Ward 8 D.C. Councilmember-elect White Reenters Council Chambers
By Sam P.K. Collins WI Staff Writer
Room 500 of the John A. Wilson Building filled to capacity on what council members called the most unconventional of days to conduct a final budget vote, during what has been one of the most hectic years in recent D.C history.
The Fiscal Year 2026 budget approved by the council on Monday evening preserves Initiative 82 in a manner that some council members say achieves parity in the current economic environment. Ranked-choice voting also remained intact, despite
efforts to mandate a D.C. Board of Elections (DCBOE) needs assessment.
Amid contention with the Office of the Chief Financial Officer (OCFO) about more than $200 million in funds, the council added the child tax credit and D.C. Healthcare Alliance to a contingency funding list. To the chagrin of advocates, the council also struck down an amendment for marginal tax increase on wealth.
On Monday morning, D.C. Councilmember-elect Trayon White (D-Ward 8), not yet D.C. Board of
D.C. Council to Soon Vote on Commanders Stadium Deal, Mendelson Says
Looking Back: Federal Pressure, Competing Campaigns, and a Community Benefits Agreement
By Sam P.K. Collins WI Staff Writer
Since the removal of the RFK campus redevelopment deal from the Fiscal Year 2026 Budget Support Act, tensions have intensified both in the John A. Wilson Building and on the Hill around if and when the D.C. Council will finalize the stadium deal with the Washington Commanders.
After much speculation about whether negotiations would drag well
STADIUM Page 40
5During the second budget vote on July 28, D.C. Councilmembers Zachary Parker (left) and Janeese Lewis George (right) voted against the Fiscal Year 2026 Budget Support Act while Parker also voted against the Fiscal Year 2026 Local Budget Act. Councilmember Christina Henderson (center) says she is intent on stopping any delay of ranked-choice voting— a system that’s been assessed by D.C. Board of Elections and the Office of Chief Financial Officer. (WI File Photo/Ja’Mon Jackson)
5Messages emphasizing the importance of Medicaid funding taped to a candle statue during the 60-Hour Medicaid Vigil on the National Mall. Advocates gathered outside the U.S Capitol to protest recent congressional cuts to Medicaid and share the stories of those with disabilities that are impacted. (Ve Wright/ The Washington Informer)
Medicaid Cuts Protest on National Mall Draws Sharp Opinions
GOP Plans Could Hurt Many Americans, Activists Say
By James Wright and Ve Wright WI Staff Writer and WI Intern
Scores of people braved the sweltering heat in Washington, D.C. on July 26– the 35th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act— advocating that Medicaid, the federal government program providing health care to the poor, should be preserved and funded to levels where it can benefit the people most who need it, including those who are disabled.
Jennifer Wells, director of Economic Justice
MEDICAID Page 17
From Trauma to Transformation: Local Mental Health Advocates Lead New Era in Community Wellness
Dr. Patrise Holden WI Contributing Writer
In the heart of Washington, D.C., a quiet revolution is taking place, not in politics or protests, but in the realm of mental health.
In recognition of National Minority Mental Health Month, licensed clinical psychologist Dr. Shareefah Al’Uqdah and mental health advocate Rylinda Rhodes are redefining what healing looks like in underserved communities, one clinic, one conversation, one selfcheck at a time.
“We have to bring mental health services directly into communities where there is demonstrated need,” said Al’Uqdah. “That’s why I call myself Your Neighborhood Psychologist, because that’s exactly what mental health should be: available and grounded where people live.”
A MISSION SPARKED BY TRAGEDY
While Al’Uqdah was still a graduate student at Howard Universi-
5D.C. Council Chairman Phil Mendelson says the legislative body will conduct its vote on a revised stadium deal as early as Aug. 1. (WI File Photo/Ja’Mon Jackson)
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STACY M. BROWN WI SENIOR WRITER
Gridlock Capital: D.C. Overtakes Los Angeles as America’s Worst City for Traffic
5A new Consumer Affairs report reveals Washington, D.C. has the worst traffic in the United States.
(WI File Photo/Robert R. Roberts)
Washington, D.C. has officially taken the wheel — and slammed on the brakes.
According to the latest Consumer Affairs report, the nation’s capital now has the worst traffic in the United States, surpassing Los Angeles and cementing its reputation as a daily grind for drivers. From Northeast to Southeast, from the
Beltway to the Hill, frustrated commuters in D.C. aren’t imagining it — they’re living it. And it’s never been worse.
The average commute in the District has climbed to a nation-leading 33.4 minutes. On weekdays, traffic congestion stretches for more than 6.5 hours. Over the course of a year, that translates to 71 full days stuck in gridlock — the second-highest total in the country.
Denise Pennington has had enough. A Northeast D.C. resident for 37 years and a Capitol Hill commuter for 18, she said traffic has turned her daily drive into a nerve-wracking ordeal.
“It’s worse than it’s ever been,” Pennington said. “You
Diddy Demands Release, Slams Rare Use of Mann Act
Sean “Diddy” Combs is once again asking to be released from federal custody ahead of his Oct. 3 sentencing—this time arguing that his nearly yearlong incarceration is unjust, the law was misapplied, and the judge should set aside earlier concerns about his past violent behavior.
The motion, filed July 29 in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, comes after Judge Arun Subramanian denied Combs’ prior requests for bail following the jury’s split verdict. While Combs was acquitted of sex trafficking, racketeering conspiracy, and a host of other charges, he was convicted of violating the Mann Act, a law that is rarely used.
“The Mann Act (also known as the White-Slave Traffic Act of 1910),” according to Cornell Law School, “is a federal law that criminalizes the transportation of ‘any woman or girl for the purpose of prostitution or debauchery, or for any other immoral purpose.’
The judge had previously cited Combs’ own admissions of violence, particularly in his relationship with Cassie Ventura, and an alleged 2024 assault against an-
other woman known as “Jane,” as key reasons for continued detention.
Now, Combs’ attorneys argue that keeping him behind bars amounts to an unprecedented and inappropriate application of a 114-year-old law originally designed to combat human trafficking and forced prostitution. They say Combs is being punished not for coercion or profiteering but for engaging in consensual sexual activity within a swinger’s lifestyle.
“There has literally never been a case like this one,” the motion states, arguing that Combs is the only person in jail for paying adult male escorts to engage with his longterm girlfriends—activity the defense claims was consensual and initiated by the women themselves.
The legal team also points to Combs’ 11-month detention at Brooklyn’s Metropolitan Detention Center, calling it a dangerous and violent environment that federal courts have already condemned as unfit. They argue the facility’s conditions alone justify his release.
WI
Read more on washingtoninformer.com.
Bill Cosby Pays Tribute to Malcolm-Jamal Warner
In a wide-ranging and reflective appearance on the Black Press of America’s Let It Be Known, Bill Cosby—long regarded as television’s most iconic father figure—shared his thoughts on the death of Malcolm-Jamal Warner, the actor who portrayed Theo Huxtable on “The Cosby Show” (1984-1992).
Warner, 54, reportedly drowned, and his passing has struck a deep chord with generations who grew up watching the groundbreaking series.
Speaking with his trademark blend of intellect, personal memory, and cultural clarity, Cosby honored Warner’s legacy while revisiting the impact of “The Cosby Show,” a series that helped reshape how Black family life was portrayed on television.
“I heard about Malcolm’s drowning,” Cosby said. “And then Pam (Warner’s mother) called me about a day after Malcolm drowned... She picked up the
phone, I said, ‘Hello.’ And then I heard a sound... it was weak. She didn’t say a word at first. Then she said, ‘Oh, Bill.’ I did not stay on the phone much longer. That was enough.”
He also shared that Phylicia Rashad, who played Claire Huxtable, reached out to him following the news of Warner’s death.
“There was a call from Claire Huxtable—that is, Phylicia. She made the same call,” Cosby recalled, providing a sense of the emotional toll the loss has taken on the close-knit cast.
Raven-Symoné, who starred alongside Warner in “The Cosby Show” in later seasons, took to Instagram to simply post, “I love you,” in honor of her television step-uncle.
He credited Warner for bringing those stories to life
In Memoriam
Dr. Calvin W. Rolark, Sr. Wilhelmina J. Rolark
AROUND THE REGION
D.C. Area Protest Part of Nationwide ‘Rage Against the Regime’ Uprising on Aug. 2
By Stacy M. Brown WI Senior Writer
The 50501 Movement is once again calling Americans to the streets for its next National Day of Action, “Rage Against the Regime,” on Aug. 2. Among the dozens of protests planned across the country, one will take place in front of the Patrick Henry Library in Vienna, Virginia — a direct response to what organizers describe as the authoritarian, tyrannical, and racist rule of President Donald Trump.
Participants in Vienna are encouraged to bring protest signs, chairs, music, reusable water bottles, and even bubbles, as organizers promise a peaceful but forceful demonstration in defense of democracy and civil liberties.
“We are celebrating and exercising our First Amendment rights, rain or shine,” the event listing reads. “Bring as many friends as you can… We are having a non-violent, peaceful protest, as is our right! WE THE PEOPLE!”
The Aug. 2 protests come after the nationwide “No Kings Day” actions on June 14, which organizers say drew more than five million participants in over 2,100 separate demonstrations across all 50 states.
Those protests, timed on Flag Day and Trump’s birthday, targeted what activists called the rise of authoritarianism and the erosion of constitutional protections under the Trump administration. In cities like New York, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, and
GRIDLOCK from Page 4
used to be able to plan around it — before 7 or after 9:30 — but now, no matter when I leave, I’m stuck. And people are driving angrier. Everyone’s just fed up.”
Virginia and Maryland commuters aren’t spared either.
Baltimore ranks ninth nationwide for traffic congestion, with an average commute time of just over 29 minutes and more than 5.5 hours of weekday congestion.
Drivers from Arlington, Prince George’s County, and Montgomery County face the same logjam every morning and evening —
Seattle, tens of thousands marched, rallied, and held vigils. In Salt Lake City, a protester was shot during a peaceful demonstration, underscoring the risks faced by activists and the rising tensions in the country.
The 50501 Movement and its partners — including Voices of Florida, Public Citizen, and regional Democratic Socialist chapters — said “No Kings Day” laid the foundation for a continued national uprising.
“Whether protestors marched in the streets or held a vigil for movement elders and for victims of the federal government’s human rights abuses, they made their voices heard and thereby joined the legacy of all those who came before them,” said Sarah Parker, executive director for Voices of Florida and a 50501 national partner. “Progress takes generations of hard work and collective struggle.”
Organizers say the protests are rooted in the legacy of civil rights leaders like John Lewis and a long tradition of peaceful resistance. Aug. 2 is expected to draw tens of thousands once again to cities across the country, as the 50501 Movement urges Americans to convert their outrage into action.
The Rage Against the Regime protests will target the Trump administration’s policies, including the weaponization of ICE, the construction of concentration camps, the rollback of transgender rights, and the dismantling of Medicaid, SNAP, USAID, NOAA, the Department of Educa-
feeding the D.C. beast and suffering the consequences.
“There’s just no escaping the traffic,” said Michael Manville, an urban planning professor at the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs. He explained that congestion tends to follow economic prosperity. “A region with a growing economy provides a lot of opportunity,” he said. “So, people want to work there... the roads in an area with a booming economy become overloaded and congested.”
WI Read more on washingtoninformer.com.
tion, and other federal programs.
“The Trump administration’s heralding of American neo-fascism has given us plenty to rage about,” said Hunter Dunn, 50501 national press coordinator and an organizer for 50501 SoCal. “When our so-called representative government builds concentration camps and funds genocide, it becomes clear that, as Tom Morello said: ‘Some of those that work forces are the same that burn crosses.’”
To learn more or register for Rage Against the Regime, visit rageagainsttheregime.org. WI
5 After the successful “No King’s Day” protest in June, the 50501 Movement is once again calling Americans to the streets for its next National Day of Action, “Rage Against the Regime,” on Aug. 2. (WI File Photo/Ja’Mon Jackson)
AROUND THE REGION
facts
JULY 31
1874 – Patrick Francis Healy, is inaugurated as president of Georgetown University, the first African American president of a predominantly White college.
1921 – Civil rights leader Whitney M. Young is born in Lincoln Ridge, Kentucky.
AUG. 1
1879 – Mary Eliza Mahoney graduates from the nursing program at the New England Hospital for Women and Children, becoming the first African American registered nurse.
1894 – Benjamin Mays, educator and civil rights icon, is born in Ninety Six, South Carolina
1941 – Ron Brown, U.S. secretary of commerce during the Clinton administration, is born in Washington, D.C.
AUG. 2
1924 – Famed Black writer James Baldwin is born in Harlem.
AUG. 3
1908 – Allen Allensworth, an escaped slave who became a Union soldier and Army chaplain, founds Al lensworth, California, the only town in the state to be founded, financed and governed by African Americans.
AUG. 4
1810 – Abolitionist Robert Purvis, who co-founded local and national anti-slavery groups, is born in Charleston, South Carolina.
1901 – Louis Armstrong, iconic jazz trum peter and singer, is born in New Orleans.
1931 – Daniel Hale Williams, pioneering African American surgeon, dies in Idlewild, Michigan, at 75.
1961 – Barack Obama, the first African American president in United States history, is
JULY 31 - AUG. 6, 2025
SOURCE: BLACK AMERICA WEB
born in Honolulu.
1963 – Keith Ellison, the first Muslim to be elected to U.S. Congress, is born in Detroit.
1964 – The bodies of three civil rights workers discovered on farm near Philadelphia, Mississippi.
AUG. 5
1953 – The beginning of integration in Chicago’s Trumbull Park Homes housing project, located in an all-white neighborhood, triggers yearslong violence and racial tension.
1960 – African nation Burkina Faso gains independence from France.
1962 – Nelson Mandela is arrested in South Africa for inciting a workers’ strike. He was later sentenced to life imprisonment for sabotaging the nation’s government.
AUG. 6
1962 – Jamaica gains independence from the United Kingdom.
1965 – President Lyndon Johnson signs the Voting Rights Act into law amid the height of the civil rights movement.
JAMES BALDWIN (LEFT)
KEITH ELLISON (CENTER)
LOUIS ARMSTRONG (RIGHT)
P INT
BY SARAFINA WRIGHT
What issue feels most personal to you when you think about the future of the United States?
“I think it’s immigration. I don’t think that it’s right for him to be snatching immigrants off the street when his own wife is one too.”
MO MALLOY, 20 / NORTHWEST, D.C.
PERRY SINGLETARY, 32 / NORTHWEST, D.C.
“People aren’t able to live and retire comfortably like my parents.”
(FROM COLUMBIA, SOUTH CAROLINA)
“We are supporting Israel still when it’s bad looking to do so now. I don’t understand why we should always support their decisions on invoking war, then needing us.”
MAKAYLA JONES, 20 / WASHINGTON, D.C. (FROM SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA)
“AI taking peoples jobs in the future is most pressing to me.”
“Company outsourcing and job security. A lot more companies are outsourcing work to India and other countries, which greatly worsens the already poor job market.”
Our staff is made up of writers, just like you. We are dedicated to making publishing dreams come true. Trusted by authors for nearly 100 years, Dorrance has made countless authors’ dreams come true.
AROUND THE REGION
Inflation Sustains Pressure on DMV Households
By Stacy M. Brown WI Senior Writer
The United States’ year-over-year inflation rate has reached 2.4%, according to the personal finance website WalletHub.
The rate remains higher than the Federal Reserve’s stated target of 2%.
While WalletHub did not list a separate inflation rate for Washington, D.C., the region continues to experience elevated housing and tax burdens that are magnified by rising consumer prices.
Homeowners in Maryland spend 26.1% of their income on housing, while renters spend 33.6%. Virginia homeowners allocate 26.7% of their income to housing, while renters spend 25%.
WalletHub’s analysis identifies these percentages as among the higher levels nationally. In Washington, D.C., average housing costs typically exceed those in neighboring states, increasing pressure on household budgets.
WalletHub reports that Maryland residents pay an effective tax rate of 11.51% of their median income. Virginia residents pay 10.96%. In Washington, D.C., the effective tax burden is 9.05%. These state and local tax levels reduce disposable income available to manage higher prices for goods and services.
“At the forefront of factors driving inflation are the concepts of sticky prices, like when prices rise,” said WalletHub Expert Favour Olarewaju, a Ph.D. candidate in business ad-
ministration with a concentration in Economics and a Graduate Assistant in the Fogelman College of Business & Economics (FCBE) at the University of Memphis. “There is difficulty and delays in reducing the general pricing, especially as labor production costs increase, volatile energy prices, lingering supply chain disruptions from the Covid-19 pandemic, rising shelter and rent costs, and stronger demand for durable goods such as cars & auto-appliances.”
WalletHub also found that health care costs in Maryland represent 9.03% of household income, the lowest share reported among all states. Virginia’s healthcare costs are higher, with households paying an estimated 11% to 12% of their income. Washington, D.C., health spending data was not separately reported in the WalletHub resource.
on screen with care and truth.
“He was free,” said Cosby, whose 2018 conviction was overturned by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court in June 2021.
The television dad followed Warner’s work even after “The Cosby Show” aired its last episode in 1992.
“That tape needs to be heard,” referencing a performance Warner gave with the Minnesota Symphony. “He called me after the concert and said, ‘I did exactly what I wanted to do.’”
Considering Warner’s death, Cos-
WalletHub’s review found that national inflation trends have contributed to higher costs across groceries, utilities, and transportation. Combined with elevated housing and tax expenses, analysts said these increases are constraining household budgets across the Washington metropolitan region.
“In order to reduce inflation, adjustments must be made to monetary and fiscal policies,” stated Robert Krol, a professor in the Department of Economics at California State University, Northridge. “The Fed has adjusted monetary policy which has helped to undo much of the earlier excessive stimulus. As a result, inflation has declined. They will need to hold this course if they want to push inflation lower. Fiscal policy adjustment will also help.”
WI
by closed the interview not with sorrow, but with purpose.
“This is not to get angry,” he said. “This is to celebrate a man—54 years old, asphyxiated, swept out to sea. His life, and where he wanted to go, should be remembered.”
He added, “It’s difficult to work against heaven.”
He ended the conversation with a charge to everyone: to reflect, to create, and above all, to tell their own stories.
“All you have to do is celebrate,” he insisted. “And do the correct thing.” WI
5Vacant homes in Southeast, D.C., after experiencing decay and other challenges. The Washington metropolitan region continues to experience elevated housing and tax burdens that are magnified by rising consumer prices. (WI File Photo/Ja’Mon Jackson)
WARNER from Page 4
AROUND THE REGION
D.C. Attorney General Secures $1.2 Million from Opioid Drug Manufacturers
By Stacy M. Brown WI Senior Writer
Eight opioid drug manufacturers will pay the District approximately $1.2 million as part of a nationwide settlement resolving allegations that these companies contributed to and exacerbated the national opioid crisis, District of Columbia Attorney General Brian L. Schwalb announced on Monday.
Under the terms of the settlement, seven of the eight defendants—Alvogen, Amneal, Apotex, Hikima, Mylan, Sun, and Zydus—are prohibited from promoting or marketing opioids and opioid products; prohibited from making or selling any product that contains more than 40 mg of oxycodone per pill; and are required to reform their corporate practices. The eighth defendant, Indivior, is prohibited from manufacturing or selling any opioid products for the next 10 years.
“We will not stop until every cor-
To date, the Office of the Attorney General (OAG) said it has secured nearly $104 million from companies that contributed to the opioid epidemic.
Mylan will pay the District approximately $602,600, while Hikma will contribute about $188,800. Amneal is responsible for roughly $160,300, Apotex for $116,900, and Indivior for $71,100. Sun will pay about $56,900, Alvogen approximately $34,300, and Zydus about $27,200.
In total, these eight companies will pay $720 million to virtually every state and territory in the United States.
In addition to these payments, several of the settlements allow states to receive free pharmaceutical products or cash instead of the products.
While the District is set to receive about $1.2 million, Virginia— with more than 8.8 million residents in comparison to D.C.’s more than 700,000— could receive up to $16.4 million as part of these settlements.
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my office for fighting to secure over $16 million to help Virginians heal, support recovery, and hold these companies accountable for the devastation they profited from.”
Schwalb said that between 2021 and 2024, 1,740 people died from opioid overdoses in the District. He said the settlement is the latest development in OAG’s continuing efforts to address the opioid crisis, hold those responsible for it accountable, and secure relief for affected D.C. residents.
To date, OAG reports that it has secured nearly $104 million for the District via settlements with drug manufacturers, distributors, and others for their roles in creating and profiting from the crisis.
The District’s Opioid Abatement Advisory Commission was established in 2022 to make recommendations for how to best use the anticipated $104 million in settlement funds to
address the harm caused by the opioid epidemic. After five years of rising annual opioid fatalities in D.C., opioid deaths fell in 2024, when there were 344 opioid-related fatal overdoses, down from 516 the previous year. In the first quarter of 2025, there were 61 fatal opioid overdoses, a 33% decrease year-to-date from the prior year. WI Read more on washingtoninformer.com.
