assistant. Washington now becomes the first NFL team to have a Black team president and GM. King is now the first Black Female full-time coach in NFL history. Mayhew has led a decorated career with 20 years of experience in the front office as an executive in the NFL who played for Washington from 1982-1992 and won a championship (Super Bowl XXVI) as a 5 The Washington Football Team bestarting cornerback. comes the first franchise in NFL history “Martin is a proven general manager who will to hire a Black female full-time coach in bring a wealth of knowledge and experience to the Jennifer King. (Photo by Daniel Kucin organization,” said Washington Football Team Head Jr./The Washington Informer) Coach Ron Rivera. “He will be an integral part of running the daily football operations and will allow me the opportunity to focus more on coaching. He impressed both myself and Mr. Snyder during the interview process, and we both believe he will be a tremendous fit here.” King was a former Women’s Football Alliance (WFA) wide receiver before joining the team, winning the 2018 WFA National Championship with the New York Sharks, and spent time with the D.C. Divas in 2019. “Jennifer is a bright young coach,” Rivera said. “Her familiarity with my expectations as a coach and my firsthand knowledge of her work ethic and preparation were big factors in bringing her [here].” WI
5 D.C. United recently announced that Hernán Losada is manning the franchise heading into the 2021-2022 season. (Photo courtesy D.C. United)
In 2006, Losada played in Europe, where he joined Beerschot and played two seasons for the Belgian club, appearing 51 times and scored 14 goals. In 2008, he moved to Anderlecht, where he spent the next three seasons before rejoining Beerschot in 2011, where he scored 18 goals in his second stint with the squad. He then suited up for Lierse, where he netted five goals in 53 appearances captaining the club over the two years
but found his scoring stroke again for Beerschot in 2015 until finally retiring in 2018. He was named captain during that time and scored 28 goals. "Hernán is a strong leader and strategist and an attack-minded coach," said Jason Levien, Co-Chairman and CEO of D.C. United. "We are confident that our players and community will take quickly to him and will thoroughly enjoy his high-energy, forward-thinking soccer." WI danielkucin88
The first month of 2021 left sports fans shaking their heads over unexpected combatants scrambling for a berth in Super Bowl LV next week, Black talent ignored in scramble for new NFL head coaches and in mourning over the anniversary of a tragic loss in basketball. The 55th Super Bowl will feature, for the first time, a team competing for pro football's crown in its home stadium, as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers face the Kansas City Chiefs in Tampa. Meanwhile, the annual search for replacements for dismissed head coaches is devoid of Black 5 Th candidates, despite an NFL rule calling for Black candidates to be considered. And basketball fans observed the first anniversary of the helicopter crash on a California mountain that claimed the life of NBA legend Kobe Bryant, his daughter and seven others. WI
D.C. United Drafts Three Playmakers D.C. United has selected Clemson University forward Kimarni Smith with the fourth overall pick, Wake Forest University defender Michael DeShields (fifth overall) and Stanford University defender Logan Panchot (32nd overall) in the 2021 MLS SuperDraft presented by Adidas on Jan. 21. Smith scored 26 goals and recorded 11 assists in 63 appearances, and started 43 games during his collegiate career. DeShields is a talented defender who started 21 of 22 games last season, leading their defense to an average of only 0.72 goals conceded per match and earned a Second-Team All-South Region nomination. United acquired the fifth overall pick from Atlanta United in exchange for $125,000 in General Allocation Money in an earlier trade. Finally, Panchot scored three goals and recorded 11 assists in 62 appearances (59 starts) for Stanford University from 2017 to 2019 and was a team captain last season. The Black-and-Red acquired the 32nd overall pick from Atlanta United in an earlier trade. During his final year, Panchot was tied for the team lead with eight assists and was part of a defense that ranked 10th in the country in team goals-against. WI
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JANUARY 28 - FEBRUARY 3, 2021 33
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34 - JANUARY 28 - FEBRUARY 3, 2021
BIDEN from Page 1 poor unlike income inequality anywhere else in the U.S. Households in the top 20 percent of income here account for 29 times more income than the bottom 20 percent. The DCFPI also revealed the bottom fifth of households had just two percent of the city’s total income while the top fifth had 59 percent. Kate Coventry, a senior policy analyst for DCFPI, offered suggestions on how the Biden administration can address the wide gaps between the wealthy and the working-class in the District. “His proposal to eliminate the separate tipped minimum wage would raise thousands of D.C. workers, most Black and brown workers and mostly women, out of poverty,” Coventry said. Coventry said the Biden proposal to increase SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, also known as food stamps) will help thousands of food-strapped residents. “The current benefit level does not cover the actual cost of food so most households run out of SNAP before the end of the month, leaving people to struggle to put food on the table,” she said. Kim R. Ford, the president and CEO of Martha’s Table, a Ward 8-based organization tasked with helping struggling families and individuals with social services, said she wants the president and his administration officials to know that people need cash. “I encourage President Biden to focus on getting more money into the hands of people who need it,” Ford said. “COVID-19 has only exacerbated the economic disparity permeating throughout the District, and this crisis will have a lasting ripple effect on communities. We need to invest in our neighbors, stand alongside them as they begin the recovery process in the aftermath of the pandemic.”
AFFORDABLE HOUSING
Affordable housing has emerged as a major concern in the District. Zumper.com reported as of Jan. 23 a one-bedroom apartment in the District rents for $1,951, on average, compared to $1,621 nationally, according to Rent.com. Realestateagent.com reports the average price of a house in the District is $637,000 while nationally, Daveramsay.com reveals the median
5President Joseph Biden. (WI File Photo)
price for a home comes to $334,000 for a new model and $260,000 for a used one, as of Jan. 18. Coventry said the Biden administration’s “proposal to give housing vouchers to all who qualify for them would be the biggest game changer for working class people in Washington because housing is so expensive.” “To afford a two-bedroom in D.C., a worker needs to make more than $32 an hour,” she said. “This is double our minimum wage.” Daniel del Pielago, organizing director of Empower DC, an advocacy organization for low-and-middle income District residents said the Biden administration should institute a moratorium on evictions. “When the pandemic is over in the city, there will be a lot of evictions and we may have a number of homeless people,” del Pielago said. “We have a lot of residents who have lost their jobs due to the pandemic and cannot pay rent. I like the slogan, ‘Cancel the Rent’ because that is what is needed to keep people in their homes.” del Pielago said more money should be put into public housing projects. “Public housing is really the only affordable housing in the city,” he said. “The president should put money into programs for their upkeep and implement policies to see that they don’t become privatized by developers and people aren’t priced out of their units.” del Pielago said the Biden administration should put more funds into homeownership initiatives so low-income residents can make a down payment to buy a house.
