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PHOTOGRAPHERSPUBLISHER Shevry Lassiter, Roy Lewis, Jr., Robert R. Denise Rolark Barnes STAFF Roberts, Anthony Tilghman REPORTERS Brooke N. Garner Managing Editor Tia C. Jones, Ed Laiscell, Carla Peay Assistant Managing Editor Odell B. Ruffin, Larry Saxton, Ron Burke Advertising and Marketing Mary Wells, Joseph Young Mable Whittaker Bookkeeper LaNita Wrenn Administration PHOTOGRAPHERS John E. DeFreitas Sports Editor Lafayette Barnes, IV, Victor Holt Photo Editor John E. De Freitas, Maurice Fitzgerald, Zebra Designs, Inc. Layout & Graphic Design Joanne Jackson, Roy Lewis, Robert 4 - JANUARY 28 - FEBRUARY 3, 2021 Ken Harris /www.scsworks.com Webmaster Ridley, Victor Holt CIRCULATION Paul Trantham Women Break the Cycle of Domestic Violence wi hot topics COMPILED BY D. KEVIN MCNEIR, WI EDITOR, WILLIAM J. FORD, WI STAFF WRITER President Biden Seeks to Md. Senator Miller Honored By Tia Carol Jones law enforcement. She said they threat,” she said. Put Harriet Tubman on $20 Before Being Laid to Rest WI Staff Writer had come together to bring a Among the programs Marlow sense of uniformity in the way wants to see implemented are After four years of pushback from former President
When L.Y. Marlow's 23-year- domestic violence victims and stricter restraining order policies, Donald Trump’s administration, the conductor of the old daughter told her the father of her daughter threatened her life, and the life of their child, she knew something had to be done. Out of her frustration with law enforcement's handling of the situation, she decided to start the Saving Promise campaign. “It seems to be a vicious cycle that won't turn my family loose,” Marlow said. Marlow shared her story with the audience at the District Heights survivors are treated. “She's using her own personal story, her own personal pain to push forward,” Davis-Nickens said about Marlow. Davis-Nickens said anyone who reads Marlow's book will “get it.” She said she “puts the case in such a way, the average person can get it.” She said at the end of the day, the book will help people begin to have a dialogue about domestic violence. Also present at the event was more rights for victim's families to intervene on behalf of a victim, a domestic violence assessment unit coupled with further training for law enforcement agencies, a Child's Life Protection Act and mandatory counseling for batterers. “If we are ever going to eradicate domestic violence, we must look at both sides of the coin. We need to address both the victim and the batterer,” Marlow said. Underground Railroad, Harriet Tubman, may finally appear on U.S. currency, according to a statement from White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki on Jan. 25. In April 2016, then-President Barack Obama announced that Tubman would replace Andrew Jackson on the $20 bill. Obama expressed a desire to have the new bill released in 2020 to coincide with the 100th anniversary of the passage of the 19th amendment. However, Trump expressed an affinity toward Confederate figures and sang the praises of Jackson, claiming that he had led the U.S. to great success during his two terms in office (1829 – 1837). Trump suggested 5 Maryland Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller, Jr. was laid Domestic Violence Symposium Mildred Muhammad, the ex- Marlow would also like to see that he considered placing her image on a $2 bill but to rest on Saturday, Jan. 23. (Anthony Tilghman/The Washinton on May 7 at the District Heights Informer) wife of John Allen Muhammad, programs designed to raisenot replacing Jackson. Municipal Center. The sympo- who was sentenced to six consec- awareness among children inLongtime Maryland Senate President Thomas V. Mike President Biden has vowed to correct the Trump sium was sponsored by the utive life terms without parole public and private schools. SheMiller, Jr. received a public tribute before being laid to administration’s many wrongs, including working Family and Youth Services by a Maryland jury for his role in feels children need to be educat-rest Saturday, Jan. 23. Miller served for five decades in the toward improving race relations in America and offerCenter of the city of District the Beltway Sniper attacks in ed about domestic violence.General Assembly and 33 years as Senate president, lon- ing more opportunities to people of color. Heights and the National Hook- 2002. Mildred Muhammad is “We have to stop being pas-ger than any state lawmaker in the nation. Tubman would be the first African-American Up of Black Women. the founder of After the Trauma, sive-aggressive with poor chil-He announced his resignation Dec. 23 as he battled woman featured on U.S. currency.