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5Eight opioid drug manufacturers will pay the District approximately $1.2 million as part of a nationwide settlement resolving allegations that these companies contributed to and exacerbated the national opioid crisis, according to an announcement by D.C. Attorney General Brian L. Schwalb. (WI File Photo/Robert R. Roberts)
AROUND THE REGION
Capitol Heights Councilmember Victor James stands with members of Boy Scouts Pack 7777 during a July 26 storm drain painting event. Several of the Boy Scouts earned a community service patch for their participation. (Anthony Tilghman/The Washington Informer)
Despite Murder Conviction, MPD Gave Officer His Job Back—and Back Pay
By Stacy M. Brown WI Senior Writer
The Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) allowed two officers convicted in the death of 20-year-old Karon Hylton-Brown to return to the force with back pay, despite overwhelming evidence of misconduct, a 172-page internal investigation recommending their termination, and a federal jury’s unanimous verdict.
According to a report released by the D.C. Auditor, MPD Chief Pamela A. Smith overruled her own Disciplinary Review Division and declined to fire Officer Terence Sutton and Lieutenant Andrew Zabavsky. Sutton was suspended for just 25 days. Zabavsky paid a $2,500 fine and retired. Both were awarded full benefits retroactive to 2021.
The decision came after President Donald Trump (R) issued full pardons to the officers on January 22, 2025—his second day in office. Sutton and Zabavsky had been convicted in December 2023 of second-degree murder, obstruction of justice, and conspiracy to obstruct following a nine-week federal trial.
Prosecutors presented video footage and testimony showing the officers engaged in a prohibited pursuit that ended with Hylton-Brown’s death and then falsified reports to cover it up.
D.C. Auditor Kathy Patterson called the discipline “grossly inadequate” and noted that Chief Smith also rejected all 11 policy reforms proposed by investigators.
“This failure to engage constructively on proposals to improve use of force investigations is a marked departure from the Metropolitan Police Department’s approach over the last 25 years,” the report, co-authored by Patterson and former DOJ monitor Michael R. Bromwich, stated. “The buck stops with her. In this case, the buck was dropped.”
D.C. COUNCIL QUESTIONS
SMITH’S DECISIONS
The internal investigation confirmed that the officers violated MPD’s pursuit policy, provided false statements, and failed to notify commanding officers following the 2020 crash that killed Hylton-Brown. But
5A new report from the D.C. Auditor reveals that the Metropolitan Police Department Chief Pamela A. Smith overruled her own Disciplinary Review Division and declined to fire the officers involved in the death of 20-year-old Karon Hylton-Brown. (Courtesy Photo)
when pressed by the D.C. Council, Smith defended the reinstatements, claiming the department disagreed with the jury’s findings.
Councilmember Janeese Lewis George (D-Ward 4) questioned how the officers could return to the force despite a federal conviction. “
The pardons are there,” she said, “but I guess the pardons do not change the facts of what occurred on October 23, 2020.”
Smith responded, explaining why the officers were allowed to return to the force.
“They have been reinstated,” she said. “When the incident occurred, they were suspended pending the outcome of their criminal case. As you know that after their pardons and convictions were vacated and dismissed, we completed our administrative review.”
After questioning, the MPD chief also explained why officers weren’t disciplined for obstruction of justice.
“It’s my understanding that there was no coverup and there was no obstruction of justice,” she said, citing body-worn camera footage and internal reports—despite findings to the contrary from MPD’s Internal Af-
AROUND THE REGION
fairs Bureau and Disciplinary Review Division.
During a June 2025 oversight hearing, Councilmember Brooke Pinto (D-Ward 2) asked Smith to explain the status of the internal investigation. Smith admitted, “I still have not yet met with the team to obtain what the actual findings are with regards to the internal affairs investigation.”
The auditors reported that Smith never reviewed the department’s own 172-page investigative file. Instead, she relied entirely on MPD lawyers.
“I rely on the lawyers whom I pay to do this job to provide me with the facts of the case,” Smith said. “I’m trying to run a police department. That’s why the lawyers are here.”
‘THIS CASE WAS A TEST OF WHETHER MPD WOULD HOLD ITS OFFICERS ACCOUNTABLE’
The report noted that MPD not only reversed its internal findings but also abandoned a long-standing record of reform. For more than two decades, MPD had collaborated with the Department of Justice and the D.C. Council to develop transparent and accountable use-of-force practices. That cooperation has now eroded.
Among the recommendations Smith rejected were reforms to prohibit obstruction during internal investigations, improve pursuit policies, expand body-worn camera audio recordings, and require the chief to provide written explanations when overriding disciplinary decisions.
“This case was a test of whether MPD would hold its officers accountable,” the report stated. “It failed.”
A composite video of the pursuit— compiled from CCTV and officer body-worn camera footage—shows the officers chasing Hylton-Brown through alleys and streets. The video ends just before he is struck by an oncoming vehicle. He died hours later from severe head trauma.
“The District has invested decades into building a system of accountability and reform,” the report concluded. “To abandon it now is unconscionable.”
WI
PRINCE GEORGE'S COUNTY
County Executive Aisha
Braveboy Outlines Plans, Priorities In New Role
By Richard Elliott WI Contributing Reporter
After being sworn into her new role on Juneteenth, Prince George’s County Executive Aisha Braveboy (D) told The Informer she is stepping forward with purpose, working toward an “elevated” Prince George’s on behalf of her nearly 1 million constituents.
Guided by her trust in God, Braveboy seeks to inspire others through her unique journey in public service and tireless efforts to speak out against injustice, expressing pride in how her independent voice and bold proposals have been appreciated by her constituents and neighbors.
“It’s my faith that leads me always,” Braveboy said in a recent WIN-TV interview with Washington Informer Publisher Denise Rolark Barnes.
Braveboy, who formerly served as the state’s attorney, said one of her main goals was to continue the ongoing progress in reducing crime in Prince George’s. She has appointed George Nader to lead the Prince George’s
County Police Department (PGPD).
“We have some new public safety leaders and they are working collaboratively. They all came up through the ranks of the county police department or fire services together; they all know each other and are working together as a family,” said County Executive Braveboy. She also seeks to maintain strong partnerships with municipal police departments, who patrol a significant percentage of local roads.
As county executive, Braveboy is setting an agenda to unify local political and civic leadership, protect laid off federal workers, support local businesses and entrepreneurs, keep Prince George’s parks and shopping centers clean, and prevent crime recidivism.
Further, she touted the importance of forging effective partnerships, lauding her working relationship with the council chair and Prince George’s County Board of Education.
“The good news is that we are all aligned, and our federal partners and our governor are too. I wanted to ensure that we have a united
front as a county,” she said.
During her interview, Braveboy stated her joy in appointing returning citizen Alonzo Turner-Bey to lead the Returning Citizens Affairs Division (RCAD).
Turner-Bey has called Braveboy “a visionary leader” and has expressed great appreciation for her advocacy on behalf of returning citizens.
“I thought it was so important for someone with real credibility with a population that we want to reach, that they can see themselves in positions of power and in office doing great work to influence outcomes. That’s what anyone behind the walls needs to know: that people will see them, their talents, their abilities and they will be rewarded,” said Braveboy. “It has been a joy to be in this position, and my work continues to be responsive.”
BRAVEBOY ON ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT:
‘DOING BUSINESS WITH THE PEOPLE OF PRINCE GEORGE’S’
Braveboy is planning to work alongside recently-appointed Parks and Planning Director Darryl Barnes, who ran a business advocacy nonprofit for years, to extend contract opportunities for local entrepreneurs.
“Economic development is some-
3
thing I’m going to have to focus on because of several decisions at the federal level,” she said, citing the Trump administration’s likely relocation of the FBI headquarters to D.C.’s Ronald Reagan Building and the expected closure of Six Flags this fall.
For Braveboy, the answer is working with her constituents to build the county.
“We have a huge focus on doing business with the people of Prince George’s,” she continued. “My motto is that it’s good business to do business here, and we are expanding contract opportunities for local businesses.”
Braveboy lamented the loss of an amusement park key to her childhood— known as Wild Word, Adventure World and other names before becoming Six Flags America in 1999. However, the county executive is looking forward to a year-round attraction that can generate more than the estimated $3.5 million tax revenue that generates annually.
“This will let us bring in users that will use the property year-round at that 500 acre facility, with 400 acres that are prime for development. National Harbor is only 300 acres, and that’s a huge economic engine for our county,” Braveboy explained. “I’m looking at ways to attract developers that will bring tourists from other parts of the country and even internationally, but also provide the restaurant, retail, hotels, and other amenities that can bring
more revenue than the current revenue from Six Flags.”
LOCAL LEADERS, ORGANIZATIONS, ADVOCATES OFFERS SUPPORT: ‘WE KNOW THE NEED IS SIGNIFICANT’
The regional economy has been deeply impacted by layoffs, agency relocations, and reduced government spending.
According to the latest employment reports by Maryland’s Department of Labor, nearly 3,500 federal government jobs were lost in June alone, the largest single-month decrease in Maryland’s federal employment since the 1990s. Almost 230,000 Marylanders are employed by the federal government, contributing $150 billion to the state economy.
“Maryland’s workforce decreased by 8,500 total jobs in June 2025, led by a net loss of 2,900 jobs in the public sector, according to new estimates released today by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). The loss of 3,500 federal government jobs is Maryland’s largest single-month drop in federal government jobs in nearly 30 years,” read the report, posted on the State Department of Labor website.
The Supreme Court has also made decisions in multiple cases that will, according to Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown-Jackson, “allow unprecedented dismantling of government.”
While acknowledging the realities of the federal challenges impacting Prince Georgians, Braveboy assured a plan is in the works to support federal workers who’ve been laid off, including local government job opportunities and hopes to create a fund assisting federal workers facing foreclosure.
“We are also working with Employ Prince George’s, our workforce development, to help retrain our federal workers and reposition them in the workforce to connect them with private sector, local government, and state government opportunities,” said Braveboy, indicating the urgency of protecting federal workers from falling into economic catastrophes.
WI Read more on washingtoninformer.com.
Through faith, listening to residents and working with local leaders, County Executive Aisha Braveboy is working to elevate Prince George’s County. (WI File Photo/Robert R. Roberts)
5County Executive Aisha Braveboy (center) is joined by DMV native Taraji P. Henson (left) and Prince George’s County Council Chair Edward Burroughs during her inauguration on Juneteenth. One of Braveboy’s major priorities for the county is economic development. (WI File Photo/Robert R. Roberts)
PRINCE GEORGE’S COUNTY
Maryland Lawmakers Blocked from Touring ICE Facility as Lawsuit Alleges Inhumane Conditions
By Stacy M. Brown WI Senior Writer
Several high-ranking Maryland officials were turned away from the George H. Fallon Federal Building in downtown Baltimore after requesting to tour a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention facility that’s facing mounting allegations of inhumane treatment of detainees.
Maryland Democratic Sens. Chris Van Hollen and Angela Alsobrooks, and U.S. Reps. Kweisi Mfume, Glenn Ivey, Johnny Olzewski Jr., and Sarah Elfreth, were denied access to the facility during a scheduled visit on Monday, July 28. The lawmakers say they sought the tour following alarming reports and a federal class-action lawsuit filed against ICE for allegedly detaining immigrants in conditions that violate federal policy and basic human decency.
“We were not allowed entry, so we had to stand outside, bang on the door, and ultimately sit in front of the door,” Rep. Mfume said during a
press conference after the failed visit.
“Finally, a director came out and explained to us that she had been given direction not to allow anyone, member of the House, Senate or anyone into the facility.”
Mfume, who serves as a senior member of the House Oversight Committee, called the denial a direct violation of federal law that authorizes members of Congress to inspect such facilities.
“This does not bode well here in Baltimore or anywhere if members of the United States Congress, who are duly authorized to come in and to inspect, visit or walk through a federal facility, are not allowed in,” Mfume added.
The Baltimore ICE holding facility is now the subject of a federal lawsuit filed by the Amica Center and the National Immigration Project on behalf of two Maryland women whose deportations had been suspended by a judge. The women allege they were held in small, windowless rooms for 60 and 48 hours, respectively—far longer than the 12-hour maximum
outlined in ICE’s own policies. The suit contends that ICE fails to meet basic human needs, with detainees often denied food, water, and critical medications.
Advocates have also spoken out. In March, CASA and the Amica Center
held a rally demanding accountability.
One father who attended shared that his daughter was detained in the facility for several days.
“They are forced to endure meals of insufficient food, barely any water, and most appallingly, people like my daughter are being denied their vital medications they need for their health and wellbeing,” he explained.
Van Hollen and Alsobrooks sent a letter in April to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons, expressing concern over prolonged detentions, unsanitary conditions, lack of medical staff, and overcrowded holding cells lacking beds.
They cited first-hand accounts from staffers who had toured the building earlier that month.
ICE maintains that the Baltimore location is a holding room, not a detention center, and therefore is not subject to the 2011 Performance-Based National Detention Standards.
“ICE remains dedicated to transparency and accountability in our operations,” the agency said in a statement. “In the event of a medical emergency, detainees are promptly transported to nearby hospitals.”
However, this is not the only time ICE has faced scrutiny over the treat-
ment of detainees. Similar incidents have occurred in New Jersey and Florida. In New Jersey, Assemblywoman Annette Quijano called for a state investigation after whistleblower complaints alleged detainees were deprived of showers, legal access, and medical attention at the Elizabeth Detention Center. In Florida, advocates have sounded the alarm over the Baker County Detention Center, where reports of medical neglect, poor sanitation, and the use of solitary confinement have prompted civil rights groups to demand closure.
“ICE’s detention crisis is of its own making, and instead of releasing people they don’t have the capacity to detain, they are systematically caging people for many days in cruel, unconstitutional, and life-threatening conditions that even their own policies prohibit,” Adina Appelbaum, program director for the Immigration Impact Lab at Amica Center for Immigrant Rights, said in an earlier release.
Alsobrooks took to X, formerly known as Twitter, emphasizing the harm in what happened at the ICE facility on Monday.
“The fear we are all feeling will pass,” she wrote, “but the shame that our country will carry as a result of this conduct will last generations.” WI
5Maryland Democratic lawmakers sit outside an ICE facility in Baltimore, Maryland, after being denied entry. (Courtesy Photo/ Angela Alsobrooks, X)
5Maryland Democratic lawmakers are speaking out after being denied entry into a Baltimore ICE facility on Monday, July 28. (Courtesy Photo/Angela Alsobrooks, X)
BUSINESS
Youth Entrepreneur Institute Holds KidBizCON 2025
Teens Showcase Business Acumen in Pitch Competition
By James Wright WI Staff Writer
Elijah Robinson, like so many teenagers, is still weighing options for his career goals after schooling.
As a rising junior at Bard High School Early College, Elijah told The Informer the biggest dilemma he faces is whether he wants to be on the track team. However, a mentor told him about a program that has widened his worldview.
“I really didn’t have anything to do outside of the house so one of my instructors told me about the Youth Entrepreneur Institute (YEI) that teaches people how to run a business,” said Elijah, 16. “After looking into it, I decided to do this.”
Elijah was one of eight semifinalists in KidBizCON 2025, a “Shark Tank”-like competition that took place at Bard gymnasium on July 25.
With an audience of 300 youth observing the competition, Elijah and his competitors pitched their
businesses to a panel of judges who are practicing professionals in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area.
While many teens like Elijah are working just to get through school, entrepreneurship is becoming seemingly more attractive to people in his age group.
According to a March 1, 2022, survey from Junior Achievement USA, a business education nonprofit, nearly 60% of teenagers are more interested in starting their own business someday instead of working a traditional job. Plus, the survey reported 45% of teenagers want to learn the ropes from current business owners and 37% would be interested in entrepreneurship programs during or after school.
Tacharna Crump, YEI founder and CEO, said the survey results mirror what she sees in the young people who reside in the District’s Wards 7 and 8.
“Our youth already have the creativity, ideas and passion,” said Crump, 36. “What they need is access—to opportunity, to
ACADEMY OF HOPE ADULT PUBLIC CHARTER SCHOOL REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS 40TH ANNIVERSARY COMPREHENSIVE CAMPAIGN CONSULTANT
The Academy of Hope Adult Public Charter School in Washington, DC is seeking proposals from consultants for our 40th Anniversary Comprehensive Campaign. View the full RFP and submission details at https://aohdc.org/get-involved/jobs/.
Proposals are due July 31, 2025.
mentors, to tools that make their dreams real. We’re not just teaching business—we’re building ecosystems. East of the River is full of untapped brilliance, and we’re here to grow the economy by investing in the brilliance of our kids.”
THE PITCH
COMPETITION:
‘IT’S HARD TO PUT YOURSELF OUT THERE’
While it was a very supportive environment, the heat was on during KidBizCON 2025.
One competitor got emotional during her presentation and stopped speaking. Observing the teen entre-
preneur’s tears, Ward 8 D.C. State Board of Education member LaJoy Johnson-Law, a judge, immediately jumped to her defense.
“It is not easy to get in front of a bunch of people and talk,” Johnson said to applause from the audience. “It’s hard to put yourself out there. We should encourage her.”
The audience watched each competitor, engaged in their presentations as each competitor explained their SWOT analysis.
The “S” stands for strengths or what is the best aspect of the business; “W” means weakness, areas that are not the strongest; “O” stands for opportunities to grow and improve the business; and “T” means threats such as competitors or an adverse environment to
3 Tacharna Crump is the founder and CEO of the Youth Entrepreneur Institute, which recently hosted KidBizCon 2025 at Bard High School Early College. (Courtesy Photo/Youth Entrepreneurship Institute)
operate in.
Showcasing his fragrance business, Elijah was the fifth contestant out of the eight to stand on the gymnasium stage beside a large white poster board to make his presentation to the judges.
“We offer skin-friendly scents,” Elijah said. “A lot of times, scents may make you smell good, but they are not good for your skin.”
When the contestants were not presenting to the judges, they were speaking about and selling their products to customers.
After the competition, most attendees participated in business and financial literacy workshops located throughout the school, while a few attended a motivational session in the gymnasium.
Brandon Andrews, a serial entrepreneur in the District and a casting consultant on the influential “Shark Tank” (2009-present), served as one of the judges, noting he enjoyed the presentations of the young entrepreneurs and supported the work of the Young Entrepreneurs Institute.
“The presentations were clearly pitched and detailed,” Andrews, 37, said. “The contestants knew their numbers and that is always important in business. That will help their businesses grow. These young people are fortunate to have this type of program because when I was their age, I didn’t have anything like this to learn about business.” WI
Business briefs
By James Wright WI Staff Writer
THOMAS MAKES HISTORY AS FIRST BLACK WOMAN TO LEAD MEYER FOUNDATION
After a vote on June 18, the Meyer Foundation board of directors recently announced the appointment of Janice Thomas as the foundation’s next president and CEO.
Thomas becomes the first Black woman to lead the private foundation in its 80-year history.
An experienced leader in Greater Washington philanthropy and nonprofit finance and operations, Thomas has twice stepped in as the foundation’s interim president and CEO, serving during pivotal periods including the lingering aftermath of the coronavirus pandemic and again amid recent growing threats to the nonprofit sector and the Washington metropolitan area economy.
Most recently, she served in the role of chief operating officer.
“Janice is the right leader for this moment and into the future,” says Meyer Foundation board chair Tram Nguyen, who is also co-executive director of New Virginia Majority. “She brings a deep commitment to equity, integrity, and a belief that our values must live not only in our mission statement but also in our actions and decisions. Janice has a gift for guiding teams through uncertainty while staying grounded in purpose. Her combination of financial acumen and strategic thinking fosters trust and brings people together through clarity and compassion.”
She succeeds Dr. George L. Askew, who led the foundation through the latest iteration of its strategic plan.
Thomas said she is ready to take the organization’s helm.
“In the tradition of my predecessors throughout Meyer’s 80-year-history,” said Thomas, “I am honored to lead the Foundation with humility, imagination, and a profound belief in the collective power that has always existed in our region.”
DC CHAMBER GRADES D.C. COUNCIL MEMBERS
The DC Chamber of Commerce released its 2025 Council Scorecard, evaluating the voting records and policy leadership of all 13 members of the D.C. Council during the 2023–2024 legislative sessions.
The chamber restricted voting tallies to key measures considered in the last two-year legislative session ending on December 31, 2024.
“This Scorecard equips our members and the public with a clear, factual look at how Council decisions directly impact the city’s business climate, economic opportunity, and the well-being of our communities,” said Chico Horton, chamber board chair.
The annual scorecard highlights key votes that impact the city’s economic climate and assigns each member a performance designation of green, yellow, or red.
A green designation reflects the chamber’s view that the member did commendable and, in some cases, exceptional work to promote an economic and regulatory environment conducive to business development and job creation.
A yellow designation reflects the chamber’s view that the member delivered a mixed overall performance, with some favorable and some less favorable actions.
A red designation reflects the Chamber of Commerce’s judgment that the legislative performance was generally averse to local job creation and overall business competitiveness.
