The Washington Informer - July 3, 2025 by The Washington Informer

The Collins Council Report: A Council Period 26 Rules Change & the Scramble to Save Government-Funded Programs

By Sam P.K. Collins WI Staff Writer

After a delayed start to the Fiscal Year 2026 budget season, the D.C. Council will conduct its first vote on the Fiscal Year 2026 budget on July 14.

One day later, on July 15, Ward 8 residents, if they haven’t done so already, will cast their vote in a special election triggered by Trayon White’s expulsion from the council.

As these developments unfold, the regular business of the council continues.

During its most recent legislative meeting, the council approved D.C. Councilmember Brooke Pinto’s

Residents Question Bowser’s Priorities After Proposal to Defund D.C. Archives Building

The Way a City Treats its Archives Shows How It Values the Public’s Right to Know

By James Wright WI Staff Writer

In her fiscal year 2026 budget proposal, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser has proposed essentially defunding the move of the District of Columbia Archives from its base downtown to the main campus of the University of the

District of Columbia in Northwest and some residents are not happy about it.

“When I was thinking about the additional $50 million in capital investment, I had to compete with other things,” said Bowser, referring

wi hot topics

STACY M. BROWN WI SENIOR WRITER

Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs Convicted on Federal Mann Act Counts, Cleared of Racketeering and Sex Trafficking

5Sean “Diddy” Combs has been found guilty of transporting two women across state lines for sex but acquitted of running a criminal enterprise and two counts of sex trafficking. (WI

File Photo/Robert R. Roberts)

Sean “Diddy” Combs was convicted Wednesday of transporting two women across state lines for sex but acquitted of running a criminal enterprise and two counts of sex trafficking. The split verdict capped a weeks-long federal trial that exposed the hiphop mogul’s private life to public scrutiny and left him facing prison time for felony convictions.

Jurors in U.S. District Court in Manhattan returned the following decisions after several days of deliberation:

Count 1: Not guilty of racketeering conspiracy.

Count 2: Not guilty of sex trafficking of former girlfriend Casandra Ventura.

Count 3: Guilty of Mann Act transportation of Ventura.

Count 4: Not guilty of sex trafficking of another former girlfriend, identified as “Jane.”

Count 5: Guilty of Mann Act transportation of “Jane.” Combs, who had spent decades cultivating a brand defined by luxury and influence, sat impassively as the foreperson read the verdicts in a quiet courtroom. His mother, several of his children, and other family members were present to hear the outcome.

The defense secured three acquittals, including the most

Page 31

Widow of D.C. Officer Assaulted on Jan. 6 Wins Partial Legal Victory

More than four years later, a D.C. jury has found a man who participated in the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol liable for assaulting Metropolitan Police Officer Jeffrey Smith—but stopped short of holding him responsible for the officer’s death by suicide days later.

The ruling— ordering the Jan. 6 participant to pay $500,000— followed a civil trial brought by Erin Smith, the officer’s widow, who argued that her husband suffered a traumatic brain injury during the riot that led to severe depression and ultimately his death.

“Jeffrey Smith was an amazing person and great officer,” social media user Rae K. wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter. “The traumatic brain injury and delay in care were so tragic.”

U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes, who presided over the proceedings, ruled that jurors would not decide whether the assault directly caused Smith’s suicide, citing concerns over their ability to evaluate such a complex medical and psychological question, according to reporting by the AP. Reyes reportedly told the courtroom that it would be practical for both sides to resolve the case without further litigation, suggesting a settlement could prevent a costly and time-consuming appeal. Despite that, the jury did find the defendant, David Walls-Kaufman, responsible for the assault on Officer Smith, leaving open the possibility that Smith’s widow could receive financial damages.

JAN. 6 Page 9

Justices Allow Trump to Resume Removals to Dangerous Countries

In a major victory for President Donald Trump and a devastating setback for immigration and human rights advocates, the U.S. Supreme Court granted the Trump administration’s emergency request to continue deporting immigrants to third countries without prior notice or due process, even when those countries are widely considered dangerous and unstable.

The ruling in Department of Homeland Security v. D.V.D. pauses a lower court injunction that had blocked the administration from executing third-country removals unless noncitizens were given written notice and a fair opportunity to apply for protection under the United Nations Convention Against Torture.

Justice Sonia Sotomayor, joined by Justices Elena Kagan and Ketanji Brown Jackson, issued a blistering dissent.

“The Government’s misconduct threatens [the rule of law] to its core,” she wrote. “This Court now intervenes to grant the Government emergency relief from an order it has repeatedly defied.”

The Trump administration’s current deportation policy

allows noncitizens to be removed to third countries—often those with which they have no meaningful connection— as long as the receiving government agrees to accept them. That includes countries like Libya and South Sudan, both of which the State Department warns are unsafe.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio later confirmed that Libya’s government had rejected U.S. plans to send deportees there, and reports of the attempted removals sparked violent clashes in Tripoli.

“GNU-aligned forces took action against the two largest armed groups in the Libyan capital on May 12–13, sparking the most serious street fighting in Tripoli since 2022,” Rubio said in an affidavit.

Despite lower courts repeatedly blocking the policy and warning of grave harm to vulnerable migrants, the Supreme Court—now with a conservative majority largely appointed by Trump—allowed the administration to resume its removals while the appeals process plays out.

Sotomayor warned that the ruling “exposes thousands to the risk of torture or death.” WI

In Memoriam Dr. Calvin W. Rolark, Sr. Wilhelmina J. Rolark

DIDDY

D.C. Homeownership is Possible, Experts Say

By James Wright WI Staff Writer

When it comes to building wealth, east of the Anacostia River resident DeWayne Ellis understands that one of the tenets of generational financial security is homeownership.

Ellis is the owner of The Wealth Syndicate LLC, a financial management and services firm based in Silver Spring, Maryland. He lives with his wife Simone Ellis in the Shipley Terrace neighborhood of Ward 8 in Southeast, in a house that his wife owns.

However, the couple is seeking to buy a home together. On June 21, they were among the dozens of people who attended the District of Columbia Housing Finance Agency Homeownership Fair that took place at the R.I.S.E. Demonstration Center on the St. Elizabeths East Campus in Ward 8’s Congress Heights neighborhood.

“We are looking at our home buying options,” said Ellis, 54. “We would like to stay in the city. The city is convenient but where we stay needs to be affordable.”

THE SKINNY ON D.C. HOMEOWNERSHIP

In the District, the homeownership rate is 40.2% according to USAFacts. Specifically, 2 in 5 households in the District own their dwelling.

Among African Americans in the District, the homeownership rate is 31.7% while 49% of white households own their home, according to D.C. government statistics.

One of the factors affecting the purchase of a home is affordability. In the District, the median price of a single-family home is $708,000, Redfin reports, while the national median price is $418,000 according to YCharts.com.

Ericka S. Black is a luxury property specialist at Coldwell Banker and is passionate about African Americans owning homes in the District. She knows homeownership is considered not an easy task to accomplish but should be pursued, nonetheless.

“I am in support of homeownership, which is important for the Black community,” Black, 40, said. “Owning a home in the city is not as hard as it seems. The District has so many

resources for people who want to be homebuyers.”

JOB LOSS AND ITS IMPACT ON D.C. HOME BUYING

Since the start of the second Trump presidential administration, there have been layoffs of federal employees, and indirectly, contractors that has affected the employment picture in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area.

Over 162,000 District residents work for the federal government and due to the activities of the Trump administration’s Department of General Efficiency or the proposed 2026 fiscal year budget, a number of these jobs are subject to be eliminated. People losing their income plays a major role in whether a mortgage can be maintained, and ultimately whether a person will be able to stay in their home.

Christopher Donald, the director of the D.C. Housing Finance Agency, told The Informer that people who lose their jobs cannot be assisted by his agency.

“We would refer people to other agencies for assistance,” said Donald, 51. “No foreclosure assistance is available, we would refer them to other agencies. They would be encouraged to investigate the Housing Counseling Service.”

Black agreed with Donald that consulting an organization like the Housing Counseling Service is a good idea. She said reaching out to a broker for help works also.

“A knowledgeable agent can help you,” she said. “There are scenarios where you can sell your home and make money while your house is in the foreclosure process.”

Donald noted there is a popular perception that foreclosures are due to rise in the city because of the shaky economy and job losses due to federal government reductions, but he said that is not the case.

“The more immediate concern is not people losing their homes to foreclosures but people not paying their rent,” he said. “It is important for the city’s rental ecosystem to stay healthy.”

MAKING D.C. HOMEOWNERSHIP HAPPEN

Many people start the homebuy-

AROUND THE REGION

ing process without the aid of experts and professionals in the housing field, according to Black, and that is not a good move, she says.

“One should start with a realtor,” said Black. “A realtor may have access to better resources (such as a lending institution) to use) when a home buying journey begins. It is important to have the right person in your corner.”

Black said many people are discouraged from entering the homebuying process because of low credit scores but she said there are some programs available that offer people mortgages

with a score of 580. Drew Solice Jr., a consultant with Operation HOPE, a national economic empowerment and financial planning nonprofit organization, wants to be future District homebuyer’s “right person in the corner.” WI

Read more on washingtoninformer.com.

4 Christopher E. Donald is the director of the D.C. Housing Finance Agency. (Courtesy Photo/D.C. Housing Finance Agency)

black facts AROUND THE REGION

JULY 3

JULY 3 - 9, 2025

SOURCE: BLACK AMERICA WEB

1950 – “The Hazel Scott Show,” the first U.S. network television series to be hosted by an African American woman, premieres.

1956 – Television talk show host Montel Williams is born in Baltimore.

JULY 4

1881 – Tuskegee University is founded in Tuskegee, Alabama.

1910 – Jack Johnson, the first Black heavyweight champion, defends his title by knocking out “The Great White Hope,” Jim Jeffries, in Nevada.

1938 – Singer-songwriter Bill Withers is born in Slab Fork, West Virginia.

JULY 5

1975 – Arthur Ashe defeats defending Wimbledon champion Jimmy Connors, becoming the first African American man to win the singles title in the tournament.

JULY 6

1957 – Tennis star Althea Gibson

Black tennis player to win Wimbledon, defeating fellow American Darlene Hard in straight sets.

1971 – Legendary jazz trumpeter “Satchmo”Armstrong (right) dies of a heart at tack in New York City.

1979 – Musician and D.C. native McCoy, best known for his 1975 smash “The Hustle,” dies in Englewood, New Jersey.

JULY 7

1913 – Negro leagues baseball legend “Satchel” Paige is born in Mobile, Alabama.

1913 – Blues pianist Pinetop Perkins zoni, Mississippi.

1915 – American poet and writer author of “Jubilee,” is born in Birmingham, Alabama.

1972 – Hall of Fame basketball player Lisa Leslie, the first player to dunk in a WNBA game, is born in Gardena, California.

JULY 8

1908 – Swing-era bandleader and musician Louis Jordan, “The King of the Jukebox,” is born in Brinkley, Arkansas.

1914 – Famed jazz singer Billy Eckstine is born in Pittsburgh.

2000 – Tennis legend Venus Williams defeats Lindsay Davenport to win the Wimbledon women’s singles championship, the first Black woman to do so since Althea Gibson in 1958. Exactly a year later, Williams successfully defended her title, knocking off Justine Henin in the finals.

JULY 9

1901 – Actor and composer Jester Hairston of “Amos ‘n’ Andy” and “Amen” fame, is born in Belews

BILL WITHERS (LEFT)

MONTEL WILLIAMS (LEFT CENTER)

ALTHEA GIBSON (RIGHT CENTER)

VENUS WILLIAMS (RIGHT)

AROUND THE REGION

view

P INT

BY SARAFINA WRIGHT

As the Trump administration continues enforcing its controversial immigration policies, some say Black Americans should stand with immigrant groups in protest. In contrast, others believe this is not a Black American issue. What are your thoughts?

DWAYNE SAWYER / WASHINGTON, D.C.

DAVIDA KING / WASHINGTON, D.C.

No. Every human in America, other than the white male, got the rights they have now because of Black people fighting for them. It is not our job to protect people who don’t even like us. We’ve done enough. We’ve fought every cause. It’s time people fight for us. Until they do that with sincerity, no matter what it costs them, I’m not risking my freedom or well-being for anyone else.

It is our fight, but we must be strategic in our stance! Get trained, love your folks, stay ready, and watch your six!

CANDACE MCNEIL / DENVER, CO.

SEBRINA MULLINS / WASHINGTON, D.C.

They don’t step up for us. They close their doors and shutters. And say, “It’s not our fight.”

It still affects the Black community. Black and brown people are treated the same way, and soon they will find a reason to include the black community in the situation, too.

L. SLOAN / CHICAGO, ILL.

The trees voted for the ax.

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

Trump’s ‘Beautiful Bill’ Widens the Divide in D.C. Local High Earners Walk Away with Windfalls, Others See Minimal

Gains Under Trump’s Sweeping Tax Overhaul

By Stacy M. Brown WI Senior Writer

The House-passed “One Big Beautiful Bill,” backed by President Donald Trump and House Republicans, promises a generous tax reprieve for high earners but the measure is far from pretty as it spells reduced support for those who rely on safety net programs. Nowhere is the contrast more evident than in Washington, D.C., where simulations using the Penn Wharton Budget Model expose deep disparities in who benefits — and who loses.

A married couple with three children earning $200,000 a year in D.C. stands to gain nearly $10,000 under the plan. Thanks to expanded child tax credits and a raised cap on the state and local tax (SALT) deduction, their total benefit: $9,925.

A single resident earning $450,000, the highest income allowed in the Wharton calculator, fares even better, netting a $11,762 windfall — a reflection of extended 2017 tax cuts and breaks for high-income earners, including deductions for passthrough business income and an expanded estate tax exemption.

In contrast, D.C. residents in lower brackets see far less relief.

A married couple with two children earning $50,000 would only gain $1,054, while a single worker earning the same takes home just

$927 in net benefits. The modest gains largely stem from a temporary $500 increase in the child tax credit, which raises it to $2,500 through 2028, but are offset by indirect losses tied to reduced public benefits.

Even a married household with three children earning $100,000 gains just over $3,000. Meanwhile, a single taxpayer making $100,000 earns a better return, at $4,432, due to fewer dependents absorbing benefit losses.

“This plan overwhelmingly benefits wealthy households,” the Wharton Budget Model’s authors noted in their May 23 report. “About 70% of the bill’s total gains flow to the top 10% of earners, while low-income families experience small gains or net losses — especially once Medicaid and SNAP reductions are factored in.”

Those cuts are substantial. According to the same report, the bill slashes Medicaid by more than $900 billion and SNAP (food stamps) by nearly $300 billion over the next decade. These reductions are expected to force millions off of public assistance — a development disproportionately affecting Black and brown communities in ZIP codes like 20019, 20020, and 20032, where public benefit participation rates are among the highest in the District.

A low-income single mother with

two children, making $20,000 per year in D.C. and relying on Medicaid and SNAP, would see her net financial standing worsen by $870 annually, despite minor tax cuts. For households like hers, the promise of tax relief is canceled out by lost benefits and increased requirements.

The SALT deduction cap increase, from $10,000 to $40,000, offers substantial relief to high earners in hightax jurisdictions like D.C. but leaves renters and working-class homeowners with little benefit.

Meanwhile, the bill’s elimination of taxes on tips and overtime — another high-profile talking point from Trump — is capped and only applies to non- “highly compensated” workers, defined as those earning less than $160,000 per year. Even then, the deduction ends in 2028, raising questions about long-term relief.

In total, the bill adds $2.8 trillion to the national deficit, according to the Congressional Budget Office and Penn Wharton analysts, while reducing the income of low-income Americans by more than $800 a year on average by 2026 — and by $1,500 annually by 2033.

“It’s a redistribution of benefits — but in reverse,” said Kent Smetters, director of the Penn Wharton Budget Model. “The bill reduces government support for the poor to pay for tax cuts for the rich.” WI

5The House-passed “One Big Beautiful Bill,” promises a generous tax reprieve for high earners but low and middle-income people will see less relief, particularly in Washington, D.C., where there are deep disparities. (WI File Photo/Anthony Tilghman)

AROUND THE REGION

Norton Introduces Legislation to Give D.C. Full Control of Zoning Commission

By Stacy M. Brown WI Senior Writer

Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D), D.C.’s delegate to Congress, introduced the District of Columbia Zoning Commission Home Rule Act on June 23, renewing efforts to give the nation’s capital complete local control over its Zoning Commission by eliminating two federally appointed positions.

The five-member Commission currently includes the architect of the capitol and the director of the National Park Service, neither of whom is accountable to the more than 670,000 residents of the District. Norton’s bill would allow the mayor, with D.C. Council approval, to appoint all five members.

“Land use is a local matter in every situation, no matter the context,” Norton said in a statement. “This bill is an essential step to increase home rule in the District of Columbia. The federal government loses nothing because the interests of the federal government in land use in the nation’s capital are protected by federal law.”

The Commission creates zoning maps and regulations that must align with the Comprehensive Plan for the National Capital. While the mayor and the D.C. Council control the local elements of the plan, the National Capital Planning Commission (NCPC) maintains authority over federal components.

Norton’s bill would not change the NCPC’s role or the process for developing the plan.

JAN. 6 from Page 4

Additional proceedings to determine any award are expected to continue this week, according to Law & Crime.

The case centers on the events of Jan. 6, 2021, when Officer Smith was struck in the face with what was described as a metal tactical cane wielded by Walls-Kaufman, a chiropractor from the D.C. area. Smith’s widow alleges that another rioter, Taylor Taranto, gave Walls-Kaufman the cane used in the assault.

Taranto is also named in the lawsuit, though the case against him is currently on hold due to unrelated criminal charges.

In court filings, Smith’s widow stated that her husband began to suffer severe emotional and psychological distress after the attack, and died by suicide nine days later

The architect of the capitol and the director of the National Park Service, who serve as federal members of the Zoning Commission, currently vote on zoning decisions that affect neighborhoods in the District of Columbia. Although they have no authority over federal property, their participation in decisions on local development has been criticized by residents and officials as an outdated holdover from the city’s limited governance structure before the 1973 Home Rule Act.

Council Chairman Phil Mendelson (D) has called the federal role in local zoning decisions unjustified, stating that D.C. residents deserve full autonomy over their own planning policies.

“Zoning decisions should be made by and for the people who live here,” he said.

Norton, the long-serving delegate, previously introduced a similar measure during the 118th Congress, where it was referred to the House Oversight and Accountability Committee but did not advance. The newly introduced version has been designated H.R. 6215 and again heads to the same committee.

This legislation is one of several Norton has introduced as part of her “Free and Equal D.C.” series, which aims to increase self-governance in the District. Other bills in the package propose removing federal control from D.C.’s courts, parole authority, and the National Guard while establishing a locally appointed prosecutor.

using his service weapon.

During the trial, she described the last conversation she had with him, recalling that she told him she loved him and would see him after work. That was the last time they spoke, AP reported.

The civil complaint alleges that Walls-Kaufman was part of the mob that stormed the Capitol and that he struck Officer Smith while being escorted from the building. The complaint describes the weapon as a cane or possibly a crowbar.

Walls-Kaufman pleaded guilty to charges related to the insurrection and was sentenced to two months in prison in 2023, according to NBC News. He later received a pardon from Donald Trump at the start of Trump’s second term.

Read more on washingtoninformer.com.

The legislation comes as several Republican lawmakers continue to push efforts to repeal key provisions of the Home Rule Act. In February, Rep. Andy Ogles (R) of Tennessee and Sen. Mike Lee of Utah (R) introduced bills to strip D.C. of its limited legislative powers.

In May, Congress passed a resolution blocking D.C.’s law that allowed non citizen residents to vote in local elections.

Local autonomy advocates see Norton’s zoning legislation as part of the District’s long-standing campaign to be treated as more than a federal jurisdiction.

“Home rule isn’t real when nearly half of the Zoning Commission is made up of federal officials,” Norton said. “This bill corrects that imbalance and affirms our residents’ right to self-determination.” WI

5D.C. Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton is working to renew efforts to give the nation’s capital local control over its Zoning Commission, as introduced through the District of Columbia Zoning Commission Home Rule Act. (WI File Photo/Robert R. Roberts)

AROUND THE REGION

May Pang, companion of Beatles legend John Lennon (center left), with Vida Ali (left) and Virginia Ali of the historic Ben’s Chili Bowl (center right), and H.H. Leonards (right), host and owner of the O Museum in the Mansion in Northwest, D.C. Pang showcased her photo exhibit “The Lost Weekend” at the O Museum in the Mansion, from June 27-29, featuring never-before-seen candid and private photographs of John Lennon, and a 90-minute film documentary. (Courtesy Photo/R. Bain)

“Those

https://www

Anthony Browder and Wayne Young read The Washington Informer. (Roy Lewis/The Washington Informer)

Amazonia Flows with RAMMY-Nominated Cocktail Program

By James Wright WI Staff Writer

On June 20, it was a slightly hot and muggy day, so Gloria Stuart and her husband Scott decided to leave their home in Old Town Alexandria in Virginia to go to the District to get some drinks after an unusually eventful week.