Marlow has written a book, an organization that helps the dren about domestic violence,”cancer. He died Jan. 15. Although Miller resided in Visit our website for the complete story @ www. “Color Me Butterfly,” which is a survivors of domestic violence Marlow said.Calvert County, a procession traveled through parts of his washingtoninformer.com. WI story about four generations of and their children. native Prince George’s County in Clinton. Stops made on Marlow has worked to break domestic violence. The book is “I lived in fear for six years. SixJan. 23 included his law office, a county firehouse and his the cycle of abuse in her family, inspired by her own experiences, years in fear is a long time. It isalma mater of Surrattsville High School. The next day, and is confident the policies she and those of her grandmother, not an easy thing to come outthe state held a public visitation for Miller inside the State is pushing for will start that her mother and her daughter. of,” she said. House in Annapolis. A private service took place Saturday process. She said every time she reads Mildred Muhammad saidat St. John the Evangelist in Clinton. Some used social “I plan to take these policies to excerpts from her book, she still media to pay homage to Miller. people who want to help a Congress and implore them to can not believe the words came domestic violence victim must“Well before my tenure as principal, Mike Miller and change our laws,” Marlow said. from her. “Color Me Butterfly” be careful of how they go intothe Miller family stood shoulder to shoulder with Sur- “I will not stop until these poliAlsobrooks 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 won the 2007 National “Best Books” Award. “I was just 16-years-old when my eye first blackened and my lips bled,” Marlow said. Elaine Davis-Nickens, president of the National Hook-Up of Black Women, said there is no consistency in the way domestic violence issues are dealt with by the victim's life, and understand that she may be in “survival mode”. “Before you get to 'I'm going to kill you,' it started as a verbal cies are passed.” Tia Carol Jones can be reached at tiacaroljones@sbcglobal.net WI rattsville students celebrating their academic accomplishments and cheering for them at Homecoming and Graduation. Rest In Peace,” said Surrattsville Principal Katrina Lamont. WI Prince George’s County Executive Angela Alsobrooks, who oversees the second 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 policies to Congress and them. Other possible Democratic candidates running for governor include Baltimore County Executive John “Johnny O” Olszewski raised the second highest
THE WASHINGTON INFORMER / WWW.WASHINGTONINFORMER.COM implore them to change our laws. I will not stop until these policies are passed. “ L.Y. Marlow 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 balance stands at $2.2 million. The state’s Democratic Party plans to push hard to take the governor’s mansion when Republican Gov. Larry Hogan’s second, fouryear term expires next year. WI 5 Prince George’s County Executive Angela Alsobrooks. (FILE: Rob Roberts/The Washington Informer)
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.
“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 JAN 28 - FEB 3, 2021 SOURCE: BLACK AMERICA WEB
JAN 28
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. 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.
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1865 – The 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which outlawed slavery and indentured servi-
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."
OPRAH WINFREY 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
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
view P INT
BY SARAFINA WRIGHT
The Biden administration has revived a plan to put Harriet Tubman on the $20 bill. Would you like to see it?
BRANDON HALL /
PARADISE, TEXAS She was an abolitionist! She wouldn't want to be on money. He's distracting y'all while he negotiates with Republicans about your now-$1,400 [stimulus check]! And y'all are falling for it.
CHUKWUMA AGBO /
AKRON, OHIO Not everybody uses cash these days, anyway. … They're pushing for a cashless society so it doesn't even matter. It would have been nice in the '70s. There are no perks when spending cash, unlike cards, and I can put any image on my card.
DARRYL WILLIAMS /
KILLEEN, TEXAS 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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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 Secretary 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
headaches, body pains, stomach problems, and skin rashes • Worsening of chronic health problems • Worsening of mental health conditions • Increased use of tobacco, alcohol, and other substances
The CDC also offers what they call healthy ways to cope:
• Take breaks from watching, reading, or listening to news stories, including those on social media. • Take care of your body. • Take deep breaths, stretch, or meditate external icon. • Try to eat healthy, well-balanced meals. • Exercise regularly. • Get plenty of sleep. • Avoid excessive alcohol, tobacco, and substance use. • Make time to unwind. Try to do some other activities you enjoy. • Connect with others. Talk with people you trust about your concerns and how you are feeling. • Connect with your community- or faith-based organizations.