The key votes that the chamber considered in deciding the member’s ratings included: B2556 (Restaurant Revitalization Act Amendment), B25-194 (Wage Transparency Omnibus Act), B25345 (Secure DC Omnibus Act), B25-469 (Project Labor Agreement Threshold Amendment), PR25-1073 (Cashless Retailer Extension), and B25-416 (Carrier-for-Hire Oversight Act).
D.C. Council Chairman Phil Mendelson (D) and Council members Kenyan McDuffie (I-At Large), Anita Bonds (D-At Large),
Brooke Pinto (D-Ward 2) and Vincent Gray (D-Ward 7) earned a green designation. Earning a yellow designation were Council members Christina Henderson (I-At Large), Matthew Frumin (D-Ward 3), and Zachary Parker (D-Ward 5).
Council members Robert White (D-At Large), Brianne Nadeau (D-Ward 1), Charles Allen (D-Ward 6) and Trayon White Sr. (D-Ward 8) were given a red designation by the chamber.
“Our scorecard is one example of how the chamber supports our local business ecosystem,” said Chinyere Hubbard, president and CEO of the chamber. “These ratings reflect how effectively Council members vote on policies that foster business growth, job creation, and economic competitiveness.”
WI
@JamesWrightJr10
NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING AND COMMENT PERIOD FOR DCHA’S AMENDED FISCAL YEAR 2026 MOVING TO WORK (MTW) PLAN
The District of Columbia Housing Authority (DCHA) is providing notice of a Public Hearing and Comment Period to solicit comments on an amendment to the Fiscal Year 2026 Moving to Work (MTW) Annual Plan.
Visit DCHA’s MTW Webpage at https://www.dchousing.org/mtw to:
• Download a copy of the Amended FY26 MTW Annual Plan
• Download a summary of the Amended FY26 MTW Annual Plan
You can also request a copy by emailing mtw@dchousing.org or calling 771-240-4377.
The Virtual Public Hearing for the Amended FY26 MTW Annual Plan will take place online at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, August 20
To speak during the Virtual Public Hearing, register online at https://bit.ly/RegisterMTWPublicHearing
To join the live event, at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, August 20, please visit https://bit.ly/MTWPublicHearing. This event will also be live streamed on the DCHA Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/dchousing/
Comments
Written comments regarding the Amended FY2026 MTW Annual Plan will be accepted through 11:59 p.m. on Thursday, August 28. Email your comments to mtw@dchousing.org.
Alternatively, you can mail comments to: District of Columbia Housing Authority Office of the Executive Director, Attn: MTW Policy Director 300 7th Street, SW , 11th Floor, Washington, DC 20024
Requesting a Reasonable Accommodation
DCHA strives to host inclusive, accessible events that enable all individuals, including individuals with disabilities, to engage fully. It is the policy of DCHA that all agency-sponsored public meetings and events are accessible to people with disabilities. DCHA is committed to providing equal access to events for all participants & residents with disabilities. If you need a reasonable accommodation, or assistance in participating in a meeting or event due to a disability as defined under the Americans with Disabilities Act, please contact our ADA/504 Program Office at 202-535-1000 or at ADA504@dchousing.org with your complete request. Every reasonable effort will be made to meet your request.
If you need a sign language interpreter or foreign language interpretation or translation, please contact our Office of Customer Engagement at 202-535-1000 or go to www.dchousing.org/language.
Please allow at least 3 business days to make the necessary arrangements.
5 Janice Thomas is the new president and CEO of the Meyer Foundation, the first Black woman to lead the private foundation in its 80-year history. (Courtesy Photo/ Meyer Foundation)
NATIONAL
NAACP Sparks Fire for Future Leaders of Tomorrow in Charlotte
A Recommitment to Support the Youth, Black Businesses and Civic Engagement
By Maven McGann WI Intern
Amid thousands of employees out of work due to federal furloughs, the elimination of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programming and threats to federal funding for teaching Black history, the 116th Annual NAACP National Convention in Charlotte, North Carolina, held July 12-16, emphasized the importance of strengthening Black entrepreneurship, passing the advocacy torch to youth, and a recommitment to the core principles of civil rights.
Featuring panel discussions, workshops and a Black business showcase, the conference was a moment to work toward furthering the mission of the NAACP since its founding in
1909: advancing the needs of people of color.
“The NAACP Convention has always been a place where people across the country come together to map out our advocacy and mobilization strategies to advance civil rights and democracy for all,” NAACP President and CEO Derrick Johnson said in a June statement announcing President Donald Trump would not be invited to the convening. “Our annual convention is meant to be a safe space for all people — regardless of political ideology — who believe in multiracial democracy and the ideal of building a more perfect union.”
From highlighting Black business owners, who set up booths and sold their wares during the event, to attendees voting on several NAACP
resolutions, the five-day event was all about working toward the empowerment of African American communities nationwide. Further, delegates voted on several key policies, including: defending LGBTQIA+ rights, opposing the dismantling of the U.S. Department of Education, and focusing on the impact of dismantling diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives.
Having been committed to organizing since childhood, Layla Amin, a senior industrial engineering major at Morgan State University and intern at Boeing, said attending the convening brought a sharp sense of urgency and clarity to her activism.
“The call to action is essentially being militant in everything that you do and putting your best foot forward,” said Amin, who serves as the president of the NAACP’s Maryland State Conference Youth and College Division and is preparing to graduate in December.
NAACP HIGHLIGHTS BLACK BUYING POWER
Eartha Johnson’s Texas-based family is filled with lawyers, a prosecutor and a judge who understand the criminal justice system and are on a mission to help all of America understand in a creative way.
To achieve their mission, Johnson, one of the creators of the card game Crime No Crime, was among the business owners showcased during the convention.
She explained that her family gets calls when people are in trouble.
“More often than not it’s because they don’t know the law. [Crime No Crime] is where they learn it. It’s a fun game played like a family feud,” she told The Informer. “The first level of the game is easy: crime or no crime. The next step is understanding what the sentencing would be for breaking a law.”
The game has 250 questions and breaks down felonies, misdemeanors, police searches, seizures and interrogations.
“[There’s] no game more relevant than Crime No Crime,” Johnson said, emphasizing how people can apply what they learn from playing the game to protect themselves in the real world. “The child or life you save just may be your own.”
ELIZABETH BOOKER HOUSTON ENERGIZES YOUTH, PASSING AND SEIZING THE TORCH
Lawyer, comedian and social media personality Elizabeth Booker Houston was among those encouraging youth attendees at the event.
She spoke about the history of the civil rights movement and misinformation, such as the story of Montgomery Bus Boycott activist Claudette Colvin.
“When [keynote speaker Elizabeth Booker Houston] said it took 10 years to do the Montgomery Bus boycott… that was really inspiring to
me,” Amin said. “The movement did not happen overnight.”
Through her engaging message, Booker Houston fired up the future change makers.
“When we talk about the urgency of now, you act now, but you don’t stop just because it doesn’t happen right away,” Houston said. “There’s a lot of people who are stretching their civic engagement muscles for the very first time, but you have to keep working that muscle, you do not let it atrophy.”
She urged the youth to seize the activism torch.
“Your ancestors made you for this moment… you cannot let these people in the white supremacy house… convince you that you were not made for this. When we talk about igniting power, make sure the power keeps growing,” she said. “You are in an institution that keeps growing and I need you to keep growing.”
In addition to Booker Houston’s address, youth attendees took advantage of workshops and opportunities to network and mingle, including at a party for historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs).
Many student attendees were eager to carry the civil rights torch forward amid the nation’s current equity and justice challenges.
“We’re not going to take anything lying down,” Amin said. “Yes, things look grim, but that doesn’t mean we stop fighting. This is the urgency of now. This is the time when we fight harder.”
WI
5 Students march through the convention center and chant to get people excited for the 2025 NAACP National Convention in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Maven McGann/The Washington Informer)
5 Eartha Johnson showcases her card game Crime No Crime during the 2025 NAACP National Convention in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Maven McGann/The Washington Informer)
from Page 1
with Community Change, served as one of the speakers at the Families First National Day of Action rally on the National Mall, part of a 60-hour vigil protesting cuts in Medicaid and food assistance.
“I was a Medicaid and SNAP kid,” said Wells, 51, a resident of Montgomery, Alabama. “That is why I am advocating for this because it was a lived reality for me. My mom had to be treated with a brain aneurysm, and she made it through, and Medicaid helped us pay for her treatment. If it wasn’t for Medicaid, she would not have gotten the level of care she needed to survive. I am here in Washington to tell the Republicans that we need Medicaid. If some people do not have Medicaid, they are going to die.”
Wells is vehemently speaking out against the recent federal budget passed by the U.S. Congress and signed into law by President Donald Trump, which slashes Medicaid, SNAP and other vital programs that millions of people depend on.
Noting more than three decades of the Americans for Disabilities Act, other speakers emphasized that some of the legislation’s funding aspects—
such as helping people with disabilities to live mainstream lives— are in jeopardy because of the Republicans in Congress with Trump’s support.
Al-jen Poo, executive director of Caring Across Generations, an anchoring partner with Families First, and president of the National Domestic Workers Alliance, served as the rally’s emcee. He emphasized the purpose of the gathering on the National Mall and the 60-hour vigil.
“We are hearing from families across the country who are reeling, scared, and angry about the suffering this law will unleash on our loved ones,” said Poo, 51. “At a time when too many families are already struggling to afford what they need, these cuts will take families’ health care coverage, food and essential care, and some families have already had loved ones disappeared by ICE.”
Poo emphasized there is a sense of urgency on Medicaid funding.
“Our families come first,” she said, “and we’ll continue showing up for one another.”
THE MEDICAID CUTS AND THEIR IMPACT
Medicaid came into reality on July 30, 1965 as a part of President Lyndon
B. Johnson’s “Great Society” initiative to provide health coverage to low-income individuals. Medicaid was born with its twin, Medicare, which primarily provides health care to the elderly.
Medicaid is a joint federal and state program and assists the states in providing medical assistance to eligible people who cannot afford private health care. Johnson said the time had come for America to help its citizens obtain quality healthcare.
“This great nation cannot afford to allow its citizens to suffer needlessly from the lack of proper medical care,” the president said 60 years ago. “Our ultimate aim must be a comprehensive insurance system to protect all our people equally against insecurity and ill health.”
However, the Republican Congress, with the support of the Trump administration, cuts Medicaid by about $1 trillion in 10 years and will put 11.8 million Americans at risk of losing their health insurance through the program, according to estimates from the Congressional Budget Office. Studies show that millions of people with disabilities rely on Medicaid for health care and essential services, but the federal cuts will make it harder for them to access care.
The Medicaid cuts mean fewer
available care services, longer waiting lists for critical support and the potential loss of assistance that allows disabled individuals to live independently.
“My nephew, who has autism, uses Medicaid to receive services at school,” said Emily Rodenbeck, a resident of Temperance, Michigan. “The cuts to Medicaid could potentially significantly impact those services that he relies on every day.”
Rodenbeck said the costs of health care without Medicaid could be phenomenal.
“If there are added co-pays and expenses, my sister’s a single mom and
she’s not going to be able to afford those services,” she said. “Then there’s going to be a choice between paying rent or paying for medical care. It’s one of those things that I can’t sit back and let happen.”
Her family’s possible dilemma was a major reason for attending the rally, emphasizing “if I have the ability to come in and speak up for her, I’m going to do that.”
“People with disabilities deserve to live a life of dignity and respect,” she told The Informer. “Medicaid and the
MEDICAID Page 22
5While vouching for the importance of Medicaid, vigil attendees made their stance known with signs protesting the recent congressional cuts, which includes about $1 trillion over the next 10 years. (Ve Wright/The Washington Informer) MEDICAID
n Business Cards
n Banners
n Canvas Bags
n Color Copies
n Contracts & Vouchers
n Church Fans
n Fax & Scan n Programs
n Posters & Signs n Tithe Envelopes n Tickets & Flyers n T-Shirts n Mugs & Glassware n Notary
African Activists Rally for Radical Change Ahead of Pan-African Women’s Day
Webinar Unites Voices Across Diaspora to Tackle Inequality, Colonial Legacies and Gender-Based Violence
By Mya Trujillo WI Contributing Writer
Every July 31, Pan-African Women’s Day (PAWD), marking the founding of the Pan-African Women’s Organization (PAWO) in 1962, works to remind women across the diaspora of the need for global solidarity to achieve liberation in the ongoing fight against colonialism.
To celebrate the holiday and reflect on the history, present and future of African women’s steadfast resilience toward justice, self-determination and prosperity, the All-African Women’s Revolutionary Union (AAWRU) and the All-African People’s Revolutionary Party (AAPRP) hosted a webinar on July 27 featuring a panel of activists and leaders from across the diaspora.
“Women must not be on the sidelines. In this struggle, they should be at the forefront,” said Mariatou Adamou, the coordinator of Women Committed to the Safeguarding of the Country (FESPA) in Niger. “When women get involved in a struggle, success is guaranteed, and this fight is not for ourselves. It is for our children and grandchildren.”
The 2025 theme, “Advancing Social and Economic Justice for African Women Reparations,” aligns with the African Union’s 2025 mission to seek justice for people of African descent through reparations, which reminds communities across the diaspora of the work needed to resist the intentional disenfranchisement of African women.
“The theme is grounded in the urgent need to confront the persistent legacies of colonialism, slavery and apartheid that have systematically devalued and depossessed African women and communities,” the African Union Women, Gender and Youth Directorate wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.
AMPLIFYING THE REALITIES OF AFRICAN WOMEN
The Banat Power Initiative (BPI) is a community-driven, South Su-
danese-based organization that promotes the empowerment of women by taking steps toward a future where women and girls are free to be influential and courageous in achieving their life goals.
Emma Kwaje, BPI’s founder, continues the organization’s mission of advocating for meaningful change by addressing the unique experiences of women across the diaspora, speaking at the PAWD webinar about the struggles faced by South Sudanese women.
The world’s youngest nation, South Sudan has been subject to increased violence due to political instability.
“All of us, we must recognize the shared struggles of women across borders,” Kawje said to the audience.
“Their voices must be amplified in our collective fight for equality as they paved the way for future generations.
For us to achieve a lasting change, we propose a very just and revolutionary pan-Africanist solution that prioritizes women’s rights.”
According to a report from the United Nations Mission in South Sudan, 1,607 civilians were victims of violence between January and March 2025– the most significant number in three months since 2020, and an 86% increase since October 2024. Per the report, women and girls were disproportionately affected by conflict-related sexual violence and gender-based violence, comprising 98% of documented victims.
Women in South Sudan also face inequality in the education sector, as the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) reported in a South Sudan country profile, indicating the African nation has a literacy rate of 34.5% – one of the lowest in the world– while the female literacy rate in the young country is 28.9%. In comparison, the male literacy rate is 40.3%, a discrepancy that could be attributed to the rate of early and forced marriages.
“That is why we felt it is very important for us to empower the girls, because there are so many issues that happen because of child marriages, because girls are seen as money,” Kwaje said. “These are not just statistics. They represent the realities of countless women who strive for a better future.”
During the PAWD webinar, Ashlyn Ajiambo, a member of the Communist Party Marxist– Kenya (CPM-K) and the Revolutionary Women’s League, brought the audience’s attention to some of the issues and inequalities faced by Kenyan women.
“Let every oppressed woman know that your place is not behind the man, but at the frontlines of history,” Ajiambo said. “Until the oppressed woman is free, none of us are free. Until the Kenyan woman is free, the nation is enslaved.”
WI
Read more on washingtoninformer.com.
5 Women link arms at a February 2025 Howard University event. Pan-African Women’s Day (PAWD) works to remind women across the diaspora of the need for global solidarity to achieve liberation in the ongoing fight against colonialism. (WI
File Photo/Robert R. Roberts)
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HEALTH
Fibroid Awareness Month Emphasizes Importance of Sharing Experiences
Lupita Nyong’o Emphasizes ‘Silence Serves No One,’ Black Women Work
By Arcynta Childs WI Contributing Writer
July is Fibroid Awareness Month, a time advocates work to strip away the stigma of talking about an intimate medical condition affecting millions of people worldwide.
“Our stories have power,” said Jonelle Henry, the D.C.-based director of programs for The White Dress Project, the first fibroid advocacy organization to author legislation that
established July as Fibroid Awareness Month 10 years ago.
Fibroids are tumors that grow in and around the wall of the uterus (womb).
Made up of muscle cells and fibrous tissue, the medical term for fibroid is leiomyoma or “myoma.” According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, uterine fibroids are the most common benign (meaning non-cancerous) tumors in women of childbearing age.
Further, the New York Department of Health reports, symptomatic fibroids are two to three times more common in African Americans than Asian, Hispanic or white people.
Fibroids develop at a younger age and grow faster in African Americans, and by age 50, an estimated 80-90% of African American women will have fibroids.
It is possible to have fibroids without symptoms, like Medina Adrienne, a 44-year-old consultant in Atlanta who was diagnosed with fibroids after an emergency room visit in 2015. She made the trip to seek medical attention after noticing a small bump on her stomach while laying down.
“I am a legacy fibroid holder,” Adrienne said, “that’s what I’ve coined it.”
When Adrienne was 12 years old, her mother had a hysterectomy to remove fibroids, enduring intense pain after surgery.
“I made a pledge to myself at that age that I wouldn’t get fibroids,” Adrienne told The Informer.
Years later, Adrienne, who chose not to have children, says her fibroids are so large, she appears to be seven months pregnant. She says her two fibroids, attached outside her womb, have progressively and slowly gotten larger, now measuring 16cm and 27cm; both fibroids are larger than a grapefruit, which measures 10cm.
While treatment options for fibroids can include surgery, Adrienne
has chosen not to surgically remove her fibroids, which would require a vertical and horizontal cut because of their size. Instead, she has radically changed her life by decreasing work and environmental stressors; being contentious about the chemicals she uses in and on her body; eliminating alcohol; working on her food addiction; and living below her means.
“I see this as a spiritual journey,” Adrienne said, prioritizing rest and creating a community aligned with her new life. “I stopped beating myself up. I was frustrated for a long time. Now? I accept it.”
THE IMPORTANCE
OF SHARING NARRATIVES: ‘OUR STORIES LEAD TO ACTION’
Earlier this month, actress Lupita Nyong’o and tennis star Venus Williams added their voices to the chorus of African-American women sharing their fibroid stories publicly.
Nyong’o, who discovered she had uterine fibroids in 2014- the same year she won an Academy Award –had surgery to remove 30 fibroids. She now advocates for more funding for research, studies, and public awareness.
“I’m speaking up about uterine fibroids. This is my story,” Nyong’o wrote on Instagram about her 2014 experience. “This Fibroid Awareness
Month and beyond, I hope my experience will resonate with anyone else who has ever felt dismissed, confused or alone. And I hope to seek answers for the far too many women dealing with uterine fibroids (80% of Black women and 70% of white women by age 50!). We deserve better. It’s time to demand it. Silence serves no one!”
While researchers do not know what causes fibroids, multiple factors could affect their growth, including age, family history/genetics, weight, hormones, high blood pressure, and diet.
Fibroids, which can be a single tumor or many, range in size from a small seed to a large fruit, and can cause heavy bleeding, severe pain and discomfort, and reproductive problems, including infertility and miscarriage.
While fibroids may be detected during a routine pelvic exam, additional testing like an ultrasound or MRI may be needed to determine the fibroid size and best treatment options.
Dr. Cheruba Prabakar, known as “thefibroiddoc” on social media, encourages self-advocacy when medical professionals are dismissive.
“Don’t settle for what your doctor says,” she said. “Seek a second opinion, seek a third opinion, find out what’s out there.”
USA Fibroid Centers are offering free fibroid screenings through July 31.
“You are told from an early age not to talk about stuff like this,” Henry said. “Not to talk about heavy bleeding, or your period, or anything that happens below the belt. As a result, we experience shame and embarrassment, but talking about our bodies is how we start to heal.”
The White Dress Project D.C. director of programs emphasized the importance of spreading fibroid awareness. Fibroid warriors sharing their experiences, she noted, can influence clinical trials and research, people making appointments, and overall advocacy.
“Our stories lead to action,” Henry said. “It’s not the end after someone tells their story, it’s the beginning.” WI
3Actress Lupita Nyong’o is among the many people working to break the stigma around discussing fibroids this July –Fibroid Awareness Month – and beyond. (Courtesy Photo)
90 Years Later, Social Security Still Delivers for the District We Earned Social Security—Now Let’s Protect It
AARP DC Staff Reports
This year marks the 90th anniversary of Social Security, which has helped generations of District residents retire with dignity after a lifetime of hard work. It’s one of the most successful initiatives in American history, and a new AARP survey shows it’s still doing exactly what it was built to do.
The new AARP report, released in conjunction with the anniversary, confirms that Americans highly value Social Security, and even more so than five years ago. The vast majority of Americans – 95% of Republicans, 98% of Democrats, and 93% of Independents – consider Social Security vital to the financial security of all Americans, and 67% believe it is even more important for retirees than it was five years ago.