They ended up at Amazonia, a Peruvian bar and restaurant located in the Bladen Alley neighborhood in Northwest, Washington, one block west of the Walter A. Washington Convention Center. They came to Amazonia because they heard of its great service and its unique, filling cocktails, Gloria Stuart said.

“We used to live in this area before we moved to Alexandria,” said Stuart, 75. “We visited Peru in 2016 and absolutely enjoyed ourselves. That is where we discovered the Pisco Sour cocktail, and we loved it. A friend of mine told me that Pisco Sour is served here at Amazonia and we decided to give it a try.”

The Stuarts are part of the growing fan base that has generated enough support for Amazonia, which has been nominated for a 2025 RAMMYS award— sponsored by the Restaurant Association of Metropolitan Washington (RAMW)— in the Cocktail Program of the Year category. Amazonia is one of five nominees noted for the quality, diversity, clarity and value of its craft cocktail program which is different from other beverages such as beer and wine.

Drew Furlough is the lead bartender at Amazonia. Furlough, 39, said the way he and his staff create cocktails are done “in a balanced and interesting way.”

“Every cocktail we make tells a story,” he said. “That’s what we try to do. Our classic cocktail is the Pisco Sour, and it is the drink most people who come here request.”

THE AMAZONIA EXPERIENCE

Amazonia is physically located two flights of stairs above its restaurant and bar sibling Causa. The owners of Amazonia and Cau-

sa have it set up where customers can experience both the coastal Peruvian and Andean cuisine and spirits.

When a customer enters Amazonia, they are confronted with a rectangular bar located in the middle of a room that serves as a rooftop. Tables are located throughout the room decorated in Peruvian décor.

Further, Peruvian music is played on a loudspeaker while the customers drink and dine.

Furlough and his staff prepare cocktails in the presence of the customer and often talk through the preparation process.

“I like talking to people and educating them on what we do,” Furlough said.

Nicolas Arriagada is the general manager for Amazonia and Causa. He said Amazonia’s cocktails are products of Peru and include such ingredients as huacatay or what is known as Peruvian marigold or black mint, to enhance a drink’s flavor.

The Pisco Sour, first appearing in Lima, Peru, is considered a leading beverage in Peru and Chile. The ingredients consist of Pisco (Peruvian brandy in the case of Amazonia), squeezed lime juice, syrup, egg white, angostura bitters and ice.

Arriagada, 41, agrees with Fur-

lough that the Classic Pisco is a favorite of customers.

“When people come to Amazonia, they want an authentic Peruvian cocktail and that is what we serve them,” he said.

Like the Stuarts, Cheryl Davis heard about Amazonia through a friend’s recommendation and decided to visit. Unlike the Stuarts, Davis is not an active consumer of cocktails but has some familiarity with them.

When Davis was informed of Amazonia’s nomination, she expressed pleasant surprise.

“This is my first time here, but my partner is a real foodie,” Davis, 73, said. “I know a little something about cocktails. I think creativity is the foundation of a good cocktail, it’s about what you put into it that sets one apart from another.”

Arriagada is proud of Amazonia’s RAMMY nomination. The restaurant team will learn the winner of the Cocktail Program of the Year and other categories at the RAMMYS Awards Gala on Aug. 3.

“We are definitely honored to have been nominated,” he said. “In D.C., there is no shortage of great cocktail programs. We are very passionate about what we do here, and we have a lot of fun, too.”

WI @JamesWrightJr10

5Amazonia’s Pisco Sour cocktail drink is one of its most popular beverages. The company is a 2025 RAMMYS nominee for Cocktail Program (Courtesy Photo/Amazonia Instagram)

PRINCE GEORGE'S COUNTY

Interim Prince George’s Schools Superintendent Unveils Plans for First 100 Days

By Hamil R. Harris

WI Contributing Writer

Dr. Shawn Joseph, interim superintendent of Prince George’s County Public Schools (PGCPS) unveiled his 100-Day Plan, with hopes to revitalize the school system, on June 27 at the Board of Education headquarters in Upper Marlboro.

The plan is entitled “Listening With Purpose, Leading With Integrity and Advancing Excellence with Every Child.”

“Our schools are only as strong as the people in them,” said Joseph, adding that his goals include assessing the school systems hiring practices and examining how teachers are on-boarded and undergo professional development.

The interim superintendent, who formerly served as an assis-

tant professor of educational leadership, administration and policy at Howard University, announced his goals at a press conference that came the day after the Board voted to approve his $375,000 contract. He was joined by newly minted County Executive Aisha Braveboy and Board of Education members.

Braveboy said that she, the County Council, and Joseph all consider Prince George’s students to be a top priority, emphasizing the “fierce urgency of now.”

”Now is the time that we have to prepare our school system to take our children back in the fall,” she said. “Our classrooms have to be ready, our teachers have to be ready and the education of our children has to be ready.”

Joseph succeeds former PGCPS superintendent Millard House II— whose last day was June 18.

His 100-day plan features six “Core Values,” to be implemented across three periods– days 1-30, 31-60, and 61-100.

• Students are our priority and all students can achieve at high academic levels.

• Families, students, and educators share the responsibility for student success.

• High expectations inspire high performance.

• All staff share the responsibility for a safe and supportive school environment contributing to excellence in education.

• The support of everyone in our community is essential to the success of our schools and students, and this success enriches our community.

• Continuous improvement in teaching, leadership, and accountability is the key to our destiny.

With his plan in place, Joseph

3County Executive Aisha Braveboy is supporting Interim Superintendent Shawn Joseph’s 100-Day Plan: “Listening With Purpose, Leading With Integrity and Advancing Excellence with Every Child.” (WI File Photo/Robert R. Roberts)

has high hopes for the future of Prince George’s County Public Schools.

“In a district as proud, complex, and vibrant As Prince George’s County, this 100-Day Plan is a beginning—not an end. It is a promise to listen before leading, to act with equity at the core, and to model the excellence we expect of every educator, student, and stakeholder,” Joseph said in a statement. “We rise together—not by chance, but by commitment.”

JOSEPH’S RETURN TO PGCPS WITH EXCELLENCE AS THE GOAL

While he was recently named interim superintendent, Joseph is not new to Prince George’s County.

From 2014-2016, Joseph served as PGCPS’s deputy superintendent for teaching and learning.

In addition to his work at Howard and Prince George’s County, the former classroom teacher was also superintendent for the Seaford School District in Delaware and in Tennessee’s Metro Nashville

Public Schools.

As interim superintendent for Prince George’s County, Joseph said he plans to elevate family and teacher union engagement in the school system and create partnerships that will allow individuals and collaborators to meet regularly.

He emphasized his hope to work with parents and families to strengthen Prince George’s schools.

“I tell parents if they have a question or challenge, to engage— come to one of the monthly meetings we’re going to have. I’ll listen and I’ll work to satisfy all reasonable requests. That is our goal,” the award-winning educator said.

He also emphasized the importance of unity to effect positive change and growth for students, teachers and the school system overall.

“At some point we have to stop pointing fingers and we’ve got to start working together to get things done,” Joseph said. “I think we spend too much time blaming and not enough time saying, ‘What can I do to help things go right?’” WI

3Dr. Shawn Joseph is interim superintendent of Prince George’s County Public Schools. On June 27 he unveiled his 100-Day Plan, with hopes to revitalize the school system. (Courtesy Photo/ Prince George’s County Public Schools)

PRINCE GEORGE’S COUNTY Maryland Political Updates

By Richard Elliott WI Contributing Reporter

GOV. MOORE ANNOUNCES PLANS TO SAVE $121 MILLION

Maryland Gov. Wes Moore (D) has announced plans to eliminate vacant state positions, a freeze on hiring new state employees, and buyouts for some existing state employees. These cuts, expected to go into effect on July 1, are an effort to save $121 million amid an ongoing budget crunch, while also working to prevent layoffs.

“We are moving with care and intentionality to minimize impact on current employees and be transparent throughout the process,” Moore wrote in a letter announcing the changes.

According to Moore’s chief of staff Fagan Harris, state officials had been looking at various options to trim the state budget in recent weeks. A list of vacant state positions to be eliminated will be presented before the Board of Public Works in September.

During Moore’s gubernatorial campaign, he pledged to fill some of the 5,000 vacant state positions left by the administration of former Republican Gov. Larry Hogan, and roughly 4,800 positions remain vacant. Moore has also touted the state workforce as an employment opportunity for laid-off federal workers amid mass firings by the Trump Administration.

Pat Moran, president of American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) Maryland Council 3, highlighted the difficult work and heavy workloads that state employees currently face.

“While it’s clear our state must navigate tough and volatile times, any solutions cannot come at the cost of providing quality state services,” said Moran in a statement on June 23.

House Appropriations Chair Ben Barnes (D- District 21) was pleased to see cuts protect state workers.

“I’m very happy to see that there will not be furloughs or layoffs,” said Barnes, “as they’re not warranted or necessary given our current fiscal picture.”

He also argued that the $121 million in budget savings could have been generated from slashing vacant positions.

Senator Guy Guzzone (D- District 13), the chair of the Budget and Taxation Committee, praised Moore’s decision.

“I think it’s important to keep a level head and make reasonable decisions along the way,” Guzzone said, “and I think this was a reasonable decision by the governor.”

MARYLAND OFFICIALS CELEBRATE SUCCESSFUL $1.6 BILLION BOND SALE

The Maryland Board of Public Works, composed of Gov. Wes Moore (D), Comptroller Brooke Lierman (D), and Treasurer Dereck E. Davis, approved the bond sale at 3.55% interest with $125 million in premiums to fund various capital improvements and grant programs across the state.

While last year’s bond sale sold roughly $1 billion in bonds, with $151 million in premiums, Maryland state officials, including Moore, celebrated the outcome of a $1.6 billion bond sale on June 11.

“There’s no reason for us to be ‘Moody’ today,” said Moore, adding that Maryland had a “very good day.”

Moody’s, a credit rating agency, downgraded the credit ratings for both the United States and Maryland earlier this year, sparking fears of lower bond sales and higher interest rates on borrowed money. Maryland maintains a AAA rating, the highest possible rating, from two other major credit rating agencies.

Davis, who had strong criticism for Moody’s following the credit downgrade, was reassured by the results of June’s bond sale.

“Today’s successful bond sale underscores the strong demand for Maryland’s bonds and continued investor confidence in the fiscal strength and creditworthiness of our state,” Davis said.

BRAVEBOY LAUNCHES AMBITIOUS COUNTYWIDE LITTER CLEANUP PROJECT

Prince George’s County Executive Aisha Braveboy (D), shortly after her Juneteenth inauguration, announced efforts to address a countywide prob-

lem: beautification, especially along roadsides.

As part of Braveboy’s new undertaking, street cleaning trucks and personnel will be dispatched across the county according to need, and residents are encouraged to use 311 to identify and report trash. WI

Read more on washingtoninformer.com.

4Maryland Gov. Wes Moore is working to save $121 million by eliminating vacant state positions, implementing a hiring freeze on new state employees and offering buyouts for some existing state employees, effective July 1. (WI File Photo/Robert R. Roberts)

“I’m proud to launch our Countywide Litter and Beautification Blitz,

Registration for FAME’s 2025 Music Workshops is now open to middle and high school students who want to improve their musicianship, explore music composition, recording and production, and be introduced to Artificial Intelligence. This program offers a great opportunity for students to develop their musical abilities, learn from experienced professionals in the music industry, and music educators, and connect with other like-minded students.

MIDDLE & HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS

All sessions are held Monday – Friday, 9 am – 4 pm

@ Harmony Hall Arts Center,

The workshops are conducted in partnership with the University of Maryland School of Music, Prince George’s Arts and Humanities Council, MNCPPC Department of Parks and Recreation, and Prince George’s County Government.

BUSINESS

By James Wright / WI Staff Writer

AMERIGROUP

DC WELLPOINT DC

Amerigroup DC, a subsidiary of Elevance Health that serves DC Healthy Families (Medicaid and CHIP), DC Healthcare Alliance, and DC Immigrant Children’s Programs, was renamed Wellpoint DC (Wellpoint) on July 1 to reflect the company’s ongoing evolution in supporting whole health.

There will be no impact or changes to enrollees’ health care benefits. Enrollees will continue to have access to their current primary care providers, specialists, hospitals, and other health care facilities.

Also, health care providers who serve Wellpoint enrollees will have continued access to tools and resources to help streamline day-to-day administrative tasks.

Wellpoint’s suite of health benefits is designed for District consumers at any stage of life – offering access to simple, supportive health solutions to help foster whole person health, including primary care, behavioral health care, pharmacy and prescription drugs, and dental care. In addition, Wellpoint is committed to helping individuals improve their health through Healthy Rewards incentives for wellness visits and added benefits such as allowances to purchase over-the-counter supplies, GED assistance, asthma and COPD toolkits,

briefs

feminine care, baby essentials, and gym memberships.

New ID cards featuring the Wellpoint brand are being mailed to enrollees and should arrive in the coming weeks. Enrollees can continue using their current Amerigroup DC cards to access all existing services until new Wellpoint branded cards are received.

“This rebranding is a continuation of our bold and ambitious purpose to improve the health of humanity by serving people across their entire health journey; connecting them to care, support and resources; and simplifying healthcare to make whole health more accessible,” said company president Adrian Jordan. “Our local presence enables us to tailor our benefits and programs to fit the unique needs of our community. Wellpoint is a name that illustrates our dedication to being a lifelong, trusted health partner with a mission to help people live well across all life points.”

THOMPSON CREEK

WINDOW COMPANY

SPONSORS ‘HOUSE

PROUD HEROES’ PROGRAM

The Thompson Creek Window Company of Lanham, Maryland, is actively searching for community heroes in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area to receive up to 10

ACADEMY OF HOPE

ADULT PUBLIC CHARTER SCHOOL NOTICE OF INTENT TO ENTER SOLE SOURCE CONTRACT

The Academy of Hope Adult Public Charter School located in Washington, DC intends to enter a Sole Source Contract with TaskHuman, Inc. for Staff Wellness Support Services. You can find the details and contact information at https://aohdc.org/get-involved/jobs/

new energy-efficient windows with professional installation—completely free— through its new “House Proud Heroes” program.

Celebrating its 45th anniversary, Thompson Creek wants to recognize and honor homeowners whose service often goes unnoticed: the teacher who stays late every day, the veteran organizing neighborhood cleanups, the nurse volunteering at free clinics, or the firefighter coaching Little League on weekends.

“We’re looking for people who give their all for others and want to make their home more comfortable and energy efficient,” said Chris Sever, president of Thompson Creek Home. “Often our greatest heroes are the most humble and might need encouragement to apply. That’s where the community can help by sharing this opportunity.”

Thompson Creek is seeking community heroes, including first responders, law enforcement, military veterans, educators, healthcare workers, public service employees, nonprofit leaders, and volunteers who own homes in eligible Washington, D.C. metropolitan ZIP codes, need window replacements and are willing to share their inspiring stories.

Applications open June 23 and will be accepted through July 13 or until the application capacity is reached.

Community members are encouraged to think of deserving individuals and share this opportunity with them.

“Reaching 45 years is a milestone made possible by the support of our community—customers, partners and neighbors who’ve shaped our journey,” Server said. “House Proud Heroes is a natural extension of our core values and reflects the very DNA of our company. It’s a mean-

ACADEMY OF HOPE

Jordan)

ingful way to show our appreciation and further strengthen the trust we’ve built across the D.C. metro market.”

D.C.

COMPANY SECURES $3M INVESTMENT FROM EMPOWER THE CHANGE FUND

Organizational Development Resource Group (ODRG), a fast-rising technology and operations firm serving federal clients based in Arlington, Virginia announced it secured a $3 million investment from the Empower the Change Fund—a growth capital fund dedicated to supporting undercapitalized entrepreneurs. This investment will propel ODRG’s expansion into advanced geospatial intelligence services and strengthen its mission technology capabilities to deliver on the evolving

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.

needs of federal agencies.

Sophia Harris founded and led the ODRG, which has built a reputation for delivering high-performance mission support and innovative technology solutions across the national security and geospatial sectors. The company has a growing footprint and a client roster that includes the U.S. Navy (USN), Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA), the Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency (DCSA), and the Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA).

“This investment marks a transformative moment for our company,” said Sophia Harris, founder and CEO of ODRG. “It enables us to deepen our commitment to technical excellence, scale our operations, and broaden the impact we can make through delivering AI-powered geospatial and mission-critical services. We look forward to expanding our capacity to innovate for our federal mission partners with even greater agility.”

ODRG will use the capital infusion to grow, enhance R&D efforts, forge new strategic software partnerships, and expand the company’s portfolio of technology-forward solutions, under the ODRG NEXT OCTAVE™ emerging technologies.

“Sophia Harris and the ODRG team represent exactly the kind of entrepreneurial excellence the Empower the Change Fund was designed to support,” said Sandra M. Moore, managing director and founder of the Empower the Change Fund at Advantage Capital. “The company delivers impressive innovation for its clients, and we’re proud to provide Sophia and her team the capital they need to unlock their next phase of growth.”

@JamesWrightJr10

ACADEMY OF HOPE

ADULT PUBLIC CHARTER SCHOOL REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS ELEVATOR MODERNIZATION/ REPLACEMENT

The Academy of Hope Adult Public Charter School in Washington, DC is seeking proposals for Elevator Modernization/ Replacement of Hydraulic with Traction. View the full RFP and submission details at https://aohdc.org/get-involved/jobs/. Proposals are due July 31, 2025.

5 Adrian Jordan is the president of the newly named Wellpoint DC. (Courtesy Photo/Adrian

Greater Washington Black Chamber of Commerce Hosts ‘The Art of Black Business,’ Awards Local Leaders

By James Wright WI Staff Writer

People from across the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area came to the Greater Washington Black Chamber of Commerce (GWBCC) “The Art of Black Business 2025 Juneteenth Awards Ceremony” to celebrate the work and accomplishments of selected business leaders and advocates on June 30.

The annual event, this year held at Rooftop @1000 Maine Avenue SW, is designed to recognize the importance of both the Black business community in the National Capital area and the Juneteenth federal holiday, a day America celebrates the freedom of African Americans from slavery.

Several honorees were celebrated for their contributions to Black business and industries in the District, including: Kristina Noell, the first African American woman to serve as a Business Improvement District (BID) executive director in Washington, D.C.; Amanda Stephenson,

founder of Fresh Food Factory, which combats food deserts in Ward 8; and Yusef Henriques, who launched a genomics startup in D.C. to advance health equity for Indigenous and African diasporic communities; Chefs Mac McAlister and Pinkey Reddick, owners of Flavorture; and Legacy Award winners B. Doyle Mitchell Jr. president and CEO of Industrial Bank and Washington Informer Publisher Denise Rolark Barnes.

Luminaries attending the event included: D.C. Councilmember Kenyan McDuffie (I-At Large) who serves as the chair of the Committee on Business and Economic Development; D.C. Shadow Rep. Oye Owolewa (D); Dr. Jacque Patterson, at-large member of the D.C. State Board of Education; Alexander K. Austin, the president and CEO of the Prince George’s Chamber of Commerce; and Brookings Institute Scholar Dr. Andre Perry.

“Black business is the strength of the Black community,” Perry told The Informer.

2025 HONOREES ARE RECOGNIZED

Aisha Bond, the president of the GWBCC, recognized each of the honorees, adding an anecdote about their entrepreneurial achievements and community contributions.

Noell, executive director of Anacostia BID, received the Art of Black Business Award for her efforts to encourage African American-owned businesses in the Anacostia neighborhood in Ward 8.

The Social Impact Award went to Stephenson, owner of Fresh Food Factory, a business that operates in the Sycamore & Oak retail complex in the St. Elizabeths East Campus in the Congress Heights neighborhood of Ward 8.

The GWBCC president announced the Business Partnership of the Year Award went to the Capital Workforce Innovation Consortium, a program of the D.C. Department of Employment Services (DOES).

The director of DOES, Dr. Unique

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Morris-Hughes, did not attend the event but sent Deputy Director Kenneth Walker and Ximena Gates-Hartsock, to represent the agency and receive the award.

“This is an awesome honor,” Walker told The Informer. “We know businesses need support and want to supply what local Black businesses need.”

Henriques, the owner of IndyGeneUS ai, was feted as the Business Innovator of the Year.

and

“This is a great recognition of being an innovator,” he said. “We have been in business for three years and we are one of the few firms in the city that focuses on the life sciences.”

Chefs McAlister and Reddick accepted the Ascension Award on behalf of their restaurant, Flavorture, located in Northwest.

Read more on washingtoninformer.com.

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5 Greater Washington Black Chamber of Commerce 2025 Art of Black Business awardees Washington Informer Publisher Denise Rolark Barnes, B. Doyle Mitchell, Chefs Mac McAlister and Pinkey Reddick,

Yusef Henriques. (Micha Green/The

NATIONAL

Washington Informer Among Top Honorees at 2025 NNPA Messenger Awards

By Stacy M. Brown WI Senior Writer

The Washington Informer earned a first-place honor for design and several second-place finishes at the 2025 National Newspaper Publishers Association Fund’s (NNPAF) Messenger Awards in Savannah, Georgia on June 26, joining The Sacramento Observer and The Savannah Tribune among the most celebrated Black-owned newspapers in the country.