HEALTH INEQUITIES
Health inequality has become one of the District’s most pronounced social ills. Ward 3 residents, because of their wealth, access to health care facilities and higher education level, will live 16 years longer than those in Ward 8, according to a June 2020 study by the Georgetown University School of Nursing & Health Studies. Lane encourages the Biden administration to think creatively when dealing with the District’s health disparities. “The administration could really look at parts of the inner city and create a Marshall Plan for Wards 5, 7 and 8,” Lane said, referring to the billions the U.S. invested in post-World War II Europe. He called for a similar plan with “a health-centered focus.” However, Lane said the president’s priority presently should be to control the coronavirus and he thinks the “100 million doses in 100 Days” program will help the city.
EMBRACE THE CITY
Pamela Gomez, the secretary of the D.C. Latino Caucus, said she wants the president and his family to bask in the District. “I would like President Biden to do what President Obama and his family did: spend time in the city,” Gomez said. “We want him to come into the city and go to our restaurants and eat the delicious food. D.C. is an amazing and wonderful place and he should enjoy it.” WI
THE WASHINGTON INFORMER / WWW.WASHINGTONINFORMER.COM
RELIGION the religion corner WITH LYNDIA GRANT
12 Things That Make Men Rich, Pt. 4 A new day has dawned in the United States of America, we have installed a new president, Joseph R. Biden Jr. I don't know about you, but I can get back to my life, sleeping good at night and reading. I've purchased several books that I'm excited about reading. I purposely chose to write about a different topic for my column: "12 Things That Make Men Rich" something that will help you be the best person you possibly can. Allow me to elaborate just a bit on the first set of principles featured last week. Before sharing with you the second set, let me remind you that a positive mental attitude can be controlled by you, even in this pandemic. Born the daughter of two Pentecostal preachers, let me assure you the Holy Bible has been an integral part of my life for as long as I can remember. This research is combined with Scripture. Google Napoleon Hill and learn his story. I heard him say in a video how he would get up three hours early each morning to read and study the Holy Bible. Then again at night, he studied another three hours. Bible scholars will be able to see how he weaved Scripture into his work. These 12 things that make men rich are no different. Henry Ford once said, "Whether you think you can or think you can't, you're right!" Thoughts are things, and powerful things at that. They can
affect our health, our journey and, ultimately, how we end up at the conclusion of our life. Studies show much worse health for those with less-than-positive attitudes. Those folks with more optimistic outlooks live longer, with more favorable health during the aging process. Now for the next four principles: Number four is Freedom from Fear. Someone who lives in fear can never accomplish anything. In the movie "The Wizard of Oz," the Cowardly Lion was the opposite of what a lion is known for. The lion is considered the "king of beasts." To be a cowardly lion is just as bad as each of us who live our lives in fear. Scripture tells us that God made man a little lower than angels and a little higher than the beastly. We have more power than we can imagine when we tune in, live without fear, live by His Word, and consider the Great Commandment — love God first and love your neighbor as yourself. Finally, Scripture also reminds us of how He didn't give us a spirit of fear. When we feel fear, we must get on our knees and pray, a rebuke the spirit of fear, because it is not from God. The fifth principle is we have Hope of Future Achievement. First, let's see what Scripture has to say about the subject of hope: And now, Lord, what do I wait for and expect? My hope and expectation are in You. — Psalm 39:7. But if we hope for what is still un-
Mt. Zion Baptist Church
seen by us, we wait for it with patience and composure, Romans 8:26. Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but when the desire is fulfilled, it is a tree of life. — Proverbs 13:12. The sixth principle is The Capacity for Applied Faith. To have faith is one thing, but it is only when faith is applied when things change for us. Capacity means the ability to hold, to have room enough to receive. The capacity for applied faith simply means, how much you can believe in something without seeing it. As I read a biography of Oprah Winfrey by Kitty Kelly, I noticed how Oprah talked throughout her childhood about how she would be famous someday. Everyone knew her for that saying, and look at her now. Her capacity for applied faith was rather huge. Not only did she have faith, she applied steps toward achieving those things for which she dreamed. Finally, the last principle for this week is Willingness to Share One's Blessings with Others; to be Engaged in a Labor of Love. When you discover that something that pleases you to a point when you will do this work gladly, even without any pay, you have discovered the principle of willingness to share one's blessings with others, and more often than not, that work could possibly turn into your life's work. Wouldn't that be worth it all — to be doing the work you love, and get paid to do so? That's what I call unspeakable joy. WI
John F. Johnson Reverend Dr.
5101 14th Street, NW / Washington, DC 20011 Phone: 202-726-2220 Fax: 202-726-9089
1306 Vermont Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20005
“A Church with a past to remember – and a future to mold” www.mtzbcdc.org
EMPLOYMENT LAWYERS MCCOLLUM & ASSOCIATES, LLC ADA, Age Discrimination, Benefits, Civil Rights, COBRA, Contracts, Deaf Law, Defamation, Disability Law, Discipline, Discrimination, FMLA, FLSA, FOIA, Family Responsibility, Harassment, HIPPA, OSHA, National Origin Discrimination, Non-Compete, Race Discrimination, Rehabilitation Act, Retaliation, Severance Agreements, Sexual Harassment, Torts, Whistleblowing, Wage-and-Hour, Wrongful Discharge SERVING MARYLAND, DC, & NORTH CAROLINA