Here in DC, that value is seen throughout neighborhoods from Ward 1 to Ward 8, with more than 84,150 people counting on Social Security across the District. For many, it can mean the difference between getting by and going without groceries, gas and paying utility bills. Simply put, it allows family members to rest easier knowing their parents have some financial relief and protection as they age.
AARP’s survey found that Social Security is a key source of income and economic stability in retirement, but Americans have concerns about whether it will be enough. More than three-quarters of Americans (78%) are worried that Social Security will not provide enough to live on during retirement.
Nearly 90% of people surveyed agree that Social Security is more than a reliable retirement income strategy; it’s the key to remaining independent as you age. And at AARP, independence and the power to choose how to live as you age is the core of our mission. That’s why we launched a national campaign at the start of the summer—“Social Security: We Earned It”—with events planned across the country and here in the District to celebrate this milestone anniversary and urge action.
You’re invited! AARP DC is hosting two ice cream parties to celebrate Social Security’s 90th birthday! On August 5 and 6 from 2-5pm we will have music, great giveaways and prizes (including a pair of PNC Diamond Club tickets to the August 199h Nationals game), and of course, FREE delicious ice cream! Scan the QR code to learn more about the events and to RSVP. The event is open to the public. We look forward to seeing you there!
At these events, we will call on leaders from both parties to protect the integrity of Social Security for current and future generations. This includes closing the solvency gap and ensuring adequate customer service so people can access their earned Social Security. Now more than ever, we need our political leaders to speak out to celebrate Social Security and ensure it’s there, not only for older Americans today but also for our kids and grandkids tomorrow.
Social Security is not a handout—it’s a promise we’ve built together through a lifetime of hard work. And we will never stop fighting to keep that promise for all Americans. #WeEarnedIt!
EARTH OUR
Trump Denies Disaster Relief to Western Maryland
By Stacy M. Brown WI Senior Writer
Despite the devastation that unfolded in Maryland’s Allegany and Garrett Counties after catastrophic flooding in May, the Trump administration turned its back on a region still struggling to rebuild.
Republican President Donald Trump rejected Maryland Gov. Wes Moore’s (D) request for $15.8 million in federal disaster relief for Western Maryland, reinforcing what some see as vindictive behavior toward political adversaries.
From May 12 to 14, historic rainfall caused Georges Creek to rise to 12.4 feet, flooding homes, businesses, roads, schools, and public infrastructure. Children had to be evacuated by boat. Yet even after the state met all of FEMA’s thresholds for assistance—$321,460 for Allegany County and $11.6 million statewide—a senior FEMA official issued a vague denial, saying only that federal aid under the Stafford Act “is not warranted.”
No further reasoning was provided. No transparency. No urgency.
“These communities demonstrated a clear need through FEMA’s process, and Maryland will appeal the decision to seek all available resources to sup port the recovery efforts,” Moore said in a statement.
The White House’s refusal came just one day after Trump approved disaster relief for states including West Virginia, Kentucky, Indiana, and Michigan—all of which backed him in the 2024 election. While those states have governors from both parties, political experts note that Trump’s pattern is unmistakable: reward loyalty, punish opposition.
The denial to Maryland only adds to a growing list of politically charged decisions that seem rooted more in personal grievance than in governance.
congressional delegation in urging the president to approve the FEMA request. After the denial, Democratic Maryland Sens. Chris Van Hollen and Angela Alsobrooks, along with Rep. April McClain Delaney (D-Md.), issued a joint statement demanding that the administration reconsider.
“Marylanders in Allegany and Garrett Counties were hard-hit by May’s historically intense storms,” they said.
“Two months after flash flooding tore through these communities, they are still in need of support to repair public schools and libraries that were inundated, roads and bridges that were
Even Maryland’s lone Republican congressman, Rep. Andy Harris, who chairs the far-right House Freedom Caucus, joined the state’s entire MEDICAID from Page 17 resources that Medicaid provides helps those things become accessible.”
THE RALLYING CRY FOR MEDICAID PRESERVATION
The 60-hour vigil started at 9 p.m. on July 23 with speakers talking about the impact the Medicaid cuts would have on their family, friends and community. The speeches were usually less than five minutes and generally were passionate and direct.
Lisa Myers attended the vigil on July 24 and sat in on a few speeches in one of the white chairs in front of the stage on the National Mall. Myers, a resident of Falls Church, Virginia, would nod each time a speaker made a point she agreed with and would clap after they finished.
“What the Republicans are doing makes no sense at all,” Myers, 42, said
Maryland Gov. Wes Moore is assuring residents that the state will be rebuilt despite President Donald Trump rejecting a request for $15.8 million in federal disaster relief for Western Maryland, reinforcing what some see as vindictive behavior toward political adversaries. (WI File
Photo/Robert R. Roberts)
washed out, and homes and businesses that were left severely damaged.”
Trump’s disregard is especially jarring given that both counties lean Republican. In turning down Moore’s request, he’s punishing communities that voted for him—simply because they reside in a state governed by a Democrat. That’s not leadership. That’s a tantrum.
Recently, the state has also been hit on other fronts. In June, Maryland lost 3,500 federal jobs, the worst monthly loss in that sector in nearly 30 years. Trump also scrapped the plan to relocate the FBI headquarters to Green-
after listening to speeches for about an hour. “Medicaid is a good program. It helps people who otherwise would not be able to be insured. We can’t just sit around and let these cuts go through.”
Jen Sloven of Silver Spring, Maryland also attended the rally to weigh in
“I’m here because I think this is absolutely nuts,” Sloven, a resident of Silver Spring, Maryland said. “We are hurting the people that we value, we are hurting families, we are hurting children—this is unacceptable.”
Another Marylander attending the rally, who identified herself as “Kay,” said the Medicaid cuts had her feeling despondent.
“I’m sad that our country has taken this turn to put millionaires over families,” she said. “It seems like we’re taking a step backwards. I’ve been fortunate and my family has been fortunate, but you never know when you might need all of this. It’s just wrong that they would make these kinds of cuts. I’m on
belt, instead pledging to move it to the Ronald Reagan Building in Washington, D.C.
Maryland plans to appeal the FEMA denial within the 30-day window, Moore confirmed. Meanwhile, the state has allocated $459,375 from its Disaster Recovery Fund, created in 2023 but recently reduced due to budget constraints, and added $1 million through the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program.
“We will continue to stand with our fellow Marylanders in Western Maryland as they rebuild from the damage caused in May,” Moore said. WI
Social Security so I’m a little concerned about my future too.”
Theron Fowler, director of the Baltimore Urban Inspirational Collective, a choir that took to the stage twice during the rally, noted that Baltimore has a significant portion of its population relying on Medicaid.
Approximately 29.7% of Baltimore residents are enrolled in Medicaid, according to a July 3 Baltimore City Democratic State Central Committee post on Facebook.
Fowler, who directed the choir in crowd-engaging songs such as “Keep Your Head to the Sky,” “Wake Up Everybody” and “Lean on Me,” said he hopes for the best despite the devastating cuts.
“I hope to share the message of keeping your head up through adversity,” he told The Informer. “We are in trying times.” WI
By Arianna-Marie Sookram and Maven McGann WI Interns
Marked by cheers, tears and pride, graduates and their families celebrated both the end of coursework and studies, and the beginning of a new life at D.C. Central Kitchen’s (DCCK) Culinary Job Training Program 2025 graduation on July 16.
As graduates from Classes 172, 173 and 174 were lauded for completing the 14-week program, the phrase “the kitchen is where we come to understand our past and ourselves,” took on a new meaning as the event highlighted much more than newly gained knife skills— it honored growth, evolution and new opportunities.
“This isn’t just about job training,” said keynote speaker Jessica Zielke, senior director of community engagement and strategic partnerships for Hilton Hotels and Resorts. “It’s about life transformation.”
DC Central Kitchen is no ordinary nonprofit.
Founded in 1989 by nightclub manager-turned-social innovator Robert Egger, the organization pioneered the concept of using rescued food to prepare nutritious meals for shelters, while simultaneously training unemployed adults in culinary skills. Today, it stands as a national model of social enterprise—combating hunger and poverty not just with meals, but with job creation, empowerment, and dignity.
Once confined to a windowless basement of a Capitol Hill homeless shelter, D.C. Central Kitchen has evolved into a 35,000-square-foot hub of innovation on the banks of the Anacostia River.
While the company has grown, DCCK CEO Mike Curtin, Jr., insists the mission remains unchanged.
“Food will not end hunger. We will never, ever, ever feed our way out
of hunger,” Curtin told The Informer. “We’re using food not just to strengthen bodies, but to empower minds and build communities.”
The Culinary Job Training Program is another DCCK initiative, offering hands-on culinary education, career readiness training, and real-world internships for adults who have faced significant employment barriers.
The graduation ceremony highlighted several students for their grit and growth, honoring DCCK MVPs, grade point average (GPA) leaders, and all-around achievers, with families of all ages filling the room to bear witness to the graduates’ resilience and excellence.
“These are folks, like all of us, who would prefer not to be defined by trauma or prevented from becoming the people we want to be,” said Curtin. “They talked about giving up… but they didn’t, not just for themselves, but so that their new family members— as they called each other— did not quit too.”
CHASING A TASTE FOR GREATNESS: ‘WE MADE
PUBLIC NOTICE –IS THIS VEHCLE YOURS?
July 31, 2025
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3011 Martin Luther King Jr, AVE SE Washington DC, 20032
IT TO THE END’
During the graduation, Joseph Tolbert shared his journey from incarceration to transformation.
After serving time, Tolbert enrolled in the program through Hope Village.
“Having a felony on your back was like a curse,” he admitted.
With determination and support, he transitioned from student to staff— working in school kitchens and eventually catching the attention of a represen-
tative from Hilton Hotels and Resorts.
Despite his doubts, Tolbert applied. “I’m used to being turned down,” he said. “I went through the process scared.”
Having been hired as a banquet houseman in 2016, Tolbert commended the hotel company for seeing his potential beyond his record.
WI Read more on ]washingtoninformer.com.
5 Students at the DC Central Kitchen Culinary Job Training Program 2025 graduation on July 16. (Maven McGann/The Washington Informer)
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No (Department Of) Justice Grants Protecting Hate Crime Victims, No Peace
When the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), led by the Attorney General, was established by Congress and signed into law by President Ulysses S. Grant on June 22, 1870, its role was to handle the country’s legal business.
Since then, the responsibilities of the DOJ have increased and its mandate refined, often changing to align with the agenda of whichever president holds the reins of power since its actions are ultimately under the purview of the president.
In other words, while the DOJ is independent to some extent in its decision-making, particularly in individual cases, the president can direct the department’s work through policy directives and executive orders.
However, according to the DOJ website, its mission has long remained the same: to uphold the rule of law, to keep our country safe, and to protect civil rights.
But if protecting the civil rights of Americans and keeping citizens safe still represent critical elements of the DOJ’s mission and
have not been abandoned, why has the Trump administration reversed course in the support of programs which protect Americans from hate crimes?
When the DOJ rescinded approximately $35 million in grants on April 22, hundreds of grants intended for hate crime prevention and response initiatives were immediately terminated. Some organizations reported losing access to funds already allocated, forcing them to abruptly halt services.
This decision is expected to have a significant and negative impact on efforts to reduce hate crimes across the U.S., which stands against recent data confirming a significant rise in reported hate crimes in the nation.
Data from the DOJ indicates that reported hate crimes have more than doubled in the last decade, with a 114% increase since 2014. In addition, there’s been a disproportionate increase in anti-transgender (123%) and anti-Jewish (91%) hate crimes, both as reported in 2023 and the high-
Why Do Hurt People Hurt People with Guns?
There have reportedly been 250 mass shootings in the U.S. so far this year, and most, if not all of them, were in retaliation for a perceived offense or harm.
The last four days have resulted in four reported mass shootings, with one in Atlanta, Georgia, where one person was killed and 10 others injured at what is described as a nightlife neighborhood at 1:30 A.M. In Reno, Nevaada, on July 29, gunshots left three people dead and several wounded at a resort and casino. And, right here in D.C., two people were injured and another killed in an incident in Congress Heights on Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue, S.E.
This is not about mass shootings, which are defined as where four or more people are shot or murdered in a single incident. It’s about the extreme lengths one will resort to in retaliation for a perceived harm or threat. It’s also about the weapons that are so readily accessible to
est increases that have ever been reported for either group.
And despite murmurings that racism and prejudice have been eliminated within American society, the FBI’s 2023 hate crime statistics prove that racial bias remains the most prevalent motivation for hate crimes.
Racism is alive and well in America.
And that’s not all. Both the DOJ and the FBI agree that the number of hate crimes reported to law enforcement may be lower than the actual number of incidents, with an estimated 56% of hate crimes going unreported. While some cities saw declines in hate crimes in late 2024, experts believe a shift in how hate is expressed, rather than a decrease in hate itself, may account for the reported decline.
There are those who are adamant in their belief that recent changes in U.S. domestic policy will result in making America great again. Unfortunately, not all Americans are included in this new portrait. WI
people who believe retaliation is the only method of hurting someone who has done them harm.
Retaliation is a normal human response to a perceived harm. In a study conducted by the Association for Psychological Science, researchers confirmed “what the scorned have been saying for years: Revenge is sweet.”
However, “the actual execution of revenge carries a bitter cost of time, emotional and physical energy, and even lives. That minute before revenge is savory…but what about the days and weeks that follow?”
In the most recent mass shooting in New York City that left five dead, including the gunman, and one injured, Shane D. Tamura, 27, of Las Vegas, used a high-powered rifle to retaliate against the NFL, whom, in a suicide note, he blamed for his traumatic brain injury.
Reports say that Tamura had been suffering from mental illness
for quite some time, and many question how or why he was legally allowed to own guns. But Tumara is not alone, and for the hundreds who have fallen victim to gun violence, it almost goes without saying that most of them also experience some sort of mental illness. Today, most Americans are confessing how stress is influencing their lack of clarity and thoughtful responses to the stresses they are experiencing.
We know that hurt people hurt people. We also know that public policy steered by a select group of policymakers who support the gun manufacturers continues to deny the impact that easy access to weapons has on Americans. They are being shot and killed unnecessarily.
The push for stronger gun laws must continue. There are too many hurt people who will hurt people with a weapon in their hands.
WI
TO THE EDITOR
I can’t believe this administration and our government have moved to defund NPR and public broadcasting stations. Public radio and television are necessary and vital for the common good of the citizens of this country. This makes me sad for future generations.
Tyler Reynolds Washington, D.C.
Why is the president concerned about the name of the Washington Commanders and trying to force the team to change it “back?” Why is this a presidential issue, and why is the pain the racist forename caused being ignored? All of the issues in this country and his concern with a private business’s affairs make no sense.
Walter Hines Washington, D.C.
Readers’ Mailbox The Washington Informer welcomes letters to the editor about articles we publish or issues affecting the community. Write to news@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.
OPINIONS/EDITORIALS
Guest Columnist
‘Strong Schools, Brighter Futures!’
“Strong schools, brighter futures!” “School helps me grow!” “I can get into good trouble!” “What do we want? Good schools! When do we want them? Now!”
These are just a few of the messages students in grades K-12 at Children’s Defense Fund Freedom Schools summer programs chanted and carried on handmade
signs at marches and rallies across the country for their July 23 National Day of Social Action project. More than 12,000 scholars in CDF Freedom Schools programs participate in this annual event, a collective organizing effort centered around CDF’s mission to build community so young people grow up with dignity, hope and joy. The day is always led by young people with support from caring adults and community members, and together they organize, mobilize and raise awareness about an
A common Republican talking point is that Democrats can’t be trusted to manage major cities. Donald Trump and his Republican allies can barely hide their disdain for Democrats of color leading America’s largest cities. They deride these mayors as “DEI” hires who want lawlessness and crime to run rampant while
Marian Wright Edelman
issue that directly affects their lives and futures. This year’s event focused on the message “Public Education is a Public Good,” reflecting CDF’s core belief that education is a building block for civic life and work and has a major impact on children and young people’s ability to flourish.
The scholars’ joyful, urgent calls for strong public schools couldn’t have been planned for a timelier moment, as some adults are seeking new ways to undermine the nation’s public education system
Guest Columnists
right now. But as CDF puts it: “We believe public education is a cornerstone of democracy, opportunity and justice. When we invest in education, we invest in the leadership, well-being and futures of our children and youth ... Education is more than academics. It shapes our communities, our democracy and our collective future.
Public education is one of the most powerful tools for social mobility. Investing in education helps every child, no matter their background, reach their full potential.
When we center public education as a common good, we bring people together across divides.”
CDF cites data showing our students deserve better:
• Schools in the United States spend an average of $20,387 per pupil, the third-highest spending among the 40 other developed nations in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, but statewide funding formulas and allocations create gaps in the amount of funding ac-
Democratic Mayors Can Show Party How to Win Working-Class Voters Again
their cities decline.
Look no further than the immediate attacks on Zohran Mamdani following his impressive primary win in New York City. Trump Republicans — and quite frankly too many Democrats — immediately railed against Mamdani as a socialist who would destroy New York should he win the general election.
But if Democrats want to finally start winning again and attracting back working-class voters, they would be wise to lean into the
Guest Columnist
During the Reagan era, prominent figures of the Religious Right movement played a significant role in mobilizing conservative Christians and advocating for their political interests. While the movement was largely led by figures such as Jerry Falwell (Moral Majority) and Pat Robertson (Christian Coalition), younger in-
dividuals such as Ralph Reed and Paul Weyrich also played a key role in the movement’s organizational and political outreach.
The younger leaders often focused on mobilizing support at the grassroots level, developing strategies for political engagement and leveraging new media technologies to spread their message. Ralph Reed, as executive director of the Christian Coalition, was a major influence in mobilizing evangelical voters and influencing political discourse during the 1990s, there-
lessons that Democratic mayors teach us.
Democratic sniping since Mamdani’s victory is causing the party to lose sight of the bigger picture. Mamdani was wise to focus on meeting New Yorkers where they are and engaging nontraditional voters with a crisp, consistent message on how life is only getting more expensive. His message offered a strong contrast as Republicans double down on policies that will only exacerbate the affordability crisis facing work-
ing-class Americans.
And for those who can’t vibe with Mamdani because of his proud democratic socialist affiliations, then consider two mayors from the Democratic mainstream. Birmingham, Alabama’s Randall Woodfin and Baltimore, Maryland’s Brandon Scott have successfully built impressive records on crime reduction, economic revitalization and blight elimination.
Each knows that working-class voters judge Democrats not by our rhetoric, but by our track record:
Can you make my street safer? Can you bring jobs to my neighborhood? Can you keep my rent from skyrocketing?
These mayors have married progressive populism with actual results-oriented pragmatism. They like to make their points by getting things done. Each understands that progressive positions without actually delivering results won’t win back the working class. In the South, we call this plain
by extending the reach of the Religious Right’s agenda.
Paul Weyrich, as a key strategist, was co-founder of the Committee for the Survival of a Free Congress (now the Free Congress Foundation). He was instrumental in building the conservative infrastructure that supported Ronald Reagan. With white evangelical voters becoming mobilized and focused while working within a conservative infrastructure, their numbers and political influence
grew over the years to become a formidable force and voting bloc.
We see the outcome as demonstrated by today’s Trump MAGA movement.
Those of us who oppose the MAGA movement and their anti-DEI agenda can learn a lot from the tactics used by Falwell, Reed and Weyrich, particularly on how they made abortion a rallying cry for the Religious Right. Abortion became the most potent unifying issue in modern American politics. It became a defining issue as part
of a long-term political and cultural strategy.
Through mass mailings, religious broadcasting and organizing conservative Christians, the Moral Majority and similar organizations reframed abortion not only as a moral but also a political issue that defines their movement. The Religious Right was strategic. Conservative evangelicals, Catholics and other groups built a broad coalition not primarily on theological
MARSHALL Page 45
David W. Marshall
HARRIS/MCDANIEL Page 45
Kevin Harris and Richard McDaniel
EDELMAN Page 45
Guest Columnist
Silence is Complicity!
Trump’s close associates who partied with him and underage girls. Now there are denials. Eighty-nine percent of the people want the full records released!
there with other friends, but we do know some of the young women victims have talked about what happened to them with Trump and Epstein.
The Tangerine Man is trying to have us remain silent about his friendship with the notorious Jeffrey Epstein. He’s filed yet another lawsuit to silence the Wall Street Journal! He says he told them not to publish the article about a relationship he is trying to forget.
Attorney General Pam Bondi previously said she had a list of
Numerous pictures of Trump and Epstein partying down together, talking about women in a way of what kind of women they like, such as those on the younger side, are available. We see him at his home laughing, bopping and whispering to Epstein about the women in the room. We don’t know where things went from
I have great sympathy for the women who were exploited — and still suffer from the experiences. Their stories disappeared until now. While the pain will never go away, perhaps the truth about what happened to them will give them peace to know someone believed them and cared — and that at least someone other than
Quit Playin’: Confusing God With Government
media for truth and balance can leave you ignorant, and in the right situations, it can get your a-whipped.