The NNPAF is a 501(c)(3) orga

National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA), which represents the more than 200 African American-owned newspaper and media companies comprising the Black Press of America. The primary mission of the NNPAF is to advance scholastic and professional initiatives meticulously crafted to uphold the storied legacy of the Black Press.

Held during the NNPA’s annual convention at the JW Marriott Savannah Plant Riverside District Hotel, the awards ceremony recognized excel

design, and digital engagement.

The event marked the 198th year of the Black Press of America, which remains committed to telling the stories that shape Black communities nationwide.

The Washington Informer won

Vote July 15, 2025 Ward 8 Special Election

loid), earned second-place awards in Education Reporting, Editorial Opinion and Entertainment Coverage, and third place in Special Editions.

“It is an honor to be recognized this year by NNPA, the trade association for the Black Press of America, with five Messenger Awards. The Washington Informer’s editorial staff strives to publish informative and impactful stories, and we are grateful that others also deem our work award-winning,” said WI Publisher Denise Rolark Barnes. “As the publisher, I commend our team for their hard work. I want them to know that I am proud of their steadfast commitment and contributions to our readers, The Washington Informer, and Black America.

The Houston Defender also captured several first-place awards, including Health Reporting, Environment Reporting, and Fashion, Beauty, and Lifestyle. The St. Louis American earned first place in the categories of Special Editions, Original Advertising Campaigns, Broadsheet Layout and

Design, and Video Campaigns.

The Sacramento Observer emerged as the evening’s highest-scoring publication overall, winning the John B. Russwurm Award and collecting firstplace honors in Education Reporting, Business Reporting, Original Photography, Youth and Children Coverage, and Facebook Campaigns.

Meanwhile, The Savannah Tribune was recognized for leadership and service. Publisher Shirley Ann Barber James was named NNPA Publisher of the Year, an award spotlighting outstanding commitment to preserving the Black press and engaging the community.

As people celebrated James’ win, she humbly accepted the award and honored the hard work of her staff.

“This is a shock,” said James, who is also celebrating 150 years of The Savannah Tribune, before thanking God, her family, and staff, including Tanya Milton, vice president of the publication. “That’s what it’s all about. It’s all about teamwork.” WI

By Stacy M. Brown WI Senior Writer

In a 51-50 vote, with the tie breaking vote from Vice President J.D. Vance, the Senate voted in favor of “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” or as the National

5 National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA) President Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis Jr., Washington Informer (WI)

Publisher Denise Rolark Barnes, NNPA Fund Chairman Karen Carter Richards, NNPA Chairman Bobby R. Henry and WI Managing Editor Micha Green, at the National Newspaper Publishers Association Fund (NNPAF) Messenger Awards in Savannah, Georgia on June 26. (Mark Mahoney, Dream in Color/ NNPA)

UGLY BILL from Page 16 blueprint for centralized executive authority, civil rights rollback, and Christian nationalist governance.

“Today, Donald Trump and Republicans made crystal clear where their priorities lie – not with working Americans, but with billionaires and big corporations,” said Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.). “While Republicans give the super-rich and mega-corporations huge tax cuts, they are stripping millions of Americans of their Medicaid coverage, driving up health care costs by letting Affordable Care Act tax cuts expire, gutting nutrition assistance for families, eliminating clean energy jobs, and so much more.”

The Maryland Democratic senator offered a warning about what could happen for Americans as a result of the legislation.

“Virtually all working families will face higher costs if this bill becomes law, whether through the effects of the drastic cuts to health care, higher energy costs, or the impacts of exploding our national debt by nearly $4 trillion in just the next 10 years,” he added.

At its core, the bill preserves Trumpera tax cuts for the wealthy while slashing vital aid programs. According to the Congressional Budget Office, the plan would eliminate $793 billion in Medicaid funding—with 10.9 million fewer Americans insured by 2034—and reduce SNAP spending by over $1 trillion, combined with ACA benefit cuts. Black Americans—disproportionately reliant on these programs—stand to bear the heaviest burden.

“There is nothing ‘beautiful’ about millions losing access to Medicaid and SNAP benefits or about the closure of medical centers in rural communities.

Elected leaders placed the desires of the one percent above the needs of those they swore to represent, marking one of the most blatant betrayals of public trust in our lifetime,” said Monica Simpson, executive director of SisterSong: Women of Color Reproductive Justice Collective, in a statement submitted to The Washington Informer. “If signed into law, this will make it harder to access reliable, quality care, pushing our communities further to the margins and ultimately threatening the safety and well-being of all Americans.”

TOP 5 WAYS THIS BILL HURTS BLACK AMERICA TODAY:

• $793 B Medicaid Cuts & Work Requirements

President Donald Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill Act.” (WI File Photo/Anthony Tilghman)

The bill slashes Medicaid by $793 billion over 10 years, with $344 billion tied to restrictive work requirements that would leave 10.9 million people uninsured including many Black adults.

• SNAP Cuts Costing States Billions

With over $1 trillion cut overall, SNAP losses include $295 billion directly trimmed and up to $128 billion shifted to state budgets. Since Black households rely on SNAP at nearly double the rate of white households, this threatens deepened hunger in Black communities.

• Student Loan Forgiveness

Repeal Worsens Racial Debt Gap

Black borrowers carry an average of $52,726 in student debt—$25,000 more than white peers. Stripping relief cements this disparity and stalls wealth accumulation.

• Child Tax Credit Excluded for Immigrant Parents

Denying the $2,000 annual credit to parents lacking Social Security numbers removes up to $12,000 over six years for three-child families—targeting Black immigrant households and pushing them deeper into poverty.

• Endowment Taxes Threaten

HBCU Resources

New tiered taxes on university endowment income could cost Howard and similar HBCUs millions in lost funds, reducing scholarships and support for Black students.

These impacts are not theoretical— they amount to real dollar losses and real human costs: higher medical debt, increased hunger, lifelong financial setbacks, and weakened institutional support.

Read more on washingtoninformer.com.

5 Maryland Sen. Chris Van Hollen and other Democratic leaders are criticizing the 51-50 Senate vote in favor of

World Refugee Day Workshop Spotlights Lived Experiences to Foster Empathy, Peacebuilding

Personal Testimonies Anchor Advocacy Efforts Amid Rising Global Displacement

By Mya Trujillo WI Contributing Writer

In just five years, there has been a significant rise in people forcibly displaced from their homes, surging from 81.5 million to 123.2 million since 2020, and as violence and persecution persists, 36.8 million individuals worldwide now live as refugees—-having fled their countries to find solace in a peaceful territory.

As conflicts continue, advocacy organizations such as Noir United International (NUI) and creative consulting agency N&Y Creative Solutions, contend that it is critical to celebrate refugees’ courage and share their stories in order to humanize them, spread empathy and raise awareness about the global circumstance.

With June 20 recognized as World Refugee Day since 2001– established by the United Nations in commemoration of the 1951 Refugee Convention— NUI and N&Y Creative Solutions organized an advocacy workshop on June 21 at Meridian Hill Park, featuring food, personal testimonies and art.

“Our goal is to really show people, even though you’re not from… some of these areas where there’s a lot of conflict, you can still use your voice locally in your community to educate others about it and then also just try to make an impact,” Macire Aribot Ashford, co-founder of NUI, told The Informer.

For Bertha Nibigira, founder of N&Y Creative Solutions, refugee advocacy hits especially close to home, as she spent most of her childhood in Tanzanian refugee camps. Her grandparents fled from their home country of Burundi to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) amid escalating conflicts in the late 1960s and early 1970s.

When Nibigira was a toddler, her family left the DRC and went to Tanzania due to the onset of the First Congo War in 1996.

She and her family came to the United States around 2007, when Nibigira was 13 years old. They settled in Clarkston, Georgia, which has been nicknamed the “Ellis Island of the South,” as approximately 60,000 refugees have called it home since 1980.

“I could definitely feel, as a child, that

there was a lot of hostility. That [we] were not welcomed and unwanted,” Nibigira told The Informer. “I would like for people to get to a point where the label doesn’t matter, and [they] recognize the human in another person.”

The DRC is still experiencing conflict and an extensive humanitarian crisis. Since 2022, constant violence has displaced 4.6 million people in the North and South Kivu provinces alone. Nibigira was born in South Kivu, an area that has been affected by conflict for the past 30 years. In addition, displacement is at risk of increasing, as 27 million people across the country require emergency humanitarian assistance.

“The emergency in the DRC is one of the most complex humanitarian crises in the world,” said the UN Refugee Agency. “Conditions for displaced people are worsening on a daily basis as attacks on sites for the internally displaced increase, resources run dry and many find themselves unable to meet their most urgent needs without humanitarian assistance.”

Advocates like Nibigira and Aribot Ashford emphasize shedding light on today’s refugee stories is particularly important as the Trump administration implemented an indefinite refugee ban and foreign aid freeze in January, which could potentially create greater hostility toward displaced communities seeking protection.

The administration also recently implemented a travel ban, restricting entry into the U.S. from 17 countries, including Sudan, which has been afflicted by a civil war that has caused more than 4 million people to flee since 2023. Further, President Donald Trump and his

administration are considering adding more countries to the list, including the DRC, which would put vulnerable communities in more danger, as their options for sanctuary will be even more limited.

Due to these circumstances, NUI is trying to become more involved in moving policies that affect at-risk members of the diaspora in a more positive direction.

“One thing we can see with this administration is that policy can change overnight and can change everything,” Akunna Okonkwo, a programs and research volunteer with NUI, told The Informer. “Policy about who gets aid affects people immediately, and the thing is, up here (in the U.S), we kind of turn our eye then forget that [refugees’] livelihoods are being cut.”

REFUGEE ENCOURAGES UNITY, EMPATHY THROUGH GAMING

To help raise awareness of the situations refugees constantly face, Luan Mayen, the founder of Junub Games, is developing video games to encourage unity and empathy.

Mayen, 31, spent the first 22 years of his life living in a refugee camp in northern Uganda after his family was forced to flee from South Sudan. After his mother spent three years saving up $300 to buy her son a computer, Mayen developed his first game, “Salaam,” a mobile high-tension runner game that puts the player in the shoes of a refugee trying to escape to peaceful territory. WI Read more on washingtoninformer.com.

5 Noir United International Co-founder Macire Aribot Ashford addresses attendees during the World Refugee Day workshop, hoping to uplift refugees’ stories. (Mya Trujillo/The Washington Informer)

Sun Safety for Summer Protection

Submitted by AmeriHealth Caritas District of Columbia (DC)

As summer approaches and temperatures rise, spending time outdoors becomes more appealing. However, prolonged sun exposure can pose serious risks to your skin, including sunburn, premature aging, and even skin cancer. Whether you’re heading to the beach, enjoying a picnic in the park, or simply running errands, protecting your skin should be a top priority.

THE RISKS OF SUN EXPOSURE

The sun emits ultraviolet (UV) radiation, primarily in two forms that affect the skin:1

• UVA rays penetrate deep into the skin and contribute to premature aging and wrinkles.

• UVB rays are responsible for sunburn and can damage the skin’s DNA, increasing the risk of skin cancer.

Too much exposure to either type of UV radiation can lead to sun poisoning, hyperpigmentation, long-term skin damage, and melanoma — the deadliest form of skin cancer.

Preventing photoaging is another important reason to protect your skin. Photoaging is premature aging caused by repeated exposure to UV rays.2 Unlike natural aging, photoaging leads to visible skin changes such as fine lines, dark spots, and rough texture that appear earlier in life than expected. These changes occur as UV rays break down collagen and damage the skin’s deeper layers over time.

HOW TO PROTECT YOUR SKIN

Shielding your skin from harmful UV rays is essential, especially during times when the sun is strongest. Here are some tips to help keep your skin healthy and protected:

• Apply sunscreen daily. Use sunscreen that protects against both UVA and UVB rays. Choose a product with at least SPF 30 for everyday use, and SPF 50 if you’ll

be outdoors for extended periods. SPF, or sun protection factor, indicates how much longer your skin can be exposed to the sun without burning compared to having no sunscreen at all.3

• Avoid peak sun hours. UV rays are most intense between 10:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. When possible, seek shade or limit your time in direct sunlight during these hours.

• Wear protective clothing. Lightweight long-sleeved shirts, widebrimmed hats, and UV-protective sunglasses can provide an extra layer of defense against harmful rays.

• Stay hydrated. Summer heat can dehydrate your body and your skin, making it more vulnerable to damage. Drink plenty of water throughout the day and use a hydrating moisturizer to keep your skin nourished.

A few simple precautions can go a long way in protecting your skin. Make sun safety a daily habit so you can enjoy the sunshine with confidence.

Sources

1. “Ultraviolet (UV) Radiation and Sun Exposure,” Environmental Protection Agency, https://www.epa.gov/radtown/ultraviolet-uv-radiation-and-sun-exposure.

2. “Sun-Damaged Skin (Photoaging),” Cleveland Clinic, last reviewed October 28, 2022, https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/ diseases/5240-sun-damage-protecting-yourself.

“Ask the Expert: Does a High SPF Protect My Skin Better?” Skin Cancer Foundation, updated March 11, 2025, https://www.skincancer.org/blog/ ask-the-expert-does-a-high-spf-protectmy-skin-better/#:~:text=What%20 Does%20the%20SPF%20Number,you%20weren’t%20wearing%20 sunscreen

All images are submitted by AmeriHealth Caritas District of Columbia and are used under license for illustrative purposes only. Any individual depicted is a model

Getting There Shouldn’t Be the Hardest Part

As temperatures rise in Washington, DC, getting to medical appointments can become more challenging, and even risky. Long walks or waiting for public transportation in extreme heat can be dangerous, especially for older adults, pregnant individuals, and those with chronic health conditions. But hot weather shouldn’t stand in the way of getting the care you need.

If you’re an AmeriHealth Caritas DC enrollee, you have access to

transportation to and from medical appointments and pharmacies at no cost. Getting care shouldn’t be put off because of transportation issues, especially when the weather heats up. Your health comes first.

To schedule a ride, call 1-800315-3485 (TTY 1-866-2883133) at least 24 hours before your appointment. We’re here to help you remove barriers and keep your health on track.

View the calendar at www. amerihealthcaritasdc.com/events or call 202-216-2318 to learn more.

HEALTH

By Julian B. Kiganda WI Contributing Writer

This summer on Howard University’s campus, there is a group of high school-aged Black youth from the DMV, Roanoke, Virginia, and New York City who are settling into one of the dorms for the next six weeks to learn, serve, and bond as part of a very special brotherhood.

While the program they are part of introduces these young men to careers in health and medicine, many will also pursue paths outside the medical field. What brought them all here is a vision that was set in motion 13 years ago.

Founded in 2012 in Washington, D.C. by Dr. Malcolm Woodland and

Dr. Torian Easterling, the Young Doctors Project (YDP) was born out of a concern about health disparities in their communities, as well as a vested interest in mentoring young Black men. These two doctors understood the importance of having role models to show these youth pathways to futures they may have never considered.

“Did you know that the number one predictor of whether someone gets into medical school is if their parents are doctors? So for us, this program is about having someone in your corner who’s walked that walk,” shares Woodland. “When you have someone who has done it and can show you the pathway, life becomes so much easier. We want to expand that access for

our young people and be a part of their community.”

Woodland, a licensed psychologist and graduate of Howard University, was inspired to start the program after seeing how connected the children and youth in his Anacostia community were to their elders.

“I got to thinking, our greatest asset is these children that everybody loves and knows, right? What if we turn them into health ambassadors in their neighborhoods?” he questioned.

His mission: instead of a school-toprison pipeline, Young Doctors is creating a pipeline to education, a pipeline to medicine, a pipeline for these young people to give back to the community. Medicine is the hook, but brotherhood and service are at the heart of the mission.

“I certainly know that we can put hundreds of millions of dollars into the juvenile legal system and the criminal justice system,” he continued. “I think that money would be much better spent on organizations like the Young Doctors Project, organizations that are out here doing the work.”

TRANSFORMING BLACK LIVES

Supported by Howard University’s Department of Psychology and its Colleges of Dentistry and Medicine— along with other key partners—the program includes a six-week summer institute, Saturday academies during the school year, community health clinics led by YDP doctors, and college tours that expose students to medical schools and other educational pathways.

Kasein Tate, a graduating senior from D.C. who is headed to Morehouse College in Atlanta in the fall to fulfill his dream of becoming a cardiol-

ogist, joined the program in his freshman year of high school. His journey is a reflection of exactly what YDP was designed to do.

“I found out about the program when Dr. Woodland visited my school,” he told The Informer. “At the time, I wasn’t really sure what I wanted to do after high school. So I was like, medicine: that’s a good idea because I always liked science and math.”

Although Kasein joined the program, he was initially hesitant to open up to the other young men and mentors—something he attributes to lingering post-COVID anxiety. He credits the care, love, and support of everyone in the program with helping to bring him out of his shell and build his confidence.

That transformation came full circle on June 23 at the organization’s 13th Annual White Coat Ceremony, held at the Association of American Medical Colleges DC headquarters, where he was honored with the “Young Doc of the Year” Award—an accolade voted on by both his peers and mentors.

As YDP co-founder and Director of Education, Easterling said his commitment to the organization is renewed and deepened by what he sees during the White Coat Ceremony.

“The ceremony sells the program for everyone who comes. When we are donning the white coat on our Young Docs, folks see it. The students see it and are like ‘Oh wow. I’m going to sit up a little taller, my shoulders a bit higher.’ You see the parents as tears run down their faces,” Easterling told The Informer. “And then people will ask, ‘How do I get connected to the program? How can I be a part of it? I love what you all are doing.’”

A RIPPLE EFFECT

For rising high school senior,

Phillip St. Vil, Jr., participating in the Young Doctors Project offers appreciation from others and a heightened sense of self.

“When we go to the health fairs and they see us with our white coats on, they treat us like we’re celebrities or something,” he said. “They clap for us and come up to us asking for pictures and stuff like that. It makes me feel like I’m important.”

In addition to empowering the students, the program has an impressive 91% college enrollment rate among its participants. Yet, despite YDP’s success, Woodland still worries about the ones who don’t make it to college.

“If I’m being honest, that 9% really bothers me. How are we showing up for that 9%? The more resources we have, the more we can meet the needs of that 9% of kids who we’re still trying to work for. You know, I would love it if we said 100% of our kids. That’s what I want.”

For now, to ensure that cost would never be a barrier to opportunity, the leadership has worked hard to raise the funds needed so that the entire program is free of charge to every young man who participates. This includes covering all supplies, travel, housing, and meals.

Further, the program has attracted a dedicated group of professionals who have been inspired by its mission and the young men it serves. A native Washingtonian and board-certified cardiologist, Dr. Raymond Young joined the organization as a mentor after hearing Woodland in a radio interview. WI

Read more on washingtoninformer.com.

3A cohort of young men from the D.C. area, Roanoke, Virginia and New York and their advisors pose for a photo during the Young Doctors Project White Coat Ceremony on June 23. (Julian B. Kiganda/ The Washington Informer)

D.C. Part of $7.4B National Opioid Settlement

By Stacy M. Brown WI Senior Writer

After rising rates of opioid addiction and deaths in D.C. and nationwide, District of Columbia Attorney General Brian L. Schwalb has announced that attorneys general from all eligible states and U.S. territories have agreed to a $7.4 billion national settlement with Purdue Pharma and its owners, the Sackler family.

Officials said the Sacklers have indicated they intend to move forward with the settlement, which they expect to resolve nationwide litigation related to Purdue’s and the Sacklers’ roles in the opioid crisis.

The District is expected to receive more than $21 million over the next two years as part of the agreement.

“This settlement holds Purdue Pharma and the Sackler family financially accountable for the damage they caused,” Schwalb said in a news release. “Their conduct caused extensive harm to communities in the District and across the country.”

Under the Sacklers’ ownership,

Purdue Pharma manufactured and marketed opioid medications for decades. Officials said the company promoted its opioid products as safe and suitable for long-term, high-dosage use, which public officials allege contributed to widespread addiction and overdose deaths. The settlement will permanently end the Sackler family’s involvement in Purdue and prevent them from selling opioids in the U.S.

The $7.4 billion agreement is the largest settlement to date involving companies and individuals connected to the opioid epidemic. Most of the funds will be distributed in the first three years. The Sacklers are set to pay $1.5 billion, and Purdue about $900 million initially. Subsequent payments will include $500 million after one year, another $500 million after two years, and $400 million after three years.

The District will receive its full share of $19.58 million in the first payment, with approximately $1.5 million in attorney fees expected to be paid the following year.

As with previous opioid settlements, final approval and distribution of the funds will be subject to a bankruptcy court decision. A hearing is scheduled later this month.

