Black Youth, Environmentalists, Entrepreneurs Express Support for ‘Bottle Bill’
Some Restaurant, Mayoral Pushback, Nadeau Critical of Bottle Distributors
By Sam P.K. Collins WI Staff Writer
Legislation known as the “bottle bill” recently inched a bit closer to passage when it came out of one D.C. Council committee and into another. Now, it remains to be seen when the latter committee will conduct another hearing for the polarizing legislation.
In the meantime, Ward 8 resident and environmentalist Vondre Walston counts among those spreading the word about the bill he said will not only clean the streets he cares about, but put a few dollars in the pockets of those who need it the most.
“I got a lot of people that are residents that live in my neighborhood who've seen and heard and saw me pushing for this. They’ve been collecting since last year,” said Walston, an outreach coordinator for Ward
4 Pedestrian fatalities account for more than 30% of total traffic deaths in the metropolitan area, with some residents citing speed cameras, dim lighting, and disproportionate traffic enforcement. (Robert R. Roberts/The Washington Informer)
Racial Disparities
Persist in D.C. Traffic Incidents
Push
Stronger
By Jada Ingleton, Skylar Nelson & Richard Elliott WI Content Editor and WI Contributing Writers
As District pedestrians and drivers face a record increase in crash injury and insurance rates, Howard University senior Evan Barker is among
Protections for Motorists
those supporting the D.C. Council’s pending Motor Vehicle Insurance Modernization Act, a bill introduced that would effectively double the current coverage amount set in 1986.
“Here in D.C., you're really lucky if [the driver] stops, you're extremely lucky if they have insurance, and then after that, you're
By James Wright WI Staff Writer
Through a series of meetings and presentations by Bowser administration officials, the District is seeking residents’ viewpoints on what the city will look like in 25 years.
At the Nov. 15 meeting held at the DC Office of Planning headquarters in Northeast, D.C., District resident Kathleen Richardson peppered staffers with questions, such as how changes benefit the community and whether seniors will have to leave their homes for change to take place.
“I came all the way from Ward 8 to attend this because I am curious,” Richardson, 75, told The Informer. “I won’t be around to see 2050 but I want to make sure that my community stays intact as much as possible.”
By Sam P.K. Collins WI Staff Writer
Go-Go Appreciation Week takes place at a time when District residents are demanding an end to local-federal law enforcement cooperation that has exacerbated the harassment, detainment, and assault of Black and Latino people.
However, as Ivan Navas explained, what Black and Latino Washingtonians share goes well beyond state-sanctioned violence. He said that special connection can be found in go-go, the local musical genre he came to love and appreciate under the direction of Jose Lopez, an Afro-Puerto Rican mu-
5 Ron Moten speaks at the Go-Go Museum and Cafe, which he co-founded, on Nov. 17 as part of Go-Go Appreciation Week. (Ja’Mon Jackson/The Washington Informer)
5
A student participates in an Earth Day cleanup in 2021, having collected several bottles along the Anacostia River. (WI File Photo/Anthony Tilghman)
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STAFF
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REPORTERS
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Skylar Nelson, Sports Reporter
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wi hot topics
Spirit Defeat Thorns
2-0 Heading To The NWSL Championship for a Second Consecutive Year to Face Gotham FC
The Washington Spirit defeated the Portland Thorns FC 2-0 on Nov. 15 in the semifinal round of the 2025 NWSL playoffs, delivering yet another thrilling performance before a sellout crowd of 19,365 at Audi Field.
Saturday’s matchup marked the fourth consecutive playoff sellout, third highest sellout in club history, and sixth sellout in the last 17 months for the Washington Spirit.
“We all love this city so much and we feel the passion that the people from the DMV have for this place and for this team that represents them,” said defender Esme Morgan. “Obviously it’s been a difficult year for the area. So much has happened and I feel like we feel a responsibility as the Spirit to bring joy to people, and be an event that people can look forward to. And it just feels like such a community and such a family when you’re in the stands… we’re so grateful for the support.”
Washington set the tone early, creating multiple high-intensity chances of scoring and briefly celebrating an opening goal before it was ruled offside. After a video assistance referee (VAR) review, the call was upheld, keeping the match scoreless.
WI
Read more on washingtoninformer.com.