“Confusing God and Government.” That was the actual name of the sermon by Trinity United Church of Christ Pastor Emeritus Jeremiah Wright. I almost had to choke a white brother in the heat of the 2008 presidential campaign because he argued with me that the sermon title was “Goddamn America!” Relying on national
Quit making affirmations based on sound bites and social media posts. It does not matter if you Google everything and research nothing. Dr. Jeremiah Alvesta Wright Jr., who is abundantly educated, served the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps, and plays the piano with all the grace of a trained virtuoso, did more than lambast this nation in political rhetoric. His
brilliant exegesis of Luke 19 looks more and more like prophecy.
And by the way, “Daddy J’s” sight and foresight from that Chicago pulpit was more than enough to propel a young Black man to the White House. Dr. Wright could see where this nation was going, based on where we have been. Listen to how we got to the infamous “Goddamn America” line that was used to his disadvantage:
“Governments fail. The government in this text comprised of Caesar, Cornelius, Pontius Pilate
Black, Latino Buying Power Forces DEI Reckoning
“Who will try to blend communities of color during a time the administration would like to see it kept apart? A strong combined effort would turn politics and the economy on its head by creating a single voice of people tired of being relegated to society’s second class. Who will step up?” — Ray Marcano
They may not be making as much noise as the extremists who boycott LGBTQ+ inclusive brands, but communities of color are quietly flexing their economic muscle against companies who abandon diversity, equity and inclusion policies.
The combined spending power of Black and Latino Americans — who make up more than 30% of the U.S. population — is $6 trillion. That’s larger than the economies of every nation on earth except the United States
and China.
Companies who kowtow to extremist demands to abandon their commitments to diversity, equity and inclusion policies are sacrificing their bottom line for political expediency. Even though there’s been no call for communities of color to join forces in a large-scale, organized boycott, companies who backtracked are losing out to companies who stood firm in their commitments.
As shareholder activist Andrew
the woman who is serving prison time, will be exposed for the alleged crimes against them. While there’s so much going on in the world that we want to let the MAGA and ex-MAGA people work to resolve the chaos and give the victims some sense of justice, I want to spend the rest of my column to talk about great men and women and what they are doing to make this a better world. If you haven’t already become acquainted with Capt. Ibrahim Traoré of Burkina Faso in Africa, I want to
urge you to do so because he represents the best of being a man, and what’s going on with what women are doing for their country.
Capt. Traoré, as a young man, met Blaise Compaoré — a man I had met years ago, and had high hopes for him — but he’s now living in exile. Traoré met Jerry Rawlings of Ghana, and he learned from him. One day, he rose up as a leader at great risk and declared
— the Roman government failed. The British government used to rule from east to west. The British government had a Union Jack. She colonized Kenya, Ghana, Nigeria, Jamaica, Barbados, Trinidad and Hong Kong. Her navies ruled the seven seas all the way down to the tip of Argentina in the Falklands, but the British failed. The Russian government failed. The Japanese government failed. The German government failed. And the United States of America government, when it came to treating her cit-
izens of Indian descent fairly, she failed.
“She put them on reservations. When it came to treating her citizens of Japanese descent fairly, she failed. She put them in internment prison camps. When it came to treating her citizens of African descent fairly, America failed. She put them in chains. The government put them in slave quarters, put them on auction blocks, put them in cotton fields, put them
Behar recently told Fortune magazine, the Trump administration’s crusade against diversity, equity and inclusion is forcing companies to underperform.
“This is an anti-capitalist, anti-freedom, anti-democracy crusade that is being waged to try to suppress information and suppress shareholders from having the disclosure and the information they need to make good fiduciary decisions,” Behar said.
Without calling for a boycott or singling out any particular
business, the NAACP earlier this year issued a Black Consumer Advisory, encouraging people to spend their money where they’re respected, to support Blackowned businesses and to demand that businesses prioritize people over profit.
But it turns out that prioritizing people actually is profitable. And the financial consequences of failing to do so are potentially enormous.
Marc H. Morial
Guest Columnist
E. Faye Williams
Vincent L. Hall
WILLIAMS
Guest Columnist
LIFESTYLE
WASHINGTON INFORMER WEEKEND CHECKLIST
WASHINGTON INFORMER'S
Things To Do, DMV!
By Trevor Johnson WI Intern
Step into a weekend of fresh experiences across the region, where each day brings something a little different.
Whether it’s candlelight concerts, LEGO-building, sprints on the track, or hands-on tech fun for the family, these events offer more than just entertainment, they bring community to life. This lineup blends creativity, movement, and connection, turning everyday outings into something memorable.
Also, check out the Washington Informer Calendar!
THURSDAY, JULY 31
Meet Max Robinson - Community Open House at Whitman-Walker 5:30 p.m. - 7:30 p.m. | Free Whitman-Walker’s Max Robinson Center, 1201 Sycamore Drive SE Washington, D.C. 20032
Join the providers, researchers, and staff of Whitman-Walker for an inside look at their services and to meet the new tenants at the Max Robinson Center.
Whitman-Walker offers primary care for ages 10 and up, urgent care through the SMART Clinic, dental and behavioral health services, HIV/ STI testing, health research, and a
community pharmacy.
New tenants include the Advanced Technical Center, which trains high school students for health care careers; GW Cancer Center, offering free patient support; New Hampshire Medical Supply, providing Medicare-covered equipment; and Labcorp for routine lab testing.
Candlelight: Tribute to Lauryn Hill
9 p.m. - 10:15 p.m. | $30
The Collective Encore, 10221 Wincopin Circle, Columbia, 21044
SATURDAY, AUG. 2
HiTech STEAM Carnival 10 a.m. - 1 p.m. | Free Howard County Library System, East Columbia Branch , 6600 Cradlerock Way Columbia, MD 21045
Bring the family for a fun-filled day of games, tech, and creativity!
Play student-built pinball and skeeball, ride a mini train, enjoy paint-and-sip, and see demos like the Sea Perch robot and a robotic dog. Join the mini-hackathon, car race, and carnival games for a chance to win prizes.
Experience the soul and legacy of a music icon at the Lauryn Hill Candlelight Tribute, an intimate evening filled with live renditions of songs, from “The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill,” (1998) to her work with The Fugees.
Surrounded by the warm glow of candlelight, this tribute blends heartfelt performances with timeless lyrics, celebrating Hill’s impact on music, culture, and generations of fans.
FRIDAY, AUG. 1
The Longevity Tour:
Celebrating 30 years of J-Live
7 p.m. - 10 p.m. | $28.52 - $50 Crescendo Studios, 8101a Lee Highway Falls Church, VA 22042
Don’t miss “The Longevity Tour: Celebrating 30 Years of J-Live,” a high-energy night honoring one of hip-hop’s most respected voices.
Featuring classic tracks, sharp lyricism, and an authentic live performance, this event is a must for true hip-hop fans.
Come out and vibe to timeless music and celebrate a major milestone in J-Live’s iconic career.
Artist Leigh Davis introduces Grief Karaoke at Historic Congressional Cemetery, the first installment of her new series Karaoke in the Cemetery. Set in the cemetery’s chapel, the event uses music as a way to explore grief in a shared, low-pressure environment.
Blending sound, light, and participation, the evening creates room for different expressions of loss, offering space to gather, reflect, and process with others.
Explore local vendor booths, visit the petting zoo, and grab a bite from food trucks. Presented in partnership with Civic Works, Howard County Government, and more, sponsored by Howard Hughes Corporation.
The 2025 Arlington Olympics 9 a.m. - 10:30 a.m. | $50 Washington-Liberty Highschool Stadium, 1301 North Stafford Street Arlington, VA 22201
Join the kickoff of the 2025 Arlington Olympics on Aug. 2, hosted by Arlington Sports Conditioning (ASC). Day 1 features a 100-yard sprint on the turf and a 200-meter sprint on the track, plus a group warm-up and workout led by ASC founder Pete Leibman.
Compete in one or both races and stick around for a high-energy ASC session. Medals will be awarded to the top male and female finishers. Entry options include a $199 All-Access Pass, $50 single-day registration, or free access for ASC members. Space is limited, and online registration is required. No walk-ins. Visit ArlingtonSC.com for full details.
This event is not affiliated with the IOC’s Summer Olympics.
SUNDAY, AUG. 3
Adventure Seekers
10 a.m. - 3 p.m. | $4 - $6 Mount Rainier Nature Center, 4701 31st Place, Mount Rainier, MD 20712
Residents of Prince George’s County can enjoy guided trips to natural sites throughout the D.C. Metro area, filled with scenic views and new experiences.
Participants should bring a packed lunch and meet at Mount Rainier Nature Center, where transportation will be provided to the day’s outdoor destination.
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5Soak up the sounds of summer along the Anacostia River, with free outdoor concerts at Bladensburg Waterfront Park. (Courtesy Photo/Prince George’s Parks)
For Jamaican Food, Caribbean Superior Is Second to None, Fans Say
By James Wright WI Staff Writer
Natasha Lawrence likes visiting relatives who live in the Washington, D.C. area, seeing it as a chance to catch up on family developments and as a respite from her hectic life in Massachusetts.
When in the DMV area, she has made it a habit of visiting one of her favorite spots, the Caribbean Superior restaurant located in Bladensburg, Maryland, where she enjoyed a lunchtime treat on July 15.
“My brother-in-law told me about this place, and I come here every time I am in the area,”Lawrence, 34, told The Informer. “ I find that the food is tasty and well-cooked, and I love Jamaican food.”
Lawrence is not alone in her dedication and love for the Caribbean cuisine, whether at the restaurant’s Bladensburg or District Heights locations.
Caribbean Superior was praised by the Restaurant Association of Metropolitan Washington (RAMW) as a 2025 Milestone Award for its 25 years
of service on July 1 during the second-annual RAMMYS Honors.
Caribbean Superior was one of six restaurants in the 2025 category for “weathering challenges, serving generations, and becoming cornerstones of their communities,” according to RAMW.
The honors and cocktail reception is served as a precursor to the RAMMYS Awards Gala that will take place on Aug. 3 at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Northwest, honoring the work of D.C. area restaurants in several categories.
Caribbean Superior was founded by Chef Patrick Martin in August 2000, fulfilling his desire to bring bold Jamaican food to Prince George’s County in general and Bladensburg specifically, according to the company’s website.
Leo Artwell, manager at Caribbean Superior, is pleased with being honored by the Restaurant Association.
“The recognition that we got was unexpected,” said Artwell, 54. “We have been in business for 25 years. We are grateful that someone else has recog-
nized what we have done.”
CARIBBEAN
SUPERIOR’S SECRET OF SUCCESS
When asked what the Caribbean Superior’s secret of success is, Artwell said “it is a mixture of things.”
“We serve authentic food, and we offer unique service,” he said. “For example, we serve breakfast at 8 a.m., one of the few restaurants like ours that does that. We have a number of customers who come by to get their food on their way to work and we have some customers, like nurses, who come by after their night shifts are over. We tend to do things other restaurants don’t do.”
Caribbean Superior serves standard Jamaican fare such as jerk chicken, curry chicken, stew pork, stew beef and stew peas. The restaurant also offers oxtails, pastas such as jerk, fish, shrimp and fish, shrimp and jerk chicken as well as breakfast items like saltfish and porridge.
While dining on the porridge on
July 16, Royal Bascal told The Informer he’s a regular of the District Heights location, driving from his home in Clinton, Maryland for his meals.
“This is one of the best Caribbean restaurants in the area,” he said. “I come here four to five times a week to get lunch.”
Bascal, 55, said the restaurant serves tasty food “with good seasoning” and “they serve good portions for your money.”
The District Heights location has also received praise and constructive
reviews on Yelp for its food and service.
“I decided to try out a new Jamaican spot in my area. The restaurant was nice, clean, open, and the staff was friendly,”said Erik R. from Upper Marlboro, Maryland in a Jan. 5 Yelp post. “I think it is pricey. A small jerk platter and bottled soda came to $19+. Their jerk is more on the sweet side, with a nice touch of spice. The platter is full. But you get more rice and peas than anything. I’d venture to go back and try other dishes.” WI @JamesWrightJr10 EDDIE PALMIERI TRIBUTE • BRANFORD MARSALIS QUARTET • MARCUS MILLER • LALAH HATHAWAY • RON CARTER QUARTET • THE STRING QUEENS THE JOHN SCOFIELD TRIO • THE BAYLOR PROJECT • CECILE MCLORIN SALVANT • EMMET COHEN TRIO • GARY BARTZ NTU TROOP SUN RA ARKESTRA • KEYON HARROLD • CORCORAN HOLT SUPERGROUP FEAT. GEORGE CABLES, STEVE TURRE, SEAN JONES, BILLY HARPER, & JEFF "TAIN" WATTS • THE JAZZDC ALL-STAR ORCHESTRA DIRECTED BY ALLYN JOHNSON • DADO MORONI • MAKOTO OZONE & GREGOIRE MARET JONGKUK KIM • THE JAZZMEIA HORN QUARTET • STEVE WILSON • MATTHEW WHITAKER • BIRCKHEAD • CORCORAN HOLT QUINTET
PAUL CARR & VANESSA RUBIN • CHRISTIE DASHIELL • BRANDEE YOUNGER • ERIC BYRD TRIO • TONY MARTUCCI EARTH TONES • HIRUY TIRFE QUARTET
AKUA ALLRICH & THE TRIBE! • BRASS-A-HOLICS • NEXT JAZZ LEGACY • BENJIE PORECKI • TODD MARCUS QUARTET • LYLE LINK
ALLAN HARRIS • HERB SCOTT • LEIGH PILZER STARTET • JOSHUA BAYER • ORGAN SUMMIT FEAT. CHARLES COVINGTON & ALLYN JOHNSON • HEIDI MARTIN • REGGIE BOWENS • LANGSTON HUGHES II • BEʼLA DONA • ELIJAH EASTON
IMANI-GRACE COOPER • JAHARI STAMPLEY FAMILY TRIO • DC JAZZPRIX FINALS: FRIENDSHIP, THE SMOOGIES,
JOSÉ LUIZ MARTINS, DAVE MEDER 'NEW AMERICAN HYMNAL' QUARTET • AND MORE
5Jerk chicken is a popular menu item at the Caribbean Superior locations in Prince George’s County, Maryland. (Courtesy Photo/Caribbean Superior)
HOW IT WORKS SHOWCASE YOUR ORGANIZATION
The Informer offers plenty of advertising opportunities to get people to associate you as the Best of the DMV.
Visit washingtoninformer.com/ best-of-dmv-2025 to learn more.
No one understands the DMV like our readers! Our Best of the DMV campaign introduces a new campaign where readers can nominate and vote for their favorite local businesses, organizations, and personalities from the region. Participants will make their picks on the best things this city has to offer and we'll compile the results to create our ultimate readers’ choice guide.
NOMINATION PHASE: JULY 1 – 31, 2025
Come to our site DAILY to nominate your favorite businesses, bars, restaurants, people, and more. Once nominations close, we will tally the top nominations in each category to move on to the Voting Phase.
VOTING PHASE: SEPT 1 – OCT 3, 2025
Readers will select their preferred winners, by coming back daily to vote for them.
washingtoninformer.com/best-of-the-dmv
Shawn Perkins and Saggaf Assagaf Unite D.C. and Abu Dhabi Through Art
By Andrew S. Jacobson WI Contributing Writer
A monumental mural now stretches across the walls of the Washington Tennis and Education Foundation (WTEF) in Southeast, D.C., featuring the intersection of color, culture, and calligraphy.
Painted over the course of merely three days by D.C.-based artist Shawn Perkins and Saudi Arabian-born, UAE-based artist Saggaf Assagaf, the mural stands as a bold symbol of diplomacy and collaboration through sports, youth empowerment, and the manifestation of an international friendship.
Commissioned as part of a unique partnership between Mubadala, the sovereign investment company based in Abu Dhabi, and WTEF, a long-standing community institution in Southeast, D.C., the mural marries local roots with global vision.
At its heart is a simple yet profound narrative: A child dreaming of becoming a tennis champion –serving as a visual metaphor for aspiration, education, and discipline for the greater Southeast community.
“This mural is the result of a meaningful partnership between [Mubadala] and [WTEF],” Assagaf shared on social media, “and a special collaborative mural between myself, representing my beloved country the UAE, and the incredibly talented local artist [Shawn Perkins] representing Washington, D.C.”
The mural’s imagery braids together motifs from both cities — the Capitol dome mirrored with the silhouette of Abu Dhabi’s skyline — punctuated by bursts of Arabic calligraphy spelling out “Partnership,” “Excellence,” “Youth,” and “Education.”
These words, Assagaf explained, “reflect Mubadala’s vision to empower future generations.”
The project culminated in a public unveiling where more than 60 children from WTEF, along with community members and sponsors, added their own brushstrokes to the mural — a living testament to collective authorship.
“Over three days, we painted side by side,” Assagaf said, “and on the unveiling day, children and the community helped complete the work in front of the media.”
For Shawn Perkins, the collaboration was more than professional—it was personal.
“Being part of this mural at WTEF has been an incredible experience, not just as an artist but as someone who grew up understanding the importance of spaces like this in a community,” he said. “Collaborations like this remind me why I love what I do: they bring people together, spark conversations, and hopefully inspire the young people who walk past this wall every day to dream bigger.”
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Read more on washingtoninformer.com.
vibrant mural by artists Shawn Perkins and Saggaf Assagaf, portraying a young child immersed in
Photo/Wick Photography)
review wi book
“Briefly
Perfectly Human: Making an Authentic Life by Getting Real about the End” by Alua Arthur
c.2025, Mariner
$28.99
256 pages
Terri Schlichenmeyer WI Contributing Writer
There is no need to pack a big suitcase.
No more worrying about tickets or TSA, the nearest gas station, tiny bottles of shampoo, no journal, no favorite T-shirt. You’ll say one last goodbye on this final journey and you’ll be gone, but in “Briefly Perfectly Human” by Alua Arthur, as you did in living, you may need support in dying.
Born in Ghana, raised by parents who demanded excellence, Alua Arthur chose to go to law school after she graduated from high school. But it wasn’t really a choice, in a way; law school was a default for her, and it didn’t make her happy. After she started working for Legal Aid on behalf of poor clients, a career in law actually made her sad.
It was so difficult for Arthur to avoid getting too involved with her clients, and she struggled. She eventually came to understand that she wanted more than anything was to “be of service” to people somehow. When her brotherin-law was diagnosed with cancer, she helped take care of him and things began to fall into place. She says he was “the first person I doula’d before knowing … what I was supposed to be doing.”
Following Peter’s death and her “a-ha!” moment, Arthur received formal death doula training, where she learned “not to conflate others’ experience with [her] own,” how to gently discover a dying person’s wishes, and how to listen. She does in-person visits or phone calls; she can’t dispense medicine or medical advice. She can only talk, and that’s often all an ill or dying person needs. It’s a solution, Arthur says, that helps “meet a client where they are” but being a death doula isn’t just for those who are dying.
“Sometimes,” she says, “all we need is a little time, if we’ve got it. … And if you’re the person who can’t accept that another will die, we will hold you when you finally do.”
So, here’s a surprise for you: “Briefly Perfectly Human” may not be the book you want today. It touches upon a painful subject. There’s no blatant advice here, no quizzes or checklists. You’ll find comfort if you look hard enough, but it’s not overt.
Instead — and maybe you do need it today — this book is mostly about being wonderfully, sparklingly alive. Joyful, even. Author Alua Arthur says, “I’m only here for a small amount of time,” and that, in fact, should tell you everything you’d want to know about this book.
And yet, it has dark moments.
Arthur writes about specific clients and how she helped them and their families. There’s a good bit biography here, where she shares her own struggles with depression and mental health. Beware: she’s an advocate of psychotropic substances and she’s sometimes profane. She’s also unabashedly honest, and that’s refreshing.
Readers looking for advice or succor must read between the lines to find it here, but you won’t mind. “Briefly Perfectly Human” reminds you to live each day as if it’s your last, and that packs a punch.