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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 28 - FEBRUARY 3, 2021 35
RELIGION The Miracle Center of Faith Missionary Baptist Church
Pilgrim Baptist Church
Bishop Michael C. Turner, Sr. Senior Pastor
Rev. Louis B. Jones II Pastor
9161 Hampton Overlook Capitol Heights, MD 20743 Phone: 301-350-2200 / Fax: 301-499-8724
700 I Street, N.E. Washington, D.C. 20002 (202) 547-8849
Service and Times Sunday Worship Times : 7:30 AM 7 10:00 AM Communion: 1st Sunday Sunday School: 9:00 AM Bible Study: Wednesday, 12 Noon Bible Study in homes: Tuesday 7:00 PM Website: www.themiraclecenterFMBC.com Email: Miraclecenterfmbs@gmail.com Motto: “We Walk by Faith, Not by Sight”
Blessed Word of Life Church
Service and Times Worship Sundays: 7:30 & 11:00 AM 5th Sundays: 9:30 AM 3rd Sundays: Baptism & Holy Communion Prayer & Praise: Wednesdays @ Noon & 6:30 PM www.pilgrimbaptistdc.org
Covenant Baptist United Church of Christ
Church of Living Waters
Allen Chapel A.M.E. Church
Rev. Paul Carrette Senior Pastor Harold Andrew Assistant Pastor 4915 Wheeler Road Oxon Hill, MD 20745 301-894-6464 Service and Times Sunday Service: 8:30am& 11:00 AM Bible Study: Wednesday 7:30 PM Communion Service: First Sunday www.livingwatersmd.org
St. Stephen Baptist Church
Rev. Dr. Michael E. Bell, Sr., / Pastor 2498 Alabama Ave., SE - Washington D.C. 20020 Office: (202) 889-7296 / Fax: (202) 889-2198 - www.acamec.org Service and Times Sunday Worship Services: 8:00am and 11:00 AM Sunday Church School - 9:15am & Sunday Adult Forum Bible Study - 10:30 AM 2nd & 4th Monday Women’s Bible Study: 6:30 PM Tuesday Jr./Sr. Bible Study: 10:00 AM Tuesday Topical Bible Study: 6:30 PM Tuesday New Beginnings Bible Study: 6:30 PM Wednesday Pastoral Bible Study: 6:30 PM Wednesday Children’s Bible Study: 6:30 PM Thursday Men’s Bible Study: 6:30 PM Friday before 1st Sunday Praise & Worship Service: 6:30 PM Saturday Adult Bible Study: 10:00 AM “The Amazing, Awesome, Audacious Allen Chapel A.M.E. Church”
Third Street Church of God
Dr. Dekontee L. & Dr. Ayele A. Johnson Pastors
Reverend William Young IV Pastor
Bishop Lanier C. Twyman, Sr. Senior Pastor
Rev. Cheryl J. Sanders, Th.D. Senior Pastor
4001 14th Street, NW Washington, DC 20011 (202) 265-6147 Office 1-800 576-1047 Voicemail/Fax
3845 South Capitol Street Washington, DC 20032 (202) 562-5576 (Office) / (202) 562-4219 (Fax)
5757 Temple Hill Road, Temple Hills, MD 20748 Office 301-899-8885 – fax 301-899-2555 Services and Times Sunday Early Morning Worship: 7:45 AM Church School: 9:30 AM Sunday Morning Worship: 10:45 AM Tuesday: 7:00pm/Kingdom Building Bible Institute Wednesday , 12:30 PM Mid-Day Bible Study Wednesday: Prayer/Praise/Bible Study-7:30 PM Baptism & Communion Service: 4th Sunday – 10:30 AM
1204 Third Street, NW Washington, DC 20001 202-347-5889 office / 202-638-1803 fax
Service and Times Sunday School: 9:30 AM Sunday Morning Worship Service: 11:00 AM Communion Service: First Sunday Prayer Service/Bible Study: Tuesday, 6:30 PM www.blessedwordoflifechurch.org E-mail: church@blessedwordoflifechurch.org
Campbell AME Church Rev. Dr. Henry Y. White 2562 MLK Jr. Ave., SE - Washington, DC 20020 Adm. Office 202-678-2263 Email: Campbell@mycame.org Service and Times Sunday Worship Service: 10:00 AM Sunday Church School: 8:45 AM Bible Study Wednesday: 12:00 Noon Wednesday: 7:00 PM Thursday: 7:00 PM “Reaching Up To Reach Out” Mailing Address : Campbell AME Church 2502 Stanton Road SE - Washington, DC 20020
Turning Hearts Church Virgil K. Thomas, Sr. Senior Pastor/ Teacher 421 Alabama Ave. SE Washington, DC 20032 Phone: 202-746-0113 Fax: 301-843-2445 Service and Times Sunday School: 10:15 AM Sunday Worship Service: 11;15 AM Children’s Church: 11:15 AM Tuesday Bible Study: 6:30 PM Motto : “A Great Commitment to the Great Commandment” Website: www.turningheartschurchdc.org Email: gr8luv4u2@gmail.com
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
“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 “Ambassadors for Christ to the Nation’s Capital” www.thirdstreet.org Live Stream Sunday Worship Service begins @ 12:00 noon www.thirdstreet.org
Crusader Baptist Church Rev. Dr. Alton W. Jordan Pastor 800 I Street, NE - Washington, DC 20002 202-548-0707 - Fax No. 202-548-0703 Service and Times Sunday Morning Worship: 11:00 AM Holy Communion: 1st Sunday Sunday School: 9:45 AM Men’s Monday Bible Study: 7:00 PM Wednesday Night Bible Study: 7:00 PM Women’s Ministry Bible Study: 3rd Friday -7:00 PM Computer Classes: Announced Family and Marital Counseling by appointment E-mail: Crusadersbaptistchurch@verizon.net www.CrusadersBaptistChurch.org / “God is Love”
Greater Mt. Calvary Holy Church Bishop Alfred A. Owens, Jr.; Senior Bishop & Evangelist Susie C. Owens – Co-Pastor 610 Rhode Island Avenue, NE Washington, DC 20002 (202) 529-4547 office • (202) 529-4495 fax
Sunday Worship Service: 8:00 AM and 10:45 AM Sunday Youth Worship Services: 1st & 4th 10:45 AM; 804 R.I. Ave., NE 5th 8 AM & 10:45 AM; Main Church Prayer Services Tuesday – Noon, Wednesday 6:00 AM & 6:30 PM Calvary Bible Institute: Year-Round Contact Church / Communion Every 3rd Sunday The Church in The Hood that will do you Good! www.gmchc.org / emailus@gmchc.org
Isle of Patmos Baptist Church Reverend Dr. Calvin L. Matthews Senior Pastor 1200 Isle of Patmos Plaza, Northeast Washington, DC 20018 Office: (202) 529-6767 - Fax: (202) 526-1661 Service and Times Sunday Worship Services: 7:30 AM and 10:30 AM Holy Communion: 2nd Sunday at 7:30 AM and 10:30 AM Sunday Church School: 9:20 AM Seniors Bible Study: Tuesdays at 10:30 AM Noon Day Prayer Service: Tuesdays at Noon Bible Study: Tuesdays at 7 PM Motto: “A Ministry of Reconciliation Where Everybody is Somebody!” Website: http://isleofpatmosbc.org Church Email: ipbcsecretary@verizon.net
St Marks Baptist Come Worship with us... Dr. Raymond T. Matthews Pastor and First Lady Marcia Matthews St. Mark's Baptist Church 624 Underwood Street, NW Washington, dc 20011 Services and Times Sunday School: 9:00 AM Worship Service: 10:00 AM Wed. Noon Day prayer service Thur. Prayer service: 6:45 PM Thur. Bible Study: 7:15 PM