Commanders Fall to Dolphins 16-13 in Week 11 Madrid
Thriller After Costly Interception, Bye Week Ahead
Madrid’s iconic Santiago Bernabéu Stadium welcomed its first-ever NFL game on Sunday, and the Spanish football fans witnessed a finish that matched the stature of the venue.
In a thrilling clash between two 3-7 teams, the Miami Dolphins edged the Washington Commanders 16-13 in overtime, securing the victory with a 29-yard field goal by Riley Patterson after a battle that stretched beyond regulation.
“It was fun. I think being able to come out all the way out here to Spain, get an opportunity to bring football to places where it hasn’t been before was a really cool moment,” said Commanders quarterback Marcus Mariota.
“Obviously we would have loved to finish it in a different
way but looking at the big picture of it, I think it’s awesome that we are globalizing football and bringing football to places we think need it.”
The first half of Sunday’s matchup unfolded as a grind, with both teams limited to field goal scoring until after halftime.
Washington finally broke through on the opening drive of the third quarter, when Mariota hit wide receiver Deebo Samuel for a 20-yard touchdown increasing the score 13-6. Washington’s defense followed up with a momentum-shifting stop, shutting down Miami on fourth-andgoal to preserve the lead. However, Miami responded with immense determination in the fourth quarter. WI
Commanders Turn To Kicker Jake Moody After Releasing Matt Gay To Start Bye Week
On Monday, the first day of the Commanders’ bye week, Washington officially made a change at the kicker position.
After a struggling performance in Sunday’s 16-13 overtime loss to the Miami Dolphins, the Commanders have released Matt Gay.
“[General Manager] Adam [Peters] and I visited with Matt today,” said Head Coach Dann Quinn. “Matt has been a fantastic teammate here and an all-time good dude. So, we’re really
bummed that it didn’t work out and we felt like this was the change that we needed.”
Gay missed field goal attempts at 51 and 56 yards against the Dolphins, pushing both kicks wide right, an issue that he has struggled throughout the season. The 56-yard field goal attempt would have secured a win for Washington in regulation.
“I missed that kick to win the game so it sucks, it’s tough. That’s on me,” said kicker Gay. “We would have won that game if that kick was in. So good snap, good operation from the guys, good protection. I just missed, so that’s on me.”
The 31-year-old kicker has converted 13-of-19 field goal attempts this season and has remained perfect on extra points, recording 22-of-22. But he connected on only 68% of his field goals in Washington.
The Commanders signed Gay in early March to
Read more on washingtoninformer.com. MATT
5 Kicker Matt Gay signing autographs after the Commanders' game at Northwest Stadium before entering the tunnel. (Marcus Relacion/The Washington Informer)
5 The Washington Spirit Mascot, PK the Eagle waving the spirit chant flag ahead of the 2-0 semifinal win on Saturday, Nov. 15. (Marcus Relacion/The Washington Informer)
AROUND THE REGION
$41 Million Judgment Brings Justice to Langston Views Tenants After Years of Neglect
By Stacy M. Brown WI Senior Writer
The long, painful story of Langston Views, formerly known as Marbury Plaza, has ended in a resounding victory for residents who lived for years under conditions that no one should have to endure.
Attorney General Brian Schwalb announced that the Office of the Attorney General (OAG) secured a $41 million judgment against MP PPH, LLC and its managing member, New York ophthalmologist Dr. Anthony Pilavas, for their repeated neglect of the 674-unit complex on Good Hope Road in Southeast Washington. The ruling is the largest housing-related judgment in District history and one of the largest against a landlord in the nation.
The Superior Court found that MP PPH and Pilavas defied court orders and forced more than 2,500 tenants to live with widespread mold, recurring water leaks, broken elevators, rodent and insect infestations, and long periods without heat, air conditioning, or hot water.
“This is a significant and historic victory for thousands of Marbury Plaza tenants, who were subjected to dangerous and unlawful living conditions for years,” Schwalb stated in announcing the judgment. “Every Washingtonian deserves a safe, healthy place to call home. When property owners fail to comply with District law, and especially when they defy court orders, my office will hold them accountable to the full extent of the law.”
A Pattern of Abuse and Defiance, Record Judgement for Tenants
Court records show that MP PPH bought the property in 2015 for $55
MATT GAY from Page 4
a one-year, fully guaranteed $4.25 million contract after being released from the Indianapolis Colts, which is the richest guarantee given to a kicker on a single-season contract. However, Washington cycled through various kickers in 2024.