Including this latest agreement, the Office of the Attorney General said it has secured nearly $104 million for the District from settlements with companies connected to the opioid crisis. Officials stated that the funds will be allocated for prevention, treatment, harm reduction, and recovery efforts.

Between 2021 and 2024, 1,740 opioid-related deaths occurred in Washington, D.C., and it was affecting Black Washingtonians the most.

“Opioid deaths in the District fall most heavily among Black men and residents of Wards 5, 7, and 8, underscoring that this public health crisis raises health equity and systemic concerns,” according to a 2023 release from D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser’s office.

After five consecutive years of increases, the number of fatal opioid overdoses in the District fell to 344 in

5In the largest settlement to date involving companies and individuals connected to the opioid epidemic, District of Columbia Attorney General Brian L. Schwalb has announced a $7.4 billion agreement among attorneys general from all eligible states and U.S. territories. (Courtesy Photo)

2024, down from 516 in 2023.

In the first two months of 2025, there were 41 opioid-related fatalities, a 27% decrease compared to the same period in the previous year.

According to a news release, the District’s Opioid Abatement Advisory Commission, established in 2022, continues to provide recommendations on how to effectively utilize settlement funds to address the crisis locally.

“Purdue Pharma and the Sackler family knew full well how addictive and dangerous their opioid drugs were yet falsely marketed those drugs as safe,” Schwalb remarked. “Their deceptive conduct, while generating billions of dollars of corporate profits and shareholder distributions, exacted a massive human toll on communities across the District and country.”

“Ward 8 is my home, my community, and my purpose. I’m running for DC Council because our families deserve real investment, strong schools, safer neighborhoods, and true economic opportunity. This isn’t just a campaign—it’s my commitment to fight for the resources and respect our community deserves. I’m fighting for our youth, our families, our seniors, and those who feel like they don’t have a seat at the table. But I can’t do it alone. I want to hear from you. Connect with me at www.bunnforward8.com Together, we can build a stronger Ward 8.”

— Sheila Bunn

EARTH OUR A Blooming Business: Plants and Blooms Reimagined Expands Plant-Based Mental Health Services

Transforming Mental Health Services, One Plant at a Time

By Mya Trujillo WI Contributing Writer

Since 2016, Plants and Blooms Reimagined (PBR) has been serving Washingtonians with therapeutic horticultural practices, intersecting mental wellness, environmentalism and education by using repurposed plants, workshops and presentations to strengthen people’s connections with nature.

The nature-based wellness organization announced on June 26 at its inaugural Garden Party fundraiser that it will expand its outreach and impact with the launch of its Bloom Mobile initiative, scheduled for July. This development, a repurposed vehicle that will enhance PBR’s plant recovery and delivery services, will also enable the organization to strengthen its presence in the community.

“To take as much of the experience to where people are is the vision,” Kaifa Anderson-Hall, PBR founder, president and CEO, told The Informer. “That really is the vision for PBR, in terms of creating the greatest access possible for the greatest number of under-resourced folks [who] don’t get into outdoor community garden spaces.”

PBR recycles donated flowers and indoor plants from various events, florists and farmers’ markets to improve its clients’ quality of life through gardening demonstrations, bouquet arranging and other plantbased activities. After nearly a decade of service, the organization remains committed to supporting vulnerable communities through their wellness journeys, with its current partners including: Seabury Resources for Aging, McClendon Center, So Others

Might Eat (SOME) and N Street Village.

“To be able to see it grow its seed, to be able to grow from its humble beginnings, where [Anderson-Hall] used to just talk about it, to now celebrating the Bloom Mobile… and celebrating a lot of the people that have gone on her journey,... just warms my heart,” said Jennifer Jefferson, one of PBR’s founding board members.

Anderson-Hall’s concept for PBR and its Bloom Mobile was conceived in 2015, after she caught a glimpse of the Children’s National Hospital Bloodmobile, a mobile blood donation service. At that moment, her brain transposed the “d” for an “m,” making the vehicle read “Bloommobile.”

“It was like an epiphany,” Anderson-Hall told The Informer. “Expanding and advancing awareness of the importance of nature-based connections, even in the context of something as intimate as indoor plants and cut flowers… is the next piece.”

‘IT AUTOMATICALLY CENTERS PEOPLE’: RECLAIMING WELLNESS THROUGH NATURE

According to the American Horticultural Therapy Association (AHTA), the practice of horticultural therapy gained popularity in the 1940s and 1950s through rehabilitative care for hospitalized war veterans. Research shows horticultural therapy boosts patients’ cognitive and language skills, socialization, memory retention and task initiation.

Due to its wide range of physical and mental benefits, this form of wellness can enhance the health of various patients.

“In physical rehabilitation settings, horticultural therapy can help strengthen muscles and improve coordination, balance and endurance,” said the AHTA. “In vocational horticultural therapy settings, people learn to work independently, problem solve and follow directions.”

Even though this practice has been used as a reliable resource to assist in alleviating mental health issues for decades, some people have been skeptical of horticultural therapy when first introduced to the concept. This was the case for Patrice Williams, a participant with the McClendon Center’s Mental Health Services Integrated BLOOMS Page 23

5 Plants and Blooms Reimagined founder Kaifa Anderson-Hall (left) and board member Ngozi Hall (right) present the design plan for the organization’s new Bloom Mobile, an initiative funded by the Share Fund. (Mya Trujillo/The Washington Informer)

from Page 22

Care Program.

Williams had her first experience with plant therapy in 2021, upon leaving treatment for mental health and substance abuse, when participating in one of Anderson-Hall’s programs at the McClendon Center. Despite her initial hesitance to the experience, Williams is now a self-proclaimed plant lover.

“I was really resistant and reluctant at first because I thought that was weird, but I guess now I’m weird,” she told The Informer. “What helped me was relating plants to our humanity. I feel like by the second class I was hooked.”

Williams shared that one of the most significant things she’s gained by participating in horticultural therapy is a deeper understanding of her grandmother, who was an avid gardener. Through learning how to use the practice as a self-soothing method, she realizes why her grandmother, who raised her, spent so much time taking care of the plants in her yard.

“It looks pretty, it feels pretty and it makes you feel like you’ve accomplished something,” Williams told The Informer. “Now, I appreciate plants more, and my grandmother more for trying to incorporate that into my life.”

Anderson-Hall has had an affinity for horticulture since the 1970s, when she participated in the Washington Youth Garden (WYG) program in middle school. At the end of the classroom component of the program, she was given a plant to take home, which catalyzed her love for indoor plants. Later in her adult life, Anderson-Hall became the director of the WYG for five years, which further fueled her passion for plant therapy and education.

“Working directly with plant and nature-based experiences, for me, what I’ve seen is that it automatical-

ly centers people and provides a safe place for folks– a place of non-judgment,” she told The Informer. “I think oftentimes nature in itself can be minimized… and people don’t make intentional connections with it or understand the benefits that derive from our relationship with it.”

Horticulture has been one of Jefferson’s passions since her childhood. The PBR founding board member recalled that growing up in D.C., there weren’t many plants, but many of the elders around her would keep up with their gardens, taking care of roses and zinnias, which sparked her interest in gardening and plant care.

Jefferson would watch horticultural television programs like “The Victory Garden,” which further blossomed her passion. Through her growing interest, she found many community gardens in the city that helped people understand the intersection between flowers, people, joy and health.

“Many of us, whenever we have any kind of ailments, aches, pains or concerns, we usually look at it from a bottle in a pharmaceutical sense, [but] if we look at our grandmothers and ancestors, many of the answers were grown right in the yard,” she said to The Informer. “So for me, it’s just about that connection where health is something that you don’t necessarily have to buy. You can just grow it.”

Having witnessed PBR from the very beginning, Jefferson hopes that the organization continues to be successful in helping the community and bringing Anderson-Hall’s dreams to fruition.

“I look forward to another couple of years… where we can all come together and say, ‘You remember the Bloom Mobile? Well, now we have a fleet,’” she told The Informer. “I’m excited to see where this is going to continue to grow.”

OUR EARTH

EDUCATION

Graduates of Washington School for Girls Look Forward to Promising High School Careers

Three Transfers-Turned-Graduates

Reflect on Their Journeys

By Sam P.K. Collins WI Staff Writer

This fall, more than a dozen recent graduates of The Washington School for Girls (WSG) will start their high school career at schools throughout the D.C. metropolitan area and, in some cases, other parts of the U.S.

As they embark on the next part of their academic journey, these young women will carry with them several memories, including those from a pandemic that WSG President Dr. Beth Reaves said compelled students to form stronger bonds.

“All we knew was each other on Zoom,” Reaves told The Informer. “They mentioned it to me as they felt like that was a unique part of their schooling here because they hardly knew us. And they didn’t really know each other that well.”

Upon WSG’s return to in-person learning in 2021, students, teachers and staff navigated a months-long transition period that took place amid preparations for WSG’s 25th anniversary celebration. As Reaves recounted, the Class of 2025, then fifth graders, didn’t miss a beat as they partook in extracurricular activities that stretched their imagination and fed their passion for college and career.

“We believe our girls come with all the greatness inside of them,” Reaves said. “They just really need opportunities to exercise that, and Washington School for Girls is a school that really does that for them.”

In recent years, Reaves and other school leaders have curated various opportunities for these students— most of whom live in Wards 7 and 8, and Prince George’s County, Maryland. Earlier this year, for instance, most of the eighth grade class

5 Mya

traveled abroad to the United Kingdom. While there, students toured a LEGO store, watched a showing of “Hamilton: An American Musical,” and visited the heavily Afro-Caribbean community of Brixton.

By June 13, when 16 WSG graduates walked across the stage before hundreds of family, friends, and teachers at THEARC, several of them had already compiled several pages about the trip in their journals. They also strengthened and maintained ties with peers and elders from WSG’s sister school, St. Claudine’s Catholic School for Girls, located in Harlesden.

For Reaves, the trip allowed the group of teenagers to expand their horizons.

“They’re right at the age where they’re getting ready to go to high school and becoming independent themselves,” said Reaves, WSG president since 2017. “But they’re with a safe group of adults [and] they really believe that they can find their voices, and discover more about who they are, what the world looks like, and what that means to them.”

WASHINGTON SCHOOL FOR GIRLS: A SCHOOL OF SECOND CHANCES

Washington School for Girls opened in 1997 as an after-school tutoring and enrichment program inspired by members of The National Council of Negro Women, The Religious of Jesus and Mary and The Society of the Holy Child Jesus.

The institution’s core values include: confidence, perseverance, generosity, joy, goodness and peacemaking. Though the Archdiocese of

Washington recognizes WSG, neither campus engages a curriculum determined by the governing body.

Today, Washington School for Girls serves 110 students on two Southeast-based campuses: The VIEW Campus on Morris Road for younger students and THEARC Campus on Mississippi Avenue for their older counterparts. Next year, a new building, located across from THEARC, will replace The VIEW Campus, placing both groups of students closer to each other.

Since its inception, WSG alumnae have gone on to attend numerous public, public charter and private high schools before moving on to well-regarded colleges and universities. Mya Starks, a 2025 WSG graduate, said she will continue that legacy when she attends Choate Rosemary Hall in Wallingsford, Connecticut this fall.

“It’s one of the top three boarding schools in the USA,” said Mya, 14. “I like that school because they got connections and I like to travel a lot. I think they will open me up to that opportunity.”

Long before she accompanied her classmates to the U.K., Mya, an aspiring U.S. ambassador, caught the travel bug as a participant in CISV International, a decades-old program through which young people meet and learn about each other’s cultures.

While with CISV in Thailand, Mya spent much of her holiday break with young people from Vietnam, Japan, Poland, and Zealand. She said that experience fulfilled a vision that her mother had when she enrolled her in WSG during her fifth grade year.

“If you were to get my mom on here she would talk you out about how WSJ has opened me up to so many opportunities,” Mya told The Informer. “That’s one of the positive [aspects] of WSG; they have so many opportunities and connections with other people, like The Levine School, the Boys and Girls Club, and so many others.”

SIXTEEN GIRLS EXPERIENCE THE POWER OF SISTERHOOD

Mya, however, admitted that she didn’t immediately embrace WSG as an oasis of academic and social enrichment when she transferred there from Rocketship Academy Public Charter School.

“I didn’t want to make any friends,” Mya told The Informer. “I didn’t know the people I was with. They came up to me… but I was being a bit harsh.”

She told The Informer that, once she started opening up to her classmates, she learned more about sisterhood.

“I was realizing that people shouldn’t be alone,” Mya said. “That you need friends and that support system outside of your family.”

For Mya, one of WSG’s most important lessons centers on the art of addressing a qualm, which she and her peers were often able to do during small community meetings—or “circles”— that deans or a counselor facilitates.

“If there’s something off, we don’t just hold grudges,” Mya said. “We address that [problem] straight out;

we make our own circles [and] we make our own meetings. Everybody here has some strong opinions and nobody will hold nothing back. Even though we have some people who are a little bit on the quieter side, we also…have advocates for them.”

Though she only spent one year as a WSG student, recent graduate Kaylah Richardson said the school showed her so much about the power of unity.

“When I came to WSG for my tour, I felt an instant connection with all my eighth grade friends,” Kaylah told The Informer. “I’ve really built some lifelong bonds that I really hope to keep.”

Kaylah, an aspiring travel nurse and sports medicine practitioner, transferred to WSG during the 2024-2025 school year after what she described as a steady decline in her grades, and the ballooning class size at Cornerstone Schools of D.C.

As Kaylah recounted, she entered her new school without a strong connection to a higher power. However, it was when she joined her classmates in the adoption of a daily ritual that she felt her confidence grow.

“Our prayer routine [at home] is not like how it is at WSG,” Kaylah told The Informer. “It would be on and off some days, but when I came to WSG I felt like my connection with God grew closer and tighter. Now it’s something I can’t forget, even outside of school. At home, I continue to do morning prayer, midday prayer before I eat any meal, and even my end of the day prayer before I go to sleep.” WI

Read more on washingtoninformer.com.

Starks, Kaylah Richardson, and Breyah Jefferson are among 16 recent Washington School for Girls graduates who will attend schools in the D.C. metropolitan area and throughout the U.S. this fall. (Ja’Mon Jackson/The Washington Informer)

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Trump’s ‘One Big Beautiful Bill’ May Bring Big, Lasting Harm

As of press time Tuesday, President Donald Trump’s so-called “One Big Beautiful Bill” narrowly passed the U.S. Senate by a 51-50 vote and is now on its way back to the House of Representatives for final approval.

Vice President JD Vance cast the tie-breaking vote.

Three Republican senators — Rand Paul of Kentucky, Thom Tillis of North Carolina, and Susan Collins of Maine — broke with their party and opposed the bill, citing concerns over deep cuts to Medicaid that would harm their constituents by slashing healthcare benefits for low-income residents.

It was no surprise that all five Black Democrats in the Senate — Angela Alsobrooks of Maryland, Cory Booker of New Jersey, Lisa Blunt Rochester of Delaware, and Raphael Warnock of Georgia — voted against the bill. Tim Scott of South Carolina, the Senate’s only Black Republican, voted in favor.

For weeks, advocates and analysts have warned that this legislation would have devastating consequences for millions of Americans who rely on Medicaid and other social safety

net programs. Critics argue the bill will strip health care from the nation’s most vulnerable, while offering generous tax breaks to the wealthy and corporations. It is also projected to add more than $3.3 trillion to the national deficit over the next decade — a far cry from the fiscal responsibility Republicans often preach.

The White House, however, paints a much rosier picture. In a statement, President Trump declared that his bill would “unleash our economy and deliver a Blue-Collar BOOM.” The legislation promises, among other things: a 15% tax cut for individuals earning $30,000 to $80,000; no taxes on overtime or tips; permanent expansion of the child tax credit; and financial relief for seniors. Republicans tout that the average working family would see over $10,000 more in take-home pay annually.

But serious concerns remain. Cuts to school lunch programs threaten to leave millions of children without access to nutritious meals. Stricter work requirements for Medicaid and SNAP recipients could strip essential benefits from those unable to find or

keep a job. Once again, those with the least to spare will be asked to sacrifice the most.

President Trump pushed for this bill to pass before July 4, and the Senate has delivered. The House is expected to follow suit. But as fireworks light up the sky this Independence Day, the question remains: Will it mark a celebration of freedom, or the beginning of hardship for millions of Americans? WI

Cuts to school lunch programs threaten to leave millions of children without access to nutritious meals.

Enough is Enough – Birthright Citizenship is Critical to America’s Past, Present and Future

Americans should not act surprised with the actions, executive orders and plans that the current president has initiated since returning to the White House. Throughout his campaign and even during Joe Biden’s four years at the helm, President Donald Trump emphatically expressed his views and shared his agenda. Still, it’s hard to fathom that the Supreme Court would side with the president on the birthright citizenship issue. But they have. And with that they have opened a Pandora’s box that could transform our country into a place that our parents would not recognize nor prefer.

Back in 2018, the president referred to birthright citizenship as a “crazy policy. Then, in 2019, he said he was reviewing the policy “very seriously.”

Study after study conducted by objective and apolitical organizations have determined that chang-

ing this fundamental right would lead to the creation of a subclass of individuals in the U.S. It would take an amendment to the U.S. Constitution to eliminate birthright citizenship from the rights and privileges to which all Americans are entitled.

But the Supreme Court also has the ability to overturn the centuries-old precedent which interprets the 14th Amendment. That’s where we are today.

During the days of slavery, Black people were viewed only as property, like animals or land or inanimate items. Later, a Black individual would be legally considered as 3/5ths of a person. It would take a constitutional amendment and a Supreme Court that had the moral integrity to right a wrong that had maintained white supremacy for centuries.

Finally, African Americans began to believe that they too could achieve the American dream.

Langston Hughes considered America’s snail-like move towards racial equality, and the need for African Americans to remain resilient, in his poem, “I, Too.” In the poem, the speaker asserts his own worth and looks to a future where he or she will be fully accepted and treated as an equal.

“Tomorrow, I’ll be at the table When company comes. Nobody’ll dare Say to me, ‘Eat in the kitchen,’ Then.

Besides, They’ll see how beautiful I am And be ashamed— I, too, am America.”

This is the America that today’s rank and file in the three branches of government want to destroy. Shame on them and all of us for allowing such an injustice to even be considered.

TO THE EDITOR

The Ward 8 Special Election is definitely interesting and one to watch. What will the residents of Ward 8 do? Who will they vote for? We shall see.

Harriet Reynolds Washington, D.C.

What another outstanding issue. I thoroughly enjoyed all of the features and photos. Thank you guys for covering our community locally and nationally.

Tyrus Moore 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

Julianne Malveaux

Pell Grants in Peril: 7 Million Recipients Face $9 Billion Program Cut

attend college, Pell Grants have been an important part of financial aid packages for an estimated 80 million low-income families with little or no wealth.

Each year, approximately 7 million college students benefit from Pell Grants, a 50-year-old needs-based program that can be used to cover costs for tuition, fees, living costs and room and board. Additionally, these funds have been available at both four-year and two-year institutions.

For students of color and others who are the first in their family to

But the federal Education budget for FY 2026, recently passed by the U.S. House of Representatives, would cut Pell Grant funding by $9 billion to $22.5 billion, compared to 2024’s $31.5 billion. If approved, this significant cut will mean that next year, a vital program will serve fewer students with smaller grants, changed student eligibility, and fewer institutions that

would be allowed to administer the program.

Currently, the maximum Pell Grant award for the 2025-26 academic year is $7,395 and can be used by both full- and part-time students.

If the Senate agrees to the Housepassed budget, a maximum Pell award would drop to $5,710 for the 2026-27 academic year and be limited to only students completing 30 academic credit hours, or 12 to 15 credits per semester. Students completing at least 12 academic hours but fewer than full-time would receive smaller,

Marc H. Morial

pro-rated grants.

Students enrolled in fewer than 12 credit hours would no longer be eligible for Pell Grants. Both community colleges and the adult students they serve would be affected by this specific change. Adult students are often employed and have dependent children with responsibilities that do not allow for heavy class loads. Even so, these students choose to return to academic studies to enhance their skills, credentials and earnings.

At a recent hearing by the Senate’s Health, Education, Labor and Pen-

sions (HELP) Committee, a prominent HBCU president spoke out against enacting these steep cuts.

“Today, PELL Grants provide up to $7,395 annually to more than seven million low- and moderate-income students,” testified Tuskegee University President Mark A. Brown. “For context, a single parent with two children earning up to $51,818 adjusted gross income (225% of the federal poverty guideline) can qualify for the maximum award.

“However, this maximum amount

The Big Ugly Bill Would Deny Ordinary Americans the Right to Seek Justice Through the Courts

its founding, and a brazen attempt crown Trump king.” — Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer

“Senate Republicans tried to write Donald Trump’s contempt for the courts into law — gutting judicial enforcement, defying the Constitution, and bulldozing the very rule of law that forms our democracy,” Schumer said in a statement. “It was nothing short of an assault on the system of checks and balances that has anchored this nation since

The forced resignation of James E. Ryan as president of the University of Virginia at the hands of the Trump administration marks a dangerous precedent for American higher education. The federal government’s ultimatum that Ryan step down as a condition for resolving a civil rights investigation into the university’s diversity, equity and

With an intimidated congressional majority unwilling to stand up to even the most egregious actions by the Trump administration, it falls to the courts to protect the rights of vulnerable Americans.

