The Washington Informer - May 28, 2020

Don’t Miss This Month’s Issue of the WI Bridge Center Section Vol. 55, No. 33 • May 28 - June 3, 2020

District’s Reopening Plan Receives Mixed Reviews from Residents and Businesses

By James Wright WI Staff Writer @Jamesdcwrighter

5 A protester holds out a photo of Finan Berhe, a graduating senior from Bowie State University killed May 7 in White Oak by Sgt. David Cohen, a member of the Montgomery County Police Department. (Robert R. Roberts/The Washington Informer) For the full story see Page 9

Obama’s Popularity Continues to Rise Amid Trump’s Rhetoric

By Stacy M. Brown WI Senior Writer @StacyBrownMedia With unrestrained vitriol and the stunning lack of leadership emanating from the White House on an almost daily basis, the ever-rising popularity of former President Barack Obama is unmistakable.

The media and most of the American public hang on every word and watch every move Obama makes — many openly pining for the 44th president to “do something,” “do anything,” to provide some sense of normalcy and a renewed dignity to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.]

“Overall, most liberals I know

loved President Obama because he was eloquent and thoughtful. I think he’s extremely popular right now because Trump has pretty much failed in every way possible — especially on the points where he said he could and would do things better than Obama did,” District resident Alicia Butler told The Washington Informer.

“The more inept Trump becomes, the more people will forget what they didn’t like about Obama,” Butler said. “And for those of us who loved Obama, seeing Trump mess up 10 times a day really drives our appreciation for 44 home even further.”

Many other residents expressed similar sentiments.

OBAMA Page 40

The DC ReOpen Advisory Group recently made recommendations to the Bowser administration on how the District should come back from its dormant economic and social activity amid the coronavirus pandemic and those ideas were met with mixed feelings among residents and business owners.

Mayor Muriel Bowser announced some of the recommendations of the report and reiterated the strong possibility that the District will enter Phase 1 of its reopening plan on May 29, based on health metrics showing the city’s progress in fighting the virus.

Wanda Henderson, the owner of Wanda’s on 7th salon and barbershop in the Shaw neighborhood in Northwest, doesn’t support opening the District for business while the virus remains active.

“I am going [open on May 29] but I don’t think the city is ready,” Henderson said of the mayor’s actions and the group’s recommendations. “This is too soon, for safety reasons. The city’s economy is very important and people need their jobs and businesses need to operate to stay viable but the focus should be on health because people are dying from this virus.”

The group, chaired by District residents Susan Rice, who served as

REOPEN Page 34

The Moving Parts in the Ahmaud Arbery Case

By Stacy M. Brown WI Senior Writer @StacyBrownMedia

Famed civil rights attorney Benjamin Crump has vowed to bring all to justice who had a share in the lynching of Brunswick, Georgia, jogger Ahmaud Arbery.

Crump’s comments came after William “Roddie” Bryan, the man who filmed the murder of Arbery, was arrested and charged with murder.

“We hope that William Bryan stays in Glynn County, Georgia, jail, and we’re also looking into Officer Robert Rash, who sent Gregory McMichael’s information to the construction site owner,” Crump said.

McMichael and his son, Travis, hunted down Arbery as he jogged through the neighborhood. The father and son cornered Arbery and pumped three shotgun bullets into the young African American man.

It’s been revealed that Rash asked a construction site owner to send surveillance and other information to the

ARBERY Page 40

5 Ahmaud Arbery (Family photo via Facebook)

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#VoteSafeDC in the Tuesday, June 2, 2020 Primary Election: In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the DC Board of Elections is committed to providing a safe environment where every vote is counted. All voters are strongly encouraged to request a mail-in ballot instead of voting in person, unless absolutely necessary. Voting by mail is safe, secure and simple. Ballot request forms are available now at www.dcboe.org. If you must vote in person, 20 Vote Centers will be open throughout the District. Social distancing measures will be enforced, and voters will be required to wear face coverings inside the Vote Centers. Curbside voting will be available.

Only voters affiliated with one of the major parties (Democratic, Republican, DC Statehood Green or Libertarian) will be issued a ballot. Same-day registration will be available at all Vote Centers.

Need to Vote in Person?

If you must vote in person, Vote Centers will open from May 22 through June 1, 2020, from 8:30 am to 7:00 pm. All sites will be closed on Memorial Day, May 25, 2020. Vote Centers will open from 7:00 am to 8:00 pm on June 2, 2020, Primary Election Day. Voters can cast their ballot at any Vote Center regardless of where they live in the District.

You may visit us online at www.dcboe.org or call us at (202) 741-5283 for more information.

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Tia C. Jones, Ed Laiscell, Odell B. Ruffin, Larry Saxton, Mary Wells, Joseph Young PHOTOGRAPHERS Lafayette Barnes, IV, John E. De Freitas, Maurice Fitzgerald, Joanne Jackson, Roy Lewis, Robert Ridley, Victor Holt CIRCULATION Paul Trantham

Women the Cycle of wi hotBreak topics Domestic Violence Focal Point of Landmark Four Minneapolis Cops

Transgender Fired after Black Man’s law enforcement. She said they threat,” sheRights said. had come together to bring a Among the programs Marlow Supreme Court Case Arrest Results in Death sense of uniformity in the way wants to see implemented are When L.Y. Marlow's 23-year- domestic violence victims and Before stricter restraining order policies, Dies Ruling old daughter told her the father survivors are treated. more rights for victim's families

By Tia Carol Jones WI Staff Writer

of her daughter threatened her “She's using her own personal on behalf of a vicFor nearlyto 10intervene years, life, and the life of their child, story, her own personalAimee pain to tim, a domestic violence assessStephens she knew something had to be push forward,” Davis-Nickens unit coupled with further fought twoment battles: done. Out of her frustration said about Marlow. training against kidney disease for law enforcement with law enforcement's handling Davis-Nickens said and anyone agencies, her boss who fired a Child's Life Protecof the situation, she decided to who reads Marlow's book her inwill 2013 tion afterAct sheand mandatory counselstart the Saving Promise cam- “get it.” She said she “puts the ing for batterers. come out as transgenpaign. case in such a way, theder. average “If we She recently died are ever going to eradiseems to be a vicious cycle “ItFour Minneapolis officers involved in the person can arrest get it.”ofShe said the cate violence, we must in at Michigan in domestic hosthat won't a Black manturn who my died family in police end custody wereday, firedthe book of the will lookweeks at both sides of the coin. pice care – just loose,” Marlow Marlow Tuesday, hours said. after a bystander’s provoked helpvideo people begin to have a dianeed to address both the vicaway from a We Supreme shared her story withwith the footage audi- that logue aboutthe domestic widespread outrage showed man violence. tim Court ruling in and her the batterer,” Marlow ence at the Also present at the event was said. pleading thatDistrict he couldHeights not breathe as a white officer case.

Domestic exMarlow would also like to see knelt on Violence his neck. Symposium Mildred Muhammad, the Stephens’s case is the first major transgender civil rights on May 7 at theofDistrict wife of John Allen Muhammad, programs designed to raise Hundreds angry Heights protesters including members matter that the high court has heard, with potentially Municipal Center.

The sympowho was sentenced consec- awareness among children in of his family gathered at the spot where the man, to sixsweeping for transgender people nationwide sium was sponsored by the life terms without parole implications public and private schools. She shouting, “I can’t breathe,” and utive demanding justice seeking protections from being because of their genFamily Services a Maryland role in feels children needfired to be educatgatheredand at theYouth site where the man,by George Floyd,jury was for his der identity.

Center the officers. city of District the Beltway Sniper attacks in ed about domestic violence. seized of by the The Supreme Court heard in Stephens’s Heights and the Hook-Frey 2002.

Muhammad is “We have tooral stoparguments being pasMinneapolisNational Mayor Jacob tweetedMildred about the case last fall, as well as in two other cases involving Upfirings, of Black Women. the founder of After the Trauma, sive-aggressive with poor chil- gay men saying “This is the right call.” who say were fired because of their sexual orientation.

Marlow has written a book, an organization that helps thetheydren about domestic violence,” The man’s death Monday night after he struggled court is Marlow expected said. to issue its ruling before the end of “Color Me Butterfly,” which is a survivors of domestic The violence with officers remains under investigation by the FBI the spring termMarlow on R.G.has & G.R. Harris story about four generations of and their children. worked to Funeral break Homes and state law enforcement authorities. It has immediInc. v.

Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. domestic violence. The book is lived inGarner, fear for six years. Six the cycle of abuse in her family, ately drawn to the case“Iof Eric The Title the VII policies of the Civil inspired by hercomparisons own experiences, years in fear is a long time.

It question is andis iswhether confident sheRights Act an those unarmed Black man who died in 2014 in New and of her grandmother, of 1964, prohibits for sex discrimination in employnot an easy thing to come out which is pushing will start that after heand washer placed in a chokehold by police and herYork mother daughter. ment, also applies to transgender and gay people. The law of,” she said. process. pleaded his time life, saying he could not breathe.Muhammad She said for every she reads itself said does not say, so the been left totothe courts.

Mildred “I plan toissue take has these policies “Being Black in America should not a death excerpts from her book, she still people be who want to State helplaws a do Congress not protectand themimplore from discrimination them to on the sentence,” Freythe said in a came tweet addressing Black victim can not believe words domestic the violence our or laws,” Marlow basismust of sexualchange orientation gender identitysaid. in more than community.

“For five minutes, we watched a white from her. “Color Me Butterfly” be careful of how theyhalf go the intostates.“ISupreme will not Court stop until politerm these to begin with blockofficer knee into“Best a Blacktheman’s neck. won the press 2007hisNational victim's life,Five and understand ciesIsare passed.” buster question: it legal to fire someone for being gay or Books” Award. she may “survival Tia Carol Jones can be reached HOTthat TOPICS Page be 33 in transgender?

“I was just 16-years-old when mode”. at tiacaroljones@sbcglobal.net my eye first blackened and my “Before you get to 'I'm going lips bled,” Marlow said. to kill you,' it started as a verbal WI Elaine Davis-Nickens, president of the National Hook-Up of Black Women, said there is no Whileindoctors scientists around the world race to develop treatments and vaccines for COVID-19, consistency the wayand domestic Newissues York State has become violence are dealt with by the center of a parallel effort to investigate an unnerving aspect of the outbreak: an illness that is sickening a small but growing number of children.

The ailment has now been reported in at least 161 children, making the state’s caseload one of the largest publicly reported anywhere. Hundreds of other children across the U.S. and in Europe have also been sickened with the illness, now called multisystem inflammatory syndrome.

The syndrome can be characterized by severe inflammation of the heart, blood vessels, the gastrointestinal tract or other organs, believed to be caused by a reaction to the coronavirus. The inquiries into why it is occurring, and whether a treatment can be found, could have an impact on how the authorities handle the reopening of schools and other activities for children.

The first cases of the new syndrome began to draw doctors’ attention in late April and early May, about a month after the height of the coronavirus outbreak in New York City. Doctors say the symptoms are similar to a rare childhood illness called Kawasaki disease. Several deaths have been reported in children ranging from three to 18. Most patients with the new syndrome were previously healthy, without any underlying health problems, doctors said in interviews “Is it the virus causing this, or the body’s response to the virus after a few weeks?” asked Dr. Edward Conway Jr., the chief of pediatric critical care at Jacobi Medical Center in the Bronx, saying that he suspects the latter.

“

More Children Hit with Inflammatory Syndrome – Deadly Illness Linked to COVID-19

We have to stop being passive-aggressive with poor children about domestic violence. I plan to take these policies to Congress and implore them to change our laws. I will not stop until these policies are passed.

“

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L.Y. Marlow

AROUND THE REGION Class of 2020 Making Memories Despite Losses

By Hamil R. Harris WI Contributing Writer It’s graduation time for the Class of 2020 and while commencement exercises, baccalaureate programs and big family gatherings are being postponed amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, many seniors have nevertheless found creative ways to celebrate the moment.

From having photo sessions in the front yard to parading through neighborhood streets, this will be a busy week for the 8,000 students graduating from Prince George’s County Public Schools.

“No prom, no graduation exercises and even the time to pick up the cap and gown has been changed,” said Allison Prince, whose son Trent Crawford is graduating from Bowie High School.

“It’s emotional. You think about your time with your child. I have a myriad of thoughts and emotions in my head and in my heart.”

But despite disappointment about the prom and other senior activities, Prince and family members enjoyed a nice Saturday as her son and his prom date Nakya Pack took photos in her front yard as her father cooked on the grill.

“It’s good to take pictures because you still have something to look back on,” said Nakya, who is headed to Frostburg State University to major in business administration.

“Everyone has pictures from their past and even with COVID-19, we can say we made something of it.”

During football season, Trent was an All-County player who played linebacker and strong safety.

He is now preparing to play college ball at West Liberty University in Virginia.

Trent said even though he can’t practice or do much outside, “I can mentally prepare by eating right and don’t just sit around.”

But Nakya said this year has been tough.

“I played lacrosse and this year is my last year because in college I want to focus on earning my degree,” she said.

Prince empathized with the children, but said the setbacks will steel them for any other adversity they may encounter.

“These kids have been through

a lot and they have made it,” she said. “In the future, they will know to create other ways to get things done because they have overcome so much to get to this day.”

Prince George’s County Public Schools will honor the Class of 2020 with an eGraduation celebration on Saturday, May 30 that will feature Academy Award-nominated actress Taraji P. Henson.

The ceremony, which will air at 7 p.m. on WJLA (Channel 7), will also feature R&B singer Kenny Lattimore, a PGCPS Alumni Hall of Fame inductee, radio personality and comedian Joe Clair, NFL cornerback Joe Haden and local news anchor Taylor Thomas.

“I know this doesn’t make up for not being able to walk across the stage,” said PGCPS CEO Monica Goldson. “The Board of Education and I promise to do everything in our power to give you that moment once these restrictions are lifted.”

Members of the graduating class have expressed a range of emotions as their big day nears.

“I have been going to school all of my life and now I can finally say that I have completed my high school education,” said Alana Harris, 18, who is graduating from Parkdale High School.

Alana, a resident of New Carrollton, also ordered a prom dress and plans to take photos with her friends.

“It was comforting to know that I was not alone because we were all going through the same thing,” she said.

Montaz Dennis, 18, who is graduating from the Academy of Health Sciences at Prince George’s Community College, plans to attend Alabama State University to major in radio and television communications.

Montaz, who said he also plans to enroll in Air Force ROTC to pursue a career as public affairs officer, lamented the loss of the oncein-a-lifetime opportunities that come with finishing high school.

“At the end of the day, our senior year was stripped away from us,” he said. “If you asked any senior, they would tell you that they would have traded anything for a prom, a graduation ceremony or any meaningful experience.” WI

5 Nakya Pack and Trent Crawford (L-R) are graduating seniors from Bowie High School. (Courtesy photo)

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MAY 28 - JUNE 3, 2020 5

AROUND THE REGION

black facts

MAY 28 - JUNE 3, 2020 SOURCE: BLACK AMERICA WEB

MAY 28

2010 – The book “The Unspoken Alliance: Israel’s Secret Relationship with Apartheid South Africa” is released, revealing that Israel aided the racist regime of South Africa and supported providing chemical and nuclear weapons to them for possible use against the country’s majority Black population. The documents were discovered by American scholar Sasha Polakow-Suransky.

MAY 29

1851 – Sojourner Truth delivers her “Ain’t I A Woman?” speech to the Ohio Women’s Rights Convention.

1865 – President Andrew Johnson announces his program of Reconstruction. It required ratification of the 13th Amendment, but did not guarantee Black suffrage.

1980 – Vernon Jordan, then-president of the National Urban League, is critically injured in attempted assassination in Fort Wayne, Indiana.

MAY 30

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1854 – Congress passes the Kansas-Nebraska Act that repealed the Missouri Compromise and opened the Northern territories to slavery.

1903 – Countee Cullen, one of the most outstanding poets in the history of Black America, is born.

MAY 31

1921 – The Tulsa Riots begin in Oklahoma. Whites go on a violent rampage lasting several days.

When the rioting was over, an estimated 21 whites

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and 60 Blacks were dead.

The area bearing the brunt of the destruction was known as the “Black Wall Street” because of its large number of African American-owned businesses.

JUNE 1

1864 – Solomon George Washington Dill, a poor white Southern man who supported an end to slavery and Black demands for social justice, is murdered by angry whites for giving what some whites considered an “incendiary speech” to a group of South Carolina Blacks.

1973 – Detroit’s WGPR receives a license to become the nation’s first Black-owned television station.

JUNE 2

1875 – James Augustine Healy is consecrated as Bishop of Portland, becoming the first African American consecrated a Catholic bishop.

1989 – Freddie Adu, (above) soccer player and former member of D.C. United, is born in Tema, Ghana. In January 2004, he became the youngest American ever to sign a professional sports contract after be was selected by the United in the Major League Soccer draft.

JUNE 3

BARACK OBAMA 6 - MAY 28 - JUNE 3, 2020

1906 – Josephine Baker, (top) the world-renowned American-born French singer, dancer and actress, is born.

In 1934, Baker became the first Black woman to star in a major motion picture (“Zotuou”). She also became an avowed civil rights activist, speaking out against the racism and segregation she faced as a performer in the United States.

1942 – Curtis Mayfield, famed singer-songwriter, guitarist and record producer perhaps best known for creating the soundtrack for the seminal blaxploitation film “Superfly,” is born.

1950 – Deniece Williams, Grammy-winning R&B and gospel music star, is born. Known for her hit, “Let’s Hear it for the Boy.” 2008 – Barack Obama clinches the Democratic presidential nomination, becoming the first Black candidate to lead a major party into a campaign for the White House. WI

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MAY 28 - JUNE 3, 2020 7

The World According to Dominic

BY D. KEVIN MCNEIR / WI EDITOR / @DKEVINMCNEIR

Youth Face the Slings and Arrows of Graduating Alone

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From the over-priced, exclusive cul-de-sacs and communities bordering the Potomac including Georgetown and The Palisades to more economically-challenged neighborhoods which lie east of the Anacostia, youth who have long-anticipated marching to “Pomp and Circumstance,” sporting their caps and gowns while holding their high school or college diplomas proudly above their heads, find their dreams shattered.

With over 96,000 Americans having already succumbed to complications from COVID-19 and with stay-at-home orders disrupting every facet of life for the past several months, youth who have stayed the course realize that they’ll never experience the excitement of senior class trips to amusement parks or sunsoaked beaches, prom festivities or commencement ceremonies.

Denied the opportunity to hang out with their friends, except through social media virtual encounters, many now battle to shake off depression, despondency, melancholy and the blues.

As a judge in the Greater Washington Area for African-American high school students in the region’s NAACP’s ACT-SO achievement program, I recently critiqued the works of youth competing in the categories of original essay and short

story who sought to advance from the district competition to the national finals.

Additionally, I, along with my colleagues on the panel of adjudicators, had the chance to listen to these bright, children of color who shared their hopes, dreams and fears.

Their thoughts harkened me to a poem that my mother shared with me years ago, “Mother to Son.” “Well, son, I’ll tell you: Life for me ain’t been no crystal stair.

It’s had tacks in it, And splinters, And boards torn up, And places with no carpet on the floor— Bare.

But all the time I’se been a-climbin’ on, And reachin’ landin’s, And turnin’ corners, And sometimes goin’ in the dark Where there ain’t been no light.

So boy, don’t you turn back.

Don’t you set down on the steps ’Cause you finds it’s kinder hard.

Don’t you fall now— For I’se still goin’, honey, I’se still climbin’, And life for me ain’t been no crystal stair.”

Certainly, things have changed because of the coronavirus pandemic for all of us – young and not-soyoung alike. But it’s been rough for youth who have been born into an age in which “instant gratification” can be easily accessed by simply clicking on an app or downloading photographs and videos onto their I-phones.

And while some school administrators, communities of faith, local non-profits and friends and families, through a myriad of creative means and ventures, have organized graduation “parades,” invited guests to virtual commencement ceremonies or sent their shout outs and salutations noting their success via Facebook Live and Zoom, these efforts, despite their earnestness, will never be enough. For the majority of today’s graduating seniors, these creative initiatives will be fall far short

of helping youth realize the formation of their own lifelong memories of community gatherings and celebrations acknowledging their graduations – glorious encounters punctuated by the human touch.

As the young Prince of Denmark faces thoughts of suicide, philosophical and emotional angst in William Shakespeare’s timeless tragedy, “Hamlet,” the young heir to the throne considers revenge against his uncle, Claudius, who has murdered Hamlet’s father in order to seize his throne and marry Hamlet’s mother. Suddenly, life as he has known it throws him a hard ball, leaving him all alone, floundering upon the ocean like a ship without a sail.

Hamlet, like thousands of graduating seniors today, in the play’s most enduring soliloquy, must come to terms with the “slings and arrows of outrageous fortune” – that is, finding a way to address and hopefully, overcome, life when bad things happen to us through no fault of our own.

Is life, given such unfair circumstances, worth living?

“To be, or not to be – that is the question?” Hamlet ponders in Act 3, Scene 1.

Indeed, this new, foreign landscape has no precedence for today’s youth. And yet, the world’s inhabitants, people of color particularly, are no strangers to injustice, hard times or tomorrows replete with hurdles, obstacles, landmines and starting lines set miles behind those of other runners.

So, while “life ain’t been no crystal stair,” we, as Hughes reminds us, have continued to climb, to move on – tacks and splinters notwithstanding.

Thus, I am confident that like the ancestors before us who were able to “make a way out of no way,” today’s young graduates will survive and thrive, despite the slings and arrows of the present. If life is to continue, no other option remains.

And yes, life and our world, forever changed though they may be, will go on. WI

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Community Outraged by MoCo Police Shooting of Finan Berhe

AROUND THE REGION

By Lindiwe Vilakazi WI Contributing Writer

The fatal shooting of Finan H. Berhe by a Montgomery County police officer has ignited efforts of the Silver Spring Justice Coalition (SSJC) and Berhe’s family to ensure consequences for his death and eradicate what they say is the latest in a long string of Black murders at the hands of racist police.

Outrage raced throughout the White Oak community and beyond after the release of body-camera footage capturing Montgomery County Police Sgt. David Cohen, who is white, shooting Berhe multiple times in the chest during a May 8 confrontation in a residential parking lot.

The SSJC and others protested that the involved members of the MCPD be appropriately reprimanded.

“We demand that Sergeant Cohen, the killer cop, be fired immediately. We demand that 3rd District Commander [Darren] Francke, and Montgomery County Police Chief Marcus Jones resign immediately,” said Laurel Hoa of SSJC. “They have failed in oversight of their commands. They have failed to ensure residents in distress do not die because of police incompetence.

They have failed to implement deescalation recommended by the International Association of Chiefs of Police. They are responsible for Finan’s death, and they must be held accountable.”

Berhe was carrying a knife at the time of the shooting, which authorities said was recovered at the scene.

However, community friends said that Berhe suffered from mental health issues.

In the video, which was posted on the police department’s Twitter account, Cohen draws his service weapon almost immediately after exiting his vehicle. After repeatedly yelling at Berhe to get on the ground, the officer fires several times once Berhe begins running toward him.

Cohen, a 17-year veteran of the department, was placed on paid administrative leave, which is standard procedure after a police shooting.

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PHONE: 202-526-0300 FAX: 202-526-0233 5 Social distancing protesters demand consequences for the death of Finan H. Berhe by a Montgomery County police officer. (Robert R. Roberts/The Washington Informer)

The SSJC held a vigil in collaboration with Berhe’s family to honor the life of Berhe and Emannual Okutuga, who was also killed during an altercation with MCPD in 2011.

“The worst pain a mother could ever go through is to have to bury their child — and just because the color of their skin,” Comfort Oludipe, mother of Okutuga, tearfully said. “Even with 13 eyewitnesses, the state’s attorney told me that ‘somebody’ in the state attorney’s office ‘mistakenly’ deleted this video, and my case was thrown out of court. They got away with murder.”

Cherri Branson of the Montgomery County NAACP branch and SSJC members shared mailings have been sent to the MCPD requesting provisions implemented in police engagement protocol, such as increasing deescalation training,

releasing the reports of the 911 call that led to Berhe’s death, and requiring consideration of mental health status of residents prior to engagement, with use of mental health sensitive interventions that remedy issues without the loss of a life.