The team had hoped that Gay would have brought stability at the kicker position, but instead they will
million and refinanced it six years later, taking more than $15 million in cash.
During that same period, the complex fell into dangerous disrepair. Inspectors found mold in 96% of apartments and all 98 common areas, broken plumbing, electrical hazards, and elevators that routinely failed.
In 2022, the owners agreed to a consent order requiring them to repair the complex. When they failed to comply, the court found them in contempt the following year, calling their conduct “flagrant” and imposing rent abatements for tenants. The Court of Appeals later upheld that finding, describing the evidence of contempt as “staggering.”
Even after those rulings, conditions at the property remained unsafe. A receiver appointed to oversee Marbury Plaza— by then renamed Langston Views— reported continuing leaks, nonfunctioning laundry rooms, and widespread mold throughout the buildings.
Judge Yvonne Williams ordered MP PPH and Pilavas to pay $29.8 million in restitution to tenants and $11.1 million in civil penalties and attorneys’ fees.
The court concluded that the award “serves as a reminder to landlords that legal intervention is best prevented by timely, ongoing investments that ensure their properties offer the habitable conditions to which all tenants in the District of Columbia have a legal right.”
Voices from the Record
Tenant leader Barbara Cooper, president of the Langston Views Tenant’s Association, said in court filings that the residents’ struggle for justice was long and difficult.
“Our landlord violated our rights, lied to us, and forced us to live in conditions no one should have to live
once again have to find another leg. At least this time, Washington can use the bye week to evaluate their options.
“When they’re hard like this one because of who the person is, it makes it especially difficult,” said Quinn, “but you still got to make the decisions that you think are best for the team.”
WI
in,” she stated. “My apartment flooded dozens of times, and many of my neighbors went through the same thing or worse. It has been a long, hard fight for justice, but we are grateful to the Office of the Attorney General and our attorneys at Legal Aid.”
Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner Tomora Redman (8A07) also commended the outcome in statements contained in the court record.
“This historic judgment underscores the District’s commitment to protecting tenants’ rights and ensuring safe, habitable housing for all residents,” she said. “Washingtonians deserve action, not neglect, and this outcome shows what accountability looks like.”
A Message to Landlords Across the District
The OAG has already recovered $1.1 million from the property’s former management company, Vantage Management, which will be distribut-
ed to affected tenants. Schwalb’s office said it will continue to collect the remaining restitution owed.
Langston Views is now under new ownership.
For the thousands of residents who endured years of hardship, the judgment offers long-delayed justice and a message to landlords throughout the city.
“This stands as a reminder that the law will not permit landlords to profit while their tenants live in unsafe and unlawful conditions,” officials declared.
WI
3In a historic lawsuit for the D.C. Office of the Attorney General, MPH PPH, LLC and its managing member Dr. Anthony Pilavas must pay $41 million for their repeated neglect of Langston Views on Good Hope Road in Southeast, D.C. (Courtesy Photo/ Langston Views)
AROUND THE REGION
facts
Nov. 20
1866 – Howard Seminary, later Howard University, is founded in Washington, D.C.
1923 – Inventor Garrett Morgan patents the three-position traffic signal.
1952 – The Academy Award given to Hattie McDaniel, the first Black American to win an Oscar, is bequeathed to Howard University, though the trophy never makes it to Howard and mysteriously vanishes.
1962 – President John F. Kennedy issues Executive Order 11063, which prohibits discrimination in housing.
Nov. 21
1969 – Baseball great Ken Griffey Jr. is born in Donora, Pennsylvania.
1984 – Worldwide protests against apartheid begin, largely centralized at the South African Embassy in Washington, D.C.
Nov. 22
1942 – Pilot Guion Bluford, the first African American in space, is born in Philadelphia.
1986 – George Branham becomes the first African American to win a Professional Bowling Association (PBA) title.
1989 – Frederick D. Gregory becomes the first African American to lead a space mission.
Nov. 23
1897 – Inventor Andrew J. Beard patents the jenny coupler, used to connect railroad cars.
1897 – Inventor John Lee Love patents a portable pencil sharpener known as the "Love Sharpener."
Nov. 24
1775 – The Continental Congress of the United States issues the order to bar Blacks from the army.
1868 – Famed composer and pianist Scott Joplin, the "King of Ragtime," is born in Northeast Texas.
1870 – Robert Sengstacke Abbott, founder of the Black-owned Chicago Defender newspaper, is born in Chicago.