Twelfth Street Christian Church Reverend Dr. Paul H. Saddler Senior Pastor (Disciples of Christ) 1812 12th Street, NW - Washington, DC 20009 Phone: 202-265-4494 Fax: 202 265 4340 Service and Times Sunday Worship Service: 11:00 AM Communion every Sunday: 11:00 AM Sunday School: 10:00 AM Bible Study Tuesday: 12 Noon Pastor’s Bible Study Tuesday: 6:30 PM Motto: “Discover Something Wonderful” Website: 12thscc.org / Email: Twelfthstcc@aol.com
Mount Carmel Baptist Church Reverend Dr. Paris L Smith, Sr. Senior Pastor 901 Third Street N.W. Washington, DC. 20001 Phone (202) 842-3411 Fax (202) 682-9423 Service and Times Sunday Church School : 9:00 AM Sunday Morning Worship: 10:10 AM Bible Study Tuesday: 6: 00 PM Prayer Service Tuesday: 7:00 PM Holy Communion: 3rd Sunday 10:10 AM themcbc.org
36 - JANUARY 28 - FEBRUARY 3, 2021
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RELIGION Shabbath Commandment Church Bishop Adrian A. Taylor, Sr. Pastor 7801 Livingston Road Oxon Hill, MD 20745 301-534-5471 Service and Times Sabbath School 9:30 a.m. – 10:30 AM Service 11:00 AM Praise & Worship Preaching 11:30 AM – 1:30 PM Motto: “A Church Keeping It Real for Real.” Website: Shabbathcommandmentchruch.org Email: Praisebetoyhwh@gmail.com
Zion Baptist Church Rev. Keith W. Byrd, Sr. Pastor 4850 Blagdon Ave, NW - Washington D.C 20011 Phone (202) 722-4940 - Fax (202) 291-3773 Service and Times 9:00 a.m. – Sunday School 10:15 a.m. – Worship Service Wed. Noon: Dea. Robert Owens Bible Study 7 PM Pastor’s Bible Study Ordinance of Baptism 2nd Sunday, Holy Communion 4th Sunday Mission: Zion shall: Enlist Sinners, Educate Students, Empower the Suffering, Encourage the Saints, And Exalt our Savior. (Acts 2: 41-47) www.zionbaptistchurchdc.org
St. Luke Baptist Church Rev. Aubrey C. Lewis Pastor 1415 Gallatin Street, NW Washington, DC 20011-3851 P: (202) 726-5940 Service and Times Sunday Worship: 11:00 AM Sunday School: 9:15 AM Holy Communion: 11:00 a.m., 3rd Sun. Bible Institute: Wednesday - 1:30 PM Prayer Meeting: Wednesday - 12:00 Noon
All Nations Baptist Church Rev. Dr. James Coleman Pastor 2001 North Capitol St, N.E. - Washington, DC 20002 Phone (202) 832-9591 Service and Times Sunday Church School – 9:30 AM Sunday Worship Service – 11:00 AM Holy Communion – 1st Sunday at 11:00 AM Prayer – Wednesdays, 6:00 PM Bible Study – Wednesdays, 7:00 PM Christian Education / School of Biblical Knowledge Saturdays, 9:30 AM – 11:00 AM, Call for Registration Website: www.allnationsbaptistchurch.com All Nations Baptist Church – A Church of Standards
Israel Baptist Church
Rev. Daryl F. Bell Pastor 2324 Ontario Road, NW Washington, DC 20009 (202) 232-1730 Service and Times Sunday School: 9:30 AM Sunday Worship Service: 11:00 AM Baptismal Service: 1st Sunday – 9:30 AM Holy Communion: 1st Sunday – 11:00 AM Prayer Meeting & Bible Study: Wednesday -7:30 PM “Where Jesus is the King”
Dr. Earl D. Trent Senior Pastor
2409 Ainger Pl.,SE – WDC 20020 (202) 678-0884 – Office / (202) 678-0885 – Fax “Moving Faith Forward” 0% Perfect . . . 100% Forgiven!
623 Florida Ave.. NW - WDC. 20001 Church (202) 667-3409 / Study (202) 265-0836 Home Study (301) 464-8211 / Fax (202) 483-4009
Service and Times Sunday Worship: 8:00 AM & 10:45 AM Baptism/Holy Communion: 3rd Sunday Family Bible Study Tuesdays – 6:30 PM Prayer Service: Tuesdays – 8:00 PM www.emmanuelbaptistchurchdc.org
Sermon On The Mount Temple Of Joy Apostolic Faith
Lincoln Park United Methodist Church Rev. Richard B. Black Pastor
Elder Herman L. Simms Pastor
1251 Saratoga Ave., NE Washington, DC 20018 (202) 269-0288
1301 North Carolina Ave. N E Washington, D C 20002 202 543 1318 - lincolnpark@lpumcdc.org www.lpumcdc.org
5606 Marlboro Pike District Heights, MD 20747 301-735-6005
Service and Times Sunday Worship Service: 10:45 AM Sunday School: 9:15 AM Holy Communion1st Sunday: 10:45 AM Prayer Service: Wednesday at 6:30 PM Bible Study: Wednesday at 7:00 PM Bible Study: Tuesday at 10:30 AM
Mount Moriah Baptist Church Dr. Lucius M. Dalton Senior Pastor
Service and Times Sunday Worship: 10:00 AM Holy Communion: First Sunday 10:00 AM Sunday School: 9:00 AM Bible Study: Wednesday @ 12 noon and 6:30 PM Motto: "Faith On The Hill"
Service and Times Sunday Apostolic Worship Services 11:00 A.M and 5:00 PM Communion and Feet Wash 4th Sunday at 5:00 PM Prayer/Seeking: Wednesday at 8:00 PM Apostolic in Doctrine, Pentecostal in Experience, Holiness in Living, Uncompromised and Unchanged. The Apostolic Faith is still alive –Acts 2:42
New Commandment Baptist Church
Eastern Community Baptist Church Damion M. Briggs Pastor
Rev. Stephen E. Tucker Senior Pastor
1636 East Capitol Street, NE Washington, DC 20003 Telephone: 202-544-5588 - Fax: 202-544-2964
8213 Manson Street Landover, MD 20785 Tel: (301) 322-9787 Fax: (301) 322-9240
13701 Old Jericho Park Road Bowie, MD. 20720 (301) 262-0560
Service and Times Sunday Worship Services: 7:45 AM and 10:45 AM Holy Communion: 1st Sundays at 7:45 AM & 10:45 AM Sunday School: 9:30 AM Prayer & Praise Service: Tuesdays at 12 noon & 6:30 PM Bible Study: Tuesdays at 1 pm and 7 PM Youth Bible Study: Fridays at 7 PM
Service and Times Early Morning Message: 7:30 AM Sunday Morning Worship Service: 10:00 AM Sunday Church School: 9:00 AM Holy Communion: 1st Sunday 7:30 AM & 10:00 AM Prayer, Praise and Testimony: Wednesday 7:00 PM Bible Study: Wednesday 7:30 PM
Service and Times Sunday Worship: 11 AM Sunday School: 10 AM Wednesday Mid-Week Worship, Prayer & Bible Study: Wed. 7 PM
Rehoboth Baptist Church
Reverend Peter R. Blue Sr. Pastor
Rev. Curtis l. Staley Pastor
2001 Brooks Drive District Heights MD. 20744 240.838.7074
621 Alabama Ave., S.E.- Washington, D.C. 20032 P: (202) 561-1111 - F: (202) 561-1112
Service and Times Sunday Worship Experience: 10:15am Sunday School: 9:00am Holy Communion: 3rd Sunday Morning Noontime Bible Study: Tuesday @ 12:00pm Prayer Meeting/Bible Study: Tuesday @7:00pm Theme: "Building On A Firm Foundation"
Service and Times Sunday Service: 10:00 AM Sunday School for all ages: 8:30 AM 1st Sunday Baptism: 10:00 AM 2nd Sunday Holy Communion:10:00 AM Tuesday: Bible Study: 6:30 PM Prayer Meeting: 7:45 PM
Email: revprbstmbc@gmail.com Website: www.stmatthewsbaptist.org