“The days of Finan are the days of this constitution, this country, this democracy,” said Tababu Assefa, a family member of Berhe. “They are the government because we gave our good will to be governed. They are the government because we vote them in office. They are the government because we finance them with our tax dollars. The police are supposed to protect and serve us. So the days of Finan, and the rights that we demand immediately is a failure of this democracy. From the east to the west, we want this nation to know — each life matters.” WI

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AROUND THE REGION

Prince George’s Candidates Present Platforms Virtually

By William J. Ford WI Staff Writer @jabariwill Although candidates on the June 2 presidential primary election ballot aren’t allowed to conduct the traditional grassroots efforts chatting with voters in-person and knocking on doors because of the coronavirus pandemic, they can still reach them virtually.

The Coalition of Central Prince George’s County Community Organizations held a virtual meet-and-greet Saturday, May 23 with more than two dozen participants to hear candidates on the school board and judge for Circuit Court. The organizations are those based in legislative Districts 24, 25, 47 and some from District 26.

The Rev. John E. Richardson, chair of the coalition, said this helps some residents who remain undecided on choosing a candidate, especially with some residents just recently receiving their ballots.

“They would like to make an informed decision about who they would like to vote for,” he said. “This gives them an opportunity to put a face with a name on the ballot.”

Four school board candidates joined the conversation competition in two races for seats in Districts 4 and 7.

Alexis Branch, a 2019 graduate from Bennett College in Greensboro, North Carolina, was the only candidate from District 7, which includes Arrowhead Elementary in Upper Marlboro, Benjamin Stoddert Middle in Temple Hills and Suitland High in Forestville.

Branch, who graduated from Gwynn Park High School in Brandywine in 2016, outlined parts of her platform such as universal pre-kindergarten, passports for high school students to travel abroad and advocacy.

“I will personally be a mentor to your kids,” said Branch, who’s currently in graduate school at Bowie State University. “I know the board’s role is to push a financial budget and create policy, but I also think the board has a role in advocating for the funds that we are not receiving.”

Branch will appear on the ballot with incumbent K. Alexander Wallace, a graduate of Dr. Henry A. Wise Jr. High School in Upper Marlboro

5 The Rev. John E. Richardson, president, Coalition of Central Prince George’s County (Courtesy photo/Facebook grab)

and a former legislative and constituent aide for the late state Sen. Ulysses Currie. He works as a finance manager for DARCARS Automotive.

Kenneth F. Harris II, the other candidate on the District 7 ballot, is a graduate of Eleanor Roosevelt High School in Greenbelt and works as a mechanical engineer at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt.

Branch has a few similarities with one of the District 4 school board candidates, Shayla Adams-Stafford, in speaking fluent Spanish and support for an all-elected school board. Adams-Stafford is the only non-incumbent who received an endorsement from Progressive Maryland.

Besides work as an instructional coach training teachers, Adams-Stafford runs a nonprofit organization called RemixEducation, which seeks to provide resources for first-generation college students.

She said COVID-19 will affect the future of education.

“When we return to school, it’s going to be much different than what we envisioned school being like previously,” she said. “Students may have to come to school on a rotating schedule.

There will not be as many students within a classroom. Students will have to think about masks. All of these are

considerations that need [attention].”

She and four of the other District 4 candidates seek to replace current board member Bryan Swann, who was sworn in in January after the appointment by County Executive

WWW.WASHINGTONINFORMER.COM / THE WASHINGTON INFORMER

Angela Alsobrooks. Swann works as deputy director of the Office of Financial Management for the U.S. Department of Treasury. He formerly worked for the Obama administration.

Swann spoke Saturday with a focus

to relieve overcrowding, train teachers and close the digital divide where every student receives some form of technology.

VOTE Page 34 MAY 28 - JUNE 3, 2020 11

PRINCE GEORGE'S COUNTY More Coronavirus Testing Coming in Prince George’s

By William J. Ford WI Staff Writer @jabariwill On the first day the state of Maryland transformed a Hyattsville vehicle emissions station into a free drive-thru coronavirus testing site, hundreds of motorists waited patiently to get screened.

One day earlier in Langley Park, thousands of residents lined up to receive hot meals from World Central Kitchen and other produce.

Those two situations amplify why Prince George’s County Council member Deni Taveras (D-District 2) of Adelphi isn’t ready to reopen some businesses. Besides the county having the highest number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Maryland, the zip code of 20783 in her district (Langley Park, Chillum and portions of Hyattsville) has re-

corded the most cases in the state.

Her district in the northern part of Prince George’s is the most densely populated and houses the county’s largest Latino constituency.

“I do not believe we are ready in my district,” she said Friday, May 22. “Not many people have money to put in their [gas] tank, to ride a bus, or take a cab to go get tested.

Resources are sorely needed in the district and the county.”

County Executive Angela Alsobrook proposes a “modified reopening” of the majority-Black jurisdiction by Monday, June 1 if certain criteria such as positive cases, hospitalizations and death rates remain flat or decrease.

During a briefing with the county council on May 19, Alsobrooks said even if businesses gradually reopen, some safety measures may remain in place for quite some time.

“I don’t think we are going to do away with facial coverings for the rest of the year,” she said.

The county proposes to open testing sites at four other locations — the Rollingcrest-Chillum Community Center in Chillum, the Laurel-Beltsville Senior Activity Center, the D. Leonard Dyer Regional Health Center in Clinton and the Wayne K. Curry Sports and Learning Complex in Landover.

Another possibility would be to provide bus transportation from Langley Park to a testing site.

That still doesn’t satisfy Taveras, who challenged Republican Gov. Larry Hogan’s decision to reopen the state as the number confirmed cases continues to rise.

Federal officials said Friday the Washington and Baltimore regions lead the nation’s metropolitan areas in confirmed cases.

The positivity rate in Maryland hovers around 19 percent, compared to other urban regions averaging about 10 percent.

As of Friday, the Johns Hopkins University data tracker listed the state as having the 10th most confirmed cases nationwide.

During that same time frame, Prince George’s had the 25th highest amount of confirmed cases in the country.

Hogan still decided to allow all 24 jurisdictions to reopen certain businesses due to a decrease in hospitalizations and expanded testing and personal protective equipment.

On Friday, Hogan announced three COVID-19 testing sites at

Judge Raps Prince George’s ‘Reckless Disregard’ for the Health of Inmates

By William J. Ford WI Staff Writer @jabariwill

5 Prince George’s County Department of Corrections in Upper Marlboro (William J. Ford/The Washington Informer, File)

12 - MAY 28 - JUNE 3, 2020

A U.S. District Court judge excoriated the Prince George’s County Department of Corrections for its “reckless disregard” for the health of inmates during the coronavirus pandemic.

Judge Paula Xinis noted in court documents filed Thursday, May 21 that the decision for the jail to improve conditions doesn’t just rest on a limited number of COVID-19 tests administered and maintained at the facility.

“Rather the combination of simultaneously undertesting, failing to isolate and provide basic medical

5 Motorists await free coronavirus testing at the Vehicle Emissions Inspection Station in Hyattsville, Maryland, on May 22, the first day of testing at the location.

(Anthony Tilghman/The Washington Informer)

Walmart stores in Dorchester, Wicomico and Frederick counties.

Hogan already authorized for almost 1,200 pharmacies to order and administer tests.

Rite Aid will provide COVID-19 testing in Anne Arundel and Baltimore counties.

Eligible residents will be able to receive free testing at one of 17 CVS Pharmacies, including four in Prince George’s County.

The state plans to open and transform another vehicle emissions site this week in Clinton and open from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Wednesdays and Friday’s.

“As Maryland continues to dramatically expand testing availability and broaden the criteria for COVID-19 testing statewide, we are attention to COVID-19 symptomatic detainees, and ignoring highrisk detainees — all known to Defendant — that is at the core of this finding,” Xinis wrote.

Department of Corrections spokesperson Andrew Cephas said the county will appeal the judge’s order and findings.

“The appeal will request a stay of the order, but will comply with the court’s order until a stay is granted, if one is granted,” he said in an email Friday. “The injunction didn’t require the Prince George’s Department of Corrections to do anything that wasn’t already being done or in the process of starting.

The court’s appointed expert inspector found that the jail was in CDC compliance.”

The majority-Black jurisdic-

JUSTICE Page 39

excited to be forging new partnerships with private sector companies like Walmart,” Hogan said in a statement. “With the addition of test sites at some of our Walmart stores, we are continuing to make significant progress on our long-term testing strategy for the state.”

Although Taveras supports more testing for residents in Prince George’s, she said the county needs more money to combat the virus.

The state and local governments received an estimated $2.3 billion in coronavirus relief aid.

About $1 billion was designated for jurisdictions with at least 500,000 or more residents. Montgomery County received the highest amount, estimated at $183 million, followed by Prince George’s County at $158 million. The other three jurisdictions are Baltimore County ($144 billion), Baltimore City ($104 million) and Anne Arundel County ($101 million).

Taveras estimates the state still has $691 million left in stimulus funding, so she said the county needs $200 million from that pot, being the hardest-hit area in the D.C. region. She said the funding would go toward rigorous contact tracing, antibody testing, housing and utility assistance, establishing quarantine locations in overcrowded housing and helping small businesses.

“If we just follow this Republican mantra of opening up, what we’re going to do is continue to elongate this closure in getting more people sick than necessary,” she said. “We need to follow the steps of other countries that have done it successfully like New Zealand, Australia, Taiwan, South Korea … and not just follow the politics.” WI

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PRINCE GEORGE’S COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS

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MAY 28 - JUNE 3, 2020 13

The M

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Maryland’s 2020 Primary Election

Vote Safe. Vote By Mail.

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YOU DON’T NEED TO REQUEST A BALLOT.

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Eligible voters will automatically receive a ballot at their registered address.

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elections.maryland.gov/june2 for more information, voter registration, and in-person voting locations.

14 - MAY 28 - JUNE 3, 2020

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BUSINESS Muslim Restaurant Ends Ramadan With Complimentary Meals Amid Pandemic

By Hamil R. Harris WI Contributing Writer At a time when many are experiencing a shortage of food, the parking lot of Around the Clock Chicken and Fish in Capitol Heights, Maryland, was filled recently with Muslim and community leaders who readily shared a free meal.

Imam Yahya Muhammad, who opened the restaurant across from one of the main U.S. Postal Service distribution facilities in the area, said the May 21 drive-up meal distribution amid the coronavirus pandemic was his way to close out the Islam month of Ramadan, the annual observance of fasting, prayer, reflection and community.

“We wanted today to give back to the community and to let people know that we in the Black com-

munity are one,” said Muhammad as he and his wife Olonda prepared chicken, fish, macaroni and cheese, and other side dishes that included peach cobbler.

“My wife and I took time out to let the community know that we care about them,” Muhammad said.

Meanwhile, another drive-thru distribution event Thursday at the Central Baptist Church of Camp Springs was overwhelmed by those looking to receive meals, with vehicles still arriving long after the food ran out.

Traffic stalled along the Capital Beltway near the Branch Avenue exit, with vehicles en route to the Central Avenue church sat in the backup for nearly an hour.

But many motorists were visibly frustrated once they arrived at the church and spotted two men in orange jackets waving people off.

5 Iman Yahya Muhammad and wife Olonda, owners of Around the Clock Chicken and Fish in Capitol Heights, Maryland, provide free meals during the pandemic. (Anthony Tilghman/The Washington Informer)

“The food distribution has been gone since 1 p.m.,” one man said.

Prince George’s County Council member Calvin Hawkins said he wanted to come to the event because “as a county, we are committed to people and want to let them know that help is on the way.”

“We’re all in this together,” Hawkins said.

Imam Yusef Salem, former leader of Masjid Muhammed mosque in D.C., said, “We are all human.

No matter what ethnic group you are, the coronavirus will affect anybody.” WI

Request for Proposal Solicitation GAGA-2020-R-0058 FY 22 Budget Model DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA PUBLIC SCHOOLS OFFICE OF RESOURCE STRATEGY (ORS) The District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS), Contracts and Acquisitions Division, on behalf of Office of Resource Strategy (ORS) is seeking a contractor who shall work together with DCPS and a partner to develop a new model for allocating resources and assigning flexibilities to schools, which will be deployed in preparation for the 2021-22 school year (FY22).

Solicitations will be available Tuesday May 26, 2020. This solicitation can be downloaded from the OCA website delineating all the details of the solicitation at http://dcps.dc.gov/DCPS/About+DCPS/Doing+Business+with+DCPS/Procurement.

Proposals will be accepted at DCPS/OCA on Tuesday, June 09, 2020, no later than 1:00 p.m. at. dcpsoca.inquiries@k12.dc.gov.

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NATIONAL It’s a First: Clarence Thomas Tells Story on TV

Critics Describe PBS Documentary ‘Created Equal,’ One-Sided

By Dan Holly Zenger News Service, Inc. He didn’t have a flushing toilet as a child and when he finally moved into a house that had one he was fascinated and continually flushed it – annoying his grandfather, who paid the water bill.

As a U. S. Supreme Court justice, his tastes are remarkably modest. His ideal vacation is driving cross-country in a 40-foot motor home, often staying in Walmart parking lots.

Clarence Thomas, the famously-silent jurist, tells his own life story in a new documentary, “Created Equal: Clarence Thomas in His Own Words” which made its national television debut May 18 on PBS.

The two-hour film explores Thomas’ life, from his 1948 birth in the small town of Pin Point, Georgia, to his upbringing as a poor Black kid in the segregated South, to his liberal phase in college, to his conversion to conservatism, to his rise to the nation’s highest court.

“I don’t expect that [Thomas] will convince you on the issues,” said filmmaker Michael Pack. “But I think it’s impossible to watch this film and not see that he’s a serious, thoughtful person – whose ideas are worth considering – with a very powerful and inspiring life story.”

After the retirement of Thurgood Marshall, the first Black Supreme Court justice, Thomas was appointed to take his seat. His confirmation

seemed assured until a former colleague from two of his prior executive branch jobs, Anita Hill, came forward with sexual harassment allegations, prompting an investigation from the Senate Judiciary Committee, chaired by then-Sen. Joseph Biden.

Thomas was confirmed 52-48 in 1991.

“Created Equal” gives the public a fuller picture of one of the nation’s most intriguing public figures, said Michael Pack, who directed the film and produced it with Gina Pack, his wife. Pack, who has a long history of producing public television and served in Republican administrations, is from Maryland.

Thomas rarely speaks publicly – even during high court oral arguments. And while he told some of his personal story in a 2007 book, “My Grandfather’s Son,” he wanted to say more now, Pack said.

Very little of the documentary covers Thomas’ Supreme Court career. Most of it is devoted to his childhood in the segregated South.

More than three years in the making, the film draws from more than 30 hours of interviews with Thomas and his wife.

Thomas credits much of outlook on life to his hard-working, God-fearing grandfather who raised him and his younger brother after his single mother could not afford to care for them. “My grandfather understood that education was the key because he didn’t have it,” Thomas says in the film.

His initial reaction to the racism he experienced growing up in Georgia was to try to be perfect. But

5 Clarence Thomas (Courtesy photo)

when he got to the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, he started speaking out against racism, joining protest rallies and other activities in support of Black activists, including the Black Panthers.

His relationship with his grandfather became “horrible,” Thomas said. After a violent protest disrupted on campus, Thomas had second thoughts. He prayed, asking God to take the anger out of his heart. “That was the beginning,” he said, “of the slow return to where I started.”

When he graduated from Yale Law School in 1974, unlike his classmates, he had trouble finding a job.

He attributed that to potential employers assuming affirmative action was behind his acceptance to the prestigious law school.

Thomas eventually got a job offer from John Danforth, Missouri’s attorney general. Danforth was a Republican and Thomas initially felt

D.C. Council Mandates Utility Companies Enter Payment Arrangements for Residents

By Stacy M. Brown WI Senior Writer @StacyBrownMedia

5 D.C. Councilman Kenyan McDuffie (Official Council photo)

16 - MAY 28 - JUNE 3, 2020

Following legislation that requires District landlords to offer payment plans for rent to tenants facing hardship due to the novel coronavirus pandemic, the city council has passed a new bill to help those struggling to pay utility bills.

“Since the first emergency COVID-19 bills, I have been working to include this language to protect utility customers,” said Kenyan McDuffie, chair pro tempore and chair of the Council Committee on Business and Economic Development. “While prohibitions on shutoffs have been in place for some time and some utilities

are already offering some payment plans, I am pleased that the District has now required all utility providers to provide payment plans.”

The new law requires gas, water and electric utilities to offer a payment program six months after the public health emergency.

The council’s actions mandate that protections would extend 60 days after the public health emergency for cable operators or telecommunications service providers not regulated by the DC Public Service Commission.

If utility service is currently disconnected, the provision requires reconnection of some utilities during the public health emergency. The payment plans must be for at least one year unless the customer requests a

shorter time frame.

“There has never been a more critical time for utilities to help their most vulnerable customers seek relief and ultimately recover from the coronavirus crisis,” said Sydney Sonneville, who works as a senior media relations specialist. “Many utilities have enacted measures to do just that, including suspending service disconnections, reconnecting customers in the dark, waiving late payment fees, and offering flexible payment plans.”

The ability to communicate and connect with customers effectively during a crisis is at the core of public utilities’ services, Sonneville said.

The Federal Communications

UTILITIES Page 28

that working for a Republican was “repulsive.” Nevertheless, he took the job. His experience there began to change his mind. He previously believed that much prosecution of African Americans was politically motivated. In the Missouri courts, he met Black crime victims who led him to reconsider his views.

Next, Thomas worked for Monsanto and became disenchanted with what he perceived as half-hearted efforts by the agriculture company’s equal employment executives to advance Black employees.

Thomas’ journey to conservatism was well underway when in 1979 he went back to work for Danforth who by then was a U.S. senator. Thomas was appointed by President Ronald Reagan to be chairman of the Equal Opportunity Employment Commission and a federal judge before his Supreme Court nomination.

The film’s title reflects Thomas’ belief the courts should adhere strictly to the original intent of the founding fathers, who wrote “All men are created equal” at the start of the Declaration of Independence.

The film has gotten mixed reviews. A common criticism is that the documentary is one-sided.

“Our documentary doesn’t pretend to be objective,” Pack said. “We were true to what we said we would deliver, which was a very important person’s view of the world. … It’s worth hearing.”

One thing Pack did not allow was Thomas’ interference in the production of the documentary. The Supreme Court justice gave him “editorial independence” and a “high degree of trust,” Pack said.

Asked in a recent interview what Thomas’ reaction is to the film, Pack said: “He has yet to see it.” WI

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D.C., Maryland, Virginia Plan to Sue EPA

NATIONAL

Agency Failed to Require Bay Cleanup Plans, AGs Claim

By Sarafina Wright WI Contributing Writer The attorneys general in Virginia, Maryland and D.C. plan to sue the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for failing to require two nearby states to implement plans to cut pollution in the Chesapeake Bay and local waters, including the Potomac River.

Maryland Attorney General Brian Frosh and Virginia Attorney General Mark Herring issued the notice with D.C. Attorney General Karl Racine on Monday, May 18 alleging the EPA has not demanded Pennsylvania and New York develop plans to achieve 2025 restoration goals as required to reduce pollution levels under the Clean Water Act. This comes as the Chesapeake

Bay’s health dropped from a C to a C minus last year in an annual report from the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science.

“Our coalition of state attorneys general will not allow the EPA to walk away from its enforcement obligations and undermine decades of work to reduce pollution across the Chesapeake Bay watershed,” Racine said. “The District is committed to reaching our pollution reduction goals, but if other states are not doing their part, and the EPA is not keeping watch, we will fail to restore the Bay and our local waters, including the Potomac River.”

Racine said the EPA’s failure to require New York and Pennsylvania to develop and implement adequate plans has placed additional burdens on the other states in the agreement.

In 1983, D.C., Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, the Chesapeake Bay Commission and the EPA signed the Chesapeake Bay Agreement — the first multi-state effort to restore the bay. In 2010, the EPA and the watershed states agreed to and began implementing an overall plan which aimed to restore the bay by 2025.

“Protecting and restoring the Chesapeake Bay requires a comprehensive effort by each of the watershed states as well as the EPA,” Herring said. “As the administrator of the Chesapeake Bay Agreement, the EPA must treat each of the partners equally and make sure every state is pulling its weight and upholding its portion of the agreement, but instead, the Trump EPA simply rubber-stamped plans that are plainly

5 Nature’s habitat of the Chesapeake Bay. (Courtesy of Chesapeake Bay Program)

inadequate.”

The Chesapeake Bay is the largest estuary in the U.S., and home to thousands of plant and animal species. The bay’s watershed spans 64,000 square miles and includes rivers and streams in the District, Maryland, Delaware, Pennsylvania, New York and West Virginia.

The attorneys general said efforts to protect the bay are uniquely challenging because water from each of

those states flows into it, bringing significant amounts of harmful pollution with it. To ensure states would reduce pollution to agreed-upon levels, the EPA required them to develop and implement plans to achieve their specific pollution reduction goals.

The final phase of each state’s plans were submitted to the EPA in

EPA Page 28

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HURIWA Wants Bashir Ahmad Sacked Over Derogatory Comments The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has called for the dismissal of an aide to President Muhammadu Buhari for making derogatory comments about the Federal High Court and claiming to have the power to influence court decisions.

A statement signed Sunday in Abuja by National Coordinator Emmanuel Onwubiko and National Media Affairs Director Zainab Yusuf, said the implication of the assertion of the presidential aide is that the current executive arm of government has the capacity to armtwist the judiciary and can as well write court decisions for the judges from the offices at the presidential villa, the Lagos-based Guardian reported.

HURIWA recalled that Special Assistant Bashir Ahmad, (right) after sensing how angry other Twitter users had become about his claims to have the contact to influence court decisions, deleted his earlier tweet and retweeted that he was unaware of the ingredients of the said matter of abduction of the teenage Ese Oruru.

“We consider this subtle admission of the near-infinite capacity of the Presidential aide to predetermine the decision of the competent courts of law as a grave threat to constitutional democracy and has rubbished the sanctity of the nation’s court system except and unless the President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration comes out clean and state the official position on this verbal assault on the Judicial arm of government by one of his assistants in the person of Bashir Ahmed,” the statement said.

It added: “President Muhammadu Buhari should immediately sanction his misbehaved assistant by sacking him from his job and to assure Nigerians that indeed his administration is not tale guiding the judges of the Court systems at the Federal level. If this is not done then Nigerians will have no choice but to accept what Bashir Ahmed told us that as an official of President Muhammadu Buhari that he has the contact that can extra-judicially fix the decisions of Courts of Nigeria which is a grave violation of the principle of separation of powers recognized by the Constitution and specifically section 6 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria of 1999 (as amended).”

Specifically, the rights group noted that section 6 of the Constitution provides thus: “The judicial powers of the Federation shall be vested in the courts to which this section relates, being courts established for the Federation. The judicial powers of a State shall be vested in the courts to which this section relates, being courts established, subject as provided by this Constitution, for a State.

“The courts to which this section relates, established by this Constitution for the Federation and for the States, specified in subsection (5) (a) to (1) of this section, shall be the only superior courts of record in Nigeria; and save as otherwise prescribed by the National Assembly or by the House of Assembly of a State, each court shall have all the powers of a superior court of record.” WI

caribbean now Unions Pressed to Support Members During Pandemic Dennis Clarke,(left) former head of the Barbados National Union of Public Workers, said trade unions must consider how to position themselves not only during the current crisis but within a post-COVID-19 world.

He said the crisis has shown that in the effort to move forward successfully, unions must adjust in order to give support to members in light of certain adjustments in the work environment, the Barbados Advocate reported on May 24.

“Business will no longer be as usual because the world of work and socialization has suddenly been changed by the COVID-19 pandemic,” Clarke said. “The fourth industrial revolution of digitization has been catapulted into overdrive and ‘distancing’ has thrown industrial relations into a state of catalepsy.”

Highlighting that labor is facing several uncertainties, including new forms of contract of employment, Clarke said the movement will also have to deal with the issue of whether those who have been laid off will all be reengaged on the full reopening of workplaces.