Nov. 25
1949 – Famed tap dancer Bill "Bojangles" Robinson dies of heart failure in New York City at 71.
1955 – The Interstate Commerce Commission bans racial segregation on interstate buses, train lines and in waiting rooms.
1975 – South American nation Suriname gains its independence from the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
Nov. 26
1883 – Famed abolitionist, author and human rights activist Sojourner Truth dies in her Battle Creek, Michigan, home at age 86.
1895 – The National Negro Medical Association is founded.
1907 – Rudolph Dunbar, the first Black man to conduct the London Philharmonic Orchestra, is born in Nabacalis, British Guiana.
1939 – Music icon Tina Turner is born in Nutbush, Tennessee.
Scott Joplin
Tina Turner (left) George Branham (center) Hattie McDaniel (right)
P INT
BY KEITH GOLDEN JR.
Do you support the call for an economic blackout of Black Friday?
GREGORY CAISON / SOUTHWEST, D.C.
“I don't support Black Friday because I think that it’s all about money with these people. People don’t be having money.”
ROBERT KHALIL / ROSWELL, NEW YORK
“I do support an economic blackout on Black Friday because we know America is mostly motivated by money and capitalism, and when we see how Black people continue to pour into this economy and social infrastructure that has proven that it does not care about us [and] continues to neglect us. The only way we can show that we are firm in our stance and actually actualize meaningful change is to pull our dollar from the economy. That would drive more people to pay more attention to the issues we want our elected officials to spend more time and consideration on.”
ANGEL NEAL / PRINCE GEORGE’S COUNTY, MARYLAND
“I support it. If you look at who wants people to spend money on Black Friday and who is actually benefiting, it’s not the people. With everything going on right now, the money that you are spending…we can see that it’s going to places like Israel, we can see it’s going to places like the Trump administration and it’s not helping us at all. There are rarely things on sale on Black Friday like groceries or things people need.”
JASMINE JACKSON / DETROIT, MICHIGAN
“I think that these blackout days without further mission, message and support just tend to flounder a bit. I think if you are asking people to not purchase things— I’m assuming it’s targeted towards major brands— then you would have to find support for what people are going to do as an alternative. I just feel the conversation never circles around that.”
Our staff is made up of writers, just like you. We are dedicated to making publishing dreams come true. Trusted by authors for nearly 100 years, Dorrance has made countless authors’ dreams come true.
AROUND THE REGION
TRAFFIC from Page 1
like the luckiest person in the world if they don't try to make it seem like it was your fault even if it was theirs,” Barker said.
Following a nonfatal bicyclist collision with a city bus in 2023, Barker told The Informer he simply got up and rode the rest of the way home, unbeknownst to the fact that he would be managing the impacts of the crash for years to come–both physically and financially.
The Georgia native, who’s experienced multiple vehicular incidents since moving to the District, attributes the long-lasting burdens to what he considers ineffective policies and a lack of structure in road safety throughout the nation’s capital.
“The driving safety in D.C. is probably top five lowest in the country, if you ask me,” Barker said blatantly. “People aren't very considerate, very aware of their surroundings when driving up here. It’s just chaos…but there are a lot of things that go into it.”
If the legislative bill introduced by Council Chairman Phil Mendelson (D-At Large) passes, insurance companies will be required to cover at least $50,000 in medical and auto costs – a whopping boost from the $25,000 established and unmoved nearly 40 years ago.
Despite a 52% drop in traffic fatalities, a decade-long mission that began with D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser’s Vision Zero in 2014, nonfatal crash injury rates nearly doubled from 2019 to 2023, while traffic fatalities increased in the Dis-
trict and Virginia in 2023.
“Traffic risks in the District are increasing quickly, with fatalities having increased by 41% compared to a reduction of 3.6% nationally between 2022 and 2023,” according to a report by Accident Analysis and Prevention.“While preliminary data suggest that, nationally, urban traffic fatalities peaked in 2021, fatalities in Washington, D.C. continue to rise, reaching an all-time high in 2023.”
Among the myriad issues Barker and other crash-injury victims attribute to the cause: impaired and/ or distracted driving, speeding, lengthy commute times, outdated insurance plans, disproportionate traffic enforcement, and even larger vehicles.
For Chris Figueras, legislative director at Trial Lawyers Association of Metropolitan DC, addressing the root cause of vehicular injuries isn’t just understanding how they happen, but ensuring all Washingtonians have a way out of crisis.