Motto: “Where God is First and Where Friendly People Worship”
“Real Worship for Real People” Website: www.easterncommunity.org Email: ecc@easterncommunity.org
“A Church Where Love Is Essential and Praise is Intentional”
Foggy Bottom - Founded in 1867 728 23rd Street, NW - Washington, DC 20037 Church office: 202-333-3985 - Fax : 202-338-4958
Shiloh Baptist Church
Matthews Memorial Baptist Church Dr. Joseph D. Turner / Senior Pastor 2616 MLK Ave., SE - Washington, DC 20020 Office 202-889-3709 - Fax 202-678-3304 Service and Times Early Worship Service: 8:00 AM Worship Service: 11:00 AM New Member’s Class: 9:45 AM Holy Communion: 1st Sunday, 11:00 AM Church School: 9:45 AM Wednesday 12:00pm Bible Study Prayer, Praise and Bible Study: 7:00 PM Saturday Bible Study: 11:00 AM Baptism 4th Sunday: 11:00 AM “Empowered to love and Challenged to Lead a Multitude of Souls to Christ”
Peace Baptist Church Rev. Dr. Michael T. Bell 712 18th Street, NE Washington, DC 20002 Phone 202-399-3450/ Fax 202-398-8836 Service and Times Sunday Early Morning Prayer & Bible Study Class: 8:00 AM Sunday School: 9:00 AM Sunday Morning Worship Service: 10:00 AM Wednesday Service: 12:00 PM “The Loving Church of the living lord “
4504 Gault Place, N.E. / Washington, D.C 20019 202-397-7775 – 7184 Service and Times Sunday Church School: 9:30 AM Sunday Worship Service : 11:00 AM The Lord’s Supper 1st Sunday Prayer & Praise Services: Wednesday 7:00 PM Bible Study: 7:30 PM Saturday before 4th Sunday Men, Women, Youth Discipleship Ministries: 10:30 AM A Christ Centered Church htubc@comcast.net
Christ Embassy DC
Kelechi Ajieren Coordinator 6839 Eastern Avenue, R1 Takoma Park, MD 20912 (202) 556-7065 Service and Times Sunday Worship Service: 10:00 AM Wednesday Bible Study: 7:00 PM Friday Evening Service: 7:00 PM ; Last Friday “…Giving Your Life a Meaning” www.Christembassydc.org Christ.embassy.dc@hotmail.com
Pennsylvania Ave. Baptist Church Rev. Dr. Kendrick E. Curry Pastor 3000 Pennsylvania Ave.. S.E Washington, DC 20020 202 581-1500 Service and Times Sunday Church School: 9:30 AM Sunday Worship Service: 11:00 AM Monday Adult Bible Study: 7:00 PM Wednesday Youth & Adult Activities: 6:30 PM Prayer Service Bible Study
First Rising Mt. Zion Baptist Church
Mt. Horeb Baptist Church
Rev. Dr. Wallace Charles Smith Pastor
Rev. Oran W. Young Pastor
Rev. Dr. H. B. Sampson, III Pastor
9th & P Street, N.W. - W. D.C. 20001 (202) 232-4288
602 N Street NW - Washington, D.C. 20001 Office:(202) 289-4480 Fax: (202) 289-4595
2914 Bladensburg Road, NE Wash., DC 20018 Office: (202) 529-3180 - Fax: (202) 529-7738 Service and Times Worship Service: 7:30 AM Sunday School: 9:00 AM Worship Service: 10:30 AM Holy Communion: 4th Sunday 7:30AM & 10:30 AM Prayer Services:Tuesday 7:30 PM. Wednesday 12 Noon
www.stmarysfoggybottom.org Email: stmarysoffice@stmarysfoggybottom.org
Service and Times First Sunday Worship Service (one service): 10:00 AM Second, Third, Fourth, and Fifth Sunday Worship service: 7:45 AM and 10:55 AM Sunday Church School/Bible Study: 9:30 AM Thursday Prayer Service: 6:30 PM
All are welcome to St. Mary’s to Learn, Worship, and Grow.
Email: sbc@shilohbaptist.org Website: shilohbaptist.org
Service and Times Sundays: 10 a.m. Holy Eucharist with Music and Hymns Wednesdays: 12:10 p.m. - Holy Eucharist
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
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 28 - FEBRUARY 3, 2021 37
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
2020 FEP 80
2020 FEP 000083
June 6, 1998 Date of Death
August 6, 2012 Date of Death
Fredric A. Tolson Name of Decedent
Mary Alice Sohngen Name of Decedent
NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT OF FOREIGN PERSONAL REPRESENTATIVE AND NOTICE TO CREDITORS
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 Brian-Eric Henderson Personal Representative
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
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
2020 ADM 000776
2020 ADM 000423
Julius A. Moore III aka Julius Allen Moore III Decedent
Arthur Herbert Garrison, Jr. aka Arthur H. Garrison Decedent
Jacqueline Moore 7605 14th Street, NW Washington, DC 20012 Attorney
NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS 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. Date of first publication: January 14, 2021
Date of first publication: 1/14/2021 Csaba T. Chikes Gabriel D. Chikes Personal Representative Nicole Stevens Register of Wills Washington Informer
TRUE TEST COPY Nicole Stevens Register of Wills Washington Informer
38 - JANUARY 28 - FEBRUARY 3, 2021
of Africa, the Atlantic Islands, the continental Americas, being 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.
SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA Probate Division Washington, D.C. 20001-2131
2020 ADM 896
2020 ADM 828
Lycean Brookings Decedent
Patricia Daniel-Cummings aka Patricia Angela Daniel-Cummings Decedent
Juanita L. Myers aka Juanita Littlejohn Decedent
NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS
Aimee D. Griffin, Esq. The Griffin Firm, PLLC 5335 Wisconsin Ave., NW, Suite 440 Washington, DC 20015 Attorney
Ronald Dixon Bynum & Jenkins 1010 Cameron Street Alexandria, VA 22314 Attorney
2020 ADM 000403
Lisa M. Jacobs Kevin E. Baylor 1775 Eye St., NW, Suite 1150 Washington, DC 20006 Petitioner/Attorney:
being aboriginal to the northwestern and southwestern shores
SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA Probate Division Washington, D.C. 20001-2131
2020 ADM 871
Date of first publication: 1/14/2020
‘‘ YASHUA DUARTE© ’’. having reached the age of majority,
Washington Informer
2020 FEP 000082
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
beneficiary and heir of: ‘‘ DUARTE, YASHUA© ’’, corp.sole Dba.:
Washington Informer SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA Probate Division Washington, D.C. 20001-2131
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.
persona, sui juris, in solo proprio, Haqdar by natural issue, the
Nicole Stevens Register of Wills
SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA Probate Division Washington, D.C. 20001-2131
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.