“Will the current social protection be strong enough to hold up the unfortunates who will not be reengaged following a period of layoff?” the retired union boss said. “What avenues will there be for suitable alternative employment? Will the employers jump on the opportunity to downsize given the current state of business not only in Barbados but across the world? These are but some of the pressing issues labor faces in a digitized world that is about to maximize the digital technology much sooner than expected thanks to COVID-19.” WI

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HEALTH Innovative Healers Embrace Madagascar’s Controversial Coronavirus Treatment

By Sam P.K. Collins WI Contributing Writer @SamPKCollins Even as the World Health Organization [WHO] continues to question the efficacy of Madagascar’s Coronavirus Organics the anti-coronavirus tonic has increased in appeal, not only among African leaders, but Afro-indigenous health practitioners throughout the Diaspora. In fact, some healers have since attempted to

use the key ingredient of Artemisia in herbal remedies of their own.

For Breath Master Aaron Mottley, CHHC, unlocking the healing properties of the plant known to many as wormwood further allows him, a respiratory practitioner and herbalist of more than two decades, to help his cadre of clients maintain the steady supply of the minerals and nutrients needed to avoid COVID-19 – even fight it.

“Artemisia has been used for ma-

laria [and] is a form of quinine. My awareness is that it’s a liver tonic and it stimulates the liver – the primary organ for filtering toxins and waste,” Mottley, a student of the recently-transitioned African holistic health practitioner Dr. Llaila Afrika, told The Informer.

Mottley later expressed his disdain for what he described as a dominant media narrative that instills fear within Blacks about a process the body undergoes to fight against infection.

He said lack of knowledge about the connection between having an appropriate diet and building immunity has prevented Blacks from embracing natural remedies like Artemisia.

“It gives the body extra strength to fight. This herb is also a blood cleanser,” Mottley said. “You [have to] allow the body to recuperate and regenerate. Depending on what you’re dealing with, [the illness] runs its course [anywhere between] two to three days and 12 to 14, depending on the person’s physical and neurological condition.”

Clinical trials have already begun in Senegal and South Africa to determine Artemisia’s effectiveness as a coronavirus treatment. Researchers in Germany have also joined forces with

a U.S-based pharmaceutical company to conduct similar tests, while WHO officials have revealed their intentions to follow suit. These developments have arisen just weeks after WHO and the West Africa Health Organization, among other public health entities, expressed skepticism that Madagascar developed a “miracle cure.”

In April, Madagascar President Andry Rajoelina and his aides promoted Coronavirus Organics as the first African cure for the illness to be distributed across the country, and eventually the continent. At a press conference, Rajoelina, standing before reporters, diplomats, and other government officials, credited the recovery of two COVID-19 patients to the herbal tonic. WHO later released a statement chastising what officials called the spread of misinformation on social media about untested coronavirus treatments.

Madagascar’s medical milestone, even if not heralded by the mainstream medical community, resonated with people of African descent who had long been wary of engaging Western medical institutions. Since before D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser declared a public health state of emer-

gency, holistic medical practitioners and proponents of herbal remedies had already touted homemade remedies that infused leaves, spices and other natural ingredients as an ideal response to the coronavirus.

A local medical professional who asked not to be identified said she took such measures when she tested positive for the coronavirus in early March. In addition to sequestering herself, she drank a lot of water and herbal teas chockful of the nutrients she said would help the body heal itself.

Overall, her bout with COVID-19, as she recounts it, took nearly two weeks, some portions of which she said proved more gruesome than others.

“My daily routine included drinking a lot of water and a hot herbal tea regimen. I washed and cut up whole organic lemons, whole ginger roots, tablespoons of turmeric and added it to dandelion tea,” she said.

“I took my temperature twice a day, at 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. and kept track of my blood pressure. Lastly, I boiled hot water to inhale the steam to loosen up the mucus in my chest and to help me breathe,” she added.

WI

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HEALTH

‘Soulful Yoga’ Connects Essential Communities Impacted by the Coronavirus and PTSD Instructor Karen Taylor Bass Paves Way for Virtual Self-Care Party WI Staff Report symptoms including depression,

anxiety, problems sleeping and difA report recently-released by The ficulty concentrating.

Associated Press concludes that Karen Taylor Bass, certified yoga based on available state and local instructor (RYT-200), believes the data, Blacks comprise about one- ancient art of yoga can alleviate third of all COVID-19 fatalities in some of these mental and physical the U.S. However, in the areas ana- challenges. lyzed, only about 14 percent of the “People of color are suffering the population was African American. most from the pandemic,” she said.

One immediate effect of “Yoga connects the mind, body and COVID-19 remains post-traumatic soul. I have been offering my brand stress disorder [PTSD] – a mental of soulful yoga at no cost to fronthealth condition that can develop line workers and at a reduced rate after experiencing or witnessing a for others.” traumatic event, such as a natural “My community is predisposed disaster or like a pandemic. to everything and the pandemic has For people with PTSD, having only made our health and wellness lived through such extreme circum- more compromise. If I can provide stances can lead to a wide range of one hour, few minutes of relaxation

via meditation, laughter and yoga to communities on the front-line via Zoom, Skype and Google Classroom then that is what I will do.”

International Yoga Day is June 21 and Karen will be partnering with Black Yoga teachers to offer her special complimentary “Soulful Yoga” classes that include meditation, panels, mental health awareness check-in and virtual marketplace for small business owners.

Carla Hall, chef, author and TV personality, recently raved about Karen’s “Soulful Yoga” class and said the following: “In a word, amazing.”

Karen asserts that her class is based on self-care and self-love. “[It’s about] learning to put selffirst for preservation,” she said. “I

5 Participants glean the benefits of yoga. (Photo courtesy Karen Taylor Bass)

like to call it a healing yoga party with music. Musical selections vary and include: jazz, reggae, rhythm and blues, gospel, blue-eyed soul, hip hop, popular music and more.”

“Soulful Yoga’ offers a deeper connection to tap into trauma, stress, pain, joy and love with easy yoga movement and affirmations from

the diaspora (India, Africa and the Caribbean) with a splash of western influence,” Karen added.

To learn more about Karen Taylor Bass, International Yoga Day and her Virtual Self-Care Party, visit www.KarenTaylorBass.com or go to www.youtube.com/karentaylorbassyoga. WI

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HEALTH A CONTINUING SERIES

COVID 19 UPDATE Strategies to Survive, Sustain and Succeed

Pandemic Has Mom Dreaming of Hiking and Picking Fruit

By Stacy M. Brown WI Senior Writer @StacyBrownMedia While the coronavirus pandemic has been a nightmare for just about everyone, it hasn’t yet spoiled the summer dreams of one Morgan State University alum.

“I don’t know if or when New Jersey, Philadelphia, and New York museums will be open anytime soon,” said Ayesha Gallion, who works as a senior communications editor for a firm in New Jersey. “I have always taken my children to experience culture — picking fruit on farms, exhibits, performances.”

However, “it’s all virtual now — thus my strong desire to take a drive to Maine,” she said. “But who knows — a lot of other people may have the same idea.”

A divorced mom, Gallion’s struggle coping is real not just for her, but for her 16-year-old daughter Imaara, who is going into her senior year of high school, and her 11-year-old son Adam, who will enter middle school in September.

“My son had a camping trip as part of his send-off with the school — it’s a tradition where we live,” Gallion said. “Of course, this was canceled, and, to go along with that, my daughter really went through a difficult time of missing her friends.”

To help compensate for the letdown, Gallion said she allows her daughter to phone and FaceTime a lot later than usual. She sometimes takes both her children grocery shopping, but following the state’s best practices, she usually shops alone.

“I take them so that they can see what the shelves looked like when the pandemic really hit hard — so empty,” Gallion said. “They are now seeing toilet paper return to the shelves — slowly but surely.”

At Morgan State, Gallion said she found an alumni page that reminds her of a playground.

“We share photos and even our comments on the [Instagram] ‘Verzuz’ battles,” However, as the pandemic continued, Gallion said she sees the need to take a break from social media and focus on her physical well-being, which, like millions of others, was interrupted because of the quarantine.

“For a while, our circadian rhythms were really wacky,” Gallion said. “To a degree, it has not normalized. I do try to get to bed whenever I can at a decent hour.

I’ve also ordered several great books to keep my mind stimulated like Toni Morrison’s ‘Source of Self Regard,’ and NAACP Award-nominated book of my fellow Morgan State friend, Dr. Damaris Hill’s, ‘A Bound Woman Is a Dangerous Thing.’”

Gallion has even started writing letters and sending them via the

postal service, a practice that mostly disappeared since the advent of email and social media.

Gallion also hosts a podcast about communication, which she records from home. She said her children are coming through the pandemic healthy, but it hasn’t been easy.

“At first I was very strict with my daughter about the amount of time she was spending on the phone in group chats,” she said.

“It would be 1:30 a.m., and she would have ‘virtual school’ in the morning, and I would give her a lecture about being more responsible. After a while, I did ease up and allow some flexibility as long as she was getting her work done.

“My son refuses to let me try cutting his hair,” she said. “His fade is now some kind of beautiful black cloud just growing out of this purple baseball cap that he wears all the time now — even inside.

“I let the kids relax when they need to,” Gallion said. “But they do have chores. I find that we are still trying to catch up with housework. This is my daughter’s last summer to just really be a kid — next summer, and she will have graduated from high school.

“I am trying to figure out how to make this summer special,” she said. “I was thinking of maybe taking her and her brother to hike Mt. Katahdin in Maine. We would drive.”

WI

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5 Ayesha Gallion (center) and her two children. (Courtesy photo)

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The Political Issue : Civil Engagement Socially Distant May 2020. Volume 6. Issue 5

INSIDE THE MIND: THE BLACK MALE INDEPENDENT VOTER PG. 4

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Publisher :

Lafayette Barnes IV Claudia M. Watts Photography Editor : Lafayette Barnes IV Layout Design : Lafayette Barnes IV Art & Photography : Courtesy Contributing Writers : Sam P.K. Collins, Marcus K. Dowling, Cher Cherrelle Swain, Claudia M. Watts Editor :

Letter from the Editor From workplace dynamics to personal relationships, politics are a framework of human interaction. And, like anything else, there is good, bad, and ugly. When it comes to our government, I have always focused more on the ugly, the unending cycle of broken promises, restrictive policies, and questionable characters with more often than not, self-serving intentions. It’s hard not to go down that road given our history as a country, especially considering Covid-19’s exacerbation of long-standing socioeconomic inequities, fallacies, and tensions.

Though in the same breath, I’d be remiss to ignore the good and importance of being civically engaged. Leaders who embrace diversity, exude compassion, integrity, and possess a vision for a brighter future are the embers that keep the fire of democracy alive. Through strategy, timing, and relationships, progress is achievable.

Our May edition focuses on …you guessed it. Politics! This month, we bring you millennial, democratic, candidates to consider for June’s primary, and examine how D.C. statehood or the lack thereof is impacting you. We also chat with Kristin Turner about the “glass ceiling” and her experience working on Elizabeth Warren’s presidential campaign. Guest writer Barrett Pitner gives us a dose of philosophy as he breaks down the idea of Ethnocide and its role in the handling of Covid-19. We explore what it’s been like campaigning during a pandemic and take a trip inside the mind of the black male independent voter.

You don’t have to die but, please do vote.

Best, Claudia M. Watts

3

ND OF THE | INSIDE THE MIND OF THE | INSIDE THE MIND OF THE Words

Sam P.K. Collins | IG: sampkcollins

UNDECIDED

UNIMPRESSED

BLACK MALE INDEPENDENT VOTER On June 2nd, the nearly one out of four District voters who didn’t register with the Democratic Party will miss a chance to participate in primary contests that, in a majority-blue city, will most likely determine the winners of the November general election.

While staunch proponents of Democratic electoral politics bemoan such a stance, many independent voters, including local attorney and District native Ikechukwu Umez-Eronini, contend that the Democratic Party, in all levels of government, has done very little to advance Black people’s economic and social interests.

In defending that sentiment, Umez-Eronini, a Northwest resident, points to the nearly 20 years of gentrification and mass displacement under Democratic mayors and a majority-Democratic D.C. Council that has made even him, a young professional with a decent salary, question whether to purchase property in his hometown.

4

THE | INSIDE THE MIND OF THE | INSIDE THE MIND OF THE

“How do I stop this in the voting booth? Who would I go and talk to?

The answer is nobody. You perpetuate the answer of nobody if you continue to participate in something and no one is answering to what you prioritize,” said Umez-Eronini, 27.

Um Umez-Eronini adopted this mindset during what he recounted as a series of disappointments throughout President Barack Obama’s first term. During the 2012 election, Umez-Eronini, then a first-time voter, wrote in himself as his choice for president. Four years later, he, along with several thousand others, forwent voting altogether out of a belief that no candidate established themselves as significantly beneficial to Black people.

“You want to vote because of this narrative that participating is revolutionary, [but] Lyndon B. Johnson attached certain promises to what the [Black] vote meant,” Umez-Eronini said. “People don’t do that anymore.”

Data from the Pew Research Center suggests that a growing group of independent voters doesn’t only include those who registered as such, but voters within the two major political parties who designate themselves as such because of certain issue areas. Both groups of independent voters, the total of which outnumbers registered Democrats and Republicans, could be pivotal in battleground states where former Vice President Joe Biden and President Donald Trump are neck and neck.

This had been the case in 2012 when independents of various races solidified victory for President Obama in his reelection campaign. In the eyes of many progressives within the Democratic Party, such unification didn’t realize the vision of a party that would reject neoliberalism and centrism. That situation, in turn, fermented schisms within the Democratic Party that eased then-reality television star Donald J. Trump's journey to the Oval Office in 2016.

In the District, the demographic shifts and elections that brought white self-avowed progressives to the D.C. Council called into question, even for a second, the future of Black political representation in what was once known as Chocolate City. While most Black people might see more non-Black people in seats of power as a loss of agency, others have long argued that Black politicians have been the ones implementing policies that precipitated D.C.’s economic schism. A 2018 lawsuit that Southeast-based attorney Ari Theresa on behalf of more than two dozen people makes this assertion, pointing to the admini administrations of D.C. Mayor Bowser, and former D.C. Mayors Adrian Fenty and Anthony Williams, the D.C. zoning commission and other local agencies as key actors in the erasure of affordable family-sized homes in exchange for accommodations that attracted the single, multi-ethnic transient market.

The conflict between racial allegiance and ideology arose in 2018 when local entrepreneur Dionne Reeder unsuccessfully challenged incumbent Councilmember Elissa Silverman (I - At large) in a contest that revealed, in part, the electorate’s frustration with the forces that Silverman, a Jewish woman from Baltimore and critic of big business, prided herself on combatting.

In this current D.C. Democratic Primary contest, incumbent councilmembers in Wards 4, 7, and 8 face challengers of various backgrounds on a mission to disrupt the politics of personality and prestige.

Some of these challengers, particularly Janeese Lewis George of Ward 4 and Anthony Lorenzo Green of Ward 7, have courted progressive forces on the issues of government accountability, housing affordability, aging in place for seniors, and police brutality.

With less than two weeks left before the June 2 primary, Ward 5 resident and third-generation Washingtonian James Privette is still in the throes of research about the candidates on the ballot for the At large Democratic primary contest. Privette, a registered Democrat with an independent flair, said he’s looking at all candidates on the general election ballot through the prism of access to economic development, an issue he tackles in his daily work.

5

BEHIND THE CAMPAIGN

Words Claudia M. Watts | IG: callmeclaud

Presidential Elections, Local Politics and Breaking the Glass Ceiling Roughly two years ago, while getting a crash course in D.C. politics, I had the great fortune of running into Kristin Turner. I was standing in the vestibule of Truxton Inn, welcoming visitors to a “meet and greet” when she walked through the doors of its dreary saloon motif with the brightest of smiles. As the featured candidate began to outline his platform, I noticed his disconnect with the audience. They were listening, but they weren’t exactly receiving his message.

Out of nowhere, a clear voice spoke up from the crowd. She too sensed the confusion and before I could realize what was happening, she’d simplified his platform into digestible points, bringing the audience back to attention. Who was this warm spirit and agile mind? I’d spend the next two years finding out, building a friendship that ultimately allowed me to ask for this interview.

Since Sin finishing her law degree at Harvard University, Kristin’s professional path has been unconventional. Moving between roles based on personal ideals and desired growth instead of external expectation. She has taught Spanish at St. John’s College High School, worked for a legal tech nonprofit and most recently, served as lead for national ballot access and voter protection on the Warren for President campaign.

I spoke with Kristin, fresh off the trail, to learn about her experience working for Sen. Elizabeth Warren (E.W.), the future of women in politics, and her take on our political climate, locally and nationally.

CW: How would you describe your understanding of politics before signing on to work with E.W. and how would you describe it CW after? What was your most valuable take away?

KT: Before joining the Warren campaign, I think I understood politics to be a long debate over our social well-being: people having different feelings about how exactly it looks and what steps we should take to achieve it. I considered myself to be your run-of-the-mill, civically engaged citizen — I read and watched the news daily and kept up with the chatter coming from different pundits and writers in mainstream media.

After the campaign? **sigh** I mean, I still see politics as a debate over our social well-being — and, one that is more necessary than ever. And, I think I was extremely fortunate to experience a campaign and “politics'' through the lens of a candidate who has a very strong sense of self and personal ethos. Sometimes, to the extent that she was penalized for it. But, I think working on a campaign like that gave me a really unique opportunity to see politics both for what it is -and- for what it could be. What I mean by that is — working on E.W.’s campaign helped me to see that no matter how thorough, competent, and clear she was, there were still people who would listen more to what others had to say about her versus what she specifically said herself.

In light of that, the most valuable takeaway is almost cliche to say -- know who you are, be who you are, because someone will find a way to dislike you, regardless.

CW: Were you optimistic about winning, or was it more about the learning experience?

KT: Um, as an undying optimist, I’d have to say both. But, I mostly signed on for the learning experience because that’s just usually how I try to build out and navigate my professional life. And, once I got there? Wow. I learned so, so much.

CW: How so?

KT: I feel like you have to be a weird blend of an optimist and a realist to do that kind of work. You know? Because it’s a space where —not just the possibility— but the likelihood is that you won’t succeed. Everyone knows that going in and still signs their name on the dotted line despite. That’s the beauty in it to me though: holding space for the idea of better, even if most people call it doubtful or naive.

To work on a campaign -- whether electoral or issue-based -- you have to be enough of an optimist to blow up your life, move, be away from your family, and work brutally long hours with no weekends — all because you think that there’s an opportunity for more. Yet, on the other hand, you have to be enough of a realist to be able to honestly say that it might not work out and you’re still fine committing to the cause, regardless. That’s just what it is. And, though I know that there are some people who work in politics for the glory of winning, I think there are many people who do the work [who] are just trying to move the ball forward. I ha have endless respect for those people and I’m so lucky I was able to be surrounded by so many of them on the campaign.

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CW: We understand the overarching implications of why we haven’t seen a woman as president, but what do you think it will take to break through this glass ceiling? Is there a certain “type” of woman you believe has a better chance of winning over another?

KT: No, there’s absolutely no “type” of woman that I see as having a better chance of winning over another. I think it’s more so about getting people to actually vote for who they think is the best person for the job versus who they think their neighbor is likely or unlikely to vote for.

At this point, “electability” (a word that I really hope dies soon) is more about people’s own biases and less about the candidate who is actually running. America has a history of drinking it’s own revisionist kool-aid about “what is,” “what isn’t,” “what has happened” and “what will happen” and that tendency has repeatedly led to some pretty horrifying results. Especially with regard to politics, if we can’t look at 2016, the effect of the Trump administration over the past three years, the strained 2020 primary cycle, and the disastrous and lethal handling of this COVID crisis and say “maybe we should try something different” then I’m not sure wh what it will take to break the glass ceiling. But continuing to make the same self-sabotaging decisions after seeing grim outcomes is asinine to me. Isn’t that the definition of insanity?

Anyway, I think the lesson here for women is to definitely stop contorting themselves into the small boxes and paradigms that people want to put us in. Those small boxes led us here and-- the reality is -- a lot of our elected “leaders” have proven to actually be followers. So, at this point? We’d be best served by unapologetically putting forth our new voices and fresh visions. It’s time to change the game. All you have to do is stop taking questions.

CW: Given your exposure to politics at such a high level, let's talk about apathy, the role it’s played in creating our current climate and the importance of the upcoming elections both locally and nationally -- especially considering the economic implications and realizations of Covid-19?

KT KT: Wow. Yeah, I think that’s a pretty fair diagnosis. Apathy is probably the root of most of the problems we’re currently dealing with. I can certainly understand a lot of the frustrations and feelings of apathy that are being expressed by voters. Especially those who feel that their votes have historically been taken for granted or that their communities have been pandered to in an effort to obtain their votes but then forgotten and disrespected in the off years. Establishment politics have had somewhat of a lethargic approach to tackling big issues: universal healthcare, wealth inequality and inequity, criminal justice reform, climate change, etc.

And all of these issues are existential. They literally hold people’s lives in the balance and oftentimes, like we’re seeing now on a pretty devastatingly large scale, cost lives unnecessarily.

Voter apathy, to me, is a direct result of feeling like no matter how overt the assaults are on our communities (whether that’s as Black/Latinx, poor and working poor, lgbtq+, women voters etc) and how much people cry out for help, that those cries won’t be heard in favor of honoring weird and outdated political pastimes. The more that politicians remain apathetic and drag their feet about meeting the moment in confronting these challenges, the more voters lose sight of the understanding that government is a mechanism designed to work for the people.

Especially after experiencing something like COVID, there’s no reason why we shouldn’t take all of these lessons to heart to make sure that nobody is left behind in the future and that we take the necessary steps to care for one another when it matters most-whether that’s proper healthcare, PPE, payroll protections, rent and mortgage relief etc. We have to start thinking differently about what our priorities are and how to ensure that we protect certain qualities of life no matter what.

CW: Returning to D.C. in the height of an election season, what has been your most striking observation? What are your thoughts on having so many millennial-aged candidates across races?

KT: KT Oddly, I think my most striking observation is that there’s not actually a ton to observe. (eek!) Even though, yes, we’re in the height of an election season, Covid-19 has really upended the traditional ways that campaigns operate. Any and all campaigns rely on direct voter contact and engagement. Covid-19 has essentially stripped campaigns — and society— of the ability to directly connect with people. We’re not allowed to knock on doors, shake hands, or gather in groups. Though it’s been great to see so many campaigns quickly pivot into online forums, there’s no denying that it’s not an ideal substitute — especially given that we’re in the crucial final months of a cycle and how obviously high the stakes are across the board.

When it comes to some of the candidates, I’m so here for millennials running! I think it’s way overdue and much needed. It takes a lot to be in public service and in leadership. It can be really thankless. With the stakes this high and the needs of many being so complex and intersectional, we need new perspectives to interpret across all of these different audiences and to think outside the box when it comes to our most pressing challenges. So, if you see a young candidate, please engage with them! Look into their platforms, ask them questions, share their content, or volunteer (!!) because every little bit counts and campaigns don’t work without the people. It’s as simple as that.

CW: CW Who are your top 3 Democratic vice presidential predictions and why?

KT: Ha! I’m going to keep my predictions to myself -- as I’m not sure they do all too much. I just hope that whoever the Biden team ultimately picks is conscientious about the challenges the country and the party faced prior to Trump and is serious about being honest and innovative about how to solve them.

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how to campaign in a pandemic

Words Marcus K. Dowling | IG: marcuskdowling

Photography Lafayette Barnes IV | IG: lafayette4dc

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how to campaign in a pandemic

"I want to embody the leadership I aspire to attain,” Democratic candidate Marcus Goodwin replied, proudly and confidently, when asked about the state of his At-Large D.C. Council campaign during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“This era is a time that truly tests people who want to be servants of the people. I'm stepping up to serve and help people in need.”

Up until June 2nd, D.C. residents -- while mailing in their ballot or practicing safe social distancing at polling places -- will not only place a vote for an At-Large councilmember, but some congressional representatives, and council members from Wards 2,4,7, and 8. For the District’s 2020 election candidates, political contests like this in times of grave socioeconomic uncertainty create unforeseen obstacles.

However, these impediments have yielded inventive, sustainable solutions that benefit the city's frighteningly at-risk population. By consistently reaching out to a well-engaged base of potential constituents, some contenders, like Yilin Zhang, a Democratic candidate for the Ward 2 D.C. Council seat, have excelled.