“We should all endeavor to make
sure none happen, but they do happen,” Figueras told The Informer. “It’s something we can fix in D.C. We talk about [DC Families for Safe Streets] and Vision Zero, but we are not talking enough about picking up the pieces when there is an injury or traffic fatality.”
Black Pedestrians, Wards 7 and 8 Suffer Disproportionate Traffic Injuries
While remaining one of the most walkable and safe cities for pedestrians in the nation, the District holds the rank of the 10th largest increase in pedestrian fatalities over the past five years of all major cities in the country, with several occurring in the southeastern wards.
According to Rutgers University professor Charles T. Brown, traffic data shows a pattern of inequity from decades of neglect and disinvestment in quality infrastructure in Black and Brown communities.
TRAFFIC Page 9
5 D.C. Council Chairman Phil Mendelson says it’s time the District enters the 21st century with the Motor Vehicle Insurance Modernization Act, a bill that would significantly increase insurance coverage amounts for the first time since 1986. (WI File Photo/Robert R. Roberts)
AROUND THE REGION
https://www
CAPTURE THE MOMENt
Following a 14-week workforce training program through the DC Infrastructure Academy (DCIA), matriculating students participate in the graduation ceremony held at Pepco's Edison Place Gallery in Northwest on Oct. 22. (Robert R. Roberts/The Washington Informer)
Shalonda Jenkins, director of non-profit partnerships at First Book Marketplace in Northwest, D.C., reads The Washington Informer. (Shevry Lassiter/The Washington Informer)
“If you haven't confidence in self, you are twice defeated in the race of life. With
”
– Marcus Garvey
sician and friend of Godfather of Go-Go Chuck Brown. “We celebrate Africa through the music, through the drum.…It's another ring, another channel to what is our heritage,” said Navas, an instrumentalist-educator who’s well versed in Afro and Pan-American music.
Navas, a native Washingtonian of Salvadorean descent, recently marked the beginning of Go-Go Appreciation Week alongside: Ron Moten, co-founder of the Don’t Mute DC movement; Chris “GoGo Chris” Bridges of TOB; Eduardo Perdomo of the D.C. Mayor’s Office on Latino Affairs (MOLA); the digital marketing guru known as Cohen “CosbyDigital” Cosby III; and Darrin X of Go-Go Royalty on the stage at the Go-Go Museum and Cafe.
During the kickoff, Moten, museum co-founder and longtime go-go advocate, joined Colombian advocacy organization Poder del Pueblo in screening the music video for “Go-Go Cumbia,” a tune that go-go songstress J’Ta and Experience Band recorded with Yeison (Jason) Landero, a Colombian accordionist and grandson of Andres Landero— known to many as a pioneer of cumbia, Colombia’s Afro-indigenous musical tradition.
Moments before the video started, Navas reflected on go-go music’s potential to unite Black and Latino people. In recent years, he’s advanced that cause while conducting presentations on go-go music’s Afro-Latino elements and performing at the annual D.C. Afro-Latino Festival alongside other members of the Salsa orchestra known as La Mafia del Guaguanco.
“Go-go must continue on, and know that your Latino brothers and sisters, we love it,” Navas said. “Why? Because it's a part of our heritage as well. When we think of go-go, we think of coming back to a wonderful family dinner. We get to hear from our brothers and sisters, cousins, our shared experiences through the music, and the music is our nutrition.”
Go-Go Cumbia: A Soundtrack for Those Sharing a Common Experience
and Cafe in Southeast, D.C. on Nov. 17 as part of Go-Go Appreciation Week. (Ja’Mon Jackson/The Washington Informer)
“Go-Go must continue on, and know that your Latino brothers and sisters, we love it,” Navas said.
Even as District officials denied post-surge collaboration between the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) and ICE, residents reported seeing both entities at police stops in parts of Northwest that ended in the detainment of someone suspected of being undocumented.
In Northeast, specifically along Benning Road, and in Southeast near the intersection of Pennsylvania and Minnesota Avenues in Southeast, Black residents are facing similar issues as they rail against Homeland Security investigators’ use of weapons. During the more recent situation, which took place on Nov. 13, a federal officer discharged their weapon while in what a Metropolitan Po-
lice Department incident report described as a vehicular pursuit that started on Pennsylvania Avenue in Southeast and ended on Sherriff Road in Northeast.
