Serving Our Community in the DMV
Vol 61 No 13
January 8 - 14, 2026
Residents, Local Leaders Continue to React to U.S. Attack on Venezuela
The Collins D.C. Council Report
Vaccinations, Public Charter School Board Appointments, An At-large Councilmember Selection Process, and Business in the Soul of the City
By Stacy M. Brown WI Senior Writer
By Sam Plo Kwia Collins, Jr. WI Staff Writer
During its Jan. 6 legislative meeting, the D.C. Council briefly acknowledged the fifth anniversary of the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol. Council members also deliberated and voted on a slew
COLLINS REPORT Page 30
5 A group of activists assemble outside of the Cuban Embassy for a vigil hosted by CODEPINK on Jan. 5 to protest the U.S. attack on Venezuela. (Cleveland Nelson/The Washington Informer)
The attack on Caracas and arrest of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro by U.S. forces set off an immediate reckoning in the DMV area. Protesters are pouring into the streets, organizations such as CODEPINK are holding rallies, security is tightening around federal buildings, and lawmakers are confronting the reality of an American operation that removed a foreign head of state and brought him to U.S. soil. "What’s happening in Venezuela is a testing ground,” said Michelle Ellner, Latin America campaign coordinator with CODEPINK, a feminist grassroots organization that held a vigil at the Cuban Embassy on Jan. 5 after the Jan. 3 attack. “If the U.S. can kidnap a head of state, talk about ‘running’ another country, and bypass Congress without consequences, that model doesn’t stop at Venezuela, it expands.” Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, were flown to New York
MLK Holiday DC to Honor King’s Legacy, Inspire Freedom Fight By Jada Ingleton WI Content Editor The devoted District tradition commemorating the life and legacy of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. (MLK) is set to return Jan. 12-19, launching a vision to emulate the civil rights leader beyond the third Monday in January. Charged by the theme: “The Struggle is Real, The Fight is Still,” this year’s MLK Holiday DC aims to ring the bells of justice and equity in a mission not unlike that of the 1960s Civil Rights Movement, when King served a cause that continues to echo through next week’s celebration. 5 MLK Holiday DC committee co-chairs Stuart Anderson and Denise Rolark Barnes, publisher of The Washington “It's about Black people trying to make sure that Informer, during the Seventh Annual Prayer Breakfast in there's equity in not just this country, but in the January 2025, the kick off to last year’s week of commemoration world for Black people,” said Stuart Anderson, co-
MLK Page 11
VENEZUELA Page 44
3District youth participate in a town hall in January 2025. Proposed changes from the Department of Behavioral Health could potentially affect programming for District public and public charter school students. (WI File Photo/Ja’Mon Jackson)
Annual Tradition Returns Jan. 12-19
in honor of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. (Jada Ingleton/ The Washington Informer)
Capture the Moment Page 37
Ward 8 Education Leaders and Community-Based Organizations Counter Proposed Changes to SchoolBased Mental Health Programming By Sam Plo Kwia Collins, Jr. WI Staff Writer For several months, the Ward 8 Education Council has embarked on a journey to fill ex-
ecutive board positions and strengthen collaboration between parents, principals, elected officials, and education councils in
EDUCATION Page 22
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