"Around "A mid-March, D.C. started to see more closures due to the pandemic. In the weeks that followed, we suspended door-to-door canvassing. We did not do direct campaigning and did not ask for donations," says Zhang. "After we started our virtual candidate forums, my team and I focused on exploring more virtual channels. For example, we've launched Facebook live broadcasts so that we can continue to reach, engage, and connect with more voters and answer questions. We have also released informational videos," she adds.

Continuing, Zhang notes the aggressive push to encourage significant citizen engagement that made her a standout. "On our Facebook live broadcasts, we invite guests and have organic conversations,” she said. “[A]nd conversations have the power to be the building blocks to developing and moving forward collaborative solutions. Our focus is on communicating creatively and through multiple channels with the community."

While yes, online outreach is an obvious necessity, there's still the notion to consider that many District residents are not digital natives, and thus -- though potentially dangerous -- require socially-distanced, real-time, person-to-person engagement.

This has fast become a notable trademark of Goodwin's efforts during the 2020 election cycle. "I'm very good at digital interaction, email, and social media. Even phone calls and text messages,” he told The Bridge. “But I've been making a point to be outside and active within the community once a week, mainly volunteering."

Breaking down the importance of human-to-human, molecular-level campaigning, Goodwin continues, "people still need clothes, people need to eat, they need shelter."

Both Zhang and Goodwin note a need to remove high-minded notions from the 2020 race and strongly focus on delivering core deliverables that can aid the day-to-day existence of D.C. residents. "It is about involving our residents in policy making,” Zhang said.

“I believe everyone should have a voice heard in our democracy, and a council member's only priority is the community she serves."

Zhang bottom lines her point with a direct call to action. "I want to aid Ward 2 and the city in developing the infrastructure to find long-term solutions for our residents experiencing homelessness and finding relief for our local, small businesses."

Goodwin's platform has similarly simplified. In a manner befitting someone running for an At-Large seat, he sounds more like an ombudsperson seeking to investigate and resolve complaints. "We're still trying to assess what constituents need, and what kind of help we can provide them.”

He ends with a salient point. "Solving problems by providing access to the proper resources can demonstrate your value as a potential representative of their interests."

By the June primary, the United States could be faced with 30 percent unemployment. The District could also still be an epicenter of this nation’s COVID-19 contagion. Difficult as these times may seem, it's with intellect and courage that our hopeful-to-be-elected officials have carried out their campaigns.

"The scale of this is unprecedented. Nobody could've predicted this. Cities across the world have shut down," Goodwin notes after pausing to reflect on the events of the last four months. Impressively though, he's still prepared to soldier into the great unknown, to which the coronavirus-impacted world bears witness, daily. "We're all still shocked, but we're living through this new normal."

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trayon white Ward 8 council member

janeese lewis george candidate ward 4 city council

Words

Cherrelle Swain | @thecherrelleshow

Young, Black, and Getting It Five Millennial Washingtonians Seeking D.C. Council Seats in the Democratic Primary Election

mike austin candidate ward 8 city council

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veda rasheed candidate ward 7 city council

anthony lorenzo green candidate ward 7 city council

Ward 8 D.C. Councilmember Trayon White “Don’t Just Stand There, Do Something!”

About: Councilmember Trayon White is a proud father, community advocate, and humanitarian. He has served the Ward 8 community as a consistent leader, advocate and legislator.

On the Issues: Councilmember White, elected in 2016, has shown a commitment to addressing inequity in the District’s education and healthcare systems. He is considered a champion of the people, highlighting issues of affordable housing and access to employment. He has been outspoken about gun violence while urging his colleagues in the D.C. Government to make substantial investments in critical response efforts.

Councilmember White has introduced legislation to increase funding for at-risk public schools, and decriminalize fare evasion, while securing hundreds of thousands of dollars in grants for Ward 8 small businesses. In the wake of the novel coronavirus, Councilmember White has pa passionately provided support and relief. On countless occasions, alongside other masked members of the community, he has delivered food and other essential items to Ward 8’s most vulnerable residents. Through these consistent actions, on the ground and on the council floor, Councilmember White has earned the trust of community members.

Janeese Lewis George : Candidate for the Ward 4 D.C. Council Seat An independent voice who will fight for accountability, affordability, and equity.

About: George is a third-generation Washingtonian, experienced attorney, community advocate, Democratic Party activist, and civil servant. She has spent her life fighting for her neighbors.

On the Issues: George’s campaign platform highlights the connection between problems in education, housing, climate, health, and safety. She puts education at the forefront saying, “We have one path for students whose families have the network and net worth to get them into the right programs and the right schools, and another path for those who don’t.” George is committed to pushing legislation that expands funding for the Housing Production Trust Fund, raises the ceiling on homebuyer assistance programs, and takes bold action to expand housing protections like li rent control. She plans to boldly confront violence and crime by adopting a public health approach. She also supports taking on domestic violence perpetrators, getting guns off of our streets, fully implementing the Neighborhood Engagement Achieves Results (NEAR) Act, and keeping ICE out of our communities. D.C. often ranks as one of the “fittest cities” in America — but not for Black residents. George plans to tackle health inequity by speaking out in support of patient safety, quality care, public investment, and safe hospital staffing.

Mike Austin : Candidate for the Ward 8 D.C. Council Seat It’s #NowOrNever for Ward 8 to solve our urgent challenges.

About: Mike Austin is a fourth-generation Washingtonian, attorney, and public servant who chairs ANC 8C in Congress Heights.

On the Issues: Austin is challenging incumbent Councilmember Trayon White. His platform focuses on challenges facing Ward 8, like investments in schools, attracting responsible development, and strengthening the workforce through strong employers training and employing Ward 8 residents. According to Austin’s campaign website, “Ward 8 residents have a life expectancy that’s 15 years less than Ward 3 residents, and have less access to healthy food options than every other Ward.” As Ward 8 council member, Austin would be committed to fighting for healthier food options and better healthcare policies, including the delivery of a new trauma hospital east of the Anacostia River.

Veda Rasheed : Candidate for the Ward 7 D.C. Council Seat The Change We Need About: ANC Commissioner Veda Rasheed was born and raised in Ward 7. She is a mom of two, an attorney, and community activist whose first priority is serving Ward 7 with unflinching integrity and resolve.

On the Issues: Rasheed is challenging Ward 7 Councilmember Vincent Gray. She is an advocate for schools being kept in good repair, making resources available for teachers and students, and holding teachers and students to high standards. Her platform also revolves around increasing access to elder care facilities and assisted living facilities, and providing more resources for those who wish to continue to live independently.

Like other candidates, and Ward 7 community members at large, gun violence is a top issue for Rasheed. She said she plans to take a holistic approach, urging public-health strategies that treat violence like a disease that can be interrupted, treated, and stopped from spreading. While app the rest of the District experiences economic growth, Rasheed remains concerned that Ward 7 continues to fall behind on job creation. To fight this, she plans to attract new industries and small businesses to Ward 7 and improve transportation in order to ease travel to that part of the District.

Anthony Lorenzo Green : Candidate for the Ward 7 D.C. Council Seat Accountable, Trustworthy, And An Unapologetic Fighter For All About: ANC Commissioner Anthony Lorenzo Green is a third-generation Washingtonian, born and raised in Ward 7’s Deanwood community by his grandmother.

On the Issues: Green is an advocate for radical evidence-based solutions to intra-community violence, tackling police brutality and the affordable housing crisis, and ensuring seasoned citizens are able to age in place. He is outspoken on the lack of full-service grocery stores in Far Southeast. Green has expressed a commitment to creating an inclusive food community and bringing more grocery stores to Ward 7. His plans include investing in grocery co-operatives, expanding food access programs, and supporting community-created urban growing spaces. If elected, he hopes to address the maternal health crisis in Washington D.C., where Black women, and women earning lower than average incomes, lack access a to quality preventative and prenatal care. Green also supports the full implementation of the Neighborhood Engagement Achieves Results (NEAR) Act, which promotes an evidence-based, community-focused and public health intervention and prevention model to reduce crime. On his campaign website he calls community members to consciousness, saying “With a rise in violent crime in Ward 7, it is imperative that we address the root causes of violence and treat it as a public health crisis.”

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OPINIONS/EDITORIALS

EDITORIAL

As the Primary Elections Approach, Don’t Let Re-Openings Distract Us

Primaries elections are fast approaching in the DMV with both the District’s and Maryland’s voters readying themselves for Tuesday, June 2 while those in Virginia will have their say on June 23.

But with all that’s been going on in the U.S. over the past several months with COVID-19, unprecedented deaths and stay-in-place orders, many eligible voters may have forgotten about the pending local elections – or simply may not care at all.

So, we’re reminding our readers, our communities, our colleagues – everyone who can – to make sure you’ve registered, assuming the date for respective place of residence hasn’t already passed, and to make sure you vote!

There are a lot of changes with the electoral process this cycle with the emphasis on voting my mail being the most significant. Some voters have already grown accustomed to requesting absentee ballots and dropping their ballot in the mail but others may find this process a bit too cumbersome – even confusing. Still, that’s no excuse to opt out. After all, one thing that’s certain about life is that everything does change – must change.

However, it’s apparent that a large number of Americans, no matter where they lay their heads, have long grown weary of being forced to stay home, to wear masks and overwhelmed with businesses, schools and former places of employment being shuttered – savings accounts ravaged and some jobs seemingly gone for good.

It’s therefore understandable that our focus has shifted to the nation returning to some semblance of normalcy and that the changes which have occurred at mind-blowing speed which we have faced and continue to endure, and how we adjust to them, may be more relevant than being concerned about voting in the upcoming primary elections.

In a recent Politico report, the writer suggested that while Donald Trump may hitch his star on reminding voters what he’s “done for us lately,” – getting the nation back to work and reducing the unemployment rate – his opponent, Joe Biden, will want voters to evaluate what has Trump done for them over the last four years.

Your answer will inevitably determine who you’ll chose in the General Election when America chooses its next president.

But for now, we need to make sure our voices are heard in primary elections where voters will decide not only who will lead their communities as councilmembers but will chose those men and women who will serve as judges, school board representatives, and more.

So while we celebrate the reopening of America, we want Black folks to keep in mind that voting – that is who we chose to lead in various public positions – will impact our lives for the next four years – if not longer. WI

Make Your Voice Count On June 2, the Democratic and Republican primaries will be held in D.C. and Maryland. Candidates for public office are vying for support from registered voters in their respective political parties to cast their ballot and propel them to victory in the upcoming November general election.

When it comes to African Americans’ participation in any local or national election, it’s consistently a “hold your breath” moment. Despite the historical legacy that impacted Blacks’ ability to vote, observers and pundits alike remain skeptical as they regularly ponder, or predict, the Black vote turnout. Take Super Tuesday in March. While it is clear who Black voters in the South supported, and the impact they had on establishing Joe Biden as the Democratic nominee, did a majority of Black registered voters turn out, or did the majority of them stay at home?

Now it’s our chance. Even though D.C. voters are considered insignificant in the national elections landscape, their votes matter locally. In Maryland, a Republican governor has spent two terms disassociating himself from Donald Trump with Democrats controlling the Maryland General Assembly. All eyes will be on the impact of voter turnout there amid COVID-19.

TO THE EDITOR Voices of the People I love reading the editorials and opinions in The Washington Informer each week. Some of our community’s brightest minds pen words that I feel truly capture our position as a culture on many of the issues we face today. We hear white talking heads’ opinions 24/7. I look forward to reading our perspective.

John Garden Washington, D.C. Ordinarily, it would be at this point when we would name our choices of candidates we endorse. We won’t be doing that because we believe voters must make that very personal decision of selecting the best candidates to serve their needs. Despite COVID-19, most of those running for office have attempted to share their platforms by mail, street and lawn signs, personal phone calls and handbills distributed door-to-door. We’ve heard and seen

WWW.WASHINGTONINFORMER.COM / THE WASHINGTON INFORMER

Keeping the Faith Miss Lyndia Grant, you’ve done it again. I appreciate the word in all its forms and you have a way of connecting with a heartfelt message while keeping it short and sweet.

Thank you for your work.

Sharon Edin Washington, D.C.

them on Zoom candidates’ forums, and we’ve heard from their constituents on social media.

Our wish is for every registered voter to vote on June 2. The mail-in ballot period has expired in D.C. In both jurisdictions, there will be fewer voting centers, again, due to COVID-19.

Despite current conditions, voters must not to be deterred. Carry out your right and duty to vote for the candidate of YOUR choice. Make a statement on June 2. Make your voice count. WI

MAY 28 - JUNE 3, 2020 23

OPINIONS/EDITORIALS Guest Columnist

By William J. Ford

This Father Looks up to His Son

This coronavirus can go to straight to Hell.

It took away my son’s last field trip with his high school band and their performance in Philadelphia.

No roller coaster rides for a senior field trip to Six Flags in New Jersey.

It denied him the opportunity to sport a nice suit for his senior prom.

COVID-10 negated my son’s chance to exchange his yearbook

with classmates and teachers, collecting as many signatures and personal notes as possible to commemorate this last year in high school.

The worst part? No walk across the stage where he could celebrate with his hundreds of other classmates the accomplishment of completing 13 years of grade school.

I became the emotional whack job as I grew more and more frustrated, angry and sad upon realizing that he’d miss out on the annual rites of passage in which all high school seniors normally participate before em-

Guest Columnist

barking upon life as adults.

According to a May 21 poll from the American Psychological Association, 63 percent of parents feel stressed by “missing out on major milestones such as weddings and graduation ceremonies.”

The poll, which surveyed slightly more than 3,000 people between April 24 to May 4, highlights about 46 percent of parents who said their stress level “is high” due to COVID-19.

FORD Page 41

5 William J. Ford (left) and son, Jabari, outside their home April 12. (Photo courtesy William J. Ford)

By E. Faye Williams

Message to My Sisters

Nobody knows better than Black women the challenges Black women and men still face. We must stand by each other no matter what.

During slavery, Black women would ask the slave master to allow her to whip her son because she knew if the slave master did it, he’d likely beat her son to death. Black mothers would tell their son as she com-

menced to beat him, “This is going to hurt me more than it hurts you.” Her son didn’t understand that, but she knew what might happen if she left it to the slave master.

Black women have always stepped up to the plate to defend and show our love for Black men — even when some of their historical behavior hurt us.

For centuries, we’ve jointly had to deal with racism from which the wounds have never healed. When we see Black men trying to assist us in dealing with the many challenges in

Guest Columnist

our lives, we must see them as GOOD BROTHERS. In the National Congress of Black Women, on every program where we honor women for their work, we honor Black men.

We honor Black men who work for the ERA. Recently, I met Bobby Hunter, formerly of the Harlem Globetrotters. This brother probably does more to help in passing the ERA than I do — and that’s saying a lot.

We honor Black men who respect and appreciate Black women for our competence. We honor those who do not define beauty as limited to women

of all other races or cultures. We appreciate those who include all shades of skin, all types of hair, all dress sizes, etc.

We honor those who don’t sit back and say, “That’s a woman’s” job while they watch the woman do all the house work, take care of the children, work the polls on Election Day, get out the vote, without realizing the job would have been easier If there had been a cooperative effort.

Sure, it hurt some of us when we heard that 11% of Black men didn’t vote for Stacey Abrams for governor.

Yet, it hurts all of us if we don’t encourage Black men to work with us to get out the vote in the election on Nov. 3. We have to make an effort to reach out to them and appreciate the 89% who did support Stacey. Black women have been getting credit for various political victories in recent years. Let’s work to make that headline say Black people made the difference!

We have to be inclusive, to involve them in what we’re doing from the beginning and applaud those who’ve

WILLIAMS Page 41

By Rev. Jesse L. Jackson Sr.

Remembering the Legacy of Brown v. Board of Education Sunday, May 17, marked the 66th anniversary of the landmark 1954 Supreme Court decision Brown vs. the Board of Education. The Brown decision addressed consolidated issues from four different cases — in Kansas, South Carolina, Delaware and Virginia — involving racial segregation.

The unanimous opinion of the Court was written by Earl Warren,

24 - MAY 28 - JUNE 3, 2020

Republican President Dwight Eisenhower’s newly appointed chief justice.

The Court declared that forced segregation of children in public schools violated the due process clause of the 14th Amendment and was, therefore, unconstitutional.

But Brown is about much more than schools. It was a death knell for legal apartheid in the United States, originally sanctioned in the Dred Scott decision of 1857, and codified in Plessy v. Ferguson in 1896. The Brown decision established unequivocally that African Americans had

equal rights in America.

While the Supreme Court decides what the law is, it can’t actually enforce the law. The Court’s decisions often follow public opinion rather than lead it. But its decisions can empower and legitimatize, for better or for worse.

In 1896, the Supreme Court took up Plessy v. Ferguson, which involved a dispute over segregated train transportation in Louisiana. Homer Plessy, a fair-skinned African American man who could “pass” for white, purchased a first-class ticket and had taken his

seat in a whites-only train car. When he refused to take a seat in the “dirt car” reserved for Blacks, he was arrested and jailed.

The Supreme Court ruled that separate accommodations on trains and in other facilities was legal, provided that the accommodations were substantially equal. Hence, the legal apartheid of race and white supremacy in America was born. The decision was met with a stirring dissent

by Justice John Marshall Harlan, a former slave owner, who argued that the “arbitrary separation of citizens on

the basis of race is a badge of servitude wholly inconsistent with ... the equality before the law established by the Constitution.”

Harlan was a lonely voice at the time. The infamous “Compromise of 1877” had already taken place, withdrawing federal troops from the South and bringing Reconstruction to an end. The Civil Rights cases of 1883 had effectively nullified the Civil Rights Act of 1875, and the terrorist campaigns of the Ku Klux Klan

JACKSON Page 41

THE WASHINGTON INFORMER / WWW.WASHINGTONINFORMER.COM

OPINIONS/EDITORIALS Guest Columnist

By Marian Wright Edelman

Sharing Our Communal Grief and Never Losing Hope spoke to me during this pandemic and turbulent political time. I hope it will move you, too.

Every day, my very beautiful, brilliant and much-beloved mixedrace African friend Maria Nhambu — who was placed in a Tanzanian orphanage in her first week of life — feeds my spirit. She is a daily trove of shared wisdom and loving support. She recently shared a poem

by Heather Plett, which profoundly

Today I will greet Grief When it comes: I will meet it at the door, I will say “Come in, old friend.

Take off your shoes.

Settle into this comfortable chair.

Make yourself at home In this messy, humble space.”

I will pour tea for Grief

Guest Columnist

When Grief nudges the Tender places in me.

And I will sit with it, Sipping slowly as we Stare out the window at the passing clouds.

I will listen to the Hard stories of loss Grief wants to tell.

I will breathe deeply into the ache Grief lays before me.

I won’t say much – Grief doesn’t ask for many words.

I will mostly sit in silence And I will let the tears flow

I will open the door and bid farewell.

When Grief is finished speaking, I may invite Grief To come to the canvas with me To feel the ooze of paint Between our fingers.

I may also invite Grief To walk by the river with me So that we can watch The water flow past.

Then I will put away the teacup, Clean the paint off my hands, And carry on.

– By Heather Plett In these times, we must all hold on to hope and have faith that we can and will overcome whatever faces us today and continue to build a hopeful tomorrow for ourselves and our children.

WI

I won’t ask Grief to leave, But when Grief is ready to go,

By Charlene Crowell

HEROES Act Promises More Relief for Consumers, Businesses

As the nation’s Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) tracks the spread of COVID-19, by mid-May, at least 1.5 million infections and over 93,000 deaths occurred. This data includes all 50 states, the District of Columbia and the territories of Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico and the U.S Virgin Islands.

At the same time, the Bureau of Labor’s unemployment data for the

month of April showed that over 36 million people have filed for unemployment and affected all major employment groups. One bit of data also showed that Black America’s unemployment rate of 16.7% was surpassed by that of Latinos at 18.9%.

Similar data for others showed that of Asian-Americans to be 14.5% and whites at 14.2%.

According to a survey published on May 14 by the Federal Reserve Board on the COVID-19 pandemic, as of early April: - Among adults who lost a job or had their hours reduced, 70 percent reported that their income declined.

Askia-At-Large

- More than 9 in 10 who lost a job or were told not to work expect to return to the same job.

- Sixty-seven percent of workers who never attended college and 60 percent who completed some college or an associate degree worked entirely outside of their homes.

In sum, the economic effects of a raging pandemic are affecting people of all races, backgrounds and educational levels. And an unfortunate pattern continues: families hardest hit by the Great Recession are again disproportionately affected.

Speaking on behalf of the 12 million-strong American Federation of

Labor and the Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO), Richard L. Trumka, its president, sent a letter to Congress on May 15 that spoke to the real-life concerns of working people.

“Don’t tell us we should wait a little longer for the unemployment benefits we earned or the health insurance we deserve,” Trumka wrote. “We have waited long enough.

“Don’t tell us we should sacrifice our pensions,” he continued. “Don’t tell us states should go bankrupt or that federal relief is a blue state bailout. We are all vulnerable, and this nation deserves better.”

Later that day, a new $3 trillion legislative initiative known as the HEROES Act, passed the House of Representatives on May 15 by a 208-199 vote and awaits review and action by the Senate.

But how swiftly will the upper chamber move on the new COVID-19 plan? And how many Senate amendments will strike at key provisions passed by the House?

Introduced on May 12 by New York Rep. Nita Lowey, the HEROES Act had 11 co-sponsors representing the additional states of Arizona, California, Massachusetts, New Jersey

CROWELL Page 42

By Askia Muhammad

Trump’s a Laughingstock and Everyone Knows

Donald J. Trump is a world laughingstock. Everyone — including his most ardent supporters, the “deplorables” — knows it, but those supporters love to wallow in the muck with him, with their guns and their pot bellies.

It is their disgust for Black people, for liberals, and for all things “politically correct” that permits them to see

past his daily lying (15,000 lies and counting), his misogyny, scapegoating and his wanton self-enrichment. They hate what Mr. COVID-45 stands in opposition to, more than they are shamed by his dismal failures.

Internationally, this country’s adversaries like China and Russia, just chuckle, not wanting to provoke him into a hissy fit which might require them to respond in kind, abandoning their own national plans in order to offset some silly, dangerous tantrum or middle-of-the-night tweetstorm.

COVID-45’s major allies are just like him, rotten and corrupt to the core. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is actually on trial in his country for corruption. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is presiding over a swamp full of grifters and self-servers in London, which is outdone only by Trump’s Washington dung heap.

Like Dude, India Prime Minister Modi and Brazilian President Bolsonaro are fiddling while COVID-19 runs amok through their popula-

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tions. And in the Philippines, his pal President Duterte boasts that in his pre-presidential vigilante days, he led many posses, and may have even participated in “extrajudicial” killings of drug dealers. Trump must be proud.

His acolytes in this country shamelessly lick his boots and unsavory body parts in order to hold on to their positions. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) stood quietly during the early days of this administration, and his wife, Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao, sat silently as

the president belittled McConnell again and again, in Cabinet meeting after Cabinet meeting.

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), who opposed Trump in the 2016 presidential primaries, was mocked by Trump as “Lyin’ Ted,” but when he came up for reelection in 2018, he swallowed any pride he might have had and begged Trump for an endorsement.

Trump is the most impeachable, the most lawless caricature of a Key-

ASKIA Page 42 MAY 28 - JUNE 3, 2020 25

EDUCATION For D.C. Youth, a Virtual Summer Looms on Horizon

By James Wright WI Staff Writer @Jamesdcwrighter The usual summer plans of the District government’s offerings for young people have changed as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, with recreation, employment and educational programs being conducted virtually.

While the pools and recreation centers will likely remain closed throughout the summer unless

the District moves to Phase 2 of its reopening plan, the District’s Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR) will offer a program, Camp-at-Home that will include arts and crafts, culinary activities, science experiments and outdoor explorations.

The Camp-at-Home program will distribute 5,000 supply kits to young people for their use. There will be limited online engagement by the DPR staff and an activity guide for campers.

DPR Director Delano Hunter said young people who have limited access to virtual tools will not be left out.

“There is a blend of activities that doesn’t rely on a virtual experience,” Hunter said. “We will give the young people all of the supplies that they need. Young people will have the chance to have a quality camp-at-home experience.”