A provision in the “Big Ugly Bill” — the budget reconciliation bill currently pending in the Senate — would make that nearly impossible.

The provision would require anyone suing the federal government for a violation of their rights to post enormous bonds to cover any potential costs to the government before a court could issue an order that would stop that violation.

Only billionaires and massive corporations would have the means to seek justice. The right to petition the government for a redress of grievances, enshrined in the First Amendment, would be denied to ordinary Americans.

The good news is that the Senate parliamentarian has determined that the provision violates the socalled “Byrd Rule,” which restricts the content of reconciliation legislation. The reconciliation process protects the Big Ugly Bill from a filibuster, and the majority does not have the 60 votes required to avoid one.

That means the provision is likely to be struck from the bill before the Senate begins debate next week. Senate Majority Leader John Thune has promised not

to eliminate the filibuster; on the other hand, he has been known to ignore the parliamentarian’s rulings.

The National Urban League is among the scores of individuals and organizations that have filed at least 300 lawsuits against the Trump administration. Federal courts have at least temporarily blocked the administration’s actions at least 198 times. But the courts would be powerless to stop

inclusion programs is not just governmental overreach — it is a direct threat to the independence of public universities and the principles of academic freedom.

The Trump administration, aided by a governing Board of Visitors appointed entirely by Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin, forced Ryan’s ouster. The move undermines the principle of state control over public universities. While it sparked outrage on campus and across the state of Virginia, it contradicts the political philosophy held by conser-

vatives, who advocate for “limited government” while fighting against the encroaching power of the federal government.

In June 2025, the Justice Department informed the University of Virginia that Ryan’s resignation was a prerequisite for resolving its civil rights investigation. The Justice Department had threatened to block all federal funds to the second-oldest public university in the country if Ryan remained in office.

The New York Times first reported Ryan’s resignation, citing DOJ

claims that the institution had merely rebranded its DEI efforts instead of eliminating them. If Ryan chose to fight and challenge the firing, he could have easily tapped into a university-trained legal community that would have backed him. He would also have the support of the network of alumni and students from the state’s flagship institution, who share a passionate commitment to academic freedom.

Ultimately, Ryan chose the selfless route. In a letter to the university community, Ryan wrote, “To make

a long story short, I am inclined to fight for what I believe in, and I believe deeply in the University. But I cannot make a unilateral decision to fight the federal government in order to save my own job. To do so would not only be quixotic but appear selfish and self-centered to the hundreds of employees who would lose their jobs, the researchers who would lose their funding, and the hundreds of students who could lose financial aid or have their visas withheld.”

David W. Marshall

Guest Columnist

Guest Columnist

Marilyn Mosby: A True Shero

too many, including Black people who didn’t take the time to get the facts about what happened in the case against her.

For more than a year, I’ve been involved in working with Baltimore’s former state’s attorney, Marilyn Mosby, who has spent the past five years of her life defending herself and was ultimately forced to wear an ankle bracelet for a year when she should have been praised for the great work she was doing. Her case was misunderstood by

Mosby is not a crook and did not deserve what the government did to her. It was Donald Trump’s wish that she be prosecuted for prosecuting others who should have been upholding the law. He wanted to interfere in her city by taking over and perhaps killing a few Black people to “teach them a lesson” about showing their anger for the killing of Freddie Gray —

a Black man who died in police custody. Many in Baltimore were angry, being given no rational reason for Gray’s death while he was being taken to a police station.

She is a brilliant attorney who served as an example for other prosecutors throughout the nation. While I was not her counsel, I was on her team. Many helped us get nearly 100,000 petitions for a pardon. We shared those petitions with President Joe Biden, who had pardoned his own son. Even though he was leaving office, we

Following the Facts on Child Well-Being

Last month, the Annie E. Casey Foundation released its 2025 edition of the KIDS COUNT Data Book, an annual resource that measures national and state data on economic well-being, education, health, and family and community factors.

As they sum up their latest findings: “This year’s trends

paint a complex picture: steady progress in some areas, setbacks in others and persistent opportunities to do better for kids and their families. Since 2019, seven of the 16 key indicators have improved, six have worsened and three have not changed.”

Among the troubling results, “the number of teenagers disconnected from school or work has risen sharply, academic outcomes are still worse than before the COVID-19 pandemic, and, most concerning, more young

people are dying.”

As members of Congress continue to debate their spending — and slashing — priorities for the federal budget, and as the Children’s Defense Fund continues to urge senators to reject proposed cuts to critical health, nutrition, and financial stability programs, this is among the many kinds of data that could help Congress determine what choices children, young people, and families in their states need them to make.

Our nation should embrace ev -

believed he understood the case against Marilyn, so we set out to work on Mosby’s team.

Johnny Ford, leader of the World Conference of Mayors, supported the pardon. The Congressional Black Caucus and nearly 100,000 people learned the facts and readily signed the pardon petition. Knowing of the support of nearly every civil rights organization leader who’d supported Biden, we thought the pardon was a no-brainer. Yet, he left office without a word. People who knew

the facts supported the pardon. We heard nothing in response to our request.

The government sought to send Marilyn to prison for as much as 40 years for spending her own money to buy property during COVID-19. Over 700 people in Baltimore did the same thing she did — used money from their similar accounts, which nobody questioned.

I listened to a recording where

ery opportunity to lift up what is working and what remains necessary in order for children and families to thrive.

One of the report’s features is its breakdown of indicators by state, ultimately giving each state a ranking: “Where a child lives continues to matter deeply, with stark geographic disparities shaped by local and state policies, economic conditions, community investment and infrastructure.

This year’s Data Book highlights these patterns clearly: States fac -

In Iowa, a Pipeline Fight Shows What the People Can Do

democracy.

That is what just happened in Iowa.

It is easy to be cynical about politics these days. More than cynical. The rise of political violence, fueled by partisan division and anti-democracy extremism, continues to leave Americans of every race, religion, state and political stripe horrified.

But every so often, something remarkable happens that reminds us who really holds the power in a

Imagine a private company wants to build a potentially dangerous pipeline through your backyard and the government decides your rights as a property owner matter less than the profits of said company. And it uses eminent domain — the power to seize private land for public use — to take control over part of your land as a gift to the company. For four years now, farmers and other landowners, environmentalists,

Indigenous groups and Iowans from all walks of life have come together to fight this outrageous idea.

Eminent domain is supposed to be reserved strictly for projects that are in the public good. The carbon capture and storage pipeline being pursued by Summit Carbon Solutions in Iowa does not serve the public good. It serves corporate profits. And the people of Iowa — Republicans and Democrats alike — have said no. Loudly. Repeatedly.

This year, that fight reached a new peak.

After years of stonewalling by the GOP leadership of the Iowa state Senate, the body finally allowed debate on legislation to curb eminent domain abuse. Why? Because 12 Senate Republicans joined with Democrats and refused to pass a state budget until the bill got a vote. That has never happened before in Iowa’s Senate. It was a political earthquake.

Those 12 Republicans put their careers on the line. Senate leadership retaliated. Bills were reassigned. One senator, Mark Lofgren, even went public, saying in a letter to constit-

ing the biggest challenges are largely in the South and Southwest — Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Nevada, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas and West Virginia. In contrast, many Northeast and Midwest states rank near the top — Connecticut, Iowa, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, North Dakota and Vermont. Utah also stands out as a strong

uents that he was being “bullied” by his own leadership for standing with the people.

In the Iowa House, which had passed similar bills in previous sessions, the vote this year was more than lopsided: 85-10 in favor of the bill. That reflects the popular movement that has grown across the state over these past years.

The broad bipartisan coalition that has organized and built that movement was energized by recent

Ben Jealous

Guest Columnist

E. Faye Williams EDELMAN

Marian Wright Edelman

Guest Columnist

LIFESTYLE

Things To Do, DMV!

By Trevor Johnson WI Intern

The first weekend of July is packed with events across the DMV, from Fourth of July celebrations and concerts, to art workshops, community gatherings, and powerful cultural programs.

Whether looking for live music, local history, or just soaking up the summer, there’s events and programming to engage the whole family.

Check out a handful of the fun projects below and don’t forget to check the Washington Informer Calendar to keep up with all the events!

THURSDAY, JULY 3

Try It Thursday: Sea Glass Mosaic

7 p.m. - 9 p.m. | $52.00 Hammer & stain Rockville, 107B gibbs Street Rockville, MD 20850

Get creative at this hands-on, twohour Sea Glass Mosaic Workshop, where guests will design a unique mosaic on a pre-stained wooden square.

Choose to follow along with an instructor to create a beautiful sea glass wave or freestyle a design using authentic sea glass pieces. Attendees will also have the option to personalize artwork with touches like paint, sand, or seashells.

Take a Break: New Line Brass Band

7 p.m. - 8:30 p.m. | Free Halley Rise, 2025 Fulton Place Reston, VA 20191

Enjoy the vibrant energy of New Orleans jazz with the New Line Brass Band’s bold sounds and lively rhythms in a fun summer evening setting.

Presented by Reston Community Center and Halley Rise in partnership with MSE Productions, the event will offer guests a chance to enjoy live entertainment and celebrate talent from across the Mid-Atlantic.

FRIDAY,

JULY 4

The DMV’s Biggest 4th of July Weekend Party

7 p.m. - 11:59 p.m. | Free THRōW Social® Washington, 1401 Okie Street NE #STE #102 Washington, D.C. 20002

Celebrate the 4th of July weekend at THRōW Social DC from Friday, July 4 through Sunday, July 6.

Enjoy live GoGo with New Impressionz Band Friday night, plus DJs spinning all weekend.

While there, sip on drink specials, patriotic shots, and beer bucket deals, with whole food and drink menus available.

Plus, relax on the rooftop, play jumbo games, and snap pics in the tropical-themed space.

VIP cabanas accommodating up to 10 guests are also available for reservation.

July 4th at the National Archives

9 a.m. | Free National Archives Museum, 701 Constitution Avenue. NW, Washington, D.C. 20408

Start the Fourth of July at the National Archives with a morning full of celebration and tradition.

In the spirit of the holiday, enjoy live music and a stirring reading of the Declaration of Independence by historical reenactors on the steps of this iconic landmark.

SATURDAY, JULY 5

What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?

11 a.m. - 1 p.m. | Free Frederick Douglass National Historic Site, 1411 W Street SE, Washington, D.C. 20020

On July 5, head to the Frederick Douglass National Historic Site for a thought-provoking event centered around the abolitionist’s powerful speech, “What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?”

Tour the late orator and freedom fighter’s historic Cedar Hill estate, watch performances by winners of

the Douglass Oratorical Contest, and join in a full public reading of the imperative address that still resonates today.

Luther Vandross Tribute Show with J. Paul and Friends

8 p.m. - 9 p.m. | $44.52

New Deal Cafe, 113 Centerway Greenbelt, MD 20770

Spend an evening surrounded by the smooth sounds and unforgettable hits of Luther Vandross, brought to life by The J. Paul Experience and TruVoice Music Collective.

This heartfelt tribute celebrates one of R&B’s most iconic voices with classic songs that will have “everybody swinging, dancing to the music.”

SUNDAY, JULY 6

Punk The Capital: Building a Sound Movement

6 p.m. - 8 p.m. | $8.00

AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center, 8633 Colesville Road, Silver Spring, MD 20910

Join filmmaker James June Schneider, musician Alec MacKaye, and Matt Moffatt of Positive Force DC and Smash Records for a Q&A following a screening of Punk the Capital: Building a Sound Movement.

The documentary explores the rise of the District’s punk scene from 1976 to 1983, featuring rare Super 8

5THRōW Social is hosting a Fourth of July party with a rooftop, live DJs, flag shots, and nonstop energy. (Courtesy Photo/Thrōw Social DC, Facebook)

THINGS TO DO from Page 30

footage and performances by bands such as Bad Brains and Minor Threat.

Through interviews with key figures, the film captures how D.C. punk became a defining force in DIY culture and independent music.

City of Lights Helping Hands - Food Pantry

12:30 p.m. - 2:30 p.m. | Free

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 520 Randolph Road Silver Spring, MD 20904

The City of Lights Helping Hands Food Pantry offers free food assistance to individuals and families in need. This event provides essential groceries to help meet basic nutritional needs in a welcoming, supportive environment.

All are welcome. WI

serious charge of racketeering conspiracy, which carried the possibility of life in prison. Jurors also declined to convict Combs of sex trafficking either woman.

Prosecutors alleged that Combs used his businesses and employees to arrange hotels, flights, and drugs for what witnesses described as “freakoff” encounters. They argued that his staff helped maintain control over the women through manipulation and intimidation.

Defense attorneys countered that while Combs’ personal relationships were unconventional, they were consensual, and that the government had

overreached by attempting to portray them as part of an organized criminal enterprise.

The two guilty verdicts on Mann Act violations are serious felony convictions, each punishable by up to 10 years in prison. Sentencing has not yet been scheduled.

As Combs stood to leave, he turned to his family, blew a kiss, and said quietly, “I love you all.”

One of his lawyers told reporters outside court, “Mr. Combs appreciates that the jury looked closely at the evidence. While we are disappointed in the convictions, we are grateful for the acquittals and will continue to fight at sentencing.”

PERFORMANCES BEGIN TUESDAY!

JULY 8 - SEPTEMBER 7

5The J. Paul Experience presents a soulful tribute to the legendary Luther Vandross, brought to life by powerhouse vocals and timeless hits. (Courtesy Photo)

HOT TOPICS from Page 4

Celebrating 10 Years of Congress Heights Arts and Culture Center

Juneteenth Gala Marks a Milestone

By William Armstead and Maven McGann WI Summer Interns

In a Juneenth celebration of the arts and freedom, Congress Heights

Arts and Culture Center (CHACC) marked 10 years of creating space for Black artists to thrive with a fundraising gala themed “Soufside Strong: Survival by Design.”

Held at the Old Congress Heights School, at 3100 Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue SE, the event was not only centered around CHACC’s decade of service, but highlighted the wealth of local artists— particularly from Southeast, D.C. — who are using their art toward positive change.

Keyonna Jones, founder and executive director of Congress Heights Arts and Culture Center, said she has seen a further appreciation for the arts in her hometown— with CHACC being part of that shift.

“Nobody respected the arts, especially not in Southeast,” Jones, a proud Southeast, D.C. native, told The Informer.

As she walked through the space, taking in the artists, Jones shared her journey from youth to achieving 10 years and counting with CHACC.

“I grew up kind of being a weirdo, just being different, and not having a space... there wasn’t anything around me to tell me I was an artist and not a weirdo,” said. “It was the little girl in me that needed this space to feel and be, and be safe being myself. So, I created a home for [myself].”

As she watched the District begin to further embrace the arts and local artists, she said a big moment came when she helped create the Black Lives Matter mural in Northwest, D.C., which was recently removed due to conservative pressure and threats. That experience made her realize that the city was finally beginning to understand the power of Black art.

“That’s when I saw the transition,” she said, during the celebration held at what is now a satellite campus for the University of the District of Columbia. “Sometimes we don’t get the recognition we deserve, but people find you.”

The event furthered that recognition.

From the moment guests arrived, the energy was high. Black Owned businesses lined the entrance, showcasing everything from handmade jewelry and cloth-

ing to candles and art.

Inside, there was a buzz of excitement, amplified by the powerful presence of local musicians, visual artists, and creators who were honored throughout the night. The electrifying Experience Band set the tone with a high-energy performance that had the crowd moving.

“It’s a great honor to be able to come to a neighborhood with your people, give them the joy of our music, of our culture, and just be involved with each other,” said band member Travis “The Trombone King” Gardner.

D.C. resident Mia Evans, who was working the event, said she makes a point of being part of the annual Juneteenth arts celebration.

“I know there are a lot of events, but this is my third time doing this,” said Evans. “It’s a really good community.”

PRESERVING CULTURE AND TRADITIONS

THROUGH THE ARTS

With free food, drinks, live painting, character drawings, and opportunities to support a wide range of Black owned businesses, the evening allowed guests to mingle, dance, and celebrate the past, present, and future of Southeast, D.C.

Imani K. Brown, a proud D.C. native and founder of Black Tattoo Anthology, was proud to be vending at the 10th anniversary celebration as she is on a mission to uplift Black tattoo culture, while opening doors for the next generation of artists.

“Black Tattoo Anthology is a nonprofit dedicated to preserving the culture, the history, and passing down the tradition of tattooing to Black people who want to enter the industry,” Brown told The Informer.

Her work focuses on creating access in an industry that often lacks representation and equity.

“We raise money and gather resources for people who want to learn how to tattoo,” she said, “so they have a way in.”

WI Read more on washingtoninformer.com.

3 Phinis Jones, gives a speech before his daughter Keyonna Jones, founder and executive director of Congress Heights Arts and Culture Center, gives out awards. (Courtesy

Photo/Khalid Naji-Allah)J

You are surrounded by idiophones! And anyone can play them!

hat is an idiophone? Idio means self and phone means sound. Idiophones are instruments of solid materials that vibrate when hit, shaken, plucked, scraped, rubbed, stamped or crashed together. But who’s to say what’s an instrument?

Stomping your foot on the floor turns the floor into an idiophone. Tapping a pencil on your desk uses the desk as an idiophone. Think of other things that could be idiophones.

Standards Link: Performing Arts/Music: Students perform a varied repertoire of music on instruments.

Partially fill empty plastic yogurt containers with different things: sand, seeds, marbles, uncooked beans, rice or pasta. Cap and shake. Notice the different sounds each makes.

Match the marbles.

Pencil or dowel String or wire

A sound box (you can use an empty co ee can, bucket or cardboard box) A stick about twice the height of your sound box

File a notch on one end of your stick. The notch will help hold the stick in place on the rim of the can.

On the other end of the stick, have an adult drill a small hole. Feed the string through and tie to secure.

Turn the coffee can upside down. Have an adult punch a small hole in the bottom of the can. Feed the string through and tie a pencil or dowel on the end of it. Set the notch end of the stick on the rim of the can.

Hold the gutbucket as shown here, pulling the string taut. Then, start plucking!

Find the di erences between the two pictures.

During the 1700s, playing music on glasses was a popular pastime. The glasses were partially filled with water and the person playing the glasses would slightly wet a finger and rub it around the top of the glass.

The more water you put in the glass, the deeper the note it will play

Fill some glasses with different amounts of water, and see what kinds of sounds you can create.

Try tapping the rim of each glass with a pencil or spoon for another kind of sound.

Under each glass, circle the fraction that best describes how much of the glass is lled with water.

Standards Link: Math/Number Sense: Identify and use fractions.

Your Country

Look through the newspaper for ten or more words that describe your country and how you feel about it. Put these words into alphabetical order.

Standards Link: Spelling: Arrange words in alphabetical order.

Find the words by looking up, down, backwards, forwards, sideways and diagonally.

Onomatopoeia

This refers to a word that sounds just like what it means. For example, the word buzz sounds like the noise it describes. Look through the newspaper for five or more examples of onomatopoeia.

Standards Link: Vocabulary: Identify and use onomatopoeia.

Write a song about summer that can be sung to the tune of Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.

review wi book

“Madame Queen: The Life and Crimes of Harlem’s Underground Racketeer, Stephanie St. Clair” by Mary

Kay McBrayer

c.2025, Park Row Books

$30 / 256 pages

Terri Schlichenmeyer WI Contributing Writer

Keep your eyes on the prize.

If you want something enough, you’ll never, ever lose sight of that goal. You’ll do what it takes to achieve it, letting it linger in your dreams at night and dictate where you live, who you live with, where you work, and what you do. Never look away, keep your eyes on the prize. As you’ll see in “Madame Queen” by Mary Kay McBrayer, it might be worth it.

It’s likely that young Stephanie St. Clair learned to lie from her mother.

Ancelin, says McBrayer, knew her daughter was “shrewd.” She probably figured that sending Stephanie alone on a ship from Guadalupe to New York was a chance for the girl to “spin straw into gold,” never mind that Stephanie was just 13 years old. Still, it soon became obvious that Ancelin was correct: Stephanie took the ruse further and told a ship’s worker that she was 23.

The year was 1911 and Stephanie arrived in New York, to a home for young female immigrants. McBrayer doesn’t believe that Stephanie made many friends there, but she kept her eyes open to opportunity, discovering at the White Rose Home for Colored Working Girls that she was good with numbers. There, she was also taught to sew, clean, save money, and how to comport herself as a lady.

Just beyond the doors of the home, she learned to shoot dice.

She was with a man who was courting her when she learned to play the numbers.

Though it’s a fact that she married George Gachette not long afterward, Stephanie never directly mentioned it anywhere, nor did she mention the child they had or the day she rented a room in Harlem and abruptly left them both. She took a job at a dress factory; later, she moonlighted at a bank, and began to plan.

From then on, says McBrayer, “She was investing in her own future …” She was also building her own crime empire.