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horoscopes
LIFESTYLE
JULY 31 - AUG. 6, 2025
ARIES Pioneering ventures reach decisive moments as Mars energizes your ambition sector, bringing breakthrough opportunities through calculated risks that merge spontaneous inspiration with strategic planning. Leadership positions solidify when authentic courage demonstrates capabilities while inspiring team commitment to shared objectives. Lucky Numbers: 5, 21, 37
TAURUS Sensual pleasures generate lasting value as Venus enriches your material sector, bringing abundance through patient cultivation that transforms raw potential into refined achievements worthy of premium recognition. Romantic stability deepens when consistent affection creates secure foundations supporting intimate growth. Lucky Numbers: 8, 26, 42
GEMINI Communication mastery opens diverse pathways as Mercury activates your networking sector, bringing connections through articulate expression that bridges different perspectives while maintaining intellectual authenticity. Learning opportunities multiply when curiosity drives exploration across multiple disciplines simultaneously. Lucky Numbers: 3, 17, 34
CANCER Domestic harmony strengthens emotional foundations as lunar influences deepen your security sector, bringing stability through nurturing leadership that honors individual needs while protecting collective wellbeing. Property investments mature when aesthetic improvements reflect personal values while increasing market value. Lucky Numbers: 9, 24, 40
LEO Creative brilliance captures widespread attention as solar energy illuminates your expression sector, bringing recognition through authentic performance that entertains audiences while conveying meaningful messages. Entertainment pursuits flourish when technical excellence serves emotional connection rather than superficial showmanship. Lucky Numbers: 1, 15, 31
VIRGO Practical refinements achieve measurable excellence as earth energies perfect your service sector, bringing advancement through systematic analysis identifying efficient solutions rather than quick fixes. Professional reputation solidifies when consistent quality exceeds expectations while maintaining modest presentation. Lucky Numbers: 6, 19, 35
LIBRA Elegant partnerships create mutual prosperity as Venus balances your cooperation sector, bringing success through graceful negotiation that transforms competing interests into complementary strengths. Aesthetic decisions influence practical outcomes when beautiful design enhances functional efficiency while creating harmonious atmospheres. Lucky Numbers: 4, 18, 33
SCORPIO Hidden resources surface through persistent investigation as Pluto intensifies your discovery sector, bringing transformation through deep research that reveals profitable opportunities concealed within complex systems. Psychological insights deepen when intuitive perception guides analytical investigation exposing underlying motivations. Investment breakthroughs emerge midweek when methodical exploration follows intuitive hunches toward unexpected financial territories. Lucky Numbers: 11, 27, 43
SAGITTARIUS International connections broaden practical horizons as Jupiter expands your exploration sector, bringing wisdom through cross-cultural collaboration that applies diverse methodologies while identifying universal success principles. Educational advancement accelerates when theoretical study combines with hands-on experience creating comprehensive expertise. Lucky Numbers: 7, 22, 38
CAPRICORN Executive authority builds lasting legacies as Saturn consolidates your achievement sector, bringing recognition through disciplined construction creating permanent foundations rather than temporary structures. Management responsibilities expand when proven competence qualifies for overseeing increased complexity while maintaining operational standards. Lucky Numbers: 2, 16, 32
AQUARIUS Innovative solutions address community needs as Uranus transforms your humanitarian sector, bringing progress through unconventional methods serving collective advancement while honoring individual creative contributions. Group collaboration thrives when diverse expertise receives equal consideration within democratic processes. Lucky Numbers: 10, 25, 41
PISCES Compassionate service flows from spiritual wisdom as Neptune clarifies your devotion sector, bringing effectiveness through meditative practices that strengthen worldly engagement rather than encouraging escape. Artistic creation achieves emotional depth when technical skill supports authentic vision without constraining spontaneous inspiration. Lucky Numbers: 12, 28, 44
SPORTS
7 Highlights from Week One of Commanders Training Camp
By Skylar Nelson WI Contributing Writer
After a high-energy first week of training camp, the Washington Commanders are back in action for week two, and for the first time this year in pads.
With the install phase largely behind them, the real evaluations begin this week.
Before things ramp up, here is a look back at seven highlights from the Commanders Camp kick-off.
1. The Defense is Ahead of the Game
If there’s one clear theme from the few days of training camp, it’s that Washington’s defense came to play.
“We’re just trying to one up ourselves every day. We are just trying to build, we just build on the first day, second day, and then to the next day,” said defensive tackle Daron Payne. “I feel like that’s how we’re just going to be the best us.”
Whether it’s seven-on-sevens, 11-on11 team drills, or red zone work, the defense consistently dictated the tempo.
They racked up interceptions early on and often. On day three, quarterback Jayden Daniels on the very first play of team drills threw a pick. It was a ball tipped out by safety Quan Martin that was plucked out of the air by cornerback Mike Sainristil.
Moments later, safety Tyler Owens jumped a throw from quarterback Marcus Mariota for another pick. Cornerback Trey Amos also participated in the “pick parade.” And it was hard to forget that linebacker Bobby Wagner kept the momentum going with another interception.
From safety play, to improved cornerback depth, and a veteran led defensive line, this defense looks sharper and faster.
“We’re just competing. It is all about competition,” said Payne. “We are just out here trying to make each other bet-
ter and just execute the game playing at a high level.”
2. Linebacker Von Miller Looks Refreshed and Ready to Contribute Veteran edge rusher Von Miller may not be the thrasher he was in his prime, but he made it clear that he can still make disruptions from the edge.
“They’re going to let me rush, that’s what I do, that’s what I do,” said Miller. I can still roll out the bed at 36 years old with my house shoes on and still rush the passer. There’s other stuff that I gotta work at to get better at, of course, but the main thing for me is rushing the passer.”
Miller put in work with the firstteam throughout the week and had several “would-be” sacks or pressures in team drills. One included a team rush that helped lead the defense to the first interception of camp.
“He’s got different unique talents, he can bend, he’s long,” said Coach Dan Quinn. “But it’s at this point it’s what’s the skills, you want to find out what the skills are and I like the stunts. I like that he’s versatile, that he can play from his feet, he can play from down. We like to use variety in how we would want to go attack things.”
3. Cornerback Trey Amos
Might be a Steal
Second-round pick cornerback Trey Amos is quickly earning trust from Washington’s coaching staff and putting himself in position to be a camp standout. The rookie continued to earn first-team reps at outside corner, opposite of cornerback Marshon Lattimore, and with Sainristil locking down the slot.
“I feel like for me, approaching the game, I take it so seriously,” said Amos. “ [I’m] just trying to stay focused for as long as possible so I can get where I need to go. I feel like routine wise, coming in early, talking to the… the coaches, just asking questions so that it can be second nature.”
With a football background spanning from Louisiana, Alabama, and Ole Miss, along with All-SEC honors and a 4.43 40-yard dash time, Amos looks polished and ready to compete for early contributions this season.
“[I’m] just going out there and just competing, being physical at the breaking point,” he continued. “Just being a person that can just show up anywhere and just do their job and be accountable.”
4. The Defense Secondary is Showing Real Depth
Washington might finally have a secondary that can hang with elite offenses.
The defensive line looks far more formidable with the additions of defensive ends Jacob Martin, Deatrich Wise Jr., Javon Kinlaw, and defensive tackle Eddie Goldman.
With the emphasis on getting bigger and more versatile, creating new packages allows guys like defensive tackle Daron Payne to shift between power sets and speed locks.
The cornerback room, once a sore spot, now has layers of talent.
Cornerback Lattimore broke up a pair of passes, one deep to wide receiver Jaylin Lane and another in the red zone against wide receiver Chris Moore.
Cornerbacks Car’lin Vigers, Johnathan Jones, Fentrell Cypress II, along with safety Owens all made crucial plays on the ball this past week, suggesting that this revamped secondary might finally have the depth to match up against high-powered offenses.
“We really love the competition,” said Coach Quinn. “What I’ve been impressed by the inside players, their ability to communicate, they have to set it. A call happens and things have to happen quickly. We’re making progress and we’ve got some excellent guys to go against to help get them ready.”
5. A Renewed Wide
Receiver- Running Back Core And Upgraded Offensive Line
With wide receivers McLaurin sidelined, and fellow wide receiver Noah Brown and guard Sam Cosmi easing their way back onto the field, it has been an intriguing glimpse at who else might step up on offense.
Daniels and new addition Deebo Samuel have strong chemistry already. On the very first play of team drills in camp, Daniels connected with Samuel for a touchdown on a well-placed slot fade, despite tight coverage from Owens. Samuel looks ready to reignite his career this season in Washington.
“Nah, it’s real fun. It’s real fun,” said Samuel on how it’s like to play with Daniels.
He went on to share insights on how he and Daniels are working to build on their connection.
“We take it day-by-day,” Samuel continued. “After practice we get reps here and there, but just building dayby-day and just trying to get the best we can.”
Rookie wide receiver Lane has also turned heads, delivering what may be the best catch of training camp so far.
Lane’s catch over both Sainristil and Martin in the corner of the end zone was a spectacular touchdown grab sending shockwaves throughout the NFL.
“The rookies we got, I think they’re a little ahead of the game by how smart they are and how understanding they are of the offense but I’m really not a rah rah type of guy,” said Samuel. “I’m really a guy, if they come to me [to] ask questions, I give them the game. But I think they’re a little ahead of the curve right now.”
The battle for depth at wide receiver is heating up, with Chris Moore, Michael Gallup, KJ Osborn, Luke McCaffrey, and undrafted rookie Ja’Corey Brooks flashing playmaking ability.
With McLaurin still sidelined, along with Brown and Cosmi still easing back
from injuries, it’s been tough to fully assess the offense –especially with no pads on and limited contact. However, that all changes this week.
The Commanders will finally have the chance to test their upgraded offensive line in pads. As five-time pro bowler Laremy Tunsil and first-round pick Josh Conerly Jr. anchor the line, Brandon Coleman moves to left guard, and Andrew Wylie explores flexibility in the tackle positions, there is progress in the building of protection that Daniels needs to thrive.
“I kind of found things out during the offseason, that summer I found out that my stance was pretty wide and it was hard to move out of that just through tackle,” said Coleman. “It was more about learning how my body functions and how to get my body comfortable to play that different position because like I said, I kind of know what I have to do, the aiming points now it’s just about making my body do it, that mind kind of body connection.”
As a valuable player to Washington’s offense, Brian Robinson Jr. shared insights on his excitement on the O-line revamp and what this means for the offense overall ahead of the upcoming season.
“When coaches go out there and [players] go out there and want to buck up the O-line, it is going to put a smile on my face every time,” said Robinson. “You bring guys like LT (Laremy Tunsil) in here to just help our unit be better –it’s amazing. I’m excited for it. I’m always thankful when they try to get me some pro bowl left tackle, so I’ll never be against that.”
6. WR Terry McLaurin Is Back But Not Really
After skipping organized team activities and minicamp amid a contract standoff, McLaurin surprised fans with a thrilling return on Sunday, the fourth day of training camp and the first of-
5Commanders offense showing excitement at training camp. (Abdullah Konte / The Washington Informer)
CAPTURE the moment
Washington Commanders fans flocked to the team’s headquarters in Ashburn, Virginia for the first open practice of the 2025 training camp. Eager fans were able to catch a glimpse of this year’s squad including reigning 2024 AP Offensive Rookie of the Year Jayden Daniels. (Abdullah Konte/The Washington Informer)
RELIGION
Plymouth Congregational Starts New Era With a Pastor with a Passion for People, Liberation Theology
By Hamil R. Harris WI Contributing Writer
Filled with excitement, the Rev. Dr. Jamall Calloway, a theologian and scholar in Black liberation theology, has answered the call as pastor of Plymouth Congregational United Church of Christ in Northeast, D.C.
“My prayer is that I can successfully contribute to the legacy of this church by providing it with ways to further its social relevance,” Calloway told The Informer. “[Plymouth] has been a responsible church historically and I don’t want to get in its way. I just want to assist it, give to it, participate in it, and help open more of its doors to the community.”
Calloway succeeds the Rev. Graylan Hagler, pastor emeritus of Plymouth
SPORTS from Page 34
ficial fan day, ending his brief holdout.
Just before practice, Quinn announced that McLaurin was back in the building, signaling that a new deal may be nearing a completion for fans to see No. 17 on the field.
“I do have an update. [WR] Terry McLaurin has reported and we’re very happy about that,” said Quinn. “ On the business side [General Manager] [Adam Peters] (AP) and the guys are still working hard with Terry and his rep on the business side of things.”
However, when he reported back to camp, the wide receiver was placed on the physically unable to perform (PUP) list due to an ankle injury with contract talks still unresolved.
“So, PUP is no team, no walkthroughs, no practices,” said Quinn. “It’s really a focus of you count on the roster limit, but you are in, let’s call it… a rehab mode, to get everything ready. You can push that training to get there,
5The Rev. Dr. Jamall Calloway, a theologian and scholar in Black Liberation Theology, is now looking forward to serving as pastor of Plymouth Congregational United Church of Christ in Northeast, D.C. (Courtesy Photo/Plymouth Congregational United Church of Christ)
and an activist, who led the church for more than three decades, while also working hard to improve life for all District residents.
“Plymouth made a good choice,” said Hagler, who retired from Plymouth. “[He is] a choice that brings the academy to the pulpit, can break down history, lest we forget, and merges the pastoral with the political, and the prophetic with praise.”
The new pastor’s hope is to further Plymouth’s more than 140 years of welcoming all to the church, helping the community and empowering people through engagement and ministry.
“We are a church that sits next to you and says ‘we understand,’ to whatever it is. For too long our churches have been machines for shame and ridicule. We have lost a lot of goodwill
but it’s a kind of a buildup to get back to play.”
But that didn’t stop him from reuniting with the Commanders community and fans.
McLaurin spent over 30 minutes signing autographs after camp practice, a gesture that speaks to his deep connection and love for the Washington fanbase.
“I never lost sight of the way they [fans] supported me and the way that I pour into them and the way they poured into me,” said McLaurin. “So at the end of the day it’s business but it has nothing to do with them. And any chance I can come out here… show them my support and how much I love them, I’m gonna always do that.”
7. Commanders legend Santana Moss Set to Receive Commanders Ring of Fame
Santana Moss began his football career as a walk-on at the University
in the public because of our behavior and our stances,” Calloway said. “But at Plymouth, we want to continue to do things differently. We want to be the church of grace, compassion, understanding, and help.”
CALLOWAY’S JOURNEY TO PLYMOUTH, BLACK LIBERATION THEOLOGY
Calloway earned a PhD in Systematic Theology from Union Theological Seminary in New York, where he studied under Dr. James Cone, considered the father of Black liberation theology.
“As one who studied under James Cone, Cornel West, and Emilie Townes, the way I approach ministry is by recognizing that those fields of
of Miami. Years later, he’s being recognized as one of the greatest wide receivers in Washington franchise history.
On Sunday, the Commanders announced Moss will be inducted into the team’s Ring of Fame.
The honor will take place during the season opener against the New York Giants on Sept. 7.
“I can’t even describe it honestly,” said Moss. “It’s a feeling like no other.”
Moss retired with 732 catches, 10,283 yards, and 66 touchdowns over 14 NFL seasons, including 10 in Washington. He ranks third in franchise history in receptions, fourth in yards, and seventh in touchdown catches.
“I haven’t had this much emotion built up in me in a long time,” Moss explained. “I was jokingly talking to someone about [the] last time I boo hoo cried this much was when I lost somebody, so trust me I’m overwhelmed with joy right now. It’s a hell of a feeling.” WI
thought have shaped and guided my understanding of who God is and how to read not only the Bible, but life itself,” Calloway told The Informer.
He has taken his knowledge about Black liberation theology with him in his ministry throughout the nation.
After his ordination in the American Baptist tradition in 2013, Calloway began serving as the summer minister for the Church of Christ in Mount Washington, Massachusetts.
After finishing his postdoctoral fellowship at Brown University in Rhode Island, Dr. Calloway became a professor of theology at the University of San Diego and the Director of Christian Education at the Congregational Church of Chula Vista.
He served in that position until he accepted the call to serve at Alpine Community Church in Alpine, California.
Now that he is at Plymouth, Calloway has also been hired as a professor of theology and religious studies at Georgetown University.
The pastor looks forward to continuing to pass down his experiences, lessons and wisdom with his students and congregation.
“I bring my formation to every aspect of ministry. And what that means is, I have a deep hermeneutic of suspicion when it comes to seeing how power is leveraged through religion and worship,” he explained. “My goal is to not only be mindful of that persistent conflation, but to preach and teach that white supremacy, pain, suffering, and God, are not inherently intertwined in the ways we’ve been taught.”
George Reid, chairman of the search committee for a new pastor, said he appreciated Calloway’s background and thinks it will be a strong fit for Plymouth.
“I liked him because he is a PhD student in systematic theology and this is the same degree that Dr. King had,” Reid said. “He will be able to carry on a tradition of liberation theology and at the same time, because of his age, he will appeal to younger people.”
PROPELLING PLYMOUTH FORWARD
Amid nationwide challenges such as: federal job losses, eliminations of diversity, equity and inclusion programming and African Americans disproportionately affected by health, economic and education inequities, Calloway hopes Plymouth is a beacon of light for the community.
“I want the church to matter, not only to its members, but to those living nearby in the community. I want the building itself to mean something, to symbolize something,” said Calloway, who also comes to Plymouth with his wife Alexis Calloway and daughter Genevieve Loretta. “As the minister, I want to participate in and organize social programs at Plymouth that help the community.”
Further the pastor is looking forward to guiding Plymouth as its members, Washingtonians, and people nationwide navigate political shifts and social challenges.
“There is so much pain and suffering in the world that I just want us to be a part of the healing. I want us to be a force for good,” he told The Informer. “I want God to be proud of what we are doing, and I know the biblical claim to doing that is to simply show how good God is through our service and our humility. We are not a church that condemns or that sends people to hell.” WI
5The Rev. Dr. Jamall Calloway (right) with his wife and daughter Alexis Calloway and Genevieve Loretta. (Courtesy
Photo/Plymouth Congregational United Church of Christ)
“Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.”
— Mark 11:24
Years ago, during a visit with my sister Franquis Grant, we were discussing a contract we had done together as a family with AmeriHealth. When some things had to be done at the last minute, very unexpectedly, Franquis said to me, “Life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans.”
It caught my attention. I asked her, “Who wrote that quote?”
She said, “That’s from John Lennon’s song ‘Beautiful Boy,’ a song he wrote about the birth of his son in 1980.” She reminded me how she was living with me in San Pablo, California, when she played that album so often. My youngest son, Elton Leon, had been born recently, and she was my babysitter. He was the first boy born in the family after my brother Elton Leon Grant was murdered. I had made a deal with the family that the first boy born after his death would be named in his memory. I had no idea it would be me, two years later in 1980.
After my maternity leave ended, I had to go back to work in six weeks. My new son would always get quiet and listen when she played that song. She called it “his calming-down song — even while you were pregnant with him,” she remembered. He would always stop and pause at the sound of that song.
Let me share the lyrics with you: “Beautiful Boy” by John Lennon — “Close your eyes, have no fear, the monster’s gone, he’s on the run, and your daddy’s here. Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful, beautiful boy. Beautiful,
WITH LYNDIA GRANT
The Power of Imagination the religion corner
beautiful, beautiful, beautiful boy. Before you go to sleep, say a little prayer. Every day, in every way, it’s getting better and better. Out on the ocean, sailing away, I can hardly wait to see you come of age. But I guess we’ll both just have to be patient, ‘cause it’s a long way to go. A hard row to hoe. Yes, it’s a long way to go. But in the meantime, before you cross the street, take my hand, life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans.”
Let’s talk about our imagination and how that line from “Beautiful Boy” perfectly illustrates the principle of imagination — a principle from Napoleon Hill’s book “Think and Grow Rich,” my second-most important book. The Holy Bible is always first. Hill’s book explains the Bible in practical steps to help one become successful. He studied his Bible for six hours most days.
We all know the word “imagination,” but do we really understand the principles of using our imagination? As a young girl, imagination certainly was my friend. Several aunts talked about me always being like a TV commercial child, always acting, doing something, like producing my sisters and coaching them in a little play I had created.
Imagination is the starting place when we discover life’s lessons. When we are paying household bills and doing grown-up duties, if we could only have dreams again like we used to as young children, things would work so much better.
Separate the word “imagination” into components, and you get “image” and “action.” The “image” is the seeing of something physical. The “action” part refers to making it happen. Napoleon Hill says the more we use our imagination, the more it will deliver its physical form. People who have changed so many things in our world have used their imagination. Examples include the Wright brothers, who imagined being able to fly without falling. After carefully planning and trying many things using their imagination, they finally got their converted bicycle machine to fly. Now, flying from state to state and to other countries happens because the Wright brothers believed they could make this work. The key is they refused to quit until they actually made flying work.
History shows how the light bulb evolved from a flicker of a wick that had been lit with fire and placed in oil. Workers would go out at night and light these wicks at dusk so there would be light in the streets until dawn. Then one man’s imagination clicked in as he watched lightning and decided there had to be a better way. Thomas Edison tried more than 1,000 ways, using his imagination repeatedly until he finally found how to make a light bulb. It all started in his mind first, and you can do this as well — but it takes time, so don’t quit. WI
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RELIGION
Bottom - Founded in 1867 728 23rd Street, NW - Washington, DC 20037 Church office: 202-333-3985 Fax : 202-338-4958
Service and Times Sundays: 10 a.m. Holy Eucharist with Music and Hymns Wednesdays: 12:10 p.m. - Holy Eucharist www.stmarysfoggybottom.org Email: stmarysoffice@stmarysfoggybottom.org
All are welcome to St. Mary’s to Learn, Worship, and Grow.
Rev Kevin A. O'Bryant
401 Van Buren St., NW, Washington D.C. 20012 Office (202)-882-8331
Service and Times Sunday Worship 10:30 am Zoom: zoom.us/;/2028828331 Bible Study: Wednesday 7:00pm Communion Every First Sunday "Serve, teach and Live by precept and example the saving grace of Jesus Christ."
on into the fall— or just fall apart–D.C. Council Chair Phil Mendelson (D) recently announced that the legislative body will conduct its vote on a revised stadium deal as early as Aug. 1.