If the District gets to Phase 2, the Fun & Sun Camp will be implemented. Activities for Fun & Sun include social emotional exercises, arts and crafts, group games, limited aquatics and mobile recreation. Fun & Sun will take place in 27 locations with three two-week sessions and 1,080 slots per camp and has been set up to serve 3,240 campers.

Hunter said the Fun & Sun will “have a heavy focus on outdoor activities.”

While some young people will be campers, others will join the workforce as participants in the annual Mayor Marion S. Barry Summer Youth Employment Program (SYEP).

“The program will start on June

5 A young person engaged in using a computer. (WI file photo)

22 and 10,000 participants will adjust to the new reality,” said Unique Morris-Hughes, director of the D.C. Department of Employment Services. “Our participants will be able to take advantage of several virtual options and we will have an orientation session to explain the details. Ninety percent of participants will be working virtually and we have had great cooperation from our employer partners on this.”

Can COVID-19 Spread Through Eyes? Physicians Respond

By James Wright WI Staff Writer @Jamesdcwrighter Fears have surfaced recently that the coronavirus can spread through eye contact but a leading optometrist says no hard data supports the theory yet and that good eye health and social distancing could mitigate those

effects if that becomes the case.

Dr. Sherrol Reynolds, president of the National Optometric Association, a trade organization of minority eye doctors and students, told The Informer that “the science on getting COVID-19 is still out there.”

“Whether someone can get the virus from the eyes has not been confirmed scientifically and medi-

cally,” said Reynolds, who practices in Davie, Fla. “However, let me say that the virus itself can affect the eyes.

Red eye, or conjunctivitis, has been recognized as a symptom of the coronavirus, but the eyes as an entry point is up for debate.”

The controversy over getting coronavirus through the eyes erupted recently when Dr. Joseph Fair, a virol-

Request for Proposal Solicitation GAGA-2020-R-0034 Private Transportation DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA PUBLIC SCHOOLS SCHOOL OPERATIONS DIVISION (SOD) The District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS), Contracts and Acquisitions Division, on behalf of the Office of the Chief Operating Officer (OCOO), School Operations Division (SOD), and the Office of Teaching and Learning (OTL), Division of Specialized Instruction (DSI) “The District” is seeking contractor(s) to provide timely transportation services to students with disabilities between the age of 3 to 22 years old enrolled in a general or special education program(s) either in DC/Maryland or Virginia, to be transported between home, school, and/or other DCPS-authorized activities.

Solicitations will be available Friday, May 26, 2020. This solicitation can be downloaded from the OCA website delineating all the details of the solicitation at http://dcps.dc.gov/DCPS/About+DCPS/Doing+Business+with+DCPS/Procurement.

Proposals will be accepted at DCPS/OCA on Tuesday, June 09, 2020, no later than 1:00 p.m. at. dcpsoca.inquiries@k12.dc.gov.

26 - MAY 28 - JUNE 3, 2020

ogist and epidemiologist who works as an NBC News contributor, said he got the virus that way while on an airplane full of passengers.

“I had a mask on, I had gloves on, I did my normal wipes routine but obviously you can still get it through your eyes,” Fair said May 14 on NBC’s “Today” while recovering in his hospital bed. “And of course, I wasn’t wearing goggles on the flight.”

Reynolds doesn’t dispute Fair’s account of how he got COVID-19 but said no cases of viral spread via the eyes have been medically verified.

“Dr. Joseph Fair has a lot of knowledge about pandemics,” she said. “It is my understanding that when he was on that plane, he wore a mask.

And the flight was full.”

Reynolds said her fellow optometrists, doctors and scientists, are finding out more about the coronavirus virtually on the fly.

“There is so much that we are learning about this disease,” Reynolds said. “I have heard of evidence that the coronavirus is in the tears.

I don’t know whether that is true or not. There is so much more we need to learn about this disease because it is new.”

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Morris-Hughes advised participants to visit their online portals for further information. She said participants will be given a laptop, tablet or iPhone if they don’t own one.

“We have a grant from Citibank that pays for those type of devices for young people that don’t have them,” she said.

Summer school will also be available and virtual for students from June 22 to July 24, said D.C. Public Schools Chancellor Lewis Ferebee.

The chancellor said there will be kindergarten through eighthgrade enrichment courses, credit recovery classes and programming for English-language learners and those with disabilities. If the District enters Phase 2, an in-person summer bridge program focused on grades 3, 6 and 9 will begin on Aug. 10.

“With the bridge program, a student moves from one phase of learning to the next,” Ferebee said. “For example, when a student passes from second grade to the third, they go from having one teacher all day to two or three during the school day. We want to help students be ready for that transition.”

The chancellor said D.C.’s 2020-21 school year will begin on Aug. 31 and, as of now, will be mainly distance learning. Students who have completed requirements to get their high school diplomas will be recognized virtually.

“Every school will have a virtual graduation ceremony,” Ferebee said. “The high schools are finalizing plans on how that will work, with students getting their cap and gowns, senior yearbooks and other materials related to graduation soon.” WI

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LIFESTYLE D.C. Bill Combats Health Emergency Housing Crisis

By Lindiwe Vilakazi WI Contributing Writer The District of Columbia released revisions of the newly enacted legislation that temporarily prevented landlords from amassing housing costs.

On May 5, an initial foreclosure moratorium was put in place, and the revised Coronavirus Omnibus Emergency Amendment Act enacted on May 13 offered a pause on monthly payments for commercial and resident property owners and tenants alike, with available defer-

ment plans and forbearance options, with a minimum of one year repayment.

“It allows for folks to request a forbearance or a deferment, so to speak, of making those payments to a later date. And it also means that you won’t be charged penalties or late fees during this time period if you have the forbearance,” said Deborah Cuevas Hill, senior staff attorney for tenant advocacy and support practice at Legal Counsel for the Elderly (LCE).

The signed bill is retroactive to the city’s public health emergency, in-

structing that no convictions be filed on behalf of landlords from March 11 until 60 days after the state emergency is lifted.

“What we found is rent increases can really have a huge impact on seniors because they already have a limited income to begin with,” said Daniel Palchick, another LCE senior staff attorney for tenant advocacy and support practice. “So the fact that there is a rent freeze, while it doesn’t single them out, it does create that extra layer of protection.”

Provision guidelines permit eligible residents to request a 90-day period of deferment on principal and interest payments, while additionally expanding the network of landlords who qualify to provide payment arrangements to tenants, nondiscriminatory towards the amount of properties owned.

“It does help everyone across the board because it’s a moratorium on anyone who is living in their home, and can’t be foreclosed on during this time period covered by the legislation, regardless of when you fell behind,” Hill said. “What it does is further having folks be able to stay in their home and stay safe and not

have to conduct business during the pandemic.”

District courts have suspended all hearings, announcing the date of reopening slated for June 19. LCE attorneys highly advise District residents to continue to pay their contracted lease or mortgages to the best of their ability granite circumstance, to avoid potential eviction orders post the bills’ grace periods.

“I want to make this clear: rent is still due,” Palchick said. “So, there’s not a right to not pay your rent. It’s still an obligation to make that payment. But if you’re suffering some type of hardship, and it is difficult for you to pay your rent, then you do have this right to a payment plan.”

The LCE encourages District residents, particularly those 60 and older, to immediately report any violations, such as refusal of a payment plan, by their current landlord.

“You can file a tenant complaint with the rent administration. There is some power that the tenants possess,” Palchick said.

The D.C. Council is set to hold another legislative meeting on June 9, which could potentially further opportunities for greater advocacy

5 (Courtesy photo)

and protections proposed to remedy the virus-induced housing crisis.

“If other legislation is needed at that time, there is an opportunity for advocacy,” Hill said. “LCE and other legal aid of D.C. advocated strongly for this moratorium, and we’re happy to see it in place and that folks can be rest assured that during this time period they can’t be evicted, and their homes can’t be foreclosed on.” WI

ARE YOU FACING EVICTION OR FORECLOSURE? Legal Counsel for the Elderly may be able to help.* LCE serves D.C. residents, 60 and older.

Call 202-434-2120 *Income Eligibility Applies

LCE is an affiliate of AARP.

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MAY 28 - JUNE 3, 2020 27

LIFESTYLE No One to Root for in ‘All Day and a Night’

UTILITIES from Page 16

Cast brings solid performances despite story’s flaws

By Jacob Smith Zenger News Service, Inc.

Hollywood loves to make movies depicting “the black struggle.” But Black audiences may be tired of the same stories of people who look like them trying to make it in America.

So, while “All Day and a Night” won’t have box office receipts to offer an answer, the lukewarm reaction to its concept may suggest they are.

Many movies provide a temporary escape from the real world issues.

Three hours of giant monsters fighting each other in the Avengers franchise allows audiences to forget real life for a time. But fiction that depicts the viewer’s reality isn’t an escape.

“All Day and a Night,” the latest film from Netflix, tells the story of a young Black man dealing with the reality of his circumstances.

Ashton Sanders plays the older Jahkor, called Jah – a young man who has just been convicted of double murder. Jalyn Hall plays a younger version of the character. Jah, after being sentenced to life in prison, begins to unravel his choices. He also reconciles with his father, J.D., played by Jeffrey

Wright – a convict imprisoned at the same county jail. Finally, he must come to terms with the fact that he may not be there for his child.

The movie uses an unusual storytelling technique, employing a series of flashbacks to move the story along and explain events that led to the moment Jah pulls the trigger on Malcolm, a rival drug kingpin. Growing up with a violent father and a hapless mother, Jah looked to the streets for answers, taking the same route as his violent father – both convinced that brute strength in the neighborhood and beyond were remedies to every problem.

Contrary to the prevailing American stereotype, most Blacks do not have an upbringing that mirrors themes as presented in films like “Menace II Society“ or “South Central.” Thus, as the movie seeks to establish common ground with its audience, its storytelling destroys that bridge in the opening minutes.

Jah breaks into his victims’ home and murders a couple in front of their teenage daughter. Typically in storytelling, a protagonist who commits a heinous act must have good justification for doing so. Otherwise, your audience sees the character as a villain

5 Ashton Sanders in ‘All Day and A Night.’ (Photo courtesy Netflix)

and won’t connect with them. “All Day and a Night” suffers from this fatal flaw – Jah’s motivations never justifies the murders – and the film never recovers.

“All Day and a Night” displays great acting from up-and-comer Sanders as well as veteran Wright. Sanders, who has built a solid catalog of roles in the last few years is a strong standout. Sanders’ character is anything but redeemable whose story is sadly witnessed far too often in fiction and reality. He remains a man who has grown up without a moral compass and few options, ending up where society’s odds routinely place such a man.

A brief appearance by Regina Taylor as Jah’s grandmother breathes life into the movie. She is the voice of reason while calling out Jah on the excesses that land him in trouble.

Wright’s performance as a drug ad-

dicted low-life and the father of the protagonist will have people talking the most. While it may merit Oscar-worthy accolades, the actor displays a side rarely seen in the persona of a hardcore California criminal.

Both he and his son want the manchild they sire to live better lives than they. When the brutal realization hits him that all he provided was the path that led three generations, which includes him, his father and his son, to the same prison yard, the reality of failure stings him to the core – perhaps causing the same effect for the audience.

“All Day and a Night” is beautifully shot with cinematography which makes even the worst areas of Oakland look attractive. But its solid visual aesthetic and noteworthy acting cannot overcome the film’s muddy narrative and poor storytelling choices. WI

Commission issued a “Keep Americans Connected Pledge” asking telecommunications and broadband providers to promote Americans’ connectivity, which was affected by the coronavirus pandemic.

Other utility companies can utilize available communication tools such as emails, websites, text messages to remind customers of their commitment to suspend service disconnections and to waive any late fees during this challenging time, Sonneville added.

“Utilities can also think about what program offerings exist to provide financial hardship assistance,” she said.

“Beyond financial arrearage assistance through the federal Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program that may not reach all income-eligible customers, do utilities have supplemental programs that reduce the financial burden of low-income customers trying to pay utility bills?

Considering many shelter-in-place restrictions, are there ways in which utilities can enroll customers in such programs electronically or streamline that process?”

McDuffie noted that he believed the council had to act.

“The fact is that many customers who have avoided disconnection under emergency protections would have been facing an unmanageable lump sum payment at the end of the public health emergency,” McDuffie said. WI

EPA from Page 17 August. The agency determined that Pennsylvania’s plan would only meet 75 percent of its reduction target and New York’s plan would only meet 64 percent.

The attorneys general said despite this, the EPA has not required these states to prepare new plans.

EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler said the agency believes the claim has no merit, The Associated Press reported.

“The Chesapeake Bay is one of our country’s most valuable natural resources,” Frosh said. “Restoring the health of the bay will take a coordinated, multi-state effort with every state sharing the burden. The EPA has abandoned its responsibility to regulate and manage the efforts of the bay states and together, we fully intend to hold the EPA accountable and not allow it to step away from its regulatory duty.” WI

28 - MAY 28 - JUNE 3, 2020

THE WASHINGTON INFORMER / WWW.WASHINGTONINFORMER.COM

LIFESTYLE

Comedic Premise of ‘Coffee and Kareem’ Tastes Sour

By Jacob Smith Zenger News Service, Inc.

While the coronavirus outbreak has done serious financial damage to Hollywood, the film industry’s creative stagnation has been longstanding.

Ignoring the revolving door of superheroes, remakes and reboots, Hollywood still has a glaring problem: the films labelled “comedies” are not funny.

For years, the idea of a major-studio comedy has been devolving into an endless stream of bad improv, toilet humor and drug use.

If sitting through 90 minutes of yet another Seth Rogen comedy wasn’t bad enough, Hollywood has added a disturbing twist to freshen up a tired genre: children.

The typical vulgar improv, toilet humor and drug use are all present but this time it’s performed by a child actor. And that’s the joke.

Director Michael Dowse is back after last year’s poor performing comedy “Stuber,” which starred Kumail Nanjiani and Dave Bautista. This time, he’s offering 84 minutes of a child speaking like a foul-mouthed adult in “Coffee & Kareem.”

Set in the rough neighborhood of suburban Detroit, the film follows a 12-year-old boy named Kareem,

played by Terrence Little Gardenhigh, who discovers his mother, played by Taraji P. Henson, is sleeping with police officer James Coffee, played by Ed Helms.

Kareem decides to hire a group of local criminals to attack Coffee but stumbles across a murder scene making himself the criminals’ latest target.

Kareem teams up with Coffee to escape both criminals and police officers in this effort at a buddy cop movie.

The film relies heavily on the 12-year-old character saying obscene things to make audiences laugh. But as the film makes its fourth sexual reference about a middle-aged man in an inappropriate sexual situation with a child just 30 minutes in, viewers might not still be laughing.

Laziness is the word of the day for this film. Characters are simply rehashes of tired stereotypes we have seen too many times before.

Helms plays a bumbling, incompetent police officer who is supposed to be the protagonist. Henson plays a variation of her character Cookie from TV drama “Empire” in a film that constantly forgets she is even in it. David Alan Grier, as Captain Hill is underused in a film that is supposed to make people laugh. Betty Gilpin plays corrupt cop Detective Watts and “corrupt cop” is about as

SPREAD from Page 26

an eye doctor immediately and get tested for COVID-19. She notes that conjunctivitis may be a complement to other symptoms of the virus such as fever and fatigue.

Regardless of whether someone has COVID-19, Reynolds recommends that everyone should seek the services of an optometrist.

“In order to have healthy eyes, everyone should have a yearly eye exam,” she said. “African Americans should especially do this because of their high rate of glaucoma, and then there is diabetic retinopathy, and both of those ailments can lead to blindness. An eye doctor can also detect such ailments as bleeding in the eye that can be dangerous but a normal person won’t be able to see or feel its effects. Basically, the best way to fight the coronavirus, even if it is proven to come through the eyes, is to exercise and eat a healthy, nutritious diet.” WI

Reynolds said the best way to avoid any possible risk of getting the coronavirus through the eyes is to limit possible exposure altogether.

“People should remember to practice social distancing, wash your hands constantly, clean your immediate area and wear a face mask,” she said. “This is important for African Americans because we suffer disproportionately from the coronavirus and we tend to have the triggers for it such as diabetes and hypertension more than other racial and ethnic groups. Let me say that if someone has the virus, they should wear glasses instead of goggles or contact lenses.

Goggles tend to fog up quicker than glasses when wearing a face mask and contact lenses make you touch your face more often.”

Reynolds said if someone suddenly gets conjunctivitis, they need to see

5 The cast of ‘Coffee and Kareem.’

(Photo courtesy Netflix)

much as the script gives her.

When it comes to comedy, audiences are asked to blur the lines of reality for the sake of a punchline, and audiences do, as long as it is done right.

The dialogue of this film would have been bad for two 40-year-old actors reciting the lines, but Hollywood has had a recent spate of kids in the role of raunchy adult characters. However, no amount of suspension of disbelief is going to make a normal, functioning adult comfortable with a kid who isn’t even a teenager making constant sexual references to himself and other people.

The content of this film is just too unpleasant to enjoy, especially in a world where sexual predator Jeffrey Epstein and Huston Huddleston, who was convicted on child pornography charges, exist. There is an old argument that if you tolerate everything, there is nothing you won’t accept. Perhaps for some, this film doesn’t go too far; others might wonder where the line is that would spur some to say, “enough is enough.”

“Coffee & Kareem” is an horrid experience, especially knowing his lines are by a writer whose other credit is a short film called “The Guy Who’s ******* Your Girlfriend.”

If films like this are supposed to keep audiences entertained in the age of government-mandated shutdowns, we are all better off taking our chances outside.

“Coffee & Kareem,” now available on Netflix, is not only a bad film, but could kill your sense of humor for the next two weeks. WI

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LOUISE VIRGINIA WOMACK HARTRIDGE Louise Virginia Womack Hartridge, age 93, entered eternal rest on Monday, May 11, 2020 at MedStar Georgetown Hospital. Louise was born in Halifax, VA October 9, 1926 to Aline Chandler Womack and Johnny Womack. She leaves behind her children, James E. Womack (Peggie), Anne D. Barbee, Arethia Toni Lewis, James C. Hartridge (Jacqueline), D. Delphine Clarke (Webster), Jennifer Stewart (Michael); eight grandchildren; 14 great grandchildren; two great-great grandchildren; her siblings Raleigh Womack, Dorine Irby, Willie Womack, Emma Barksdale, Betty Cole, Sherman Womack, Lawrence Womack; and a host of relatives and friends.

The family will have a private burial on Friday, May 29, 2020 at the Fort Lincoln Cemetery, 3401 Bladensburg Road Brentwood, MD; a memorial service will be planned later due to current COVID 19 gathering restrictions. In lieu of flowers, The Louise V. Hartridge Scholarship Fund has been established to honor her legacy. For information and condolences, email tlewis@FAMEmusic.org.

MAY 28 - JUNE 3, 2020 29

LIFESTYLE

D.C.-Area Black Creatives Refine Selling Strategies During Pandemic Vendors Fear Plummeting Sales Without Face-to-Face Interaction

By Lindiwe Vilakazi WI Contributing Writer The landscape of summer artist shows and vending spaces has come to an abrupt stop amid the coronavirus pandemic, and Black artists and entrepreneurs are scrambling to maintain the human and business connectivity typically developed through those seasonal events.

Jimi, a popular jeweler and artist, has completely shifted to the virtual world to maintain and expand his client engagement.

“I have chosen to adopt my own website so that I can contact a bigger, broad arena as far as business, and that’s my store online,” said Jimi, owner and designer of the Spiritual Hands collection.

Jimi has been a longtime staple in

the DMV artistic community, facilitating weekly pop-up shops within the area such as at the Patapsco Flea Market. But the COVID-19 closings have forced his and many artist distributors’ hands in finding new methods of reaching current and potential clientele.

“Things change all the time and you have to be able to adapt to the changes,” Jimi said. “You could have Facebook, you can have Instagram and all the apps that they give you, but what are you using it for? The only way that I see is that I have to be in the norm — with the change.”

Malaika Cooper, a Baltimore-based salon owner and event organizer who has long hosted artists and community shows throughout the metropolitan area, said her lucrative annual “Natural Hair Care”

trade show — which generates roughly $60,000 for her alone, covering months of living expenses — was nixed this year due to the ongoing pandemic, and other shows will likely suffer the same fate.

“I’m the founder of ‘Happy Nappy Day’ and ‘Poets in The Park’ — those are my two summer shows and people are not even sending me vendor fees and things like that, nothing,” Cooper said. “Everything is a complete shutdown. So I’m kind of like in limbo right now.”

The online market is a saving grace for some business owners looking to maintain customer interactions and sales. However, for niche artist businesses, however, the virtual world presents a few holes in the effectiveness needed to execute compelling engagement for a large umbrella of

Shea Butter Like Whoa (SBLW) Terry K. Williams Sr. is a native Washingtonian and is the founder and Chief Executive Officer of Shea Butter Like Whoa (SBLW), a natural plant-based body and hair care company, which began in Washington DC in 2005. He set out to create the BEST body care products on the planet by creating them from scratch in order to control the entire process, integrity and deliverability of all products produced. We believe in creating products with “quality over quantity” that will deliver the results stated period.

Terry received his Bachelor of Science Degree in Marketing from Bowie State University and continued with classes in herbal studies at Maryland University of Integrated Health (formerly Tai Sophia Institute). He worked as a contractor for the Federal Aviation Administration in SW Washington DC before resigning on the day he was told to return to work during the 2018 Government Shutdown to expand his vision for SBLW. Today he and his team work very hard DAILY creating SBLW’s amazing products in his White Plains Maryland warehouse.

30 - MAY 28 - JUNE 3, 2020

5 Malaika Cooper (Courtesy photo)

erates mostly as a carryout with limited in-store space, so its clientele’s dining experience was largely unaffected by the city’s coronavirus-related restrictions.

But like many other restaurants in the city has had to scale back operations, cutting two days from its workweek and truncating daily business hours. In accordance with the mayor’s mandate against dine-in service, Backyard employees now take customer orders at the door.

“It didn’t really decline on numbers, but it really made it more difficult for people to get their food or call it in, because some people call in and it’s busy — and it’s a lot more call-ins now,” said Walter Jones, co-owner and sous-chef of Backyard Smokespot BBQ. WI

Early Suffragists Overcame Opposition from Other Women

5 Terry K. Williams, Sr.

At SBLW​we offer a variety of plant-based body care products from Organic Premium Grade A Shea Butter to our staple Natural Body and Hair Whipped Butters (offered in over 15 diving scents), exfoliating scrubs, soaps and pure oils.

Giving back is also near and dear to Terry’s heart. SBLW is currently our donating plant-based body care products to 1st responder’s in our area and across the country in support of their dedicated work during this COVID-19 pandemic. The need to protect and restore our 1st responders SKIN now is

niche artist businesses.

“I did hair for 26 years — now I’ve gone back to the basics of me and myself in my salon only doing the essential people,” Cooper said. “I don’t want to, just because things are slow, give away my classes that people pay $1,500 for, for a $40 online virtual class. That’s cutting my nose to spite my face.”

Many of Cooper’s artist shows are sourced through her Dreadz n Headz hair salon in Baltimore. Consequent to new state business regulations amid the pandemic, Cooper had to furlough 13 employees after finding she is ineligible for any stimulus program provided by the federal or state governments.

However, she is eligible for loans, which is an arguably lesser-sought option that could create deeper financial issues for business owners and individuals in such unprecedented economic times.

“It’s not going to last forever,” Cooper said. “I’m organizing, regrouping, cutting away the fat, doing all kinds of things so that when I come back out of this cocoon, I’m going to be a beautiful butterfly.”

In the District, businesses are also feeling the pinch. Backyard Smokespot BBQ, a family-owned eatery on Georgia Avenue NW, op-

By Stacy M. Brown WI Senior Writer @StacyBrownMedia

more prevalent than ever and we’re doing our part to assist.

Visit us TODAY and see why SBLW is second to none. https://www.sheabutterlikewhoa.com/ WI

This is part of an ongoing Washington Informer series about the Women’s Suffrage Movement and an initiative that includes Informer Publisher Denise Rolark Barnes that will use the lens of history, the fabric of art and culture and the venue of the public square to shine a light into dark places, equipping all with a compass to chart the way forward. The initiative lives in the institutional home of the

Washington Informer Charities.