”, nom deguerre: “ duarte, yashua© ”, in full life, in propria
Nicole Stevens Register of Wills
SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA PROBATE DIVISION Washington, D.C. 20001-2131
NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT OF FOREIGN PERSONAL REPRESENTATIVE AND NOTICE TO CREDITORS
Date of first publication: 1/14/2021
Notice of Special Appearance : I am that I am: “ yashua bey©
TRUE TEST COPY
Washington Informer
NOTICE OF STANDARD PROBATE
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.
Notice of White Flag Surrender
TRUE TEST COPY
Washington Informer
Maria V. Chikes Name of Decedent
NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS
In God We Trust
Toni Garrison-Perry Personal Representative
Nicole Stevens Register of Wills
Estate of Michael F. Baylor
Robert L. Bell, Esq. 245 Farragut Street, NW Washington, DC 20011 Attorney
LEGAL NOTICES
Jacqueline Moore Personal Representative
Nicole Stevens Register of Wills
August 10, 2020 Date of Death
LEGAL NOTICES
Wanda Robinson, whose address is 849 Stonebridge Park Circle, Lithonia, GA 30058, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Lycean Brookings who died on July 13, 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 7/21/2021. 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 7/21/2021, 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: 1/21/2021 Wanda Robinson Personal Representative TRUE TEST COPY Nicole Stevens Register of Wills Washington Informer
NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS Gregory C. Daniel, whose address is 10416 Mountain Quail Rd., Silver Spring, MD 20901, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Patricia Daniel-Cummings aka Patricia Angela Daniel-Cummings who died on July 5, 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 7/28/2021. 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 7/28/2021, 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: 1/28/2021 Gregory C. Daniel Personal Representative TRUE TEST COPY Nicole Stevens Register of Wills Washington Informer
This deposit is not to be commingled with general assets of any bank, nor depositary/ trustee/ agent/ bailee/ donee/ debtor. This deposit is not limited to, but including: discharge and set off, of any and all outstanding liabilities as accord and satisfaction. All Rights Reserved.
NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS Edna L. Hurley, whose address is 408 Kelleytown Woods Parkway, McDonough, Georgia, 30252, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Juanita L. Myers aka Juanita Littlejohn who died on September 19, 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 7/28/2021. 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 7/28/2021, 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: 1/28/2021 Edna L. Hurley Personal Representative TRUE TEST COPY Nicole Stevens Register of Wills Washington Informer
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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
2020 ADM 850
2020 ADM 000722
Mark A. Stover Decedent
James C. “JC” Saulsberry, Jr. Decedent
Edward G. Varrone, Esq. 1825 K Street, NW Suite 1150 Washington, DC 20006 Attorney
NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS
NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS Tiffany H. McRae, whose address is 5121 Fitch Street, SE, Apartment 203, Washington, DC 20019, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Mark A. Stover who died on December 1, 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 7/28/2021. 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 7/28/2021, 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 28, 2021
Shanice McClelland, whose address is 10009 Birdie Lane, Upper Marlboro, MD 20774, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of James C. “JC” Saulsberry, Jr. who died on January 10, 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 7/28/2021. 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 7/28/2021, 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: 1/28/2021 Shanice McClelland Personal Representative
Tiffany H. McRae Personal Representative
TRUE TEST COPY
TRUE TEST COPY
Nicole Stevens Register of Wills
Nicole Stevens Register of Wills
Washington Informer
Washington Informer SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA Probate Division Washington, D.C. 20001-2131
In God We Trust
2020 ADM 922
Notice of Special Appearance : I am that I am: “ Eliezer Ali©
Notice of White Flag Surrender
”, nom deguerre: “ Maria, Eliezer© ”, in full life, in propria
Ewan A. Brown aka Ewan Alexander Brown Decedent
persona, sui juris, in solo proprio, Haqdar by natural issue, the beneficiary and heir of: ‘‘ MARIA, ELIEZER© ’’, corp.sole Dba.:
Aimee D. Griffin 5335 Wisconsin Ave., NW, Ste 440 Washington, DC 20015 Attorney
‘‘ ELIEZER MARIA© ’’. I being Trustee of ‘‘ MARIA, ELIEZER© having reached the age of majority, being aboriginal to the northwestern and southwestern shores of Africa, the Atlantic Islands, the continental Americas, being duly certified, hereby affirms the following: Notice of White Flag Surrender: as “hors
NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS David A. Mitchell, whose address is 1612 Golf Course Rd., Mitchellville, MD 20721, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Ewan A. Brown aka Ewan Alexander Brown who died on May 31, 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 7/28/2021. 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 7/28/2021, 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: 1/28/2021 David A. Mitchell Personal Representative TRUE TEST COPY Nicole Stevens Register of Wills Washington Informer
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: 134, ‘‘ ELIEZER MARIA© ’’, is as a special deposit order conveyed to “ Eliezer Ali 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. Let it Be Known that, Freshun Flowers Bey is a member of the League of Indian Nations of North America, LINNA Tribal ID#: 000101717 and Is subject of the National Indian Government; one that owes allegiance to the sovereign and is governed by her laws. Extraterritorial USA/CANADA Proclamation Form 42820- A100
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JANUARY 28 - FEBRUARY 3, 2021 39
NEW from Page 1 processes, executive departments and agencies must recognize and work to redress inequities in their policies and programs that serve as barriers to equal opportunity.” By advancing equity across the federal government, the president asserts, agencies can create opportunities to improve historically underserved communities, which he said benefits everyone. “For example, an analysis shows that closing racial gaps in wages, housing credit, lending opportunities, and access to higher education would amount
to an additional $5 trillion in gross domestic product in the American economy over the next five years,” Biden spelled out. “The federal government’s goal in advancing equity is to provide everyone with the opportunity to reach their full potential,” he remarked. “Consistent with these aims, each agency must assess whether, and to what extent, its programs and policies perpetuate systemic barriers to opportunities and benefits for people of color and other underserved groups. Such assessments will better equip agencies to develop policies and programs that deliver resources and
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40 - JANUARY 28 - FEBRUARY 3, 2021
benefits equitably to all.” The president’s words and early actions have offered a glimpse into what communities of color can expect over much of the next four years – at least that is the hope. “As a black man living in America, the inauguration brings a sense of hope that has not been felt since January 2009,” uttered Christian Bradford, a Northern California educator. “Just look at the parallels, the country was experiencing the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression, and we were about to experience a person in a position of leadership that we had never seen,” Bradford related. “Seeing a Black woman, who’s an HBCU graduate, member of a Divine nine sorority, and who has steadily ascended the political ladder is inspiring in so many ways,” he continued. “The emotions are very similar to when Barack Obama was elected. Generations of children had never experienced a president that looked like them. Conversely, many children who did not look like President Obama had never seen a Black man in a position of authority, and now the most powerful leader in the world was a Black man. “So, I think it’s equally important for people of all races in this country to see that leaders come from all races, ethnic groups, familial backgrounds, and so many other unique positionalities.” Tanya St. Julien, the chief of staff at Leadership for Educational Equity and a member of her Community Education Council in Brooklyn, N.Y., said