The second vote, Mendelson noted, would most likely take place on Sept. 17.
“The Commanders’ sense of urgency actually worked to our benefit because what we said to the Commanders was that ‘If you really want an earlier date, then we want to see some changes that make the deal better for citizens of the District,’” Mendelson said on Thursday morning. “That’s the material that has been released, and I’m pleased to say that with regard to revenues, we will see significant revenues coming to the District, to the District’s general fund, and some other changes that are of benefit to the city.”
Mendelson, flanked by D.C. Councilmembers Kenyan McDuffie (I-At large), Brooke Pinto (D-Ward 2), and Wendell Felder (D-Ward 7) in Room 412 of the John A. Wilson Building, outlined the tenets of the new deal.
The vote on the deal, which takes place after two public hearings, will center on a revised term sheet that, according to the council chair, generates more than $900 million in revenue for the District.
If approved, the District would receive $674 million in tax revenue over 30 years, via parking revenue on non-stadium event days, parking taxes, and sales tax on merchandise, food and beverages. The new term sheet also restructures debt financing by not capitalizing interest (paying off debt with interest on the debt) in Fiscal Years 2028 and 2029.
That change, Mendelson said, saves the District nearly $55 million. There’s also a provision redirecting $600 million from the Sports Facility Fee to a transportation improvement fund.
Per the term sheet, the Commanders’ senior leadership and sales office will also move their offices to the District. Additionally, a community benefits agreement— initially announced without a dollar amount by Bowser, Commanders Managing Partner Josh Harris and NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell— now stands at $50 million with a commitment to connect youth sports and education.
Mendelson called the aforementioned elements part of a framework that will become clearer in the coming weeks, especially as the council and Office of the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development collaborate around next steps.
“If you look under that bill now, it will reflect what the mayor had sub-
mitted, but not yet the changes. All that is going to have to be drafted over the next several days, and we will make available as soon as possible,” Mendelson said. “Subsequent to that, there will be a negotiation between the deputy mayor for planning and economic development [Nina Albert], DMPED, and the team to work out the details for what’s called the development financing agreement, or DFA.”
A STADIUM DEAL TO BE FINALIZED UNDER PRESSURE
Mendelson’s announcement took place amid inquiries, and threats, from Republican leadership in regard to the stadium deal.
In his letter to Mendelson last week, House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) expressed disappointment in the vote delay and called on the council to finalize the stadium legislation before its summer recess.
More recently, President Donald J. Trump, in a social media post, threatened to nix the stadium deal if the Commanders don’t embrace their former name— though it’s debatable whether he has the authority to do so.
Meanwhile, Mayor Bowser, at what seems like every opportunity, continues to press for a finalized deal.
By Wednesday, when the Aug. 1 council vote was just a rumor, Bowser, with Felder just feet away from her, relished in the prospect of the council voting on the stadium deal, sooner rather than later. Shortly before breaking ground on the Fort Davis Community Center, Bowser elicited cheers and sounds of agreement in speaking about the need for a sportsplex on RFK campus.
“We don’t want our kids to experience anything short of a world-class stadium,”
Bowser said after criticism for what she called its “swiping” of funds proposed for Ward 7-based recreation facilities over the last couple of budget cycles.
“This is not the football stadium. This is an additional center that we will build at RFK that [D.C. Department of Parks and Recreation] will make fantastic.”
In speaking more broadly about the prospect of affordable housing and home purchase opportunities on RFK campus, Ruff questioned the degree to which it would benefit Black Ward 7 residents.
“Most Black people cannot afford a house unless you came from old money or you are an older person,” she told The Informer. WI
Read more on washingtoninformer.com.
BUDGET from Page 1
Election certified, sat among activists, lobbyists and reporters who packed council chambers. Upon walking in the chambers, he greeted a bevy of grassroots activists, Wilson Building staff members, and powerbrokers, including former Ward 4 D.C. council member Brandon Todd.
Councilmember-elect White, who the legislative body expelled in February for code of conduct violations related to a federal bribery charge, said he made his return intent on “pay[ing] attention” and “making [his] presence felt.”
“I just want to get the facts of where people are as it relates to the budget,” White told The Informer. “Of course, the hot topics are RFK, even Initiative 82 but I’m more concerned about the quality of living for residents in D.C. and what we’re doing to address that.”
Shortly after defeating Salim Adofo, Mike Austin and Sheila Bunn in a special election triggered by his council expulsion, White expressed plans to speak with D.C. Council Chairman Phil Mendelson (D) to explore the conditions of his return— which DCBOE is scheduled to certify on Aug. 8.
On Monday, White said that the meeting with Mendelson hasn’t come to fruition.
“Just getting back in the flow, reaching out to members, waiting to get responses,” White told The Informer. “So it’s going to happen.”
On Tuesday, Mendelson’s spokesperson said that, amid budget and RFK campus development discussions, there hasn’t been much talk about whether there would be a new ad-hoc proceeding.
In regard to White’s political status, the spokesperson said the chairman isn’t likely to make rules changes related to committee chairmanship until the next council session.
However, the spokesperson said, rules changes for committee assignments may be more immediate.
For now, Councilmember-elect White remains focused on “the preliminaries,” which includes rebuilding his council office.
“Initially we’re taking resumes, trying to figure out the capacity,” he said. “Figuring out if we’re going to have a committee or not. That determines how many staff we get to figure out our budget.”
CHAIRMAN
CRITICIZES CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER
LEE AT FINAL
BUDGET READING
On the final reading, the council approved the Fiscal Year 2026 Local Budget Act and Fiscal Year 2026 Budget Support Act.
For the Fiscal Year 2026 Local Budget Act, D.C. Councilmember Zachary Parker (D-Ward 5) was the sole “present” vote, while he and D.C. Councilmember Janeese Lewis George (D-Ward 4) voted against the budget support legislation.
In the lead up to the votes, Mendelson lamented what he described as D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser’s late budget proposal submission that set the stage for several amendments crafted on the dais, if not in the ante room.
“Dealing with the dynamics of final reading on a budget that came to us two months late,” Mendelson said upon the council’s return from the short recess. “Because of that final reading on July 28, we’re meeting on a Monday not the usual Tuesday so nothing gets circulated until the weekend, which is really hard on folks.”
Mendelson also took aim at the chief financial officer, who he said is infringing on the council’s power of the purse— again. The chairman introduced an amendment, at Lee’s beckoning, that reduces the budget, allowing for the funding of select programs in the event of a projected budget surplus in September.
“We have the CFO insisting that we…could not spend even $60 million of [the] $243 million dollars in additional revenues,” Mendelson said. “Those dynamics are why we are struggling here.”
During Monday’s legislative meeting, Mendelson mentioned that Lee’s concerns stem from an “unspent” balance of more than $214 million needed to replenish the District’s con-
tingency reserves. As he introduced his budget amendment to rectify the problem, Mendelson questioned how Lee reached that conclusion.
“He has not itemized any of these amounts, nor explained why the unbudgeted expenditures and reserve replenishment must occur this year,” Mendelson said. “Moreover, in June, his office estimated that overspending was projected to be about $180 million, less than the $214 million we left available before this amendment.”
Mendelson also questioned whether Lee’s doing his job in preventing government overspending.
“One of the primary responsibilities of the chief financial officer is to ensure that spending does not exceed an approved balanced budget,” Mendelson said. “That has not happened. To compensate for this failure, the CFO is now directing the council how it may appropriate dollars, despite the fact that the law does not give him that authority.”
In a statement, an OCFO spokesperson said lower-than-usual revenue estimates in June necessitate the replenishment of reserve funds. At a time when the District cannot depend on general fund surpluses to meet its obligations, OCFO is keeping a close eye on what unfolds in the last months of Fiscal Year 2025.
“The OCFO is working with the mayor and agencies to address FY 2025 expenses and other obligations in order to ensure the District does not overspend its resources,” they said.
ZACHARY PARKER UNSUCCESSFUL IN HIS PUSH FOR TAX REFORM
Though D.C. Councilmember
5Councilmember-elect Trayon White smiles while entering a hearing on his expulsion from the Council in January. Five months after his expulsion, White returned to council chambers as one of several people watching the second reading of the Fiscal Year 2026 budget. (WI File Photo/Ja’Mon Jackson)
WELLNESS from Page 1 ty, a heartbreaking event in 2008 prompted her to move from theory to action: the Banita Jacks case.
Jacks, a mother in Southeast D.C., murdered her four young daughters during a mental health crisis. The case stunned the city, not only for its horror, but because it exposed a dangerous absence of preventative mental health support in underserved areas.
“What stood out to me most was that the community didn’t have the tools or access to mental health services to appropriately intervene before things turned tragic,” Al’Uqdah said. “I realized that mental health needs, especially in underserved neighborhoods, are often varied and complex, and that early intervention can literally save lives.”
This idea of early intervention and accessible care resonates deeply with Rhodes, a certified peer recovery coach with the D.C. Department of Behavioral Health, who well knows what it’s like to fall through the cracks.
“I’ve been in the psych ward. I’ve been misdiagnosed. I’ve gone through withdrawal,” said Rhodes, who lives with bipolar depression and PTSD. “It hasn’t been easy, but I’m thriving now. I’m the product and proof that a healthy system of mental health care actually works.”
According to the Centers for Disease Control, mental health conditions affect 23%, nearly 1 in 5, of all adults in the nation. Both Al’Uqdah and Rhodes emphasize recognition of early stressors as key to one’s mental health journey.
“I encourage people to seek mental health services as soon as they perceive that they feel different,” Al’Uqdah advised.
DIFFERENT COMMUNITIES, DIFFERENT NEEDS
National Minority Mental Health Month was established in 2008 in honor of the late author and mental health advocate Bebe Moore Campbell.
The month aims to elevate conversations around the unique mental health challenges experienced by minority groups, in honor of Campbell, whose daughter, actress Maia Campbell, has also been upfront about her battles with bipolar disorder and substance abuse.
“Each community has its own trauma story,” Al’Uqdah explained.
“Whether it’s intergenerational trauma or mistrust of the medical system, mental health doesn’t happen in a vacuum. It’s shaped by history and context.”
According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), Black adults are 20% more likely to experience serious mental health problems, yet they are far less likely to receive adequate care. And when they do seek care, they often face misdiagnosis, stigma, or treatment by clinicians who don’t understand their lived experience.
Rhodes explained that this disconnect can begin early in life, where trauma is misinterpreted and unhealthy behaviors are normalized.
“As a little girl, I was taught that if a boy pulls your hair, it means he likes you. That teaches you to associate love with pain,” she recounted. “I was never taught how to express hurt without aggression. I was taught to hit back, to use words as weapons when hurt, but never how to communicate my feelings.”
Al’Uqdah agrees that addressing deep-seated patterns is vital to progress.
“We can’t treat everyone the same and expect healing,” Al’Uqdah emphatically stated. “True mental health equity means understanding the stories behind the symptoms, and building care that honors the culture, struggle, and strength of each community.”
MENTAL HEALTH STARTS WITH DAILY DECISIONS
Mental health care isn’t just about therapy sessions, both women emphasize. It’s about recognizing patterns, building emotional vocabulary, and knowing when something is off.
Rhodes developed what she calls trigger action plans, grounded in routine and self-awareness. She journals regularly and pays close attention to cues.
“If I haven’t slept, if the bed’s unmade for days, if I’m not eating well, those are signs,” she said. “I don’t wait for the crash. I stop, breathe, and check in with myself.”
Al’Uqdah encourages a similar proactive mindset.
“You wouldn’t ignore chest pain for days. Don’t ignore emotional pain, either,” she said. “Seek help at the first sign that something feels different.”
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SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA Probate Division Washington, D.C. 20001-2131
2025 ADM 000673
Carolyn Jane Jones Decedent
Yvonne Davis Smith, Esquire
2501 Northampton Street, NW Washington, DC 20015 Attorney
NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS
Cheryl Ann Clark, whose address is 1258 Howlson Place SW, Washington DC 20024, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Carolyn Jane Jones who died on October 13, 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., 515 5th Street, N.W., Building A, Third Floor Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before 1/17/2026. 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 1/17/2026, 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: 7/17/2025
Cheryl Ann Clark Personal Representative
Nicole Stevens Register of Wills
Washington Informer
SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA Probate Division Washington, D.C. 20001-2131 2025 ADM 000675
Rachel H. Corbie Decedent
Angela F. Ramson Fox Rothschild LLP 2020 K Street NW, Suite 500 Washington, DC 20006 Attorney
NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS
Anthony Greene and Alante Corbie, whose address is 12214 Montreat Place, Waldorf, MD 20601, 917 Shepherd St., NW, Washington, DC 20011, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Rachel H. Corbie who died on February 26, 2025 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., 515 5th Street, N.W., Building A, Third Floor Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before 1/17/2026. 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 1/17/2026, 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: 7/17/2025
Anthony Greene
Alante Corbie Personal Representative
TRUE TEST COPY
Nicole Stevens Register of Wills
Washington Informer
SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
Probate Division Washington, D.C. 20001-2131
2024 ADM 000606
David Earl Johnston Decedent
Graner S Ghevargheso 600 14th Street, NW Washington, DC 20005 Attorney
NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS
Robert Johnston, whose address is 1916 Shushan Drive, Ceres, CA 95307, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of David Earl Johnston who died on December 8, 2023 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., 515 5th Street, N.W., Building A, Third Floor Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before 1/17/2026. 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 1/17/2026, 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: 7/17/2025
Robert Johnston Personal Representative
TRUE TEST COPY
Nicole Stevens Register of Wills Washington Informer
SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
Probate Division
Washington, D.C. 20001-2131
2025 ADM 000723
Estate of Robert Michael Siegel
NOTICE OF STANDARD PROBATE
Notice is hereby given that a petition has been filed in this Court by Stephen O. Hessler for standard probate, including the appointment of one or more personal representatives. Unless a responsive pleading in the form of a complaint or an objection in accordance with Superior Court Probate Division Rule 407 is filed in this Court within 30 days from the date of first publication of this notice, the Court may take the action hereinafter set forth.
In the absence of a will or proof satisfactory to the Court of due execution, enter an order determining that the decedent died intestate appoint an unsupervised personal representative
Date of first publication: July 17, 2025
Stephen O. Hessler
1230 D Street, SE Washington DC, 20003
Petitioner/Attorney:
TRUE TEST COPY
Nicole Stevens Register of Wills
Washington Informer
SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA Probate Division Washington, D.C. 20001-2131
2025 ADM 000667
Deborah Qusi Ellen Bishop Decedent
Graner S. Ghevarghese 600 14th Street, NW, 5th Floor Washington, DC 20005
Attorney
NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS
Karly Amanda Ginny Bacon, whose address is 119 Upsal Street SE, Washington, DC 20032, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Deborah Qusi Ellen Bishop who died on October 24, 2024 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., 515 5th Street, N.W., Building A, Third Floor Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before 1/17/2026. 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 1/17/2026, 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: 7/17/2025
Karly Amanda Ginny Bacon Personal Representative
TRUE TEST COPY
Nicole Stevens Register of Wills
Washington Informer
SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA Probate Division Washington, D.C. 20001-2131 2025 ADM 000647
Stive C. Tchakounte Decedent
Anne S. Quinn
Momentum Law Group 9211 Corporate Blvd., Suite 350 Rockville, MD 20850 Attorney
NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS
Bonaventure Tchakounte, whose address is 219 Nicholson St., NE, Washington, DC 20011, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Stive C. Tchakounte who died on July 9, 2021 without a Will and will serve with 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., 515 5th Street, N.W., Building A, Third Floor Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before 1/17/2026. 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 1/17/2026, 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: 7/17/2025
Bonaventure Tchakounte Personal Representative
TRUE TEST COPY
Nicole Stevens Register of Wills
Washington Informer
SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
Probate Division Washington, D.C. 20001-2131
2025 ADM 680
Fulton C. Mays aka Fulton Clarence Mays Decedent
NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS
Johnnie M. Mays, whose address is 529 Oglethorpe Street NE, Washington, DC 20011, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Fulton C. Mays aka Fulton Clarence Mays who died on January 22, 2025 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., 515 5th Street, N.W., Building A, Third Floor Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before 1/17/2026. 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 1/17/2026, 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: 7/17/2025
Johnnie M. Mays Personal Representative
TRUE TEST COPY
Nicole Stevens Register of Wills Washington Informer
SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA Probate Division Washington, D.C. 20001-2131
2025 ADM 000695
Daniel Jeffers aka Daniel Curtis Jeffers Decedent
Lizamarie Mohammed, Esq. 300 New Jersey Ave., NW Suite 300 Washington, DC 20001 Attorney
NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS
Lynda Kettel aka Lynda Catherine Kettel, whose address is 290 E. Melissa Lane, Shelton, WA 98584, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Daniel Jeffers aka Daniel Curtis Jeffers who died on November 25, 2024 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 (or to the probate of decedent’s Will) shall be filed with the Register of Wills, D.C., 515 5th Street, N.W., Building A, Third Floor Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before 1/24/2026. 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 1/24/2026, 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: 7/24/2025
Lynda Catherine Kettel Personal Representative
TRUE TEST COPY
Nicole Stevens Register of Wills
Washington Informer
SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA Probate Division Washington, D.C. 20001-2131
2025 ADM 679
Henry Austine Stewart Decedent
NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS
Frances P. Harrington and Brenda L. Walker, whose addresses are 4209 22nd Ave., Temple Hills, MD 20748 and 2522 Afton Street, Temple Hills, MD 20748, were appointed Personal Representatives of the estate of Henry Austine Stewart who died on April 4, 2021 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., 515 5th Street, N.W., Building A, Third Floor Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before 1/17/2026. 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 1/17/2026, 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: 7/17/2025
Frances P. Harrington
Brenda L. Walker Personal Representative
TRUE TEST COPY
Nicole Stevens Register of Wills
Washington Informer
SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA Probate Division Washington, D.C. 20001-2131
2025 ADM 000218
Edmond Woods Decedent
Heather L. Sunderman, Esq. 7811 Montrose Road, Suite 400 Potomac, Maryland 20854 Attorney
NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS
Robert Woods, Maurice Woods and Kristin Woods, whose addresses are 3311 Chauncey Pl., #102, Mount Rainer, MD 20712; 5709 Lanier Ave, Suitland MD 20746 & 1223 46th St., SE, Washington DC 20019, were appointed Personal Representatives of the estate of Edmond Woods who died on 2/17/2025 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 (or to the probate of decedent’s Will) shall be filed with the Register of Wills, D.C., 515 5th Street, N.W., Building A, Third Floor Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before 1/24/2026. 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 1/24/2026, 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: 7/24/2025
Robert Woods
Maurice Woods
Kristin Woods
Personal Representative
TRUE TEST COPY
Nicole Stevens Register of Wills
Washington Informer
SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
Probate Division Washington, D.C. 20001-2131
2025 ADM 000637
Betty Jane Thornton Decedent
NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS
Jody Thornton Smith, whose address is 1835 Vermont Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20001, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Betty Jane Thornton who died on 3/8/2025 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., 515 5th Street, N.W., Building A, Third Floor Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before 1/24/2026. 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 1/24/2026, 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: 7/24/2025
Jody Thornton Smith Personal Representative
TRUE
SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
PROBATE DIVISION
Washington, D.C. 20001-2131
2025 FEP 75
12/15/2003
Date of Death
Janyce Cecelia Prince
Name of Decedent
NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT OF FOREIGN PERSONAL REPRESENTATIVE AND NOTICE TO CREDITORS
Janet L. Collins whose address is 2802 John A. Thompson Road, Temple Hills, MD 20748 was appointed personal representative of the estate of Janyce Cecelia Prince, deceased, by the State of Maryland Court for Prince Georges County, State of Maryland, on 1/22/2004.
Service of process may be made upon Nicole A. Banks 1451 Morris Road, SE, Washington, DC 20020 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:
512 Ridge Road, SE Unit #208 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: 7/24/2025
Janet L. Collins
Personal Representative
Nicole Stevens Register of Wills Washington Informer
SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
Probate Division Washington, D.C. 20001-2131
2024 ADM 001502
Brenda Lofton Haynie Decedent
NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS
Anthony Haynie Jr., whose address is 3902 C Street, SE, Washington, DC 20019, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Brenda Lofton Haynie who died on March 18, 2021 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 (or to the probate of decedent’s Will) shall be filed with the Register of Wills, D.C., 515 5th Street, N.W., Building A, Third Floor Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before 1/24/2026. 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 1/24/2026, 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: 7/24/2025
Anthony Haynie Jr. Personal Representative
TRUE TEST COPY
Nicole Stevens Register of Wills
Washington Informer
SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA Probate Division Washington, D.C. 20001-2131
2025 ADM 000724
Lucy Nora Taylor Decedent
NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS
Jonathan Gray, whose address is 1010 Canterbury Lane Laplata MD 20646, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Lucy Nora Taylor who died on January 9, 2025 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., 515 5th Street, N.W., Building A, Third Floor Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before 1/24/2026. 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 1/24/2026, 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: 7/24/2025
Jonathan Gray Personal Representative
TRUE TEST COPY
Nicole Stevens Register of Wills Washington Informer
SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
Probate Division Washington, D.C. 20001-2131
2025 ADM 000753
Estate of Bruce Barth
NOTICE OF STANDARD PROBATE
Notice is hereby given that a petition has been filed in this Court by DCA Capitol Hill SNF, LLC d/b/a Bridgepoint Sub-Acute and Rehabilitation Capitol Hill c/o Danielle Sampson Parker for standard probate, including the appointment of one or more personal representatives. Unless a responsive pleading in the form of a complaint or an objection in accordance with Superior Court Probate Division Rule 407 is filed in this Court within 30 days from the date of first publication of this notice, the Court may take the action hereinafter set forth.