The movement toward women’s suffrage had many obstacles, including the formation of the National Association Opposed to Women Suffrage (NAOWS), a group of women who believed that men only should have the right to vote and the push for African Americans rights further angered the group.

Formed in New York in 1911, NAOWS was the most popular anti-suffrage organization in northeastern cities. The group

SUFFRAGISTS Page 31

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Redskins Rookies, Vets Undeterred by Pandemic

By Daniel Kucin Jr. WI Contributing Writer @danielkucin88 NFL offseason workouts are crash courses designed to get both young and veteran players up to speed quickly before the preseason and regular season begins.

But the coronavirus pandemic has put a wrench in those plans this year, preventing Washington Redskins rookies such as center Keith Ismael and tackle Saahdiq Charles from competing in the rookie minicamp or offseason training workouts.

However, Ismael is not making excuses during this unique situation.

He has been working with his coaches through virtual networking programs such as Zoom while getting up to speed during these uncertain times.

“I think just not taking things for granted,” Ismael said about dealing with not being able to practice during the pandemic and taking advantage of his opportunity. “So many things that we are used to, used to be normal in our daily lives we take for granted.

And not being able to go outside and

SUFFRAGISTS from Page 30 had influential local chapters in many states, including Texas and Virginia.

Led by Josephine Dodge, the founder and president, the

interact with people and especially this, we can’t even be in the facility and grow with our own team you know, that’s tough.

“It’s taking a team effort by everybody in the building, everybody in the organization to continue with this offseason program and to build with the coaches, especially with the new staff,” he said.

The pandemic is also affecting the veterans on the team, such as future Hall of fFme running back Adrian Peterson and former University of Alabama linebacker Johnathan Allen.

Despite these challenges, Peterson is also working hard to get his body right and buy into the vision and leadership of new head coach Ron Rivera.

“It’s the man that’s leading … you lead by example. Thus far, obviously, we’ve all had our opportunities to talk to Coach Ron, and during our team meetings, we have the opportunity just to listen to what he has to say,” Peterson said.

“When a person talks, you can sense what they’re about,” he said. “So, just strictly off that, we have a good understanding that ‘hey, it’s going to be a change, it’s going to be different.’

NAOWS believed that women’s suffrage would decrease women’s work in communities and affect societal reforms, according to the Encyclopedia Britannica.

Active on a state and federal level, the group also established a newsletter, Woman’s Protest (re-

5 Headquarters of the National Association Opposed to Women Suffrage in New York (Library of Congress)

LIFESTYLE

Obviously, it’s hard to get that true feel of how things are going to be when you haven’t had the opportunity to be inside and be in the building, and going to meetings, and going to practice and just seeing and feeling the flow of everything so, it’s hard to establish that when we’re all at home.”

For Allen, the pandemic has served as a learning period as he attempts to decipher all of the nuances in new defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio’s 4-3 scheme.

“It’s definitely weird,” Allen said. “I feel like the best thing is, since we are a new team, is it is a whole new playbook for everybody. So, the biggest thing that I’ve been able to take away from it is just getting used to the playbook, getting used to the new terminology.”

Even though life can be monotonous at times during the pandemic, Allen is still making sure that he is ready to go physically when his number is called.

“I’ve been trying to do anything just to stay active and stay fit,” he said.

“I mean, I work out every day, but it gets pretty boring because usually, I mean, I get done with workouts by 12 o’clock, and we have meetings from 12-2, so from 2 o’clock on, I’m literally doing nothing. Just trying to do something to get out of the house and keep my mind sharp and not get

so bored because there’s really nothing to do out here.”

Though Redskins players won’t be able to build chemistry on the field yet, they have put in the work mentally, going over the X’s and O’s while individually staying in shape.

Once play resumes, Ismael and

Charles will have an opportunity to compete for starting roles on the offensive line, Peterson is vying to be the starting running back in a loaded backfield, and the team picked up Allen’s fifth-year option on his contract this offseason.

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organized as Woman Patriot in 1918), that was a bellwether of anti-suffrage opinion.

In 1918 the NAOWS moved its headquarters to D.C., where it operated until its disbandment following the passage of the 19th Amendment in 1920, Encyclopedia Britannica noted.

Woman Patriot continued to be published through the 1920s, generally opposing the work of feminists and liberal women’s groups.

“When it comes to women not wanting women to vote, I have to think it is a case of self-hatred and low self-esteem,” Elizabeth June, a writer, producer and co-founder of SilverLox Films, told The Informer. “Since the United States of America has never had a female president, yet so many other countries have had female leaders, I tend to think it’s an American thing.

It also does not surprise me that The National Association Opposed to Women Suffrage in 1911 was also further angered by

Black people wanting to exercise the right to vote.”

For jazz vocalist Virginia Schenck, it’s hard to imagine that in 1911 and throughout the 1920s that there would be a group opposed to women having the right to vote.

“My grandmother, a schoolteacher and mother of two, was a suffragette in Philadelphia in the 1920s,” Schenck said. “While NAOWS supporters may have followed the thought that their husbands were voting on behalf of the family, I doubt seriously that this was the prevailing thought in my grandparents’ home.

“Not all families are unified on their voting record. I know my own family is a panoply of thought,” she said. “Another American hurdle remains to assist our non-English-speaking citizens and current immigrants with the right to vote. These challenges fueled my fire to voice myself through my music and recording of the song ‘Battle Cry.’”

Alexandra Allred, an adjunct professor in kinesiology who is working on a textbook on women’s sports that’s heavily linked to history and paying homage to early suffragists and abolitionists, said early women suffragists brought about a greater economy, human rights movement, stronger unity and national pride.

“Today, we see how the archaic belief system of a few bad people can and are reversing things, bringing about a division we’ve not seen since Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. pushed for social justice,” Allred said.

“Just as suffragists and abolitionists faced fear-mongering, campaign-smearing tactics by those afraid of losing their standing in society, it is happening again.

“I see early suffragists and abolitionists as athletes,” she said.

“Despite tremendous adversity, they had the determination, the stamina, the grit of the most hardened athlete.”

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WWW.WASHINGTONINFORMER.COM / THE WASHINGTON INFORMER

5 Washington Redskins running back Adrian Peterson is buying in on new head coach Ron Rivera and prepares for the 2020 campaign despite offseason challenges.

(Daniel Kucin Jr./The Washington Informer)

MAY 28 - JUNE 3, 2020 31

LIFESTYLE

wi book review “Decisions: Practical Advice from 23 Men and Women Who Shaped the World”

By Robert L. Dilenschneider c.2020, Citadel Press $16.95 240 pages

By Terri Schlichenmeyer WI Contributing Writer Black or white?

Up or down? Doughnut or cake? Take a new job, or stay at the old one? Life is a series of picks and chooses, some of them frivolous and some of them unspeakably important. So how do you know the right one to make, even if it’s just between sundae or cone? In the new book “Decisions” by Robert L. Dilenschneider, you’ll see how dilemmas have historically been solved and how choices can affect you, too.

You may not realize it — surely, you’re not conscious of it — but you make dozens of decisions every day. Most of them are inconsequential (coffee or water?) but some of them may have a lasting impact on many aspects of life and business. So how do you make them with the confidence you need?

Dilenschneider says that the answer to that can come from looking at history, art, sports, religion and businesses in the past.

Take Harry Truman, for instance.

He’s where Dilenschneider starts this book, by pointing out that Truman had been in office for mere weeks before he was thrust into the president’s seat. He likely knew very little about the nuclear bomb until just days before he was sworn in. Five months later, he understood the implications of using it, and the outcome if he didn’t, and he knew what he had to do: he authorized its use, and never looked back.

Imagine a decision to leave a place of danger, only to step into a place of death. That’s what happened to Elie Wiesel. Or to decide that you will fight racism or suppression, as did Gandhi. Or to stick to your convictions, no matter what, as did Joan of Arc. Or to make up your mind to survive a financial disaster, as did banker A.P. Giannini. Or to go for an untested market, like restaurateur Howard Johnson …

Or, as you might wish, just read each story, and pick and choose which lesson fits. Author Robert L. Dilenschneider makes that an enjoyable endeavor, one that you’ll find hard to ignore or want to end.

The reasons are varied in the 23 short-but-full chapters but the overall appeal inside “Decisions” lies in the format of this book: it’s not just a business tome. Instead, readers will find a lot of history, a dash of psychology, 23 truly great tales, and a surprising amount of food for thought.

It’s this latter asset that’s particularly attractive.

Dilenschneider’s style seems chummy — maybe too much so, at first — but that’ll eventually grow on you, as his chapters guide you through stories of determination, adversity, and true pain. If that seems familiar, it’s because “Decisions” has a comfortable feel about it, like an adult version of the inspiring biographies you enjoyed reading as a grade-schooler. The difference is that here, the stories are absolutely all grown up.

Though this may seem like strictly a business book, it’s for anyone with a weight on their mind these days. With “Decisions,” the answer may be there, in black and white. WI

32 - MAY 28 - JUNE 3, 2020

horoscopes

MAY 28 - JUNE 3, 2020

ARIES You’re entering a new communication cycle, bringing passionate conversations, offering lucrative opportunities and ideas, and presenting you with choices. Be honest with yourself about what you want, trust your instincts and intuition, and you can make the choices that are right for you. Lucky Numbers: 10, 34, 51 TAURUS There could even be professional rewards coming your way now. Value yourself and you can attract the resources or relationships you desire, ones that give back equally and are worthy of your time, attention, and commitment. Lucky Numbers: 6, 25, 57 GEMINI A professional situation is heating up and presenting you with juicy opportunities. Take the time to clarify your ambitions. Remember, this isn’t just about success or your public image. This is about your authenticity and the ability to be wholly yourself as you chase your passion. You have a lot to offer the world and a lot of love to give, but you have to learn to love yourself first. Lucky Numbers: 3, 6, 20 CANCER What were your parents’ values surrounding sex, money, marriage, and commitment? How are yours different? Know your limits, but be willing to lower your guard when necessary. This is a chance to realign with your values and restructure commitments so you can allow in the financial and emotional support, intimacy, and security you desire. Lucky Numbers: 4, 7, 9 LEO A financial situation is heating up, as is an intimate connection. In all cases, it’s never wise to invest more than you can afford to lose, and everything comes at a cost. Choose your friends wisely, and let go of attachments to money, fame, power struggles, or how something plays out. Then you can navigate a situation consciously. Something you’ve wished for is not out of reach. Lucky Numbers: 1, 28, 30 VIRGO You’re exploring your creativity, sexuality, and love and unearthing buried desires you can no longer deny or ignore. There’s greater fulfillment, love, and joy to be found in every moment. The more you can live in the present, the more you can discover the creative potential within you and a situation. Lucky Numbers: 5, 12, 38 LIBRA On a mundane level, you may be moving or refinancing a mortgage. There may be changes in your family unit, or perhaps you’re creating a home office. There’s a sense of discovering buried treasure.

Something you’ve been seeking is closer to home than you think. But it will also require you to honestly confront the elephant in the room so you can put the past behind you and welcome in the abundance and good fortune that are making their way into your world. Lucky Numbers: 13, 22, 58 SCORPIO There could be powerful desires arising and changes in power dynamics asking you to reconsider your involvements and commitments. You can have what you want and attract the resources, security, commitment, or intimacy you desire. But you have to be honest with yourself and let go of trying to control a situation. Stay present, trust a process, and you can navigate and negotiate a situation consciously.

Lucky Numbers: 18, 47, 54 SAGITTARIUS You have a lot to offer your relationships, and you are worth a lot more than you think.

Examine your values (who and what you value), heal your self-esteem, and take time to reassess where you’re investing your time, money, and energy. How you value yourself is what determines the resources and relationships you attract. Lucky Numbers: 6, 7, 23 CAPRICORN This is a chance to reevaluate your finances, budget, commitments, and where you invest your time, money, and energy. It might mean cutting back in some cases or perhaps learning that you have more breathing room than you think. But either way, this is a chance to dig beyond your bank balance and relationship status for your values and integrity and invest your energy in what truly matters. Lucky Numbers: 17, 18, 28 AQUARIUS You are not the same person you were a month ago, let alone a year ago. Be honest with yourself about what you do and don’t want, and be clear on your boundaries. You are creating your reality every moment through thought, word, and deed. Stay aligned with your values and centered in your heart truth. Lucky Numbers: 18, 34, 50 PISCES Something you’ve hoped for is within reach, but it will mean letting go of the dreams you’ve outgrown. Also, your circle of friends has widened greatly, perhaps connecting you with dream opportunities.

But choose your friends and company wisely. Be clear about your goals and vision, then you needn’t get swept up in anyone else’s agenda. Lucky Numbers: 5, 16, 29

THE WASHINGTON INFORMER / WWW.WASHINGTONINFORMER.COM

CAPTURE

HOT TOPICS from Page 4

the moment

For more photos, visit www.washingtoninformer.com

5 New COVID-19 testing sites providing free tests without a physician referral are spotted throughout the city and are also being offered at a few select CVS stores. (Roy Lewis/The Washington Informer)

5 Crossland High School in Temple Hills recognizes its graduates on the marquee outside of the school, flashing photos of each student. (Anthony Tilghman/The Washington Informer)

5 Masked residents wait in walk-up lines at the required six-feet distance to receive a test for COVID-19. (Roy Lewis/The Washington Informer)

5 Restaurant owners in signature settings, once bustling with tourists, prepare food picked up by delivery service companies. (Roy Lewis/The Washington Informer)

5 Pop-up food donation stations are held in locations throughout the DMV almost every day. (Robert R. Roberts/The Washington Informer)

WWW.WASHINGTONINFORMER.COM / THE WASHINGTON INFORMER

minutes. When you hear someone calling for help, you’re supposed to help. This officer failed in the most basic, human sense,” Frey posted.

Police said the man matched the description of a suspect in a forgery case at a grocery store, and that he resisted arrest. The unidentified officer ignored his pleas. “Please, please, please, I can’t breathe.

Please, man,” Floyd, then handcuffed, was heard telling the officer.

After several minutes, one of the officers tells the man to “relax.” Minutes pass, and the man becomes motionless under the officer’s restraint. The officer leaves his knee on the man’s neck for several minutes more.

Prominent civil rights and personal injury attorney, Benjamin Crump, has been hired by Floyd’s family.

“We all watched the horrific death of George Floyd on video as witnesses begged the police officer to take him into the police car and get off his neck,” Crump said in a statement. “This abusive, excessive and inhumane use of force cost the life of a man who was being detained by the police for questioning about a non-violent charge.”

In Minneapolis, kneeling on a suspect’s neck is allowed under the department’s use-of-force policy for officers who have received training in how to compress a neck without applying direct pressure to the airway. It is considered a “non-deadly force option,” according to the department’s policy handbook.

A chokehold is considered a deadly force option and involves someone obstructing the airway.

According to the department’s useof-force policy, officers are to use only an amount of force necessary that would be objectively reasonable.

The death comes amid outrage over the death of Ahmaud Arbery, who was fatally shot Feb. 23 in Georgia after a white father and son pursued the 25-year-old Black man they had spotted running in their subdivision. More than two months passed before charges were brought. Crump also represents Arbery’s father.

“You can’t watch this appalling video posted by brave eyewitnesses on social media without seeing police officers’ callous disregard for a black man’s life,” ACLU of Minnesota Executive Director John Gordon said, calling the death “both needless and preventable.” WI

MAY 28 - JUNE 3, 2020 33

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34 - MAY 28 - JUNE 3, 2020

REOPEN from Page 1 United Nations ambassador and national security adviser under President Obama, and Michael Chertoff, a former secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security under President George H.W. Bush, oversaw the writing of the report that included its phases for reopening the District.

The first phase limits participant activities to 10 people and restaurants can offer outdoor seating for customers but will be required to institute strict cleaning standards. Barbershops and beauty shops can reopen under the first phase but appointments are required and less than a hand full of people are to be in the shops at one time.

For the second phase, up to 50 people can congregate and some sporting events can take place with no spectators. Theaters and museums can reopen with a limited capacity of visitors and businesses such as gyms can take in customers, with limits. Telework will be encouraged for workers and office capacities will be at 25 percent.

Restaurants will be allowed to have customers dine inside but customer names and contact information will be compiled for health reasons.

Bars and nightclubs will be able to open under the third phase and office capacity will be increased to 50 percent. Public gatherings up to 250 people will be legal.

The fourth and final phase will begin once a vaccine emerges, at which point nearly all restrictions will be lifted.

“We will not be able to get back to life as we enjoyed it in February,”

VOTE from Page 11 Besides bilingual education, Swann said another form of language students should learn is coding, financial literacy and business entrepreneurship.

“All these trade and skills are all different languages that we need to invest in,” he said. “I’m in a big believer in children being bilingual … but we also need to invest in those other languages.”

The other District 4 candidate, Mohammed Ali, said creating partnerships with parents would help boost student achievement, especially when some students are struggling.

As a math and science professor at Prince George’s Community College, Ali sees some incoming students who enroll in remedial courses with similar coursework they took in middle school.

“It’s kind of bothersome, which meant that schools are not preparing

5 A sign of the times. (Courtesy photo)

Bowser said. “But we are incrementally adding activities back in our lives, which we all miss and we are eager to get back to.”

Bowser knows all 50 states have opened up partially but has consistently said the District will abide by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s guidelines for reopening and won’t follow the lead of other jurisdictions.

The mayor refuted arguments that requiring face coverings and social distancing in public places violates civil rights, citing evidence from health experts who endorse the practices and asserting that, as the District’s leader, she has the obligation to protect residents.

Bowser’s power to bring the District back to economic life doesn’t bother Henderson, though she questions the timing and the process.

“I wish the process was thought out more,” she said. “The focus in this city has got to be to keep people healthy.”

The Rev. Andre Towner, an associate pastor at the Covenant Baptist United Church of Christ in Ward 8, said he supports the recommendations, especially when it comes to places of worship and gradually easing the limits on the numbers of attendees for in-person services.

“I am happy to see that the mayor’s plan for reopening is tied to the infection rate,” he said. “Public health is the priority. The majority of our members are elderly and we want to be cautious with them. They are prime targets for the coronavirus. As for our virtual services, they are going well and until there is a vaccine, this is the responsible way to go.”

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the students,” he said. “When they come to college, they’re really not ready.”

The ballot shows two other candidates running for the District 4 seat: Trina D. Brown; and Alethia J. Simmons. District 4 with schools include Beacon Heights Elementary in Riverdale, Kenmoor Middle in Landover and Bladensburg High.

Gladys Weatherspoon, a defense attorney with a practice in Largo, is one of seven candidates seeking five open spots as Circuit Court judge and the only candidate to present her platform.

She said the coronavirus pandemic has shown not everyone needs to be incarcerated, especially those on pretrial and charged with misdemeanor offenses. Between March 1 and April 24, the number of county inmates decreased from 720 to 534.

“This whole thing about putting everybody in jail … defeats the pur-

pose,” Weatherspoon said. “All these people didn’t have to be detained.”

April Ademiluyi, an attorney who practices real estate and intellectual property, joins Weatherspoon in running an independent campaign for the Circuit Court.

Both women face a slate of current judges — Bryon Seth Bereano, Wytonja Curry, ShaRon M. Grayson Kelsey, Jared Michael McCarthy and Cathy H. Serrette — all appointed by Gov. Larry Hogan.

A prospective candidate can seek election to the bench by just being an attorney.

Judge races are nonpartisan, so all seven candidates will be placed on both the Democratic and Republican ballots.

The top five vote-getters on either ballot will appear on the November general election ballot. The winners will serve 15-year terms.

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THE WASHINGTON INFORMER / WWW.WASHINGTONINFORMER.COM

RELIGION the religion corner WITH LYNDIA GRANT

It’s a New Day, and Change Has Come In my professional speaking career, one of my favorite messages is “It’s a New Day.” The six keys are reflected in various chapters of my book. To simplify them for you, I decided to write about each key over the next six weeks.

The six keys are: 1-Reinvent yourself; 2-Relationships (Create a group of successful mentors); 3-Are You Relentless — Unstoppable, no matter what happens? 4-Are you reliable, can you depend on yourself; and can others depend on you; 5-Are you responsible? Would you believe in a promise you made?

6-Are you resourceful — which means, you will find a way, especially during this time of the coronavirus pandemic. Everything will be different once we come back out in full force.

This week, let’s talk about how to reinvent yourself! Starting all over again, here is when you must reprogram your thinking. Same as when you delete all old programs from your computer, you start all over again.

Can you see yourself already having whatever it is you’ve dreamed of? Feel yourself already in possession of your dream and believe you

shall have it — that’s called faith!

Mark 11:24 reminds us, “Therefore I say unto you, what things so ever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive [them], and ye shall have [them].”

We can learn from a metaphor of a boat. Picture yourself riding on a boat, it has an engine and as it moves forward, you look back and you see the water’s path that’s left behind. That’s called a wake.

Wikipedia defines “wake” this way: It is the region of recalculating flow immediately behind a moving or stationary solid body, caused by the flow of surrounding fluid around the body.

You sabotage yourself when you focus on your wake the trail you’ve left behind. Many of us keep our eyes on the trail we’ve left behind rather than living in the moment.

It is the present moment that will move us forward. What’s left behind us is simply that — the past.

Faith is the object of things hoped for and it is the evidence of things not seen. Therefore, when we reinvent ourselves, we must see ourselves the way we want to be.

We must see ourselves as if we really are exactly what we want to be. You must bring your thoughts in harmony with your beliefs.

Nothing from the past can hold

Mt. Zion Baptist Church

you back. Like me, you can overcome domestic violence! I was choked so often that I’m now deaf in my right ear! Don’t allow that bad stuff — rise up and be what God would have you to be.

You cannot find light by analyzing the darkness. You can’t change by living in the past. Been there, done that! It is the energy of the present moment that propels you forward.

Pretend you’re on a moving boat.

What’s actually moving the boat? It is the present engine of the motor running. When the engine stops the boat will stop. Present energy propels that boat. Same thing with you, it is your present thoughts and energy that will propel you forward.

Don’t allow what has happened to you in the past to hold you back.

Give up your personal history.

Stand on a boat and look at the water behind you. Is it possible for a trail that’s left behind to make the boat go forward? No. It is a belief that what happened on the trail that was left behind is holding you back.

Disconnect from the past history — get rid of the story of your past.

Get a hold of the present moment and have a love affair with who you would like to become. Treat yourself that way, our Lord and Savior will see you succeed! WI

John F. Johnson Reverend Dr.

5101 14th Street, NW / Washington, DC 20011 Phone: 202-726-2220 Fax: 202-726-9089

1306 Vermont Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20005

“A Church with a past to remember – and a future to mold” www.mtzbcdc.org

EMPLOYMENT LAWYERS MCCOLLUM & ASSOCIATES, LLC ADA, Age Discrimination, Benefits, Civil Rights, COBRA, Contracts, Deaf Law, Defamation, Disability Law, Discipline, Discrimination, FMLA, FLSA, FOIA, Family Responsibility, Harassment, HIPPA, OSHA, National Origin Discrimination, Non-Compete, Race Discrimination, Rehabilitation Act, Retaliation, Severance Agreements, Sexual Harassment, Torts, Whistleblowing, Wage-and-Hour, Wrongful Discharge SERVING MARYLAND, DC, & NORTH CAROLINA

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Mount Olivet Lutheran Church

Reverend John W. Davis Pastor

Service and Times Sunday Worship Service - 8:00 a.m. & 11:00 a.m.

Children’s Church - 11:00 a.m. (1st & 3rd Sundays) Communion - 10 a.m. 4th Sunday Sunday School - 9:15 a.m. (4th Sunday 8:15 a.m.)

Prayer Meeting & Bible Study - Wednesday 7:00 p.m.

(301) 864-6070

Service and Times Divine Worship, Sunday 10:00 a.m.