In her introduction, author Mary Kay McBrayer explains how this book came to be: she read something about Stephanie St. Clair and went in search for more but information was scarce. She admits that she inferred much and made up a lot to craft this story. She calls it “creative nonfiction,” and in “Madame Queen,” it works.

Such conjecture, in fact, actually works better because McBrayer serves as a kind of narrator in Stephanie’s story, filling in the many, many blanks with plausible conversations and likely facts that she backs up with sound reasoning. Indeed, the imaginary oozes between the truth to make this feel like a novel, but with occasional reminders that reality is somewhere, inside, outside, or nearby. It’s a tale told with fine sleuthing, dogged journalism, a well-described backdrop, and a touch of obvious admiration for its subject.

Readers who love biographies and can accept some speculation will devour this book, as will fans of historical novels, 1920s history, and “The Sopranos.” Look for “Madame Queen,” it’s a good surprise for the eyes. WI

horoscopes

LIFESTYLE

JULY 3 - 9, 2025

ARIES Dynamic momentum accelerates ambitious projects as Mars charges through your achievement sector, bringing recognition through fearless initiatives that transform obstacles into stepping stones. Leadership opportunities multiply when decisive action demonstrates commitment while inspiring others to exceed limitations. Lucky Numbers: 7, 15, 28

TAURUS Financial foundations solidify through deliberate cultivation as Venus enriches your prosperity sector, bringing abundance through patient nurturing of long-term investments that appreciate beyond speculative gambles. Sensual pleasures enhance satisfaction when quality experiences replace quantity accumulation. Lucky Numbers: 2, 19, 33

GEMINI Intellectual versatility opens multiple success channels as Mercury activates your communication sector, bringing breakthrough connections through articulate expression synthesizing complex information into accessible wisdom. Social networks expand when curious engagement generates mutual fascination across diverse circles. Lucky Numbers: 6, 24, 37

CANCER Emotional intelligence guides practical decisions as lunar wisdom deepens your intuitive sector, bringing clarity through sensitive perception recognizing underlying currents influencing surface situations. Family dynamics harmonize when protective instincts balance with respectful autonomy, nurturing independence while maintaining connection bonds. Lucky Numbers: 4, 17, 31

LEO Creative magnetism attracts collaborative opportunities as solar energy illuminates your expression sector, bringing applause through generous performances showcasing individual brilliance while elevating collective achievement. Entertainment ventures succeed when authentic passion overrides calculated market appeal, creating memorable experiences resonating with diverse audiences. . Lucky Numbers: 1, 13, 26

VIRGO Methodical excellence produces measurable improvements as earth energies perfect your service sector, bringing advancement through systematic refinement addressing comprehensive efficiency rather than isolated adjustments. Professional reputation strengthens when consistent quality delivery demonstrates reliability more convincingly than promotional campaigns. Lucky Numbers: 8, 21, 35

LIBRA Harmonious relationships facilitate mutual prosperity as Venus balances your partnership sector, bringing collaboration success through elegant diplomacy transforming competitive tensions into synergistic opportunities. Aesthetic judgments influence strategic decisions when beauty considerations enhance practical functionality while creating emotionally satisfying outcomes. Social influence expands midweek when authentic grace attracts genuine connections transcending superficial networking, building lasting alliances based on shared values. Lucky Numbers: 3, 16, 29

SCORPIO Transformative insights penetrate complex mysteries as Pluto intensifies your investigation sector, bringing revelations through persistent exploration exposing hidden connections governing surface circumstances. Psychological understanding deepens when intuitive perception supplements analytical reasoning, revealing motivational patterns influencing behavioral choices. Lucky Numbers: 9, 22, 36

SAGITTARIUS Philosophical wisdom guides practical application as Jupiter expands your understanding sector, bringing enlightenment through cultural exploration broadening perspective while deepening appreciation for universal human experiences. Educational adventures advance when theoretical learning combines with experiential immersion, creating comprehensive knowledge applicable across diverse situations. Lucky Numbers: 5, 18, 32

CAPRICORN Structural achievements support lasting legacy as Saturn consolidates your authority sector, bringing recognition through disciplined construction building enduring institutions rather than temporary accomplishments. Executive responsibilities expand when proven competence demonstrates capability for handling increased complexity while maintaining operational excellence. . Lucky Numbers: 10, 25, 38

AQUARIUS Revolutionary concepts address collective advancement as Uranus transforms your innovation sector, bringing progress through unconventional solutions serving community development while celebrating individual creative contributions. Group collaborations thrive when diverse expertise receives democratic consideration within inclusive processes respecting all perspectives. Lucky Numbers: 11, 27, 34

PISCES Spiritual wisdom merges with worldly effectiveness as Neptune clarifies your transcendence sector, bringing understanding through contemplative practices enhancing practical engagement rather than encouraging detached withdrawal. Artistic expression achieves emotional depth when technical proficiency supports authentic creative vision without overwhelming intuitive spontaneity. Lucky Numbers: 12, 23, 39

SPORTS

Langston Youth Golf Program Celebrates 36 Years, Wizards

Usher in New Era

Langston Junior Boys and Girls Club

Celebrates 36 Years

Skylar Nelson WI Contributing Writer

From honoring a local youth golf program, to ushering in a new era of D.C. sports, it has been a thrilling week for fans in the nation’s capital. Here’s everything you need to know about the action packed week.

LANGSTON HUGHES

JR. BOYS AND GIRLS CLUB CELEBRATES

36 YEARS

The Langston Junior Boys and Girls Golf Club celebrated 36 yearsof dedicated service to District youth, through sports, mentorship and community engagement on June 24 in Northeast, D.C.

Ray Savoy started the youth golf program as a grassroots initiative to connect youth who were considered at-risk with positive mentors. The program grew vital to the D.C. community as it shaped the lives of chil-

dren and teens through golf and wise guidance.

For many youth, the program provides their first exposure to golf, a sport often associated with wealth and exclusivity.

Within the Langston youth golf program, barriers are broken.

Students from marginalized communities learn to swing a club, meet professionals, and form lifelong relationships with mentors who understand their challenges.

“This is more or less a reason why we try to do it at the Junior Boys and Girls program, to bring out our young people,” said Hughes. “To show them that they can play a different sport than the traditional football, basketball, baseball. With this game, we teach them and tell them that they have to think and use their minds.”

Held at the historic Langston Golf Course, located along Benning Road NE, in the shadow of RFK Stadium, the 30th anniversary celebration was both a reflection on a powerful legacy

and a look towards the future.

The event brought together families, children, program alumni, local mentors, and community leaders to celebrate the program’s profound impact on the city’s youth.

As a part of the celebration, Howard University’s School of Social Work presented Savoy with a special award, honoring his decades of service, fortitude, and unwavering dedication to improving the lives of D.C. youth. The recognition also highlighted his ability to provide structure and support at a time when the city continues to face rising crime and violence.

During the event, three high school graduates who completed the golf program were awarded $1,000 scholarships as they prepare to begin college.

After years of working with the program, Savoy revealed plans to step into a behind-the-scenes role during the June 24 celebration. The program is set to continue under the guidance of George Hall.

“Mr. Savoy has been doing this for over 35 years but it’s that time to pass the torch and I’ve known Mr. Savoy for over 25 years, said Hall, who plans to continue Savoy’s work and uplift his legacy. “Of course I didn’t plan on becoming the executive director but this is such a labor of love for me.”

Washington Wizards Welcome New Draft Picks To The District And Preview A Bold Vision For Franchise

The Washington Wizards made a definitive statement at the 2025 NBA Draft in Brooklyn, New York.

In a whirlwind of draft selections and roster moves, the Wizards added three promising young players to an already youthful team, signaling a full

commitment to rebuilding the franchise from the ground up.

“Thank you to everyone… as we usher in this new wave of Washington Wizards basketball,” said Will Dawkins, the team’s general manager, in the introductory press conference of the new draft picks on June 28. “We are really excited and very fortunate to be adding these three young men.”

Headlining the first night of the draft was the selection of Texas guard Tre Johnson with the sixth overall pick. As one of college basketball’s top scorers last season, the 19-yearold earned Southeastern Conference (SEC) Rookie of the Year honors after averaging 19.9 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 0.9 steals per game.

His polished shooting stroke and scoring versatility should give Washington an immediate offensive threat, presenting a potential foundational piece to the franchise on a long-term scale.

Now spending time with his family in the D.C. area, Johnson said he’s excited to start his basketball career in the DMV.

“It’s just been great, especially having my family down here, getting to tour around the city, and especially getting to meet these guys for sure,” he said about his fellow draft picks. “It’s just been great— leaving Brooklyn high emotions and getting here still high emotions, still happy about being in the city.”

Washington then orchestrated a trade with the Utah Jazz to acquire the rights to Will Riley, the 21st overall pick. Riley, a 6-foot-8 wing out of Illinois, was named Big Ten Sixth Man of the Year, averaging 12.6 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 2.2 assists per game off

the bench.

Known for his length, athleticism, and ability to make transitional plays, Riley adds depth and upside to the growing core of under-21 talent.

In the second round, the Wizards selected Jamir Watkins with the 43rd overall pick, another acquisition from the Utah trade. The former Florida State standout brings physical presence on the wing with strong on-ball defense.

Watkins’ combination of size and toughness makes him a viable candidate for a standard NBA contract, especially as Washington continues to seek low-cost players while continuing to expand the possibilities within their salary cap.

The wave of draft additions follows a separate trade earlier in the week, in which Washington sent out Jordan Poole and Saddiq Bey in exchange for veterans CJ McCollum and Kelly Olynyk.

While McCollum and Khris Middleton provide valuable experience, the Wizards are clearly building their franchise around their young core headlined by Johnson, Riley, Watkins, and their 2024-25 All Rookie honorees Bub Carrington and Alex Sarr.

As general manager, Dawkins also used the press conference to thank fans for constantly cheering the Wizards on and embracing the new draft picks.

“Ever since draft night and the draft party you’ve been checking in, and monitoring in, and you guys have really welcomed these guys and got behind them, and gave them support and some energy,” Dawkins said. “So please continue to support them and their teammates.” WI

5Ray Savoy (center), founder of Langston Junior Boy’s and Girl’s Golf Club, and others celebrate 36 years of dedicated service to District youth on June 24. (Ja’Mon Jackson/The Washington Informer)

52025 NBA Draft picks Jamir Watkins (left), Will Riley (middle) and Tre Johnson (right), and Wizards General Manager Will Dawkins (far right) at the Wizards Introductory Press Conference on June 28. (Marcus Relacion/The Washington Informer)

CAPTURE the moment

Newly drafted Washington Wizards Tre Johnson, Will Riley and Jamir Watkins joined leaders from D.C. Parks and Recreation, the D.C. Council, Clark Construction, and Monumental Sports and Entertainment (MSE) to unveil a newly refurbished basketball court with a ribbon cutting ceremony at Marvin Gaye Recreation Center on Saturday, June 28. After the official ribbon cutting, was the Jr. Wizards Youth Basketball Clinic took, presented by Clark Construction.

(Ja’Mon Jackson/The Washington Informer)

RELIGION

From Apathy to Action: D.C. Leaders Are Adamant to Bring Youth Back to the Church

Getting Back to the Basics: Shifting Familial, Institutional Values

By Jada Ingleton WI Content Editor

As the nation grapples with a waging battle for democracy, communities of faith endure a concurrent trek to reform – revitalizing the relationship between young people and the church.

Amid masspread organizations such as the extended “Target Target” boycott, announced by the Rt. Rev. Reginald T. Jackson to local churches in February, and the April 16 D.C. Emancipation Day Speakout (both birthed at Northwest’s historic Metropolitan AME Church), faith-based leaders embody the ancestral foundation of faith activism, while reminding prosperity depends on that of its future leaders.

“Let’s go and have an honest conversation…tell them how much we need them, how valuable they are, and how much they have to offer,” said the Rev. Tony Lee, pastor of Community Hope AME Church, on April 16. “The reality is we’re not going to be able to have longevity for this movement if we don’t get these young brothers and sisters to the table.”

Citing a shift in familial values, forced social stigmas, and a growing distrust in religion, some faith activists argue half the battle starts at home with youth, as well as within these sacred institutions.

“Young people have been saying with their actions and their words that our institutions are not addressing their concerns or taking their perspectives seriously. There is an opportunity for growth for institutional leaders and for young people,” Faith in Public Life

CEO Jeanné Lewis recently told The Informer, later nodding to intergenerational collaboration as means to “seek justice.” “I believe that only together will we find the answer to some of these problems we’ve never had to face before.”

GETTING BACK TO THE BASICS:

FAMILIAL, INSTITUTIONAL VALUES NEED TO CHANGE

Father Robert Boxie, a priest of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington, said that when he was growing up, instilled faith values and practices like going to church were not only the norm, but a foundation of familial structure.

“Nowadays, we don’t have that,” Boxie told The Washington Informer. “We live in a society, a culture, that is less faith aware, less faith centered, and so you have children that are growing up in households [where]...faith is not part of what we do and how we raise [them].”

A product of the ‘90s, Boxie recalls when it was common to be familiar with Biblical references like the story of creation, the Ten Commandments, and Noah and the Flood, recognizing it as a generational passage to know who God is and believe in him “because that’s what you did.”

As Catholic chaplain of Howard University and the Thea Bowman Catholic Student Center, which officially opened in 2023, Boxie noted there is a desire and place for religion

among youth. But the blossoming dissonance of external influences and lack of exposure only fuel a fire that youth mentor Greg Raleigh originates to “the explosion of the single family concept in the 90s.”

“What can you say if the city tells us we’re limited, and then the schools tell us we’re limited, and then we know the parents aren’t as active as they should be in teaching it?” said Raleigh, director of Food for Fuel. “You see the perfect storm.”

Raleigh, also founder of True-Voices, said he accepts a responsibility to teach youth how to “develop a sense of spirituality,” something he considers a natural part of child development.

Now in his 50s, the health and fitness guru reflected on his own upbringing in youth ministries, noting opportunities to learn and present sermons which not only boosted morale and interest, but further helped children develop confidence and ambition.

Moreover, he added how an internal spiritual relationship promotes the guise of respect for self and others, which frame ideals that can influence cognition and behavior down the line.

“By about the time they get to 12, [kids have] lost all hope,” Raleigh told The Informer. “And I can tell kids that the power of hope is founded in your development of the spiritual side of your life.”

Among Lewis’ list of moral roots that can propel youth include: justice,

ing it a hindrance to the progress for intergenerational connections.

“If our churches are condemning people because of their gender expression, sexual orientation, race, ethnicity or political party,” she continued, “it comes into conflict with the more expansive relationships we now have access to.”

REIGNITING THE CHURCH’S ‘POWER OF INFLUENCE’

While the visible decline in youth engagement is arguably harmful to faith institutions, Raleigh and Boxie propose it doesn’t bode well for modern generations either.

The True-Voices founder topped this point with another frustration forging mistrust.

“Children may not understand the balance between reality and spirituality — they know it exists, but they don’t understand it,” Raleigh explained. “So the church will tell you ‘thou shalt not steal’ and ‘thou shalt not kill,’ but then you have Hollywood glorifying stealing and killing.”

accountability, forgiveness, compassion, and mercy, to name a few. The CEO noted some of these very principles apply in the local and national justice movements seen today, acknowledging the detriments to democratic participation that “erode gains made for equity.”

“When the president deploys to [the] National Guard to suppress peaceful protest in L.A., or threatens to arrest elected officials for holding him accountable, our faiths teach us how to protect. When the president spends our tax dollars for an unnecessary parade that will damage our infrastructure and ignores the leadership of our mayor…our faiths allow us to be empowered and prophetic, calling for better stewardship from our leaders,” she declared.

Thus, Faith in Public Life gauges an interfaith approach to promote an inclusive world and tackle political violence, such as rising attacks and threats against immigrants, students, LGBTQ+ groups, religious minorities, “BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, people of color) people,” and elected officials.

“Our faith traditions are rich with stories and teachings that help us navigate life’s challenges. But if we as leaders can’t apply those lessons to the lived experiences of young people, it’s hard for people to understand why they matter,” Lewis said.

She further denounced contradictions against love and hospitality, not-

Delving on personal experiences and moments of mentorship, the longtime youth advocate spoke of his intent to teach kids how to “use spirituality for conflict resolution,” highlighting how faith-led efforts can evoke change in: gang neighborhoods, distrust of police (which he’s seen firsthand lead to lower crime rates), and the common adolescent view to see “adults as the enemy.”

“We know the power of our influence used to come through the church,” Raleigh pleaded, as he cited the political success of figures like former D.C. Mayor Marion Barry and former President John F. Kennedy — both who established a presence within faith communities. “That kind of influence we have to figure out how to regain.”

One solution Boxie touted — also proposed by Lee during the April 16 Speakout — is to restructure leadership in the church, notably addressing the older incumbents who sometimes neglect to pass the baton to the next generation.

“We also need to be honest enough to admit that’s not just a church issue,” Lee said at Metropolitan AME. “Young people don’t see themselves in [civil rights] organizations, in leadership organizations, on the pulpits, on the stage…so therefore, they don’t see a space for themselves.”

Read more on washingtoninformer.com.

5During the April 16 D.C. Emancipation Day Speakout, held at Metropolitan AME Church, the Rev. Tony Lee emphasizes the need to shift generational stigmas against youth in order to ensure longevity in the fight for democracy. (Robert R. Roberts/The Washington Informer)

This week, I thought I would give you another inspirational message. This message reminds us that whatever it is we desire to do, the first thing you must do is believe it can be done.

It all begins with the thoughts you hold in your mind. Holding on to the past only stands in your way. I know because I did that for years! Just know that you are more than a conqueror. Get ready for big changes to come your way. Once you begin to believe in yourself the way you should, be thankful for all you have, and then build on it.

Notice the little things, smell the roses, and think on how good the Lord has been to you. He woke you up this morning, you could bathe and clothe yourself and were in your right mind. Just appreciate how the Lord has kept you!

Continue to count on him when there is no one else to count on — you have everything you need. Let’s not talk about things you want. Our flesh causes us to want so much more.

Finally, forgive those who have done you wrong. There is a lesson from that situation, that wrong, hurt someone caused. Yet, the good Lord needed you to know how to deal with the thing that happened. There are so many who say they have forgiven, but they are still holding on to the past. They have not let go of their issue fully; therefore, they are holding on to the past — and that, my friends,

the religion corner

WITH LYNDIA GRANT

I Believe It Can Be Done!

will only stand in their way.

Scripture tells us, “We are, indeed, more than conquerors!” The day you put these principles into action in your life, the sooner you will begin to see that you might as well get ready for big changes to come your way. Be thankful for all you have right now. You cannot move forward wanting what somebody else has and feeling bad about yourself, always thinking about what you do not have, having regrets, and thinking “you would have, you could have, you should have.” It is now time to walk by faith and not by sight.

Place a picture of the future you wish to have on your mirror or your bedroom wall, and hold on to that dream! Put your hands in God’s hand, and believe it can be done!

All along the way, smell the roses and live each day as if it could be your last. Go to the beach with friends and family, take on leadership roles in your community, sorority or other nonprofit groups, and your church. There is always plenty to do at church.

It is never too late to discover who we are in a new way. We are just like the caterpillar, which crawls on its belly but goes through various phases and will someday fly and become a lovely butterfly.

Just because you have had some horrible tendencies since you were young doesn’t mean they have to remain.

I love the Quincy Jones story so much that I’ll tell it to you again. We lost Quincy Jones on Nov. 3, 2024. He was 91 years old.

Quincy’s mother was schizophrenic. She was removed from the home when he was a young boy. He developed into the person he became while living with his father and grandmother. Jones always said, “Not one ounce of my self-worth depends on your acceptance of me!”

This quote was his way of realizing who he really was. He believed that what someone else thought of him did not mean one thing — what he thought of himself was what really mattered. I agree with that quote wholeheartedly.

The purpose of this article is to remind you to take control of your life and believe whatever you want to do can be done. You came to this earth equipped with all that it takes to fulfill that dream that is in your heart.

What is it that has happened during the course of your life that has caused you not to believe you are able to get this thing done? Forget about that negativity, and be willing to go to a place you’ve never been before. Be willing to do something you’ve never done before. As Ephesians 2:10 says, “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.”

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."

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Organized by D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser’s office, in tandem with the District Department of Transportation (DDOT), the local tradition, with the first in Capitol Hill, offered community engagement, with an emphasis on betterment, wellness, and propelling a thriving District.

“We are excited to bring the community together to experience our streets in a fun and safe way as we take over Capitol Hill for the first time in Open Streets DC history,” said Sharon Kershbaum, director of DDOT, ahead of the festival. “We are thankful for Mayor Bowser’s support in this initiative as we engage local businesses, educate about transportation safety and get moving together across the community.”

MOVING TOWARD A HEALTHIER DISTRICT

Since its inaugural celebration in 2019, the global phenomenon of Open Streets has brought the District an accessible exploration of local businesses, community organizations and District agencies, fun-filled with designated zones for live entertainment, children at play, and the core lens of revitalizing transportation.