In the absence of a will or proof satisfactory to the Court of due execution, enter an order determining that the decedent died intestate appoint an unsupervised personal representative
Date of first publication: 7/24/2025
Jonathan M. Harnois, Esq.
297 Willbrook Blvd. Pawleys Island, SC 29585
Petitioner/Attorney:
TRUE TEST COPY
Nicole Stevens Register of Wills
Washington Informer
SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
PROBATE DIVISION
Washington, D.C. 20001-2131
2025 FEP 000080
December 27, 2024 Date of Death
Michael B. Malone, Sr. Name of Decedent
NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT OF FOREIGN PERSONAL REPRESENTATIVE AND NOTICE TO CREDITORS
Christine L. Malone whose address is PO Box 1170 Huntingtown, MD 20369 was appointed personal representative of the estate of Michael B. Malone, Sr., deceased, by the Register of Wills for the Orphan’s Court for Calvert County, State of Maryland, on February 4, 2025.
Service of process may be made upon John J. Behun 505 Tenth Street, SE, Washington, DC 20003 whose designation as District of Columbia agent has been filed with the Register of Wills, D.C.
The decedent owned District of Columbia personal property. 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: July 24, 2025
Christine L. Malone Personal Representative
Nicole Stevens Register of Wills
Washington Informer
SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA Probate Division Washington, D.C. 20001-2131
2025 ADM 000371
Christopher Fairfield Mathew Muller aka Christopher Muller Decedent
Julie A. Simantiras, Esq. The Geller Law Group 4000 Legato Road, Suite 1100, PMB 6084 Fairfax, Virginia 22033 Attorney
NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS
Glee Nanette Murray, whose address is 137 12th Street SE, Washington, DC 20003, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Christopher Fairfield Mathew Muller aka Christopher Muller who died on 12/6/2024 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., 515 5th Street, N.W., Building A, Third Floor Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before 1/24/2026. 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 1/24/2026, 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: 7/24/2025
Glee Nanette Murray Personal Representative TRUE TEST COPY
Nicole Stevens Register of Wills Washington Informer
SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA Probate Division Washington, D.C. 20001-2131 2024 ADM 000532
Mildred J. Lockridge Decedent
Stephanie L. Royal, Esq. The Royal Legal Group, PLLC 5335 Wisconsin Ave., NW, Suite 440 Washington, DC 20015 Attorney
NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS
Cheryl M. Whisonant, whose address is 8615 Monmouth Drive, Upper Marlboro, MD 20772, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Mildred J. Lockridge who died on July 22, 2023 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., 515 5th Street, N.W., Building A, Third Floor Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before 1/24/2026. 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 1/24/2026, 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: 7/24/2025
Cheryl M. Whisonant Personal Representative
TRUE TEST COPY
Nicole Stevens Register of Wills Washington Informer
SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA Probate Division Washington, D.C. 20001-2131
NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS
Taylor Fleming, whose address is 4601 SW Althena Dr. Port Saint Lucie, FL 34986, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Doris Handy Fleming aka Doris Handy who died on October 18, 2023 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 (or to the probate of decedent’s Will) shall be filed with the Register of Wills, D.C., 515 5th Street, N.W., Building A, Third Floor Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before 1/24/2026. 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 1/24/2026, 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: 7/24/2025
Taylor Fleming Personal Representative
TRUE TEST COPY
Nicole Stevens Register of Wills
Washington Informer
SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA Probate Division Washington, D.C. 20001-2131
2025 ADM 000707
Novella Bourn Decedent
NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS
Evelyn Patricia Bourn, whose address is 5304 Clay Terrace NE, Washington, DC 20019, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Novella Bourn who died on March 14, 2025 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., 515 5th Street, N.W., Building A, Third Floor Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before 1/24/2026. 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 1/24/2026, 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: 7/24/2025
Novella Bourn Personal Representative
TRUE TEST COPY
Nicole Stevens Register of Wills
Washington Informer
LEGAL NOTICES LEGAL NOTICES LEGAL NOTICES
SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
Probate Division
Washington, D.C. 20001-2131
2025 ADM 000692
Pauline E. Green Decedent
NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS
Seritta Bathanazas, whose address is 1912 ½ Naylor Road, SE Washington DC 20020, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Pauline E. Green who died on November 26, 2024 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., 515 5th Street, N.W., Building A, Third Floor Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before 1/24/2026. 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 1/24/2026, 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: 7/24/2025
Seritta Bathanazas Personal Representative
TRUE TEST COPY
Nicole Stevens Register of Wills
Washington Informer
SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
PROBATE DIVISION Washington, D.C. 20001-2131
2025 FEP 000079
Date of Death
2/22/2025
Rufus Carter Seabron Name of Decedent
NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT OF FOREIGN PERSONAL REPRESENTATIVE AND NOTICE TO CREDITORS
Sadie Ashby whose address is 5707 Baltimore Avenue, Hyattsville, Maryland 20781 was appointed personal representative of the estate of Rufus Carter Seabron, deceased, by the Orphans Court for Anne Arundel County, State of Maryland on, March 11, 2025.
Service of process may be made upon Aimee D. Griffin, Esq. 5335 Wisconsin Avenue, NW, Suite 440, Washington DC 20015 whose designation as District of Columbia agent has been filed with the Register of Wills, D.C.
The decedent owned District of Columbia personal property. 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: 7/24/2025
Sadie Ashby Personal Representative
Nicole Stevens Register of Wills
Washington Informer
SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
Probate Division Washington, D.C. 20001-2131
2025 ADM 000646
Frances F. Wharton aka Frances Felten Wharton Decedent
NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS
Shiree Slade, whose address is 8200 Arundel Drive, Fort Washington, MD 20744, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Frances F. Wharton aka Frances Felten Wharton who died on September 8, 2024 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., 515 5th Street, N.W., Building A, Third Floor Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before 1/31/2026. 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 1/31/2026, 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: 7/31/2025
Shiree
SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA Probate Division Washington, D.C. 20001-2131
2024 ADM 0000208
Glenn E. Crenshaw Decedent
Julius P. Terrell, Esq. 1455 Pennsylvania Ave., NW, Suite 400 Washington, DC 20004 Attorney
NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS
Julius P. Terrell, whose address is 1455 Pennsylvania Ave., NW, Suite 400, Washington, DC 20004, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Glenn E. Crenshaw who died on 5/12/2021 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 (or to the probate of decedent’s Will) shall be filed with the Register of Wills, D.C., 515 5th Street, N.W., Building A, Third Floor Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before 1/31/2026. 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 1/31/2026, 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: 7/31/2025
Julius P. Terrell
Personal Representative
TRUE TEST COPY
Nicole Stevens Register of Wills
Washington Informer
SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
Probate Division Washington, D.C. 20001-2131
2025 ADM 000736
Alice Evelin Gregory Decedent
NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS
Felicia Ann Gregory, whose address is 1439 Spring Rd., NW, #304, Washington, DC 20010, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Alice Evelin Gregory who died on 3/2/2014 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., 515 5th Street, N.W., Building A, Third Floor Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before 1/31/2026. 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 1/31/2026, 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: 7/31/2025
Felicia Ann Gregory
Personal Representative
TRUE TEST COPY
Nicole Stevens Register of Wills
Washington Informer
SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
Probate Division Washington, D.C. 20001-2131
2025 ADM 000036
Lee Bridges aka Lee N. Bridges, Jr. Decedent
Julius P. Terrell, Esq. 1455 Pennsylvania Ave, NW Suite 400 Washington, DC 20004
Attorney
NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS
Julius P. Terrell, whose address is 1455 Pennsylvania Ave., NW, Suite 400, Washington, DC 20004, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Lee Bridges aka Lee N. Bridges, Jr. who died on 8/14/2024 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 (or to the probate of decedent’s Will) shall be filed with the Register of Wills, D.C., 515 5th Street, N.W., Building A, Third Floor Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before 1/31/2026. 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 1/31/2026, 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: 7/31/2025
Julius P. Terrell Personal Representative
TRUE TEST COPY
Nicole Stevens Register of Wills
Washington Informer
BUDGET from Page 40 “On the contrary, the Tax Revision Commission and the CFO’s office both found that recent tax increases in the DIstrict did not, I will repeat, did not result in out migration.”
Zachary Parker (D-Ward 5) recognized his colleagues’ frustrations about Lee’s alleged infringement on the council’s authority, he cautioned against dismissing the chief financial officer’s concerns about spending.
Parker went as far as to champion a permanent tax and revenue commission. However, he unsuccessfully attempted to advance amendments to the Fiscal Year 2026 Budget Support Act that establish the commission, as well as: fund 100 additional permanent supportive housing vouchers and fully fund CHAMPS (the District’s only 24-7 emergency mobile unit for children); strike Bowser’s proposed repeal of the local child tax credit; implement a surcharge on capital gains by closing a loophole that incentivizes high-income taxpayers to avoid paying personal tax; and fund the auditor portion of the ROAD Act.
In his remarks on the dais, Parker contested what he described as misconceptions about his amendments, especially as it relates to tax revenue.
“Another pushback I’ve heard is that if we impose this small surcharge on capital gains, then millionaires will leave D.C. and that will ultimately hurt us,” Parker said during opening remarks on his amendment.
LEGAL NOTICES
SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA Probate Division Washington, D.C. 20001-2131
2025 ADM 000747
Balfour Jones Decedent
NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS
John Jones, whose address is 908 Hamilton Street, NW, Washington, DC 20011, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Balfour Jones who died on April 11, 2021 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., 515 5th Street, N.W., Building A, Third Floor Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before 1/31/2026. 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 1/31/2026, 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: 7/31/2025
John Jones
Personal Representative
TRUE TEST COPY
Nicole Stevens Register of Wills
Washington Informer
During Monday’s legislative meeting, Parker and D.C. Councilmember Brooke Pinto (D-Ward 2) sparked contention when they introduced an amendment reallocating $10 million, out of $31 million, from the Access to Justice program to fund the child tax credit, DNA testing funding and the Office of the State Superintendent of Education child care subsidy.
Discussion on the dais evolved into a plan to restructure the Fiscal Year 2026 contingency list— a guide in funding priorities triggered in the event of a September budget surplus projection.
After Pinto and Parker’s removal of their amendment, and a brief council recess, the council returned to the dais and George read a list that included: the D.C. Healthcare Alliance program, the child care subsidy; early childcare educator subsidy, Housing Production Trust Fund dollars for TOPA, Department of Forensic Science’s in-house DNA testing, emergency rental assistance, and lead pipe testing in District public and public charter schools.
On Monday, Tazra Mitchell, chief policy and strategy officer at the DC Fiscal Policy Institute, had choice words for a council that she says is scared to make tough choices.
“Too few residents will have access to high quality child care, housing supports, and affordable health care under the council-approved budget because of lawmakers’ refusal to face the reality of the moment we’re in and raise needed revenue,” Mitchell said.
In her support for Parker’s amendment, Mitchell said that the District’s highest earners of wealth must take on a greater role in generating revenue through taxes -- especially as wealth becomes more concentrated.
“Over and over again, we hear council members say that ‘now is not the time to raise taxes on the wealthy,’” Mitchell later said in her statement. “If an unprecedented transfer of wealth from the poor to the rich is not the time, when is? Exacerbating D.C.’s already extreme level of inequality and increasing hardship isn’t good for growth or creating a strong, equitable economy.”
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Read more on washingtoninformer.com.
EDELMAN from Page 26
tually spent per child. This leads to similarly wide gaps in access and outcomes.
• The U.S. spends 2.7 times as much per person on incarceration as on public education.
• Thirteen states have no civics course requirement, and only seven require a full year of government or civics instruction.
• While the 14th Amendment’s equal protection clause requires states to provide equal access to schooling, Plyler v. Doe ruled that undocumented children can’t be barred from attending public schools, Board of Education v. Rowley stated that schools must accommodate students with disabilities, and Brown v. Board of Education declared separate but equal schooling illegal, nothing in our country or courts guaran-
HARRIS/MCDANIEL from Page 26
common sense.
By focusing on common-sense results, mayors Woodfin and Scott dispel Republican tropes about Black leadership and the ability of Democrats to deliver for the working class. They show that Democrats know how to run government. And images of both doing the work as dedicated young Black fathers further suspends the notion that Black men are to be feared, lack work ethic and aren’t serious about our families and communities.
Mayor Scott has reduced homicides to a 50-year low without starving the government or defunding the police. Similarly, Mayor Woodfin has reduced violent crime by investing millions
tees the right to an education. In fact, in San Antonio Independent School District v. Rodriguez, the Supreme Court found that education is not explicitly protected by the Constitution.
Our children and young people do indeed deserve more. CDF also notes that research shows lifting up public education as a public good with a proven track record of contributing to democracy, workforce development and civic engagement unifies people with differing perspectives. Loud and widespread support for this unifying message is sorely needed right now. As CDF sums it up: “Education is the foundation for children and youth to build upon to ensure a successful, healthy, engaged and safe adulthood. We must continue to uplift public education as a necessary investment, tout its successes and work together to advocate
into crime prevention while boosting incentives for police officers.
Both mayors are offering life coaching, job placement, mental health services and safe alternatives alongside effective police enforcement.
They are investing in people through blight elimination and true economic revitalization that centers the working class and their desire to live in safe, affordable and clean communities.
Their cities are thriving despite a Republican agenda at all levels of government focused on starving services for the working class, as highlighted by Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill,” which dramatically shifts resources away from the poor and working class toward the uber-wealthy. Despite these headwinds, mayors Scott
for necessary improvements.”
As students prepare to start a new year in the next few weeks, what kinds of classrooms and school communities will they find? Will their schools be fully equipped and fully committed to preparing every child, no matter their background, to reach their full potential? Or will their experiences vary more widely than ever from school to school and state to state? Will adults be working together to strengthen local public school systems for all students, or tearing those systems apart? Just as the scholars in CDF Freedom Schools programs know what kinds of schools they want and deserve, students across the country deserve schools that will allow them to thrive. Adults everywhere must do their part to step up, speak out and vote to support them. WI
terms, but on the language of “human rights” for the unborn. Opposition to Roe v. Wade became both a symbol and an overwhelming priority of the movement’s vision.
MARSHALL from Page 26 public protest. The Moral Majority mobilized millions of voters and influenced candidate selection and party platforms. The persistence paid off. After nearly five decades of sustained activism, the Supreme Court’s 2022 decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization overturned Roe v. Wade. This was the crowning achievement of a long campaign by the Religious Right.
The Religious Right transformed abortion into a litmus test for candidates and judges, shaping the Republican Party’s platform and the agenda of conservative movements for decades. Theologically and politically aligned churches became centers for grassroots organization, encouraging voter registration, political activism and
The network of progressive churches should follow the Moral Majority blueprint. Where conservative Christians used abortion as their rallying cry, progressive Christians who believe in justice
and Woodfin continue delivering for their cities. They are demonstrating that for Democrats, the pathway back to power rests on a clear and concise message for the working class backed by actual results.
The usual Republican attacks ring hollow for these two mayors because the results speak for themselves. They are painting a clear contrast for the working class to see between effective Democratic governance or more chaos and brutal assaults on the working class by Republican policies.
As Democrats start to assess the playbook for 2026 and 2028, we’d be wise to look at the leadership and lessons from two of our brightest stars in Birmingham and Baltimore.
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and fairness should use overturning anti-DEI measures as their unifying and defining issue to galvanize and mobilize voters. U.S. Rep. Ayanna Pressley, D-Mass., means business by giving progressive Christians the legislation they need as a rally point. She introduced a bill in the U.S. House of Representatives that would restore what major advocates say are major setbacks to closing social and economic gaps for Black and other marginalized communities.
“Their rollbacks have been swift and deep over the last six months,
AIRLINE CAREERS
WILLIAMS from Page 27
“We’re not our grandfathers. We don’t beg. We don’t bow. We fight back with Africa in our hearts.”
For too many years, he had witnessed the resources of the continent being stolen by outsiders while they do nothing to upgrade and improve life for our brothers and sisters in Africa. When he spoke, other African leaders stood with him. As usual for Black women everywhere, African women stood with him actively. They’re, without fancy tools, using their
HALL from Page 27
in inferior schools, put them in substandard housing, put them in scientific experiments, put them in the lowest paying jobs, put them outside the equal protection of the law, kept them out of their racist bastions of higher education and locked them into position of hopelessness and helplessness.
“The government gives them the drugs, builds bigger prisons, passes a three-strike law, and then wants us to sing ‘God bless America.’ No, no, no. Not ‘God bless America’; God damn America! That’s in the Bible, for killing in-
MORIAL from Page 27
DEI strategist Joseph Santana wrote, “CEOs that cut DEI initiatives miscalculated the market impact, incurring costly consequences in a business landscape where talent, consumers and investors demand alignment with
from Page 45
and all marginalized people are feeling the impacts,” Rep. Pressley told The Grio. She described the Trump administration’s anti-DEI agenda as “anti-Blackness on steroids.” Pressley’s Equity in Government Act would restore policies that former President Joe Biden established by executive order to expand equity efforts across the federal government.
Executive Orders 13985 and 14091 mandated that federal agencies embed equity in their everyday business, including tailoring services to ensure that they reach and improve the lives of Black and brown, women, LGBTQ and disabled communities. The Biden administra -
hands, building roads to connect with their children’s schools and other important community places. Some are working all day elsewhere, and after work are spending time building those roads. The women have declared “If Captain Traoré can risk his life for our country, then we can be here to do our part.”
I pray for them while knowing the danger they face, but even more, I pray for the men and women in this country who are silent without that kind of faith
nocent people. God damn America for treating her citizens as less than human. God damn America as long as she keeps trying to act like she is God and she is supreme!”
As we watch Donald Trump and the evil Pontius Pilate wannabes that he posted at every level of the government, we are watching Dr. Wright’s narrative manifest. America’s history of denying the rights of the indigenous, the enslaved and now the endangered immigrant is as ungodly as any government can get.
The Republicans harped on the “Goddamn America” statement,
modern values.”
During the Essence Festival of Culture in New Orleans earlier this month, a panel titled “We Drive Prosperity: Impact of Black and brown Businesses on the Economy” brought together Robert Hartwell, host of HBO Max’s “Breaking New Ground;” Juan
tion’s DEI framework invested programs and grants designed to expand access to housing, education, entrepreneurship, health care, voting and reduced exposure to environmental harms and community violence.
Biden described his equity orders as a “whole-of-government response” to the systemic harms caused by policy discrimination and bias. “There were gains being made,” Pressley said during a press conference promoting the Equity in Government Act. She also stressed the fact that they were “gains and not guarantees.”
Despite Biden’s federal action to address systemic racism and bias, Trump on his first day in office rescinded Biden’s equity orders and banned all DEI-re -
in each other so that we can overcome the actions of the current president who is doing everything he can to set us back, to dishonor our ancestors, to disregard our history and our contributions to this country. While many are trying to turn back the hands of time, we’re finding too many of our people joining them and working against our best interests. I pray that we’ll take a lesson from the people of Burkina Faso and come together while others are trying to tear us down.
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but you need to listen to the last stanza of the 11th-century vowed Hebrew Masoretic text of Luke 19 that was foundational to his theological thesis. “They will dash you to the ground, you and the children within your walls. They will not leave one stone on another, because you did not recognize the time of God’s coming to you.” Quit playin’! Y’all got God and government confused, and just like the “great” empires in Rome and Great Britain, this nation is headed toward an even greater fall. Oh, say, can you see? Goddamn America, can you see?
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Proaño, CEO of League of United Latin American Citizens, and Elis Clementino, head of strategic relationships at NVH Studios. Their message: “Black and brown communities already have the economic power — they just need to use it together.”
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lated programs and policies. The Trump administration is also pressuring private industries, including universities and Fortune 500 companies, to follow suit. Rep. Pressley is fighting back and she is giving others the ammunition to join the fight. “People need organizing prompts, and this legislation also provides that because that’s necessary for the movement to remain fortified, emboldened, to keep momentum up,” Pressley said. In other words, the Equity in Government Act can be used as the progressive’s rallying cry for a long-term fight. While we don’t have five decades to get this right, the bill can be a starting point leading into the midterm elections. WI