the new administration brings hope for all Americans who believe in the promise of true democracy – one in which all people have the opportunity to live into their full potential. “For people of color, this administration brings representation,” St. Julien offered. “With great pride, people of color across the country are looking at folks who share their racial and cultural identity assuming political leadership and influencing policy at the highest level.” According to St. Julien, the new administration also brings opportunity. “President Joe Biden named and thanked Black women in his acceptance speech, and that, along with the diversity of his administration, makes us hopeful that he will support and promote the policy priorities of the people who have been hardest hit by systemic inequity,” she said. St. Julien added that she is hopeful for economic restoration and commensurate investments in supporting Black businesses, creating jobs for people of color, and investing in our communities’ economic development. She noted that Vice President Kamala Harris offers a chance to address and uproot the legacy of white supremacy in America, so people of color could live up to their potential instead of facing systemic challenges like educational inequity, murder at the hands of police, substandard healthcare, and food insecurity. St. Julien stated that emotions might be different for the Biden-Harris ad-
AUSTIN from Page 27
as the commanding general of the Multi-National Corps-Iraq during the period when the surge forces were drawing down under Operation Iraqi Freedom. In 2009 Austin was named director of the Joint Staff at the Pentagon. Following that assignment, Austin served another tour in Iraq as the commanding general of United States Forces-Iraq, responsible for the transition of all U.S. and Coalition military forces and equipment out of the country by the December 2011 deadline. In 2012 Austin served as the 33rd vice chief of staff of the Army, culminating his military career as the 12th commander of U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) from 2013 to 2016. As CENTCOM commander, he was responsible for military strategy and joint operations throughout the Middle East and Central and South Asia. He was also the architect and oversaw the military campaign's ex-
Service Medals, the country's highest noncombat-related military honor, and three Distinguished Service Medals; the Silver Star, the nation's third-highest award for valor in combat; and two Legions of Merit. According to his biography, Austin began his career in the U.S. Army in 1975 as second lieutenant in the infantry and rose through the ranks to command troops in combat as a general. Austin served in numerous command and staff positions in the U.S. and around the world, including Operation Safe Haven in Panama with the 82nd Airborne Division; Operation Iraqi Freedom, spearheading the 2003 invasion of Iraq as assistant commander of the Third Infantry Division; and Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan as the commander of the 10th Mountain Division (Light). In 2008 Austin returned to Iraq
5 Tanya St. Julien, the Chief of Staff at Leadership for Educational Equity and a member of her Community Education Council in Brooklyn, New York (Photo Provided by Leadership Educational Equity)
ministration than when Obama first won election in 2008. “Obama’s election was all about hope, and it was an overwhelming victory. This election is different,” St. Julien observed. “Decided by a handful of states and undermined by the sitting president, we are experiencing the meeting of two Americas. We are cautiously optimistic and remain ready to fight against systemic inequity so that America can finally start to fulfill its promise of equality and justice for all.” WI @StacyBrownMedia ecution to defeat the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria. He retired from the military on May 1, 2016, and is now the founder and president of The Austin Strategy Group. Austin was also vice chief of the Army staff when President Biden served as vice president under Barack Obama. Austin needed a congressional waiver for confirmation to the civilian post because he retired from active-duty service only four years ago. "Very good news for national security," retired Four-Star Gen. Barry McCaffrey stated. "Retired Gen. Lloyd Austin is a towering figure in armed forces. Enormous global experience. Joint Staff and Army staff Pentagon. Very easy to deal with. Loved by the military. Silver Star Valor. West Point. M.A. Auburn. MBA." WI @StacyBrownMedia
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MALVEAUX from Page 24 day holiday. One of the final slaps in the face from the deranged "leader." Hours before Biden offered his stirring and hopeful speech, the previous president, who defied precedent and declined to attend his successor's inauguration, the former president slunk out of Washington, designing his departure with a 21 gun salute and an exit on Air Force One. It was a pitiful party, sparsely attended and suffused with gloomy moods. The former president's deputy press secretary, Hogan Gidley, described the departing ceremony as "a funeral" and said, "In many ways, the country died."
JACKSON from Page 24 it is estimated that they must win 6% to 7% more votes than Republicans across the country, because Republican gerrymandering — drawing districts to pack Democratic voters in a few districts (usually disproportionately people of color) while giving Republicans an edge in many — has rigged the system against the party that represents the majority. And worse, Supreme Court judges nominated by minority presidents have ruled that the federal courts will do nothing to protect against grotesquely distorted gerrymandering. The same distortions exist in state legislatures, where gerrymandered districts help the party with the minority of votes gain the majority. That majority then has the power to redraw the districts to rig the system even more. More than 59 million Americans live under minority rule in a state where the party with fewer votes controls a
MORIAL from Page 24 The Executive Order on Advancing Racial Equity and Support for Underserved Communities Through the Federal Government reads, in part, "The Federal Government's goal in advancing equity is to provide everyone with the opportunity to reach their full potential. Consistent with these aims, each agency must assess whether, and to what extent, its programs and policies perpetuate systemic barriers to opportunities and benefits for people of color and other underserved groups. Such assessments will better equip agencies to develop policies and programs that deliver resources and benefits equitably to all." The order also rescinds the Trump administration's 1776 Commission,
No, Hogan, the country was reborn with hope and joy, and a commitment to turn the hope and enjoyment of the inauguration into a reality. What a difference a day makes. We have gone from a history-denying administration into a history-affirming one. We have moved from an administration that attacked workers and the environment to an administration that fights for them. To be sure, the Biden-Harris administration is walking a legislatively narrow tightrope, with a narrow margin in the House of Representatives and just a one-vote margin in the Senate. Suppose Biden can work the bipartisan magic he promised to at-
tempt. In that case, there will be more vaccines into arms and more relief for those whose economic status has been impacted by the coronavirus pandemic. These early days of the Biden-Harris administration are hopeful, inspirational days. They must also be workdays. There is much that must be done, many obstacles to clear. The previous administration did lots to cement their gains with last-minute executive orders and appointments. Many of these obstacles can be removed. The Biden-Harris team has, so far, been productive and resilient. They must continue that relentlessness moving forward. What a difference a day makes! Oh, happy day. WI
majority of the legislative seats. In Wisconsin, 44.7% of voters cast ballots for Republican Assembly candidates, but the GOP won 64.6% of the seats. With gerrymandering, voters aren't choosing their representatives; representatives are choosing their voters. The right-wing Supreme Court majority has ruled that money is speech and that corporations are citizens, so their ability to throw money into elections cannot be limited. The result, not surprisingly, is that American elections get more costly and big money and entrenched interests grow more powerful. The fix is in — and the results are ruinous. Today, Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell is refusing to agree to rules to govern the Senate unless Democrats agree to sustain the filibuster. The filibuster — the requirement that virtually any legislation receive not a majority of the vote but a supermajority of 60 votes — is the instrument McConnell used to obstruct