With past events extending as far as three miles of road closures, Open Streets DC is fueled on the notion of “No Cars. Just People!,” establishing a precedent of reformed practices that

present long-term benefits to the nation’s capital and beyond.

“Our effort to get people to try new modes is like part of our North Star. Getting people out of single occupancy vehicles and using things like bikes, walking or promoting transit, those are all ways that we really push to reduce fossil fuel usage,” Kershbaum told The Informer.

After noting the environmental impact of alternative transportation as “well-proven and important,” Kershbaum also highlighted the event’s “natural blend” of promoting exercise and physical wellness while encouraging residents to step out of their comfort zones with commute methods like Lime and Capital Bikeshare DC, whose booths were nearby for handson app support.

Other booths encouraging community wellness included DC Health, DC Sustainable Energy Utility (DCSEU), the Sierra Club, Urban Forestry Division. Plus Jean touted discounts to Capital Bikeshare and utility rates, and appreciated learning information about student Metro card resources.

Meanwhile, business owners like Shevonne Monk leaned into the intergenerational prowess of “intuitive movement” to address a deeper issue targeting various communities, particularly women.

“A lot of women sit down at desks and things like that a lot…[and] get

OPEN STREETS Page 43 OPEN STREETS from Page 1

5For the first time in the program’s history, Open Streets DC made its Capitol Hill debut on June 28, immersing residents of the DMV region into a communal hub of engagement, health and wellness, and celebration of Southeast culture. (Jada Ingleton/The Washington Informer)

OPEN STREETS from Page 42

hip replacements as they age, but that’s because we’re not moving it,” Monk explained. “Today I was out here doing some intuitive movement – focusing on keeping the hips active, on keeping the spine young…and then I did what came intuitively to me, which is line dancing from the culture.”

Amid laughter and synchronized dancing, Monk, children and young adults alike set the tone for the day by getting their “Boots on the Ground” atop the grass behind Lincoln Park, joining in on other popular dance anthems like V.I.C.’s “Wobble” (2008) and Strafe’s “Set It Off” (1990).

As owner of Safe for Motherhood and Lifestyle Hood, Monk told The Informer line dancing can be as fun as it is imperative to lifelong mobility and “strengthening the pelvic floor,” something the womb worker notes is critical for women who urinate when laughing, coughing or sneezing.

“Movement is medicine. You don’t have to be a yogi, you don’t have to be a professional just to move your body, just to listen to your body,” Monk said, likening body movement to a sacred “prayer or offering” within.

The entrepreneur further commended Open Streets DC as a space of prosperity for the businesses lining the streets just as much as the families partaking in the celebratory afternoon, noting her own excitement to champion physical health and togetherness in the process.

“[I’m getting] the community involved, to let the kids see, the elders, the young, everyone…that it’s a family thing. You can do it together,” Monk told The Informer. “Just take five minutes to move your body.”

VENDORS STRIVE TO SHAPE LIFELONG

WELLNESS AT OPEN STREETS

As the street festival immersed through Eastern Market on 225 7th St SE, businesses like Monte’s Sweet Sorrels and Grace Filled Cup helped consumers commit to a lifestyle change that starts with consumer intake.

A regular at the weekend Eastern Market District, Monte’s Sweet Sorrels made its Open Streets Capitol Hill debut as a family-owned hibiscus company rooted in sharing healthy alternatives for dietary wellness, particularly leveraging sorrel, or Jamaican hibiscus tea derived from the plant.

Among the benefits of hibiscus noted by co-owner Rashai Lee include aiding inflammation, weight loss, cold and flu, and serving as a natural diuretic.

“It’s just an all natural powerhouse, and we sell it here at Eastern Market,” Lee told The Informer, further lauding the benefits of exposure in the Southeast event. “A lot of people aren’t knowledgeable about the healthier alternatives that are out there, so [this is] spreading awareness and letting [them] know that there are options for you.”

Down the street, Grace Filled Cup offered palm-size coffee pouches boosting the same impact of a regular cup of caffeine, except fueled by whole ingredients as opposed to artificial flavors and sugar.

“Here’s our motto: We brew premium beverages for the active, for the mindful and for the wellness-driven,” said Sable “Java Joe” Howard, owner of Grace Filled Cup. “If people care about what they’re consuming…we want to start that idea in your brain that I need to look on the back of my products and see what the ingredient list is.” WI

Read more on washingtoninformer.com.

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Probate Division Washington, D.C. 20001-2131

2022 ADM 001419

Florine G. McCollum Decedent

Brian L. Kass

4301 Connecticut Ave., NW, Suite 434 Washington, DC 20008

Attorney

NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS

Brian L. Kass, whose address is 4301 Connecticut Ave., NW, Suite 434, Washington, DC 20008, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Florine G. McCollum who died on December 7, 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 12/26/2025. 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 12/26/2025, 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: 6/26/2025

Brian L. Kass 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 000062

March 3, 2024

Date of Death

Bon Ung Chang

Name of Decedent

NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT OF FOREIGN PERSONAL REPRESENTATIVE AND NOTICE TO CREDITORS

Ho Shin Chang whose address is 309 Old Stone Road, Silver Spring, MD 20904 was appointed personal representative of the estate of Bon Ung Chang, deceased, by the Orphans Court for Montgomery County, State of Maryland, on 6/26/2024.

Service of process may be made upon Ho Shin Chang 3513 12th Street NE, Washington, DC 20017 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: 3513 12th Street, NE Washington, DC 20017. 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: 6/26/2025

Ho Shin Chang

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 000313

Tinnie L. Cunningham Decedent

NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS

Henry T. Bowman, whose address is 2812 Gaither Street, Temple Hills MD 20748, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Tinnie L. Cunningham who died on 3/9/2024 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 12/12/2025. 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 12/12/2025, 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: 6/12/2025

Henry T. Bowman

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 000561

Deron Brookins Decedent

NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS

Gary Brookins, whose address is 8828 Cottongrass Street, Waldorf, MD 20603, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Deron Brookins who died on November 4, 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 12/26/2025. 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 12/26/2025, 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: 6/26/2025

Gary Brookins 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 000538

Karen Lynn Alexander

Decedent

NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS

Jaimie Anita Winstead, whose address is 3221 6th Street, SE, Washington, DC 20032, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Karen Lynn Alexander who died on April 20, 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 12/12/2025. 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 12/12/2025, 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: 6/12/2025

Jaimie Anita Winstead

Personal Representative

TRUE TEST COPY

Nicole Stevens Register of Wills

Washington Informer

LEGAL NOTICES

SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA Probate Division Washington, D.C. 20001-2131

2025 ADM 000550

Frimpong Manso Decedent

Aaron Caruso, Esq. 2200-A University Blvd. W Wheaton, MD 20902 Attorney

NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS

Felicia Manso, whose address is 4503 39th Street, Brentwood, MD 20772, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Frimpong Manso who died on February 10, 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 12/12/2025. 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 12/12/2025, 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: 6/12/2025

Frimpong Manso 4503 39th Street

Brentwood, MD 20772

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 000586

Douglas Banks Decedent

NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS

LiNida Bines, whose address is 5713 Crecy Court, Bryans Road, MD 20616, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Douglas Banks who died on April 24, 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 12/26/2025. 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 12/26/2025, 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: 6/26/2025

LiNida Bines 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 000562

Ethel Carlene Redfearn Decedent

NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS

Kim Marie Redfearn, whose address is 18415 Garner Lane, Accokeek Md 20607, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Ethel Carlene Redfearn who died on October 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 12/26/2025. 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 12/26/2025, 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: 6/26/2025

Kim Marie Redfearn 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 000251

Bernice Smith

Decedent

NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS

Kevin Smith, whose address is 4625 Nash Street, NE Washington, DC 20019, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Bernice Smith who died on 12/20/2024 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 12/26/2025. 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 12/26/2025, 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: 6/26/2025

Kevin Smith 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 000658

Estate of Florice T. Roper aka Florice Tillman Roper

NOTICE OF STANDARD PROBATE

Notice is hereby given that a petition has been filed in this Court by Denise K. Roper & Charice F. Roper-Williams 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: June 26, 2025

Denise K. Roper 6532 7th Street, NW Washington, DC 20012

Charise F. Roper-Williams 1624 Portal Drive, NW Washington, DC 20012

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 000530

Jonathan Marget Decedent

NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS

Madeline Marget and J. Anthony Concino III, Esq., whose addresses are 5335 Wisconsin Avenue, NW, Suite 400 Washington, DC 20015, were appointed Personal Representatives of the estate of Jonathan Marget who died on September 20, 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 12/26/2025. 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 12/26/2025, 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: 6/26/2025

Madeline Marget

J. Anthony Concino III, Esq.

Personal Representative TRUE

Nicole Stevens Register of Wills Washington Informer

SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA Probate Division Washington, D.C. 20001-2131

2024 ADM 000825

Massie S. Fleming aka Massie Fleming Decedent

Ronald Dixon 1010 Cameron Street Alexandria, VA 22314

Attorney

NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS

Michelle Mitchell Gordon, whose address is 2066 Craver Meadows Dr., Winston-Salem, NC 27127, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Massie S. Fleming aka Massie Fleming who died on December 4, 2022 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 12/26/2025. 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 12/26/2025, 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: 6/26/2025

Michelle Mitchell Gordon Personal Representative

TRUE

Nicole

Washington Informer

SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

Probate Division Washington, D.C. 20001-2131

2025 ADM 000521

Leo Edward Hendricks, Jr Decedent

NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS

Rosetta Taylor Hendricks, whose address is 3116 Fessenden Street, NW, Washington, DC 20008, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Leo Edward Hendricks, Jr. who died on January 18, 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 12/26/2025. 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 12/26/2025, 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: 6/26/2025

Rosetta Taylor Hendricks 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 000576

Maurice Max Milline Decedent

NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS

Maurice T. Milline, whose address is 1424 9th Street, Glenarden, MD 20706, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Maurice Max Milline who died on May 11, 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 12/26/2025. 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 12/26/2025, 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: 6/26/2025

Maurice T. Milline 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 000583

Leroy Brown, Jr. Decedent

NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS

Shontee T. Battle, whose address is 5411 Woodland Court, Oxon Hill, MD 20745, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Leroy Brown, Jr, who died on May 1, 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 12/26/2025. 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 12/26/2025, 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: 6/26/2025

Shontee T. Battle 5411 Woodland Court Oxon Hill, MD 20745

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 000659

Estate of Pamela Outlaw aka Pamela Denise Outlaw aka Pamela D. Outlaw

NOTICE OF STANDARD PROBATE

Notice is hereby given that a petition has been filed in this Court by Robert J. Taylor 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: June 26, 2025

Robert J. Taylor 150 Eye Street, SE, Apt. 822 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 000198

Estate of Lyudmila N. Krasovskaya aka Lyudmila Nikitichna Krasovskaya

NOTICE OF STANDARD PROBATE

Notice is hereby given that a petition has been filed in this Court by Nikita Krasovsky 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: 6/26/2025

Nikita Krasovsky 102 McMurray Street Frederick, MD 21701

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 000627

Peter Neil Clare Decedent

NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS

Michelle Renee Bonner, whose address is 4115 Lane Place, NE, Washington DC 20019, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Peter Neil Clare who died on May 16, 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 12/26/2025. 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 12/26/2025, 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: 6/26/2025

Michelle Renee Bonner 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 608

M. Shirley Hughes aka Margaret Shirley Hughes Decedent

Edward G. Varrone, Esq. 8807 Bradford Road Silver Spring, MD 20901

Attorney

NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS

Edward G. Varrone, whose address is 8807 Bradford Road, Silver Spring, MD 20901, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of M. Shirley Hughes aka Margaret Shirley Hughes who died on February 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 12/26/2025. 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 12/26/2025, 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: 6/26/2025

Edward G. Varrone 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 596

Rita Watkins Decedent

NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS

Breanne Williams, whose address is 3102 Logan Street, District Heights MD 20747, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Rita Watkins who died on 2/10/2021 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 12/26/2025. 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 12/26/2026, 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: 6/26/2025

Breanne Williams

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 000061

June 20, 2020

Date of Death

Robin Rogers Craft aka Robin Venita Rogers-Craft Name of Decedent

NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT OF FOREIGN PERSONAL REPRESENTATIVE AND NOTICE TO CREDITORS

Jabria Craft whose address is 10503 Warren Road, Glen Allen, VA 23360 was appointed personal representative of the estate of Robin Rogers Craft aka Robin Venita Rogers-Craft, deceased, by the Circuit Court for Henrico County, State of Virginia, on 11/3/2020.

Service of process may be made upon Darrell Boyd 1224 34th Street SE, Washington, DC 20019 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: 1224 34th Street SE, 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:

6/26/2025

Jabria Craft 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 594

David Mulroy aka David Dunn Mulroy Decedent

NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS

Cecily Fernandez, whose address is 3149 Adams Mill Rd., NW, Washington, DC 20010, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of David Mulroy aka David Dunn Mulroy who died on 4/1/2025 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 1/3/2026. 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 1/3/2026, 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: 7/3/2025

Cecily Fernandez Personal Representative

TRUE

Wills

Washington Informer

SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

Probate Division Washington, D.C. 20001-2131

2025 ADM 591

Theadoris L. Johnson aka Theadoris Johnson

Decedent

Sharon Legall

1325 G Street NW, Suite 500 Washington, DC 20005 Attorney

NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS

Crysta Norris, whose address is 9910 Norwood Court, Upper Marlboro MD 20774, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Theadoris L. Johnson aka Theadoris Johnson who died on 9/24/2024 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 12/26/2025. 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 12/26/2025, 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: 6/26/2025

Crysta Norris 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 000598

Euzell Maxine Broady Decedent

NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS

Gina R. Robinson, whose address is 3006 25th Street NE, Washington, DC 20018, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Euzell Maxine Broady who died on December 28, 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 1/3/2026. 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 1/3/2026, 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: 7/3/2025

Gina R. Robinson

3006 25th Street NE Washington, DC 20018

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 64

1/10/2025

Date of Death

Thomas Pinder

Name of Decedent

NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT OF FOREIGN PERSONAL REPRESENTATIVE AND NOTICE TO CREDITORS

Freddie H. Cook whose address is 3212 Dunwood Ridge Terrace, Bowie, MD 20721 was appointed personal representative of the estate of Thomas Pinder, deceased, by the Orphans Court for Montgomery County, State of Maryland, on 2/19/2025.

Service of process may be made upon Zouncerie D. Braxton 612 Emmanuel Court, #214, Washington, DC 20001 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: 3016 Gentain Court, NE, Washington, DC 20017. 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: June 26, 2025

Freddie H. Cook

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 620

Frances E. Jones aka Frances Elizabeth Alexander Roger Jones Decedent

Aimee D. Griffin, Esq. 5335 Wisconsin Ave., NW, Suite 440 Washington, DC 20015 Attorney

NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS

Sandra L. Tucker and Patricia D. Brown, whose addresses are 216 V St., NE, Washington, DC 20002 & 1511 Elson St., Takoma Park, MD 20912, were appointed Personal Representatives of the estate of Frances E. Jones aka Frances Elizabeth Alexander Roger Jones who died on 3/17/2025 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 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 1/3/2026. 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 1/3/2026, 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: 7/3/2025

Sandra L. Tucker

Patricia D. Brown

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 000597

Tyrone W. Ferguson aka Tyrone Waldorf Ferguson Decedent

James Larry Frazier, Esq. 918 Maryland Avenue NE Washington, DC 20002 Attorney

NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS

Karen Maria Ferguson, whose address is 3306 Swann Road, Suitland Maryland 20746, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Tyrone W. Ferguson aka Tyrone Waldorf Ferguson who died on February 3, 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 12/26/2025. 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 12/26/2025, 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: 6/26/2025

Karen Maria Ferguson 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 637

Hugh Scott Sinclair Decedent

Abby M. Bullock, Esq. The Elder & Disability Law Center 1020 19th Street, NW, Suite 510 Washington, DC 20036 Attorney

NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS

Elizabeth Seltzer, whose address is 13 Twin Brooks Dr., Willow Grove, PA 19090, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Hugh Scott Sinclair who died on March 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 1/3/2026. 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 1/3/2026, 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: 7/3/2025

Elizabeth Seltzer 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

2015 ADM 001492

Vincent L. Alexander Decedent

NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS

Michele T. Alexander, whose address is 3465 Marigold Place, Unit D, Waldorf, MD 20602, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Vincent L. Alexander who died on October 14, 2012 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 12/26/2025. 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 12/26/2025, 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: 6/26/2025

Michele T. Alexander

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 605

Paz Cohen Decedent

NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS

Benjamin C. Van Vort, whose address is 19A Weston Ave., Somerville, MA 02144, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Paz Cohen who died on January 21, 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 1/3/2026. 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 1/3/2026, 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: 7/3/2025

Benjamin C. Van Vort 19A Weston Ave. Somerville, MA 02144 Personal Representative

TRUE TEST COPY

Nicole Stevens Register of Wills Washington Informer

LEGAL NOTICES

SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

Probate Division Washington, D.C. 20001-2131

2025 ADM 606

Sarah Cecelia Robinson Decedent

NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS

Ramon A. Robinson, whose address is 9171 North Congress St., New Market, VA 22844, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Sarah Cecelia Robinson who died on December 4, 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 1/3/2026. 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 1/3/2026, 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: 7/3/2025

Ramon A. Robinson Personal Representative

TRUE TEST COPY

Nicole Stevens Register of Wills

Washington Informer

LEGAL NOTICES

SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

Probate Division Washington, D.C. 20001-2131

2025 ADM 600

Susan Todd Rich Decedent

Anna L. Nathanson

Norris Law Group

600 14th Street NW, 5th Fl. Washington, DC 20005 Attorney

NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS

Roxann Rich, whose address is 411 Kinross Drive, Newark, DE 19711, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Susan Todd Rich who died on March 29, 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 1/3/2026. 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 1/3/2026, 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: 7/3/2025

Roxann Rich 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 604

John Patrick Holback Decedent

NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS

Mina Stanard, whose address is 1709 S Monroe St., Arlington, VA 22204, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of John Patrick Holback who died on May 9, 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 1/3/2026. 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 1/3/2026, 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: 7/3/2025

Mina Stanard Personal Representative

Stevens Register of Wills Washington Informer

Probate Division Washington, D.C. 20001-2131

2021 ADM 001610

Estate of Rosa Mae Colclough

NOTICE OF STANDARD PROBATE

Notice is hereby given that a petition has been filed in this Court by Charlotte A. Burton 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.

Admit to probate the will dated February 21, 1996 exhibited with the petition upon proof satisfactory to the Court of due execution by affidavit of the witnesses or otherwise

Date of first publication: July 3, 2025

Charlotte A. Burton 5130 7th Street, NE Washington, DC 20011

Petitioner/Attorney:

TRUE TEST COPY

Nicole Stevens Register of Wills

Washington Informer

LEGAL NOTICES

SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

Probate Division Washington, D.C. 20001-2131

2023 ADM 1394

Vermell Ledbetter Decedent

NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT,

NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS

J. Anthony Concino III, Esq., whose address is 5335 Wisconsin Avenue NW, Suite 400, Washington, DC 20015, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Vermell Ledbetter who died on 5/8/2023 without a Will. 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 1/3/2026. 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 1/3/2026, 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: 7/3/2025

J. Anthony Concino III, Esq. 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 000453

Angela Theresa Parker Decedent

Patrick M. Klemz, Esq. 1100 Wayne Ave., Suite 825 Silver Spring, MD 20910 Attorney

NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS

Rhonda Derricott whose address is 13200 Bristlecone Way, Germantown MD 20874, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Angela Theresa Parker who died on May 30, 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 11/15/2025. 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 11/15/2025, 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: 5/15/2025

Rhonda Derricott Personal Representative

TRUE TEST

Nicole Stevens Register of Wills

Washington Informer

MIKE AUSTIN from Page 1 his office, which includes collaborating with council colleagues to change the conditions that Ward 8 residents face.

“I feel strongly that we have not advanced meaningful legislation for our people in a very long time,” Austin told The Informer. “I hope that we can be creative and bold in how we do that to require the other council members to pony up some of their ward’s shares so that Ward 8 is on a level playing field and fill some of these gaps that we have across the board.”

Earlier this year, Austin announced his candidacy in the Ward 8 D.C. Council special election triggered by White’s expulsion from the legislative body. On July 15, Ward 8 voters will choose as their next council member either him, Salim Adofo, Sheila Bunn, or former council member White.

If elected, Austin will serve out the rest of White’s term, which ends in early 2029.

As the now 12-member legislative body struggles to restore programs eliminated in D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser’s budget proposal, Austin continues to tout his experience in the John A. Wilson Building, including as a legislative director in former D.C. Councilmember LaRuby May’s office and the Office of Deputy Mayor for Greater Economic Development.

Austin told The Informer that, if elected, he will move in the spirit of D.C. Mayor for Life Marion Barry, who he heralded as an example in balancing time between legislative work and community engagement.