Communion 1st and 3rd Sunday “Friendliest Church in the City” Website: mountolivetdc.org Email: mtolivedc@gmail.com

WWW.WASHINGTONINFORMER.COM / THE WASHINGTON INFORMER

MAY 28 - JUNE 3, 2020 35

RELIGION The Miracle Center of Faith Missionary Baptist Church

Pilgrim Baptist Church

Bishop Michael C. Turner, Sr. Senior Pastor

Rev. Louis B. Jones II Pastor

9161 Hampton Overlook Capitol Heights, MD 20743 Phone: 301-350-2200 / Fax: 301-499-8724

700 I Street, N.E. Washington, D.C. 20002 (202) 547-8849

Service and Times Sunday Worship Times : 7:30 AM 7 10:00 AM Communion: 1st Sunday Sunday School: 9:00 AM Bible Study: Wednesday, 12 Noon Bible Study in homes: Tuesday 7:00 PM

Service and Times Worship Sundays: 7:30 & 11:00 AM 5th Sundays: 9:30 AM 3rd Sundays: Baptism & Holy Communion Prayer & Praise: Wednesdays @ Noon & 6:30 PM

Website: www.themiraclecenterFMBC.com Email: Miraclecenterfmbs@gmail.com Motto: “We Walk by Faith, Not by Sight”

www.pilgrimbaptistdc.org

Covenant Baptist United Church of Christ

Blessed Word of Life Church

Church of Living Waters

Allen Chapel A.M.E. Church

Rev. Paul Carrette Senior Pastor Harold Andrew Assistant Pastor 4915 Wheeler Road Oxon Hill, MD 20745 301-894-6464 Service and Times Sunday Service: 8:30am& 11:00 AM Bible Study: Wednesday 7:30 PM Communion Service: First Sunday www.livingwatersmd.org

St. Stephen Baptist Church

Rev. Dr. Michael E. Bell, Sr., / Pastor 2498 Alabama Ave., SE - Washington D.C. 20020 Office: (202) 889-7296 / Fax: (202) 889-2198 - www.acamec.org Service and Times Sunday Worship Services: 8:00am and 11:00 AM Sunday Church School - 9:15am & Sunday Adult Forum Bible Study - 10:30 AM 2nd & 4th Monday Women’s Bible Study: 6:30 PM Tuesday Jr./Sr. Bible Study: 10:00 AM Tuesday Topical Bible Study: 6:30 PM Tuesday New Beginnings Bible Study: 6:30 PM Wednesday Pastoral Bible Study: 6:30 PM Wednesday Children’s Bible Study: 6:30 PM Thursday Men’s Bible Study: 6:30 PM Friday before 1st Sunday Praise & Worship Service: 6:30 PM Saturday Adult Bible Study: 10:00 AM “The Amazing, Awesome, Audacious Allen Chapel A.M.E. Church”

Third Street Church of God

Dr. Dekontee L. & Dr. Ayele A. Johnson Pastors

Rev. Dr. Alice Greene Interim Pastor

Bishop Lanier C. Twyman, Sr. Senior Pastor

Rev. Cheryl J. Sanders, Th.D. Senior Pastor

4001 14th Street, NW Washington, DC 20011 (202) 265-6147 Office 1-800 576-1047 Voicemail/Fax

3845 South Capitol Street Washington, DC 20032 (202) 562-5576 (Office) / (202) 562-4219 (Fax)

5757 Temple Hill Road, Temple Hills, MD 20748 Office 301-899-8885 – fax 301-899-2555 Services and Times Sunday Early Morning Worship: 7:45 AM Church School: 9:30 AM Sunday Morning Worship: 10:45 AM Tuesday: 7:00pm/Kingdom Building Bible Institute Wednesday , 12:30 PM Mid-Day Bible Study Wednesday: Prayer/Praise/Bible Study-7:30 PM Baptism & Communion Service: 4th Sunday – 10:30 AM

1204 Third Street, NW Washington, DC 20001 202-347-5889 office / 202-638-1803 fax

Service and Times Sunday School: 9:30 AM Sunday Morning Worship Service: 11:00 AM Communion Service: First Sunday Prayer Service/Bible Study: Tuesday, 6:30 PM

Services and Times Sundays: 10:00am Worship Services Bible Study: Wonderful Wednesdays in Worship and the Word Bible Study Wednesdays 12:00 Noon; 6:30 PM (dinner @ 5:30 PM) Sunday School: 9:00 AM – Hour of Power “An inclusive ministry where all are welcomed and affirmed.” www.covenantdc.org

www.blessedwordoflifechurch.org E-mail: church@blessedwordoflifechurch.org

Campbell AME Church

Service and Times Sunday Worship Service: 10:00 AM Sunday Church School: 8:45 AM Bible Study Wednesday: 12:00 Noon Wednesday: 7:00 PM Thursday: 7:00 PM “Reaching Up To Reach Out” Mailing Address : Campbell AME Church 2502 Stanton Road SE - Washington, DC 20020

Service and Times Sunday Morning Worship: 11:00 AM Holy Communion: 1st Sunday Sunday School: 9:45 AM Men’s Monday Bible Study: 7:00 PM Wednesday Night Bible Study: 7:00 PM Women’s Ministry Bible Study: 3rd Friday -7:00 PM Computer Classes: Announced Family and Marital Counseling by appointment E-mail: Crusadersbaptistchurch@verizon.net www.CrusadersBaptistChurch.org / “God is Love”

Greater Mt. Calvary Holy Church Bishop Alfred A. Owens, Jr.; Senior Bishop & Evangelist Susie C. Owens – Co-Pastor 610 Rhode Island Avenue, NE Washington, DC 20002 (202) 529-4547 office • (202) 529-4495 fax

Sunday Worship Service: 8:00 AM and 10:45 AM Sunday Youth Worship Services: 1st & 4th 10:45 AM; 804 R.I. Ave., NE 5th 8 AM & 10:45 AM; Main Church Prayer Services Tuesday – Noon, Wednesday 6:00 AM & 6:30 PM Calvary Bible Institute: Year-Round Contact Church / Communion Every 3rd Sunday The Church in The Hood that will do you Good! www.gmchc.org / emailus@gmchc.org

St Marks Baptist Come Worship with us...

Dr. Raymond T. Matthews Pastor and First Lady Marcia Matthews St. Mark's Baptist Church 624 Underwood Street, NW Washington, dc 20011 Services and Times Sunday School: 9:00 AM Worship Service: 10:00 AM Wed. Noon Day prayer service Thur. Prayer service: 6:45 PM Thur. Bible Study: 7:15 PM

(Disciples of Christ) 1812 12th Street, NW - Washington, DC 20009 Phone: 202-265-4494 Fax: 202 265 4340 Service and Times Sunday Worship Service: 11:00 AM Communion every Sunday: 11:00 AM Sunday School: 10:00 AM Bible Study Tuesday: 12 Noon Pastor’s Bible Study Tuesday: 6:30 PM Motto: “Discover Something Wonderful” Website: 12thscc.org / Email: Twelfthstcc@aol.com

Mount Carmel Baptist Church Reverend Dr. Paris L Smith, Sr. Senior Pastor

Virgil K. Thomas, Sr. Senior Pastor/ Teacher

Service and Times Sunday School: 10:15 AM Sunday Worship Service: 11;15 AM Children’s Church: 11:15 AM Tuesday Bible Study: 6:30 PM Motto : “A Great Commitment to the Great Commandment” Website: www.turningheartschurchdc.org Email: gr8luv4u2@gmail.com

www.thirdstreet.org Live Stream Sunday Worship Service begins @ 12:00 noon www.thirdstreet.org

800 I Street, NE - Washington, DC 20002 202-548-0707 - Fax No. 202-548-0703

Reverend Dr. Calvin L. Matthews Senior Pastor 1200 Isle of Patmos Plaza, Northeast Washington, DC 20018 Office: (202) 529-6767 - Fax: (202) 526-1661 Service and Times Sunday Worship Services: 7:30 AM and 10:30 AM Holy Communion: 2nd Sunday at 7:30 AM and 10:30 AM Sunday Church School: 9:20 AM Seniors Bible Study: Tuesdays at 10:30 AM Noon Day Prayer Service: Tuesdays at Noon Bible Study: Tuesdays at 7 PM Motto: “A Ministry of Reconciliation Where Everybody is Somebody!”

Website: http://isleofpatmosbc.org Church Email: ipbcsecretary@verizon.net

Reverend Dr. Paul H. Saddler Senior Pastor

Turning Hearts Church

421 Alabama Ave. SE Washington, DC 20032 Phone: 202-746-0113 Fax: 301-843-2445

“Ambassadors for Christ to the Nation’s Capital”

Rev. Dr. Alton W. Jordan Pastor

Isle of Patmos Baptist Church

Twelfth Street Christian Church

Rev. Dr. Henry Y. White 2562 MLK Jr. Ave., SE - Washington, DC 20020 Adm. Office 202-678-2263 Email: Campbell@mycame.org

“We are one in the Spirit” www.ssbc5757.org / E-mail: ssbc5757@verizon.net

Services and Times Sunday School: 9:30 AM Sunday Worship: 11:00 AM Sunday Community Worship Service: 8:30 AM

Crusader Baptist Church

901 Third Street N.W. Washington, DC. 20001 Phone (202) 842-3411 Fax (202) 682-9423 Service and Times Sunday Church School : 9:00 AM Sunday Morning Worship: 10:10 AM Bible Study Tuesday: 6: 00 PM Prayer Service Tuesday: 7:00 PM Holy Communion: 3rd Sunday 10:10 AM

36 - MAY 28 - JUNE 3, 2020

themcbc.org

THE WASHINGTON INFORMER / WWW.WASHINGTONINFORMER.COM

RELIGION Shabbath Commandment Church Bishop Adrian A. Taylor, Sr. Pastor 7801 Livingston Road Oxon Hill, MD 20745 301-534-5471 Service and Times Sabbath School 9:30 a.m. – 10:30 AM Service 11:00 AM Praise & Worship Preaching 11:30 AM – 1:30 PM Motto: “A Church Keeping It Real for Real.”

Website: Shabbathcommandmentchruch.org Email: Praisebetoyhwh@gmail.com

Zion Baptist Church Rev. Keith W. Byrd, Sr. Pastor 4850 Blagdon Ave, NW - Washington D.C 20011 Phone (202) 722-4940 - Fax (202) 291-3773 Service and Times 9:00 a.m. – Sunday School 10:15 a.m. – Worship Service Wed. Noon: Dea. Robert Owens Bible Study 7 PM Pastor’s Bible Study Ordinance of Baptism 2nd Sunday, Holy Communion 4th Sunday Mission: Zion shall: Enlist Sinners, Educate Students, Empower the Suffering, Encourage the Saints, And Exalt our Savior. (Acts 2: 41-47) www.zionbaptistchurchdc.org

St. Luke Baptist Church Rev. Aubrey C. Lewis Pastor 1415 Gallatin Street, NW Washington, DC 20011-3851 P: (202) 726-5940 Service and Times Sunday Worship: 11:00 AM Sunday School: 9:15 AM Holy Communion: 11:00 a.m., 3rd Sun. Bible Institute: Wednesday - 1:30 PM Prayer Meeting: Wednesday - 12:00 Noon

All Nations Baptist Church Rev. Dr. James Coleman Pastor 2001 North Capitol St, N.E. - Washington, DC 20002 Phone (202) 832-9591 Service and Times Sunday Church School – 9:30 AM Sunday Worship Service – 11:00 AM Holy Communion – 1st Sunday at 11:00 AM Prayer – Wednesdays, 6:00 PM Bible Study – Wednesdays, 7:00 PM Christian Education / School of Biblical Knowledge Saturdays, 9:30 AM – 11:00 AM, Call for Registration Website: www.allnationsbaptistchurch.com All Nations Baptist Church – A Church of Standards

Israel Baptist Church

Rev. Daryl F. Bell Pastor 2324 Ontario Road, NW Washington, DC 20009 (202) 232-1730 Service and Times Sunday School: 9:30 AM Sunday Worship Service: 11:00 AM Baptismal Service: 1st Sunday – 9:30 AM Holy Communion: 1st Sunday – 11:00 AM Prayer Meeting & Bible Study: Wednesday -7:30 PM “Where Jesus is the King”

Dr. Earl D. Trent Senior Pastor

2409 Ainger Pl.,SE – WDC 20020 (202) 678-0884 – Office / (202) 678-0885 – Fax “Moving Faith Forward” 0% Perfect . . . 100% Forgiven!

623 Florida Ave.. NW - WDC. 20001 Church (202) 667-3409 / Study (202) 265-0836 Home Study (301) 464-8211 / Fax (202) 483-4009

Service and Times Sunday Worship: 8:00 AM & 10:45 AM Baptism/Holy Communion: 3rd Sunday Family Bible Study Tuesdays – 6:30 PM Prayer Service: Tuesdays – 8:00 PM www.emmanuelbaptistchurchdc.org

Sermon On The Mount Temple Of Joy Apostolic Faith

Lincoln Park United Methodist Church Rev. Richard B. Black Pastor

Elder Herman L. Simms Pastor

1251 Saratoga Ave., NE Washington, DC 20018 (202) 269-0288

1301 North Carolina Ave. N E Washington, D C 20002 202 543 1318 - lincolnpark@lpumcdc.org www.lpumcdc.org

5606 Marlboro Pike District Heights, MD 20747 301-735-6005

Service and Times Sunday Worship Service: 10:45 AM Sunday School: 9:15 AM Holy Communion1st Sunday: 10:45 AM Prayer Service: Wednesday at 6:30 PM Bible Study: Wednesday at 7:00 PM Bible Study: Tuesday at 10:30 AM

Mount Moriah Baptist Church Dr. Lucius M. Dalton Senior Pastor

Service and Times Sunday Worship: 10:00 AM Holy Communion: First Sunday 10:00 AM Sunday School: 9:00 AM Bible Study: Wednesday @ 12 noon and 6:30 PM Motto: "Faith On The Hill"

Service and Times Sunday Apostolic Worship Services 11:00 A.M and 5:00 PM Communion and Feet Wash 4th Sunday at 5:00 PM Prayer/Seeking: Wednesday at 8:00 PM Apostolic in Doctrine, Pentecostal in Experience, Holiness in Living, Uncompromised and Unchanged.

The Apostolic Faith is still alive –Acts 2:42

New Commandment Baptist Church

Eastern Community Baptist Church Damion M. Briggs Pastor

Rev. Stephen E. Tucker Senior Pastor

1636 East Capitol Street, NE Washington, DC 20003 Telephone: 202-544-5588 - Fax: 202-544-2964

8213 Manson Street Landover, MD 20785 Tel: (301) 322-9787 Fax: (301) 322-9240

13701 Old Jericho Park Road Bowie, MD. 20720 (301) 262-0560

Service and Times Sunday Worship Services: 7:45 AM and 10:45 AM Holy Communion: 1st Sundays at 7:45 AM & 10:45 AM Sunday School: 9:30 AM Prayer & Praise Service: Tuesdays at 12 noon & 6:30 PM Bible Study: Tuesdays at 1 pm and 7 PM Youth Bible Study: Fridays at 7 PM

Service and Times Early Morning Message: 7:30 AM Sunday Morning Worship Service: 10:00 AM Sunday Church School: 9:00 AM Holy Communion: 1st Sunday 7:30 AM & 10:00 AM Prayer, Praise and Testimony: Wednesday 7:00 PM Bible Study: Wednesday 7:30 PM

Service and Times Sunday Worship: 11 AM Sunday School: 10 AM Wednesday Mid-Week Worship, Prayer & Bible Study: Wed. 7 PM

Rehoboth Baptist Church

Reverend Peter R. Blue Sr. Pastor

Rev. Curtis l. Staley Pastor

2001 Brooks Drive District Heights MD. 20744 240.838.7074

621 Alabama Ave., S.E.- Washington, D.C. 20032 P: (202) 561-1111 - F: (202) 561-1112

Service and Times Sunday Worship Experience: 10:15am Sunday School: 9:00am Holy Communion: 3rd Sunday Morning Noontime Bible Study: Tuesday @ 12:00pm Prayer Meeting/Bible Study: Tuesday @7:00pm Theme: "Building On A Firm Foundation"

Service and Times Sunday Service: 10:00 AM Sunday School for all ages: 8:30 AM 1st Sunday Baptism: 10:00 AM 2nd Sunday Holy Communion:10:00 AM Tuesday: Bible Study: 6:30 PM Prayer Meeting: 7:45 PM

Email: revprbstmbc@gmail.com Website: www.stmatthewsbaptist.org

Motto: “Where God is First and Where Friendly People Worship”

“Real Worship for Real People” Website: www.easterncommunity.org Email: ecc@easterncommunity.org

“A Church Where Love Is Essential and Praise is Intentional”

Foggy Bottom - Founded in 1867 728 23rd Street, NW - Washington, DC 20037 Church office: 202-333-3985 - Fax : 202-338-4958

Shiloh Baptist Church

Service and Times Sunday Worship Services: 10:00 AM Sunday Church School: 8:45 – 9:45 AM Holy Communion: Every First Sunday Intercessory Prayer: Monday – 7:00-8:00 PM Pastor’s Bible Study: Wednesday –7:45 PM Midweek Prayer: Wednesday – 7:00 PM Noonday Prayer Every Thursday

Matthews Memorial Baptist Church

4504 Gault Place, N.E. / Washington, D.C 20019 202-397-7775 – 7184 Service and Times Sunday Church School: 9:30 AM Sunday Worship Service : 11:00 AM The Lord’s Supper 1st Sunday Prayer & Praise Services: Wednesday 7:00 PM Bible Study: 7:30 PM Saturday before 4th Sunday Men, Women, Youth Discipleship Ministries: 10:30 AM A Christ Centered Church htubc@comcast.net

Christ Embassy DC

Dr. Joseph D. Turner / Senior Pastor 2616 MLK Ave., SE - Washington, DC 20020 Office 202-889-3709 - Fax 202-678-3304 Service and Times Early Worship Service: 8:00 AM Worship Service: 11:00 AM New Member’s Class: 9:45 AM Holy Communion: 1st Sunday, 11:00 AM Church School: 9:45 AM Wednesday 12:00pm Bible Study Prayer, Praise and Bible Study: 7:00 PM Saturday Bible Study: 11:00 AM Baptism 4th Sunday: 11:00 AM “Empowered to love and Challenged to Lead a Multitude of Souls to Christ”

Peace Baptist Church

Kelechi Ajieren Coordinator 6839 Eastern Avenue, R1 Takoma Park, MD 20912 (202) 556-7065 Service and Times Sunday Worship Service: 10:00 AM Wednesday Bible Study: 7:00 PM Friday Evening Service: 7:00 PM ; Last Friday “…Giving Your Life a Meaning” www.Christembassydc.org Christ.embassy.dc@hotmail.com

Pennsylvania Ave. Baptist Church

Rev. Dr. Michael T. Bell 712 18th Street, NE Washington, DC 20002 Phone 202-399-3450/ Fax 202-398-8836 Service and Times Sunday Early Morning Prayer & Bible Study Class: 8:00 AM Sunday School: 9:00 AM Sunday Morning Worship Service: 10:00 AM Wednesday Service: 12:00 PM “The Loving Church of the living lord “

Rev. Dr. Kendrick E. Curry Pastor 3000 Pennsylvania Ave.. S.E Washington, DC 20020 202 581-1500 Service and Times Sunday Church School: 9:30 AM Sunday Worship Service: 11:00 AM Monday Adult Bible Study: 7:00 PM Wednesday Youth & Adult Activities: 6:30 PM Prayer Service Bible Study

First Rising Mt. Zion Baptist Church

Mt. Horeb Baptist Church

Rev. Dr. Wallace Charles Smith Pastor

Rev. Oran W. Young Pastor

Rev. Dr. H. B. Sampson, III Pastor

9th & P Street, N.W. - W. D.C. 20001 (202) 232-4288

602 N Street NW - Washington, D.C. 20001 Office:(202) 289-4480 Fax: (202) 289-4595

2914 Bladensburg Road, NE Wash., DC 20018 Office: (202) 529-3180 - Fax: (202) 529-7738 Service and Times Worship Service: 7:30 AM Sunday School: 9:00 AM Worship Service: 10:30 AM Holy Communion: 4th Sunday 7:30AM & 10:30 AM Prayer Services:Tuesday 7:30 PM. Wednesday 12 Noon

www.stmarysfoggybottom.org Email: stmarysoffice@stmarysfoggybottom.org

Service and Times First Sunday Worship Service (one service): 10:00 AM Second, Third, Fourth, and Fifth Sunday Worship service: 7:45 AM and 10:55 AM Sunday Church School/Bible Study: 9:30 AM Thursday Prayer Service: 6:30 PM

All are welcome to St. Mary’s to Learn, Worship, and Grow.

Email: sbc@shilohbaptist.org Website: shilohbaptist.org

Service and Times Sundays: 10 a.m. Holy Eucharist with Music and Hymns Wednesdays: 12:10 p.m. - Holy Eucharist

Rev. Dr. George C. Gilbert Senior Pastor

Email Address: admin@pbc712.org

Historic St. Mary’s Episcopal Church The Rev. E. Bernard Anderson Priest

Holy Trinity United Baptist Church

Florida Avenue Baptist Church

Reverend Christopher L. Nichols Pastor

Rev. Dr. Jerryl V. Moody Pastor-Elect

Web: www.mountmoriahchurch.org Email: mtmoriah@mountmoriahchurch.org

St. Matthews Baptist Church

Emmanuel Baptist Church

King Emmanuel Baptist Church

WWW.WASHINGTONINFORMER.COM / THE WASHINGTON INFORMER

Service and Times Sunday School for All Ages: 8:00 AM Sunday Worship Services: 9:30 AM Midday Prayer & Bible Study: Wednesday 11:30AM Evening Prayer & Bible Study: Wednesday 7:00 PM Laymen's League: Thursday 7:00 PM Email: Froffice@firstrising.org Website: www.firstrising.org “Changing Lives On Purpose “

Email:mthoreb@mthoreb.org Website:www.mthoreb.org For further information, please contact me at (202) 529-3180.

MAY 28 - JUNE 3, 2020 37

LEGAL NOTICES In God We Trust ​Declaration of Nationality​​Notice of Special Appearance : I am that I am: ‘’ walker,

LEGAL NOTICES

dejon dwight© ‘’, in full life, in propria persona, sui juris, in solo proprio, by natural issue, the

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

beneficiary and heir of: ‘’ WALKER, DEJON DWIGHT© ‘’, corp.sole Dba.: ‘’ DEJON DWIGHT WALKER©

2019 ADM 000762

‘’, having reached the age of majority hereby duly affirms to declare my intention to be as my pedigree subscribes, as an: ani yun wiya Moorish American National , but not a citizen of the United States. I declare permanent, and unalienable, allegiance to: In God We Trust, the Moorish Empire, The united states of America, Republic ( Major ), The Constitution for the united States of America, Article III Section 2, etc.. In harmony with the United Nations Declaration on the Rights

Cherry Baylor Decedent Ethel Mitchell, Esq. 8403 Colesville Road #1100 Silver Spring, MD 20910 Attorney

of Indigenous Peoples, and all Natural laws governing moors, I hereby Declare and Proclaim my nationality as an: ani yun wiya Moorish American National. I am that I am: ‘’ walker, dejon dwight© ‘’, from this day forward, in harmony with my Nationality / Status / Jurisdiction, shall be known as: ‘’ walker-bey, dejon dwight© ‘’. Notice of Merging of Legal Title with Equitable Title : This order is to preserve legal and equitable title , and to reserve all rights, title, and interest, in the property, Re: ‘’ WALKER, DEJON DWIGHT© ‘’, corp.sole Dba.: ‘’ DEJON DWIGHT WALKER©’’, to the depositor: ‘’ walker-bey, dejon dwight© ‘’, nom deguerre: ‘’ walker, dejon dwight© ‘’. All property , of the same issue and amount, in like kind and specie, is to be returned fully intact , as a Special Deposit order of the Depositor / Beneficiary / Bailor / Donor / Principal / Creditor: ‘’ walker-bey, dejon dwight© ‘’, nom deguerre: ‘’ walker, dejon dwight© ‘’, as a special deposit order in lawful money. This special deposit is to be used exclusively for the benefit of : ‘’ DEJON DWIGHT WALKER BEY TRUST© ‘’, an Unincorporated Divine Grantor Trust. This deposit is not to be commingled with general assets of any bank , nor depositary / trustee / agent / bailee / donee / debtor. This deposit is not limited to, but including: discharge and set off, of any and all outstanding liabilities as accord and satisfaction. Any and All Attorneys with a License from the BAR Association are explicitly prohibited from administrat-

NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS Gertie Dean, whose address is 5200 Acorn Drive, Temple Hills, MD 20748, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Cherry Baylor who died on December 16, 2018 with a Will, and will serve without Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance in this proceeding. Objections to such appointment (or to the probate of decedent’s Will) shall be filed with the Register of Wills, D.C., Building A, 515 5th Street, N.W., Third Floor, Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before 11/14/2020. 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 11/14/2020, 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: 5/14/2020

ing ‘’ DEJON DWIGHT WALKER BEY TRUST© ‘’ property without handwritten consent from each and

Gertie Dean Personal Representative

every trustee, after said Attorneys have furnished their nationality, and Principal for whom’s interest

TRUE TEST COPY

they are working, pursuant to Public Law 75-583, to Trustees in plain writing.​All Rights Reserved. ​​ FDOP 05-07

Nicole Stevens Register of Wills Washington Informer

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

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

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

2019 ADM 000226

2020 ADM 000100

2020 ADM 000212

Sharon K. Foster Decedent

Annabelle Humes Decedent

Bertha J. Alston Decedent

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

Brett Cohen 7910 Woodmont Avenue, # 1430 Bethesda, Maryland 20814-7047 Attorney

Howard Haley, Esq. The Haley Firm, PC 7600 Georgia Ave., NW #405 Washington, DC 20012 Attorney

NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS Aimee D. Griffin, whose address is 1210 Congress St. SE, Washington, DC 20032, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Sharon K. Foster who died on September 21, 2017 without a Will, and will serve without Court supervision.