Resources and Social Support Services Available include the following:
• Food and Food System Resources
During COVID-19 Pandemic • Disaster Financial Assistance with Food, Housing, and Bills • Coronavirus Resources for Rent.ers
U.S. Department of Labor
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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FREE PORK CHOPS & CHICKEN BREASTS when you buy this package today!
*Savings shown over aggregated single item base price. Standard S&H applies. ©2020 Omaha Steaks, Inc. Exp. 1/31/21
Coronavirus Resources • National Suicide Prevention
Lifeline : 1-800-273-TALK (8255) for English, 1-888-628-9454 for
Spanish, or Lifeline Crisis Chat. • National Domestic Violence
Hotline: 1-800-799-7233 or text
LOVEIS to 22522 • National Child Abuse
Hotlineexternal icon: 1-800-4AChild (1-800-422-4453) or text 1-800-422-4453 • National Sexual Assault Hotline: 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) or
Online Chat • Veteran’s Crisis Line: 1-800-273-TALK(8255) or risis Chat text: 8388255 • Disaster Distress Helpline:
CALL or TEXT 1-800-985-5990 (press 2 for Spanish). • The Eldercare Locator: 1-800-677-1116– TTY
Instruction
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CAPTURE THE MOMENT
GIANT DONATES TO CAPITAL AREA FOOD BANK Jody Tick (CAFB COO), Daniel Wolk (Giant Media Relations Manager), Felis Andrade (Giant Director of External Communications), Radha Muthiah (CAFB President & CEO) and Molly McGlinchy (CAFB Sr. Director of Direct Programs) joined together to celebrate Giant’s presentation of a $450,000 check to the Capital Area Food Bank (CAFB) through the Giant Family Foundation in support of the food bank’s flagship child hunger program, the Family Markets Program. (Courtesy photo)
Who’s Reading the Informer?
Dr. E. Gail Anderson Holness, senior pastor at Adams Inspirational AME Church, reads the Washington Informer. (Roy Lewis/The Washington Informer)
WORDS TO LIVE BY
– Angela Davis
“Women, Race and Class,” [1981], scholar and activist, born Jan. 26, 1944
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
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® VIRTUAL FESTIVAL THE 2021 BLACK HISTORY MONTH
CELEBRATING THE 95TH ANNUAL BLACK HISTORY THEME The Black Family: Representation, Identity, and Diversity
Monday, February 1, 2021
FREE COMMUNITY EVENT - OPEN TO PUBLIC
Announcement of the Black History theme and Introduction of ASALH’s Inaugural Virtual Black History Month Festival
Saturday, February 6, 2021 12:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. EST
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
Wednesday, February 24, 2021
FREE COMMUNITY EVENT - OPEN TO PUBLIC
Diving with a Purpose
Sunday, February 28, 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
Sunday, February 28, 2021 7:00 p.m. EST
FREE COMMUNITY EVENT - OPEN TO PUBLIC
ASALH and PBS Books Present: A Conversation with Ngugi Wa Thiong’o and Sundiata Cha-Jua
Marquee Event
Saturday, February 20, 2021 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. EST
(TICKETED EVENT: $50.00) Finding Our Roots in African American History
A Conversation with… Henry Louis Gates and Evelyn Brooks Higginbotham
Henry Louis Gates, Jr. Evelyn Brooks Higginbotham
Acclaimed for his scholarship, his documentary films about African, Afro-Latin, and African American History, and his popular television series, “Finding Your Roots,” Henry Louis Gates, Jr., has brought fascinating African American family stories to the wider public. The Black History Month Festival in 2021 is proud to feature a conversation between ASALH’s national president Evelyn Brooks Higginbotham and Henry Louis Gates, Jr., who will share his thoughts and motivations in popularizing Black History through the heritage of African American families and communities and their search for roots.
ASALH BRANCHES WILL HOST VIRTUAL PROGRAMS THROUGHOUT THE MONTH ASALH BRANCH EVENTS CAN BE FOUND AT ASALH.ORG/BRANCH-EVENTS
ASSOCIATION FOR THE STUDY OF AFRICAN AMERICAN LIFE AND HISTORY
THE FOUNDERS OF BLACK HISTORY MONTH WWW.ASALH.ORG | 202-238-5910 | #ASALH #ASALHFAMILY #ASALHFAM #ASALH2021