virtually everything President Obama sought to do, with the stated purpose of making him a one-term president. The result is a Senate that is frozen in the midst of cumulating crises. Even Joe Biden's pandemic emergency rescue package is stalled. America becomes more and more dysfunctional as it becomes less and less democratic. The Democratic majority in the House has passed legislation — HR 1 in the last session of Congress — that would remedy some of these inequities. The 51-vote majority in the new Senate wants this to be its first act. But, of course, if the filibuster is sustained the minority will block even these common-sense reforms. The sacking of the Capitol sent a message around the world that America's democracy is literally under siege. The reality is worse: our system is rigged so that the minority can rule. The disconnect — the frustration of the will of the majority — is a clear and present danger. WI
which "sought to erase America's history of racial injustice," as well as Trump's order preventing federal agencies and contractors from holding diversity and inclusion trainings, which the National Urban League sued to overturn. It was an encouraging sign from a president who campaigned on a promise to bridge the nation's racial divide. He has assembled the most racially diverse presidential Cabinet in U.S. history, with people of color making up half of the nominees for Cabinet positions and Cabinet-level positions. In a memo issued Saturday, the president's chief of staff promised "significant early actions to advance equity and support communities of color and other underserved communities." He was not specific about these actions,
but President Biden has promised he would create a national police oversight commission in his first 100 days. The National Urban League stands ready to assist and support President Biden and Vice President Harris as they tackle what the memo called the "four overlapping and compounding crises: the COVID-19 crisis, the resulting economic crisis, the climate crisis, and a racial equity crisis." We also stand prepared to hold the Administration accountable to its commitments. In the words of our Youth Poet Laureate Amanda Gorman, "We will not march back to what was but move to what shall be, a country that is bruised but whole, benevolent but bold, fierce, and free." WI
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relief package that meets the scale of this crisis," said Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.), chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus. "We have no time to waste." More than 325 organizations, including the Center for Responsible Lending (CRL), called upon the Biden administration to use its executive authority to cancel federal student debt on its first day. Originally sent this past November, the letter was updated on Jan. 15 with 85 additional signers. In part, the letter advises, "The disproportionate impact of student debt on borrowers of color
exacerbates existing systemic inequities and widens the racial wealth gap. Black Americans—and particularly Black women—are more likely to take on student loan debt and struggle with repayment. This burden is particularly acute for those Black students who are targeted by for-profit institutions, which also target veterans and often deliver poor instructional quality and outcomes at a high cost, causing a high proportion of students to drop out." It is important to acknowledge that President Biden has called on Congress to cancel $10,000 of federal student loan debt per borrower and included reforming
income-based repayment and loan forgiveness for borrowers in public service jobs in his higher education plans. However, these actions will help only some — not all — of the borrowers now holding federal loan debt. "Cancellation will help jumpstart spending, create jobs, and add to the gross domestic product (GDP)," said Ashley Harrington, federal advocacy director and senior counsel at CRL. "Short-term payment suspension alone is not enough to help struggling borrowers who are unemployed, already in default, or in serious delinquency." For the full version of this story, go to washingtoninformer.com. WI
more. The integrity of the 2020 census will be restored. The U.S. will rejoin the World Health Organization and the Paris Climate Accords. The Biden-Harris team also made it clear that they are willing to tackle big problems that stand in the way of making equality and opportunity real for millions of us: They have launched an effort to root out systemic racism and discrimination in federal agencies and policies. The administration is clearly committed to doing what it can on its own. Now we need Congress to show the same kind of
urgency in passing economic relief and recovery legislation. We also need Congress to pass the For the People Act, a priority for voting rights activists. It would strengthen our democracy by protecting the right to vote and limiting the role of big money in politics. Sometimes, when we have a lot going on in our lives all at once, it can be hard to know where to begin. The Biden-Harris team is making a bold start. Let's push them to keep being bold when the going gets tough, and let's have their backs when they do. WI
Just three days before the insurrection he spawned, he called the Republican Georgia secretary of state and tried to coerce him into stealing the 11,800 votes he needed to win that state. He even plotted to gut the top leadership of the Department of Justice and replace the acting attorney general with his own sycophant who would then challenge the election results in four battleground states in the Supreme Court, but a threatened mass resignation of senior DOJ lawyers stalled that scheme. There is no depth to which he would not have stooped to stay in power. And, he says he's coming back. That's why he must be convicted in his impeachment trial, and prohibited from being elected again. Let me be clear. All he needed to pull off his nefarious scheme was a simple dirty word from Mike Pence, then it would have been "game on." Trump trumps the Constitution. Trump trumps the rule of law.
Never mind the will of the majority of the voters. Biden won 81 million to The Donald's 74 million. Those who did not vote for him would be rendered null and void. The only voters who matter, in his view, are the 75% of his 74 million who agree with him that the election was stolen. But, alas. "Mike Pence didn't have the courage to do what should have been done to protect our Country and our Constitution, giving States a chance to certify a corrected set of facts, not the fraudulent or inaccurate ones which they were asked to previously certify. USA demands the truth!" Trump tweeted just as his supporters were breaking down the Capitol's doors. A "corrected set of facts," is what he had in mind, along with a corrected Constitution and everything else folks in this country hold sacred. It didn't happen, thanks to the Better Angels of Mike Pence. WI
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CROWELL from Page 25
JEALOUS from Page 25 his first days in office are immediate. We have a new strategy in place for getting a handle on the pandemic. Harmful last-minute actions taken by Trump on his way out the door will be suspended and reversed. A temporary ban on evictions and foreclosures will be extended. So will a pause in student loan payments. Federal contractors will have to stop discriminating if they want to work for the federal government. Deportations will be suspended, and the bigoted Muslim ban is no
ASKIA from Page 25 dent, and TWIMPRIC and the mob he sent to storm the Capitol building in his behalf on Jan. 6 would seize the levers of power and install himself in power — the law, the Constitution, be damned. After the frenzied mob — with the obvious collusion of more than 130 members of the House of Representatives, a dozen or so Senators, and the acquiescence of the Capitol Police force — took over the seat of government, Trump would have invoked the Insurrection Act, sent in federal troops to restore order, and taken all power for himself. The legislators who escaped being captured and put to death by the mob, would hardly be unable to convene, and in the bedlam, he would remain in power. Now many people insist that couldn't have happened here. Ha!
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