All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance in this proceeding. Objections to such appointment shall be filed with the Register of Wills, D.C., Building A, 515 5th Street, N.W., Third Floor, Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before 11/21/2020. 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 11/21/2020, 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: 5/21/2020 Aimee D. Griffin Personal Representative TRUE TEST COPY Nicole Stevens Register of Wills Washington Informer

38 - MAY 28 - JUNE 3, 2020

NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS Brett Cohen, whose address is 7910 Woodmont Avenue, Suite 1430, Bethesda, Maryland 20814-7047, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Annabelle Humes who died on July 17, 2019 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., Building A, 515 5th Street, N.W., Third Floor, Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before 11/21/2020. 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 11/21/2020, 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: 5/21/2020 Brett Cohen Personal Representative TRUE TEST COPY Nicole Stevens Register of Wills Washington Informer

NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS Janet Alston, whose address is 813 30th St. SE, Washington, DC 20019, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Bertha J. Alston who died on April 2, 2019 without a Will, and will serve without Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance in this proceeding. Objections to such appointment shall be filed with the Register of Wills, D.C., Building A, 515 5th Street, N.W., Third Floor, Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before 11/28/2020. 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 11/28/2020, 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: 5/28/2020 Janet Alston Personal Representative TRUE TEST COPY Nicole Stevens Register of Wills Washington Informer

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JUSTICE from Page 12

the state court order, according to the documents. tion continues to record the highThe court appointed Carlos est number of confirmed cases in Franco-Paredes, program director Maryland. at the University of Colorado’s DiThe judge’s ruling comes after a vision of Infectious Diseases, to inlawsuit filed last month by D.C.- spect the jail on May 6 and 7. based nonprofit Civil Rights Corps According to documents, Franclaimed the jail in Upper Marlboro co-Paredes found that the jail folfailed to adopt measures to protect lowed most of the guidelines from inmates from the virus. the Centers for Disease Control Within the suit, the organizaand Prevention. tion claims the He also found that The jail implemented jail lacks hygiene inmates received products and that protocols to monitor adequate supplies those treated for of soap and disinthe virus are sent inmates, but they were in- fectant spray, staff back to general effective because sick calls worked to contain housing units inthe virus when stead of medical were ignored and nurses detainees became isolation. “telling symptomatic positive with the According to virus and the jail court documents, detainees if you can walk, continues to make the jail’s director, changes on provithen you are OK. Mary Lou Mcsion on masks.

Donough, knew However, Franabout the “substantial outbreak in co-Paredes said high-risk inmates the facility, but didn’t provide ade- are still exposed to the virus and quate measures in place to combat that staffers failed to treat or isolate the virus.” symptomatic detainees and remain For instance, logs of temperature “ill-equipped to handle the outchecks showed records “were spotty break.” and did not reflect the purported Judge Xinis issued injunctive twice daily checks.” relief, or a court order, for jail ofIn some cases, detainees had ficials to submit comprehensive temperatures that ranged from 96 plans within five to 28 days to treat degrees to as low as 90 degrees, “high-risk” detainees such as those “indicative of hypothermia.” No 65 and older or health conditions, temperature recorded rose above 99 training of staff, number of corodegrees, although the jail reported navirus tests administered, soap that 18 inmates contracted the vi- provided to inmates and adequate rus. cleaning supplies for housing units.

The jail implemented protocols The judge ordered a telephone to monitor inmates, but they were conference call to take place on ineffective because sick calls were June 22 between the two parties on ignored and nurses “telling symp- whether to extend or modify the tomatic detainees if you can walk, order. then you are OK. [The jail] exhibitKatie Chamblee-Ryan, senior ated a reckless disregard for provision torney for Civil Rights Corps, said of basic care,” according to court the judge’s ruling shows county jail documents. officials must improve conditions The documents state that as of and those incarcerated are in seriApril 24, the jail maintained only ous harm.

20 additional testing kits with no Chamblee-Ryan said some of the plan on how to secure or admin- current inmates are either homeless ister the tests and couldn’t “point or charged with misdemeanor ofto even one request for additional fenses. tests” from the federal or state gov“What I hope everyone involved ernments or private vendors. in the [criminal justice] system The judge acknowledged jail offi- takes a hard look at that and really cials worked with state prosecutors, thinks about whether each person public defenders and the court sys- in that jail needs to be there,” she tem to reduce the jail population. said. “It’s just especially stark when Between March 1 and April 24, the consequences of trapping somethe number of inmates at the facil- one in an environment … where ity decreased from 720 to 534. As jails are more high risk than anyof Thursday, about 544 inmates are where else because it’s a congregant housed at the jail. The jail expedit- environment.” ed their releases in accordance with WI

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18+ MAY 28 - JUNE 3, 2020 39

ARBERY from Page 1

OBAMA from Page 1

elder McMichael after Arbery stopped by the site earlier this year, apparently to get a drink of water.

“We will not stop until everyone involved in the murder of Ahmaud Arbery is held accountable,” Crump said.

Earlier, a new report raised questions about Cobb Judicial Circuit District Attorney Joyette M. Holmes, the fourth district attorney assigned to the Arbery case.

Law.com reported that questions had been raised about a possible conflict of interest for her, although she made it clear she will proceed with the prosecution of the McMichaels.

The first two district attorneys assigned the Arbery case recused themselves because of connections to Gregory McMichaels, 64, a retired investigator for the Brunswick police and district attorney’s office, who was arrested and charged with murder and aggravated assault along with his son Travis, 34, on May 7.

The third district attorney stepped back to allow Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr to appoint Holmes, Law. com reported.

Carr also has asked the Georgia Bureau of Investigation and the U.S. Justice Department to review the actions and communications of the first two district attorneys.

They passed on making arrests for the fatal shooting on Feb. 23. The issues that Holmes addressed focused on a murder trial in 2016 for Justin Ross Harris, who was convicted of leaving his 22-month-old son Cooper to die in a hot car.

The trial moved from Marietta to Brunswick under a change-of-venue order.

“The Glynn County District Attorney’s Office vacated a portion of their office space to allow Cobb’s staff to have a workspace for the duration of that months-long trial,” Holmes said in a written statement to Law.com. “At that time, Cobb’s trial team had professional interactions with employees of the Glynn County District Attorney’s Office, including their investigator, Gregory McMichael.

“Additionally, in spring 2017, a now-former investigator with our office communicated with McMichael for help locating a witness who lived in Glynn County and was needed to testify in a Cobb murder case,” Holmes said. “There has been no continuing relationship.”

She also specified no continuing relationship between McMichael and Cobb Deputy Chief Assistant District Attorney Jesse Evans, who has

In Obama’s first four years, he bailed out the auto industry saving several thousands of jobs, and the auto industry repaid the loan. He tightened up credit requirements to curtail predatory lending practices, which was the main reason the country went into the Great Recession, said Kevin Darné, an author whose books have included “My Cat Won’t Bark! (A Relationship Epiphany.”

“Obama got the Affordable Care Act passed which brought the number of 46.5 million uninsureds down to 27 million by 2016, and the stock market rebounded, and job growth increased monthly, and he also won the Nobel Peace Prize,” Darné said, adding that Obama repealed “Don’t ask, don’t tell” policy in the military, supported federal recognition of same-sex marriage, and prevented the deportation of young immigrants residing in the U.S. illegally after being brought in by their parents.

“His quick response to Hurricane Sandy drew praise from Republican governors, Chris Christie of New Jersey and Bob McDonnell of Virginia, who killed Osama Bin Laden, the person responsible for the 9-11 attacks in 2001,” he said.

Darné also pointed out that Obama effectively managed the Ebola crisis. At the same time, Trump has only repeated his mantra of building a wall and gutting Obamacare, and his handling the COVID-19 crisis has been less-than-stellar.

“He routinely lies and blames the Obama administration for every issue that arises,” he said. “The main goal of Donald Trump appears to be to dismantle every signature achievement Barack Obama had.”

Joe Biden, Obama’s vice president and the presumptive 2020 Demo-

40 - MAY 28 - JUNE 3, 2020

5 Ahmaud Arbery (Family photo via Facebook)

taken the lead and won convictions in many murder trials, including the one moved to Brunswick.

Evans handled that with then-Assistant District Attorney Chuck Boring, now director of the Georgia Judicial Qualifications Commission. That was before Holmes took over as district attorney.

The Cobb district attorney then was Vic Reynolds. And Holmes was chief judge of the Cobb Magistrate Court.

Holmes and Reynolds became acquainted in 2012, when she was one of four candidates for an open seat on Cobb’s traffic court, ultimately losing to Judge Marsha Lake. That same year, Reynolds, a former police officer, defense attorney and magistrate court judge, was elected district attorney.

Before he took office in January 2013, he offered Holmes a job as a prosecutor, according to Law.com.

A Valdosta native, Holmes had worked as a public defender in Maryland fresh out of the University of Baltimore law school. After moving to Cobb County, she had a private practice in criminal defense and family law.

And she worked a stint as a prosecutor on misdemeanor cases for Solicitor General Barry Morgan. But she had never prosecuted felonies until she went to work for Reynolds.

Two years later, when Frank Cox resigned the chief magistrate position with more than a year left in his term, Reynolds supported her in applying for the open judgeship.

The Cobb County Superior Court bench appointed her, and she won the office the next year.

In her swearing-in ceremony, Reynolds said, “If you really want to get to know someone, spend several months with them on the campaign trail. In the summer. When it’s 97 degrees, I promise their character will come out.”

Reynolds said then that Homes exemplifies all the qualities a judge should have: fairness, integrity, patience, “the fortitude to be tough when necessary,” “heart to be compassionate when appropriate” and “courtesy to

The first two district attorneys assigned the Arbery case recused themselves because of connections to Gregory McMichaels, 64, a retired investigator for the Brunswick police and district attorney’s office, who was arrested and charged with murder and aggravated assault along with his son Travis, 34, on May 7. treat everyone in the courtroom with dignity and respect.”

Holmes left the magistrate court to become a district attorney last year when Gov. Brian Kemp appointed Reynolds to lead the GBI. Holmes talked about professional relationships in general in her statement. She said that, by participating in the Prosecuting Attorneys Council of Georgia, “prosecutors and investigators from across the state routinely connect through various training and conferences,” which “is not limited to our office and the Glynn County DA’s Office.”

She added that “as in any profession, prosecutors and investigators often change employment from one office to another. The Special Victims Unit of the Cobb DA’s Office includes a prosecutor who came to us after working in the Glynn County DA’s Office. She has no involvement in prosecuting the McMichael case.”

Holmes said she addressed those matters with Carr before accepting the case, and she has also discussed them with the parents of Arbery and their counsel.

“In unfortunate circumstances, we are sometimes called upon to prosecute people we know professionally,” Holmes said. “Professional interactions between prosecuting agencies and even law enforcement are commonplace and do not create a legal or factual conflict in proceeding with a case.” WI

cratic presidential nominee, has publicly said that he would love to have former first lady Michelle Obama as his running mate.

The Committee to Draft Michelle Obama for VP is working to build “substantial grassroots support for a potential Michelle Obama candidacy and help garner media attention for a vice presidential nominee who has the power to beat Donald Trump,” according to the group’s press release.

“Ms. Obama, the most admired woman in America, will be a vital asset this November when Vice President Biden will face an uphill battle to combat the lies and deceit emanating from the White House,” said the statement released Monday.

“Her credibility as a trusted leader and a strong symbol of unity within the Democratic Party would certainly help Democrats defeat Republicans up and down the ballot.”

Tina Willis, a personal injury attorney at Tina Willis Law, said that while she didn’t agree with every decision Obama made while in office, she never doubted that he held the best of intentions for all Americans.

“He was smart and empathetic, surrounded himself with the best advisers and team members, and always did his absolute best to both bring people together and do the right thing for everyone in the country,” Willis said. “I would say that Trump is so awful, on every level, [and] increased my appreciation for Obama.

But my feelings toward Trump didn’t increase my admiration of Obama. I always thought he was the best president that I’ve seen during my lifetime. I really wish Michelle Obama would become the vice president, although I definitely don’t blame her for not wanting to face all of the bad that comes with a high political office in this country.” WI

5 President Barack Obama (Courtesy photo)

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FORD from Page 24

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In 1955, Rosa Parks refused to take a seat in the back of a bus. Eventually, with passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Voting Rights Act of 1965, and the Fair Housing Act of 1968, the law revived the intent of the 13th, 14th and 15th Amendments. These amendments, passed in the wake of the Civil War, declared that all had the right to equal justice under the law, and that these rights applied to the states, as well.

We now face a renewed resistance to equal justice and equal rights. In the 2013 Supreme Court decision in Shelby County v. Holder, the Court, by a 5-4 vote (with five rightwing justices in the majority), gutted the Voting Rights Act. The scandalous decision by Chief Justice John Roberts overturned the re-authorization of the Act by Congress, arguing that the country “has changed” and that racial discrimination in voting was no longer a problem in the South.

The shortsighted ruling in Shelby has had broad implications. Across the South, and increasingly in the rest

of the country, Republicans passed new restrictions on voting — limiting early voting, purging voter rolls, requiring strict voter ID laws, closing polling places — all disproportionately impacting minority voters.

Partisan gerrymandering soon followed, and today, opposition even to voting by mail has emerged. The Shelby decision has given renewed energy to the efforts to roll back advances made during the civil rights era.

In the midst of the current pandemic and the looming depression, the anniversary of Brown v. Board of Education has passed without much notice. But we should never forget how historic that decision was and is — and how deplorable the decision of the “gang of five” in Shelby remains in undermining the civil rights progress that got legitimacy from Brown.

The Brown decision reminds us that the Supreme Court can be and ought to be a force for equality. We should not forget that.

WI

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effectively squelched the brief era of freedom in the South after the Civil War. In one context, Plessy was a case about race and public transportation.

In another, more troubling context, the Plessy case symbolized something more onerous. The Supreme Court had given legal authority to the Jim Crow laws in the South. Segregated facilities — that could never, in fact, be equal — became the rule, rather than the exception.

When Chief Justice Warren issued the unanimous opinion of the Court in Brown, he wrote that “...in the field of public education the doctrine of separate but equal has no place,” as segregated schools are “inherently unequal.” His ruling stripped segregation of its constitutional authority and immoral sanction. And it applied to much more than public schools.

The growing civil rights movement, propelled by the decision, pushed to integrate all public facilities.

cause of this new day, when accusers spring into action 30 or 40 years after someone allegedly touched them.

We must understand that reluctance, and allow Black men to be comfortable working with us — because we do need each other to succeed, not only in the coming elections, but in everything that has the potential for helping our community. WI

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JACKSON from Page 24

but we don’t have a say in developing them.

Nevertheless, we must be in the real struggles together and show our appreciation for the Black men who get it, and who want to be there with us even when they aren’t sure how to help.

I understand Black men who’re uncertain about what to do when it comes to working with women be-

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been on the Biden calls even though we call ourselves “Black Women for Biden.”

Although there’re some Black men who’re reluctant to involve us in what they’re doing until they want us to take action to help them accomplish their goals that are often our goals, too —

You Can Say It Like A Pro!

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WILLIAMS from Page 24

verance, he earned admission to the University of North Carolina Greensboro where he will major in business.

He has already jotted down part of his 10-year plan: obtain a bachelor’s degree, receive a MBA, work in the shoe industry to design and market tennis shoes and eventually run his own company.

My only complaint about my son remains his appetite: being able to eat like a blue whale. The boy doesn’t gain any weight, which quite frankly, isn’t fair to this middle-aged man.

But if that’s my only complaint, I gladly accept it.

Jabari has provided me not only an early Father’s Day gift but has inspired me by becoming a man when his future remains uncertain.

For all the fathers who have sons, godsons, or are providing their assistance in raising young men, especially those in the Class of 2020, raise a glass to them and simply say along with me, “That’s my boy!” WI

Photo

“The negative mental health effects of the coronavirus will be serious and long-lasting,” according to the poll summary at https://bit.ly/2Zu29KN. But it’s been my 18-year-old son, Jabari Theodore Ford, who remained the steadier one among us.

Even as graduation approached without the hopes of a formal ceremony, he has shown me how to exhibit calmness during a time in the D.C. region when some businesses remain closed, gatherings of 20 or more are prohibited and faith leaders are encouraged to hold services and gatherings outdoors.

Instead of constantly pouting and complaining, he would simply recite a phrase his music teacher, Alphonso Jiles, often said: “Time is money.”

Regardless of my son and our family being unable to celebrate his high school achievements to the fullest, his inner strength to succeed amongst this coronavirus pandemic makes this

an early Father’s Day gift.

Since the Maryland Department of Education closed its doors March 16, he’s sold two pairs of tennis shoes, continues to read his nearly 700-page “The Ultimate Sneaker Collection” book and jogs around the neighborhood about twice a week to stay in shape.

While working on an English assignment he called “hard,” he successfully completed a year-long, online sneakers course through the Fashion Institute of Technology based in New York City.

After a successful shoe sale, Jabari bought Popeye’s chicken for the family as the main course for one Sunday dinner.

Yet, he remains a typical teenager playing interactive video games on Xbox regularly with his friends.

Even though his baby sister occasionally gets on his nerves, Jabari showed her how to tie her shoes.

Well, that remains a work in progress.

Through hard work and perse-

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CROWELL from Page 25 and Virginia and provides a broad assortment of new and renewed assistance targeted to essential workers, first responders, minority-owned and other small businesses, students, the homeless and others.

For example, housing concerns for renters, homeowners and the homeless in the HEROES Act would extend the CARES Act’s previous moratorium on evictions and foreclosures. But it would also provide new housing assistance with $100 billion in emergency rental assistance, $75 billion for homeowner assistance, $11.5 billion in homeless grants and expand Section 8 vouchers with a $1 billion revenue infusion. The bill also includes $500 million for Section 202 Housing for the Elderly, $100 million for housing counseling, and $14 million for fair housing activities.

Similarly, debt collections against either minority-owned and other small businesses or consumers would be suspended during the pandemic.

Consumers would not be subjected to negative credit reporting and debt collection, while the Federal Reserve would be required to make low-cost, deferrable loans to small businesses, nonprofits, and public universities.

Nonprofits serving low-income communities could be eligible for these loans to be forgiven.

Before the early evening House vote, multiple stakeholder groups spoke out in support of the bill.

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“The HEROES Act focuses on real people because consumers drive our economy and we can’t just leave American families to trickle-down help from businesses,” said Lauren Saunders, associate director of the National Consumer Law Center (NCLC).

For Abby Shafroth, an NCLC attorney, criminal-justice issues were a particularly key part of the legislation.

“The last thing that we need right now is to have people in unsafe prisons and jails for the crime of being poor,” Shafroth said. “By prohibiting the government from incarcerating people for nonpayment of debts, restricting the use of money bail to detain poor people who have not been convicted of a crime, and incentivizing state and local governments to suspend imposition and collection of fines and fees during the crisis, the HEROES Act protects people from being imprisoned or trapped in the broken criminal justice system merely because they are unable to afford a debt or a fine.”

Before House voting began and speaking on the chamber’s floor, Rep. Maxine Waters, chair of the House Financial Services Committee, summarized the feelings of many citizens and lawmakers alike.

“We hear members on both sides of the aisle talking about how much they love America, how much they love their constituents,” Waters said. “Put up or shut up. Now is the time to do it.”

That advice needs to be heard in the Senate, where the bill’s outcome

is unclear. Although the House inserted provisions to address wide-ranging concerns, there is no guarantee that the Senate will act promptly or as generously.

Even so, the Center for Responsible Lending (CRL) remains hopeful that the act will not only be preserved, but strengthened.

“The HEROES Act shows strong promise and addresses important needs of low-wealth families impacted by COVID-19, such as mortgage and forbearance relief, extended unemployment benefits, food assistance, and protections against harmful debt collection activities and negative credit reporting,” said Ashley Harrington, CRL’s federal advocacy director and senior counsel.

“However as amended, the bill curtails its original, inclusive plan to cancel $10,000 of debt for all federal and private student loan borrowers,” Harrington said. “These cancellation provisions are unmanageable and inequitable — they won’t help many of the student loan borrowers due to its structural flaws that exclude millions from getting relief.”

Harrington also noted how the HEROES Act fails to include “important safeguards against high-cost lending and abusive overdraft fees” during the crisis.

“The Senate should act swiftly to include these additional consumer protections and ensure that all those with student debt are able to benefit from debt cancellation,” she said. WI

ASKIA from Page 25

eral “fake news” media lampoon him as the laughable clown that he is, but to now see even many conservatives call him out for what he is — a laughingstock. Dr. Bandy Lee, a forensic psychiatrist at Yale University, said recently that the Trump administration has spawned a “national mental health crisis” and warned the worst is yet to come.

I’m sure there were many ugly depictions and cartoons when Barack Obama was in office, but it’s gotten so bad in his case that he’s now even scolding his lapdog media outlet Faux News (that is, Fox News) for having said something unkind about him.

He is truly, truly deplorable, petty, vindictive and narcissistic. What a package.

What this Guy represents would be funny if we were observing this madness from an alternative universe somewhere across the time and space continuum, but we’re living in this madness as it swirls around us.

Are we having fun yet? WI

stone Cop who ever wore a cheap comb-over and a super-long red tie.

Lying and scapegoating are his registered trademark tactics, yet he holds on to a 40 percent approval rate. He is “Mighty Whitey” personified. The Ku Kluxers in this country believe — mistakenly — that his tenure guarantees them cheap gasoline for their monster trucks, money for Hooters bars on Saturday nights and holy rolling in church on Sunday mornings … forever. Not. This Guy, who only goes to church for his serial weddings (after cheating on his old wives, sometimes with his bride-to-be, sometimes with strippers and porn stars), this guy sanctimoniously called for churches to reopen from coronavirus lockdowns before Memorial Day, then himself went to play golf, as deaths in this country from the pandemic approached 100,000.

It’s incredible to see not just the lib-

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Leslie R., Bank of America Consumer Bank Team

Sharing our appreciation My teammates and I in Greater Washington, D.C. are deeply grateful to those working on the front lines to fight a global health crisis — the health care providers, first responders and essential service workers. This includes many across Bank of America who are working around the clock in financial and service centers to provide guidance and support to our clients.

We’re committed to our teammates’ safety and well-being, providing new and enhanced benefits, including free access to virtual health care and emotional wellness programs, support for child and adult care, and meals for those in the office. Our extensive workplace health and safety measures adhere to the latest CDC guidelines.

Eligible teammates are paid based on their regular schedules, even if hours are reduced. We also increased our minimum hourly wage to $20, one year ahead of schedule, and have committed to no layoffs in 2020.

We are here to help. Please stay safe and well.

Lawrence Di Rita Greater Washington, D.C. Market President

For more information, please visit bankofamerica.com/helpfulresources.

Bank of America, N.A. Member FDIC. © 2020 Bank of America Corporation. All rights reserved.

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MAY 28 - JUNE 3, 2020 43

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