On Monday, D.C. Councilmember Brooke Pinto (D-Ward 2) told The Informer that MPD leadership will testify before the D.C. Council Committee on Public Safety and the Judiciary during a Dec. 4 hearing that, while not exclusively focused on local-federal law enforcement cooperation, will provide opportunity to discuss that issue.
“It is just fundamentally important for all of our residents and for our human rights and civil rights to make sure that we have [a] law enforcement apparatus locally and federally that honors the law period,” Pinto told The Informer. “And this will certainly be a topic that comes up, and I invite anybody in the public to come testify at that hearing.”
Perdomo, MOLA’s first self-identified Afro-Latino leader, didn’t speak directly to recent incidents involving federal immigration agents. He did however shed light on what he called a chance for Black and Latino residents to recognize their shared struggles.
“This is not something that the Black community in Washington, D.C. hasn't experienced…like the racial profiling…of hardworking people trying to make a living and because of the way they look, it's just raised suspicion, “ Perdomo
from Page 1 GO-GO Page 33
5 Eduardo Perdomo of the D.C. Mayor’s Office on Latino Affairs speaks at the Go-Go Museum
PRINCE GEORGE'S COUNTY
Prince George’s Political Updates
Prince George’s County State’s Attorney Race Kicks Off
By Richard Elliott WI Contributing Reporter
Following the June ascension of Aisha Braveboy (D) to Prince George’s County Executive, a competitive race is shaping up for the state’s attorney
office, with dueling endorsements for two frontrunners.
Prince George’s County State’s Attorney Tara Jackson (D), who previously served as the interim county executive and was appointed by Circuit Court judges to her current role
in June, is running for a full term against County Councilmember Wanika Fisher (D- District 2) and former Charles County deputy state’s attorney Karen Piper Mitchell.
Your Collaboration Capacity
By Alexander K. Austin, President & C Prince George’s Chamber of Commerce
I recently attended a learning session for Business Development Organizations and heard a phrase that stayed with me: “Cast down your buckets.” It reminded me of Booker T. Washington’s message—before we look outward for help, resources, or partners, we must first recognize the value of what and who we already have around us.
Today, that principle shows up in what I call Collaboration Capacity—our ability to convert existing relationships, networks, and community assets into shared progress. In a business environment that often prioritizes competition, the real competitive advantage is collaboration.
Prince George’s County is full of talent, innovation, cultural wealth, and leadership. But resources alone don’t build outcomes—alignment does. We move further and faster when we stop trying to grow in isolation and start building with one another.
Your Collaboration Capacity expands when you:
• Build trust intentionally
• Share access and information
• Invest in partnerships that last beyond transactions
The opportunity is here, the partners are here, and the ecosystem is already rich. Before looking outward, look around you and cast down your buckets.
Not a member of our chamber? Please visit our website, www.pgcoc.org to get started! Membership is good for a full calendar year, so it’s always a good time to join*
Rep. Glenn Ivey (D), who served as state’s attorney from 2003 to 2011, calls the office “a powerful and pivotal role” in Prince George’s County government. He also credited Braveboy’s administration for the Conviction and Sentencing Integrity Unit, which helped to exonerate some falsely convicted Prince Georgians.
“[State’s attorney] is the top cop for Prince George’s and the point person for establishing and improving the criminal justice system in the county and the state. I found it to be an interesting opportunity to enforce crimes and to implement preventive efforts to get ahead of the curb. Before someone gets shot, is there a way to diffuse the conflict or prevent violent activity or joining gangs. We also tried reentry services,” Ivey told The Informer. “All of these were things we did as state’s attorney.”
Alsobrooks, Baker Endorse Jackson
Jackson announced significant reductions in crime, including a 36% reduction in homicide and 57% reduction in carjackings, in a Nov. 4 newsletter.
“It's been over 100 days since I was appointed your state's attorney, and I am proud to share that crime is down in Prince George’s County. That’s real progress, and it’s a testament to the dedication of our law enforcement partners, our attorneys and staff, as well as the support of our community,” she said in the newsletter. “We will continue to move in the right direction by protecting victims, strengthening accountability, and preventing violence before it starts.”
The current state’s attorney cred-
ited conversations with county residents and governing partners, including Bowie Mayor Tim Adams and Maryland State Board of Education (MSBE) Vice President Monica Goldson, in bettering her understanding of shared responsibilities and vision for addressing crime in Prince George’s.