“He was introducing policies and focused on budget fights, in addition to being present and visible in the community,” Austin said about the late council member and mayor. “We’ve gotten to a space in the last eight years where it’s just been showing up, cookouts, bookbags, and turkeys.”

A DEEP DIVE INTO MIKE AUSTIN’S CAMPAIGN PLATFORM

Austin’s campaign platform focuses on: economic development and displacement prevention; workforce development; equitable investments for Ward 8 schools; and the execution of data-informed responses to violence.

As it relates to housing, Austin articulated a vision where Ward 8 maintains its affordable housing stock while attracting the development of amenities and mixed-use development. He said he would actualize that vision, in

part, through the passage of legislation that protects seniors and low-income residents from rent increases via the Schedule H tax credit.

In speaking about his experiences at Community College Preparatory PCS, Austin also highlighted a workforce development strategy focused on boosting literacy among K-12 students and young adults. He said it’s essential that students graduating from Ward 8 schools have the level of reading comprehension necessary to pursue high-earning trades.

“They spend a lot of time doing adult literacy training so that they can be prepared for the job that they need to get into for training,” Austin said about the students at Community College Preparatory Public Charter School. “If we can do more to increase…literacy early on, focusing on early education and middle school for sure, so that they’re not so far behind by high school.”

Amid efforts by the council’s Committee on Public Safety and Judiciary to reshape the violence prevention ecosystem, Austin expressed his support for increased accountability measures and the execution of a neighborhood-based violence intervention model.

“Certain neighborhoods are very different [from] other neighborhoods,” Austin told The Informer. “They have different issues, different people, different connections. We know the streets that are getting into certain other beats of other neighborhoods. A ward-wide model is too blanket of an approach. It’s not going to aggressively target the folks who are most likely to commit a crime.”

For more immediate public safety concerns, Austin said he would demand more of his colleagues on the council who represent parts of the District with less violent crime, especially at a time when the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) is expected to receive more investments, as outlined in D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser’s Fiscal Year 2026 budget proposal.

“If those resources were being diverted and allocated to Ward 8 and [MPD] 7D [headquarters], then maybe they would feel better about that,” Austin said. “I don’t feel it’s fair that a ward has more crime than other wards, but does not have more of the resources. So, there’s probably going to be a change in thinking [among] the other council members [and] the executive because folks want to feel safe over here.”

WI Read more on washingtoninformer.com.

to allow mayoral authorization of an emergency juvenile curfew and permit the Metropolitan Police Department’s (MPD) designation of juvenile curfew zones.

Council members advanced this bill after discussion about, and unanimous approval of, an amendment that Councilmembers Pinto and Zachary Parker (D-Ward 5) introduced to reduce likely harms against young people.

As is the case every year, the council also approved the federal portion of its budget that concerns, among other things, funding for DCTAG, Court Services & Offender Supervision Agency, early childhood educator funding, D.C. Water, and local tax revenue accrued from The Smithsonian Institution.

In the days leading up to the council’s July 1 legislative meeting, each council committee recommended changes to Bowser’s Fiscal Year 2026 budget proposal and Budget Support Act, as it relates to the agencies under their purview. This edition of The Collins Council Report includes details about those deliberations and what’s to come as D.C. Council Chairman Phil Mendelson (D) mulls over how, or whether, to restore services and programming.

But first, a tidbit about what Ward 8 residents, and a couple council members, considered an attempt to tip the scale in the Ward 8 D.C. Council special election.

D.C. COUNCIL

AVOIDS A CONTROVERSIAL RULE CHANGE

On July 1, the council approved Council Period 26 Recess Rules Amendment Resolution of 2025, which D.C. Council Chairman Phil Mendelson (D) initially introduced to, among other things, allow for the expulsion of a previously expelled council member based on the outcome of a previous ad hoc proceeding.

By the time of the vote however, the resolution no longer included the aforementioned provision.

After engagement with council colleagues, Mendelson altered the legislation so that, upon an expelled council member’s return to office, an ad hoc committee could spend money on another investigation. Per the approved resolution, the committee would be required to introduce a resolution for that council member’s removal.

On the dais, Mendelson denied that he attempted to stop former D.C. council member Trayon White’s return to the John A. Wilson Building, just a few months after the council expelled him.

“First of all, it was never the intent to make any suggestions, have any influence with regard to the upcoming election that’s underway,” Mendelson told his council colleagues. “And it’s unfortunate that’s where the attention was.”

One day prior, while speaking to reporters, Mendelson explained his rationale in making that particular rule change.

“When we went through the process with regard to former council member White, we saw that there were some ways that the council rules were cumbersome or time-consuming, and we generally amend the council rules only before summer recess,” Mendelson said. “We don’t amend…the council’s rules very often. We pretty much write them in January at the start of the council period, and then at the start of each council recess, so this is the opportunity to affect those improvements.”

Other provisions in the Council Period 26 Recess Rules Amendment Resolution of 2025 include: authorize the modification of a Fiscal Year 2025 grant funds budget for the University of the District of Columbia; allow for a Committee of the Whole hearing during summer recess in satisfaction of a public hearing requirement for permanent legislation; and to clarify that the council can conduct legislative meetings during recess.

Upon hearing about the resolution, as it was originally introduced, Ward 8 residents took to social media and expressed a variety of thoughts.

While some people welcomed the resolution, others thought the council could make better use of its time

ARCHIVES BUILDING from Page 1

to plans that have now changed for a new archives building at the University of the District of Columbia (UDC).

The mayor now plans to use the funding and space that would have initially gone to the new archives building on UDC’s campus for student housing instead.

Bowser’s archives proposal is being considered by the D.C. Council, with the legislature scheduled to hold its first reading and vote on the fiscal year 2026 budget on July 11.

the concerns of Peterson.

“This decision puts the most important collection of D.C. history at significant risk,” Bender said.

Bender questioned other funding priorities of Bowser, specifically the proposal to build a Washington Commanders stadium at public expense.

“To fund a half billion-dollar stadium and at the same time eliminate this project as being too expensive is a sad reflection of our city’s values,” she said.

during budget season. Ward 8 resident and organizer Nee Nee Taylor, responding to this reporter’s Instagram post about the resolution, called on the D.C. Council to strike down the resolution, likening it to Republican infringement on the local affairs.

White, who’s currently facing a federal bribery charge, is running against Advisory Neighborhood Commission Chair Salim Adofo (8C), Mike Austin, and Sheila Bunn to reclaim his old seat. Since announcing his candidacy on the last day of Ramadan, White has only participated in two candidate forums. Though he’s provided comments for The Informer about his candidacy and absence from most candidate forums, the former council member hasn’t responded to requests for a full interview.

Since White’s expulsion, Ward 8 residents have leaned on Mendelson and At large D.C. Councilmembers Robert White (D), Anita Bonds (D), Christina Henderson (I) and Kenyan McDuffie (I) for support and the advancement of their budget goals. Meanwhile, on the campaign trail, Ward 8 residents— particularly those canvassing for Adofo, Austin and Bunn— said they’re ready for new council representation who can take Ward 8 to the next level while avoiding pitfalls similar to what started former Ward 8 council member White’s legal problems.

Such an outlook doesn’t seem to faze at least one of the former council member’s acolytes. Regina Pixley, a Ward 8 civic leader and Democratic Party committeewoman, told The m to faze at least one of the former council member’s acolytes. Regina Pixley, a Ward 8 civic leader and Democratic Party committeewoman, told The Informer that White is still well received in the streets of Ward 8. WI

Read more on washingtoninformer.com.

When Trudy Huskamp Peterson, a former acting archivist of the U.S. and the chair of the D.C. Archives Advisory Group heard about the mayor’s $50 million cut of the agency’s plan for a new building, she was incensed.

“The way a city treats its archives shows how it values the public’s right to know what the government did, as shown by its records, and how well it understands the importance of history to its citizens, and because Washington is a national capitol, to all citizens of the United States,” Peterson, 80, told The Informer.

WHAT ARE THE D.C. ARCHIVES?

The District Archives, under the Office of the Secretary, contains historical and permanent records of the District government such as birth and death records, wills, land records and marriage records.

Historic records on file include the original wills of Alexander Graham Bell, Francis Scott Key, James Madison, Dolly Madison and Frederick Douglass, and the birth certificate for Duke Ellington, according to the agency’s website.

The archives are headquartered in Northwest at Naylor Court and there are many materials housed at the National Archive and Records Administration in Suitland, Maryland, as well as other locations in smaller numbers. The effort to get a permanent, modern building has been in the works by activists for about two decades, with the vision of all District public archival materials existing under one roof and a desire to have it on the UDC campus, the city’s only public university.

The plans for the new archives would also have the materials of the university and the Felix E. Grant Jazz Archives. Bowser’s plans would have the bulk of the archives located at the Charles Sumner School in Northwest and a state-of-the-art warehouse.

Kimberly Bender, president of the DC Archives Foundation, a nonprofit that fundraises for the archives, echoed

Bender shot down Bowser’s proposal for the District’s public archives, saying “an archive is not a warehouse.”

“It preserves irreplaceable historical paper documents, and thus has specialized security, HVAC, and public access needs,” she said.

THE D.C. COUNCIL WEIGHS IN

Bender points out that for much of the District’s 235-year history, its archives were considered federal property, and it did not become under city jurisdiction until 1986. Building a new, modern archive facility on the UDC campus would have “left a sterling legacy for Mayor Muriel Bowser and the D.C. Council,” she said.

The Informer obtained a report from the Committee on Executive Administration and Labor—chaired by D.C. Councilmember Anita Bonds (D-At Large) -- regarding the council’s recommendation to Bowser’s archives proposal.

The committee advises that the Office of the Secretary request a feasibility study be conducted at the Sumner School or “any location proposed as an alternative to the UDC site.”

Additionally, the committee report does not recommend further investment in the Naylor Court facility “unless the Department of General Services intends to improve the facility for other uses or for permanent use as an archives’ facility.

“As the project moves forward, the committee recommends that the Office of the Secretary continue to engage stakeholders by providing updates on construction, timeline for records transfers, and any information on budget changes or adjustments,” the report said.

In a June 5 letter to Bonds and D.C. Council Chairman Phil Mendelson (D) and Council members Matthew Frumin (D-Ward 3) and Christina Henderson (I-At Large), Ward 3 resident Barbara Bates, a historian, urged the funding of the UDC site.

Read more on washingtoninformer.com.

5Since Trayon White’s expulsion from the D.C. Council, Ward 8 residents must look to Council Chair Phil Mendelson (left) and At large D.C. Councilmembers Kenyan McDuffie (right), Robert White, Anita Bonds, and Christina Henderson for the support and advancement of their budget goals. (WI File Photo)

MALVEAUX from Page 28

covers only 31% of tuition, fees, room and meals at the average public four-year college, compared to 79% in 1975,” he continued. “Cuts to the program would put college out of reach for many more low-income students, while increased would represent a true federal investment in education, reduce dependence on loans, and help address workforce skill deficits.”

Nor is Tuskegee alone in attacking proposed cuts. Other education stakeholders have also weighed in.

“To reduce the maximum Pell Grant when we should be doubling it, reduce the number of students eligible for Pell Grants, increase the number of credit hours necessary for Pell without consideration for students who work their way through college, and to impose risk sharing on colleges who cannot force students to make student loan payments in an increasingly uneasy economy just seems as if those who wrote this bill are out of touch with reality,” said Lodriguez V. Murray, the United Negro College

MORIAL from Page 28

even blatant violations of the Constitution unless the plaintiffs are outrageously wealthy.

Most of us learned in elemen-

MARSHALL from Page 28

Armand Alacbay, senior vice president of strategy at the American Council of Trustees and Alumni, a nonprofit group focused on higher education governance, said an institution’s leadership is the domain of its governing board. The resignation is a product, he said, of unprecedented “governmental intrusion.”

“I think there’s grave danger to the quality and future of higher education if these types of decisions become a function of the federal government,” Alacbay said.

This becomes a major problem because the federal government’s actions in this case are unprecedented. Legal experts struggle to recall a time when the federal government demanded a university board fire its president over policy disagreements.

Academic freedom is the cornerstone of American higher education. It allows faculty, students and administrators to pursue knowledge, debate ideas and challenge prevailing norms without fear of political retribution. The message from the

Fund’s senior vice president for public policy and government affairs.

For Katherine Meyer, a fellow in the Brown Center on Education Policy at Brookings, the proposed Pell cuts are a part of a broader retreat from a federal role in higher education.

“Between the ongoing budget reconciliation process and President Trump’s FY 2026 budget request, federal financial aid is at risk,” Meyer wrote in a recent post. “Provisions in the reconciliation bill would eliminate Pell grant eligibility for millions of students, and the budget proposes eliminating or dramatically reducing Pell and other federal grant aid. Without robust federal funding for financial aid, states and students will scramble to fill in the gaps, with the end result being fewer opportunities to pursue higher education for the lowest-income students.”

On May 21, Education Secretary Linda McMahon testified before the subcommittee of House Appropriations to defend the agency’s FY 2026 budget request.

“President Trump’s vision is to make American education freer, fair-

tary school about the separation of powers. The legislative branch makes the laws. The executive branch enforces the laws. The judicial branch interprets the laws. But the Trump administration

Trump administration is loud and clear: conform to a political agenda that has redefined the true meaning and spirit of diversity, equity and inclusion, or face the severe consequences.

The administration is willing to use federal funding and direct interventions in university leadership as weapons to enforce ideological conformity. The forced resignation of James Ryan serves as a warning and wake-up call to all university presidents: your job security depends not on your performance, but on your willingness to comply with the political demands of the federal government.

We recognize that the strategic decline in diversity, equity and inclusion at universities will have a lasting impact on students of color. Eliminating initiatives designed to foster inclusion will ultimately result in a campus environment and college experience that is less welcoming, as it allows outward forms of discrimination to exist unchecked, with fewer support networks for students from diverse backgrounds. As a result, de-

er, and more competitive globally by eliminating Federal bureaucracy and empowering states, parents, and educators,” McMahon testified. “Our FY 2026 budget request delivers on this promise by reducing spending for ineffective programs and prioritizing effective ones, while fully enforcing Federal law and giving power back to states, parents, and educators.”

The nation’s broad disagreement on these and other changes to the Education Department was perhaps best summarized in another testimony at the HELP committee hearing.

According to Mark Pierce, executive director of the Student Borrower Protection Center:

“Americans deserve more than a higher education system that acts as a finishing school for the children of millionaires and billionaires while systematically denying economic and educational opportunities to the rest of us. Our government should be relentlessly focused on making markers of middle-class American life — including education — cheaper for working families, not more expensive.” WI

wants all these powers for itself. The Senate must now decide whether to abide by the oath each senator has sworn and defend the American people from a would-be dictatorship. WI

cades of progress toward educational equity will be reversed.

With the decline of DEI initiatives and the loss of affirmative action in admissions, colleges have already reported drops in applications and enrollments from Black and Hispanic students. For example, Harvard Law School and the University of North Carolina have seen notable decreases in Black and Hispanic student populations after the Supreme Court struck down affirmative action.

The federal government’s role should be to support, not control, institutions of higher learning. Universities play a critical role in preparing future leaders in a diverse society and employees for diverse workplaces, but the trend caused by this renewed federal pressure is leaning toward a more politically polarized, restrictive and less inclusive environment in American higher learning. If this type of overreach continues, the price will be paid not just by university presidents but by students, faculty and society as a whole.

WILLIAMS from Page 29

Trump (with all his criminal convictions) was urging that Mosby be prosecuted.

She was one of our youngest state prosecutors in the nation with a brilliant record. She:

• Fought for justice, to free innocent Black men wrongly serving life sentences.

• Held power accountable, prosecuting 33 corrupt police officers.

• Took bold action after Gray’s death while in police custody, halting a 17-day city uprising.

• Refused to prosecute low-level possession charges that disproportionately targeted Black communities.

EDELMAN from Page 29

performer.”

This year, New Hampshire, Vermont and Massachusetts ranked first, second and third for overall child well-being, and Mississippi, Louisiana and New Mexico ranked 48th, 49th and 50th.

Where does your own state fall in studies like this, and where do

JEALOUS from Page 29

passage of a similar bill against eminent domain for pipelines in South Dakota. The bill Iowa lawmakers passed was not a total ban on carbon pipelines, like South Dakota enacted. But it was a strong bill nonetheless — imposing new insurance requirements, limiting liability for landowners and giving more people the right to participate in the permitting process.

Gov. Kim Reynolds vetoed it.

Her veto was not just a rejection of a bill. It was a rejection of democracy. Of bipartisanship. Of the voices of hundreds of Iowans who spent week after week at the Capitol, sharing their stories, pleading for fairness.

It was also a gift to Summit Carbon Solutions — the parent company of which is owned by one of Iowa’s biggest political donors, Bruce Rastetter.

The backlash has been swift, perhaps especially among Reynolds’ fellow conservative Republicans who backed the bill. State Rep. Bobby Kaufmann said Gov. Reynolds “failed the state ... & her legacy now is spitting in the faces of landowners & being Bruce Rastetter’s errand girl.”

Rep. Steve Holt, another con-

• Protected youth, launching programs that positively affected over 20,000.

• Targeted threats, focusing on violent offenders and major drug dealers.

• Resisted political pressure and faced a smear campaign funded by right-wing interests while showing a declining murder rate in the area.

• A Johns Hopkins study confirmed her policy of not prosecuting low-level offenses did not lead to a rise in crime — only six of the 741 released were arrested for serious offenses.

She was sentenced to home arrest for a year, lost her job, her marriage, and her property and

your state’s elected officials stand right now on the budget choices that matter most to children and families in your community?

Strategic investments in basic needs programs like Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), the Child Tax Credit and the Social Services Block Grant are more

Rep. Steve Holt, another conservative Republican and chair of the House Judiciary Committee, summed up Reynolds’ legacy in one word: “betrayal.”

servative Republican and chair of the House Judiciary Committee, summed up Reynolds’ legacy in one word: “betrayal.”

The people of Iowa are not backing down. They have already vowed to keep fighting, and many expect to bring an even stronger bill next session. And voters are lining up to hold accountable the politicians who stood with corporate interests instead of their communities.

This is what democracy looks like. It is not always clean. It is rarely fast. But when people come together —

paid an extremely heavy price for things she did to help her community. A few days ago, she was relieved of the leg irons while awaiting a positive appeal.

Many who’ve been there for her held a special event in her honor, without many Black leaders being present, to thank her for her courage for doing the right thing.

The committee, led by Lt. Col. Tyrone Bost, Josephine Mourning, leader of the Metro DC Area SCLC, Sister Nia 2X, head of the Metro DC Area NAN, and a jubilant crowd held an event in her honor. Representing the Dick Gregory Society, I, too, was present. WI

than optional line items on a spreadsheet; they are essential, proven tools that help families stay afloat and help children and young people thrive as they grow into healthy, productive adults. There are many ways to tally the facts on how much “kids count” in our nation. Choosing children over corporations should be a test too simple to flunk. WI

across party lines, across urban and rural divides, across race and class — they can take on the most powerful forces in our country and win.

That is the story in Iowa. And it should give us hope.

When we organize. When we listen to one another. When we put people over party and principle over politics, we win.

Gov. Reynolds’ veto will not be the final word. That will belong to the voters and the still-growing movement that will be back in the state capital next year — bigger, stronger and even hungrier for victory.

The use of eminent domain for pipeline projects now promises to be the defining state political issue in Iowa in the near term. State senators who stood with their wealthy corporate benefactors over their constituents — and perhaps the governor herself — will likely face challenging primaries.

The fight in Iowa is not over. But it has already changed the state’s political landscape. It has already proven that we can overcome partisanship. And it has already shown that no corporation, no matter how powerful, is stronger than a united people. That is a lesson all of us would do well to remember.

SUMMER DIGGING GUIDELINES

As spring arrives and outdoor projects are in full swing, it’s important for homeowners and community members to prioritize safety—especially when digging. Whether you’re planting trees, installing a fence, or starting a new garden, one misstep can lead to serious injury or service disruptions. Here are some essential guidelines for homeowners planning any digging project to keep your spring tasks safe and successful:

1. Call Before You Dig − It’s the Law

Always contact your local utility notification center by calling 811 at least a few days before you dig.

2. Wait for the Markings

After making the call, professional locators will visit your property to mark utility lines with flags or paint.

3. Respect the Marks

Once utilities are marked, plan your digging carefully. Stay at least 18–24 inches away from marked lines and use hand tools.

4. Know What’s Below − Even for Small Jobs

Even shallow digging can pose risks if underground lines are disturbed.

5. Educate Neighbors and Volunteers

If organizing a community project, share the guidelines with your team.

6. Stay Informed

Check with local authorities or utility companies for specific regulations and safety tips relevant to your area.

Remember, the Miss Utility Notification Center is the approved one-call notification center for the District. For more information, visit Miss Utility at www.missutility.net.

If you have questions regarding any of our construction processes, please call the PROJECTpipes Hotline at 202-624-6400, email Project_Pipes@washgas.com or visit washingtongas.com/projectpipes