“You’ve shared your experiences, your concerns, and your hopes for safer neighborhoods,” Jackson continued, “and these conversations have shaped a strategic vision that puts prevention, accountability, and collaboration at the heart of a fair justice system.”
Sen. Angela Alsobrooks (D- Md.), who served as state’s attorney from 2011 to 2019, has endorsed Jackson to serve four more years in the position.
“Experience is the difference between a promise and results. I’m proud to endorse my friend Tara to be the next Prince George’s County State’s Attorney. For years, Tara has worked by my side – in the state’s attorney’s office and the county executive’s office. Together, we lowered violent crime by 50%,” Alsobrooks said in her Nov. 12 endorsement.
The former county executive and barrier-breaking senator emphasized Jackson’s “love for Prince Georgians has never wavered,” before highlighting all she can contribute with a full term in office.
“What also hasn’t changed are the principles that guide her servant leadership. Principles like integrity, fairness, truthfulness, respect for the people she serves, and accountability. Principles that would make this county’s justice system one Prince Georgians can trust,” Alsobrooks continued. “These are the principles that make me proud to endorse Tara as the next state’s attorney of Prince George’s County. Not because I know she can do the job, but how she would do it – in a way that would make people proud.”
Former County Executive
3Tara Jackson (left) is sworn in to her current role as state’s attorney on June 18, following an appointment by Circuit Court judges. Jackson is seeking a fouryear term and has been endorsed by Sen. Angela Alsobrooks and former County Executive Rushern Baker. (Courtesy Photo/Office of State’s Attorney Tara H. Jackson)
Rushern Baker, who attended Jackson’s first fundraiser, noted her focus on family safety as a strong trait for the next state’s attorney.
“I want to know somebody’s looking out for justice, and that is important,” Baker said in an interview with Maryland Matters. “I’ve seen her work. Her integrity. She does what she says she’s going to do. She’s going to be an amazing state’s attorney.”
Fisher Garners Support from Local Unions, Legislators
Fisher, who announced her campaign on Oct. 21 at Mitchelville’s Newton White Manor, has been endorsed by two local chapters of the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW).
In addition, several legislators have endorsed the councilmember, citing her experience in both state and county governance, including state Sen. Nick Charles (D- District 25), Councilmember Ingrid Harrison (D- District 4), and Maryland House Majority Whip Del. Jazz Lewis (DDistrict 24).
“I have worked with Wanika Fisher, I have seen her fight for tenants to have counsel during evictions, craft a new criminal law statute, and create our labor trafficking laws,” said Charles, who worked alongside Fisher as a delegate.“I know she will do just that as our next state’s attorney.”
If elected as state’s attorney, Fisher hopes to improve public safety, maintain partnerships with officials across the 500-square mile county, and ad-
vocate for immigrant rights.
“My career in politics has spanned over 20 years. I started advocating for safer sidewalks at age 12 and have been involved with local politics ever since,” Fisher said in an October statement. “I have served as an assistant state’s attorney, a delegate, and a council member. I am ready to continue bringing my experience and passion for justice to Prince George’s County as the next state’s attorney.”
Piper Mitchell Seeks To Address Domestic Violence, Juvenile Justice
While Piper Mitchell is running for state’s attorney in Prince George’s County, she is not unfamiliar with the office elsewhere in the state.
She was honored by the La Plata Police Department during Black History Month in 2022 for her work in Charles County.
“Mrs. Mitchell was hired as an assistant state’s attorney by then State’s Attorney Leonard C. Collins, Jr. in 1999. On January 3, 2011, she became the first female deputy when the current State’s Attorney Anthony B. Covington, Sr. was sworn in,” read the statement of praise.
As state’s attorney, she hopes to address domestic violence, improve the juvenile justice system, and uplift victims of crime.
“Let us continue to support one another and work together to combat violence in our community,” she wrote in a social media post on Nov. 12 in remembrance of crime victims.
5 County Councilmember Wanika Fisher is running for state’s attorney and has been endorsed by elected officials across Prince George’s, including Sen. Nick Charles and Del. Jazz Lewis. (Anthony Tilghman/Washington Informer)
PRINCE GEORGE’S COUNTY
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DC IN 2050 from Page 1
The DC 2050 process is all about showcasing the city’s growth potential.
“D.C. is projected to have 845,000 residents and one million jobs by 2050,” said Anita Cozart, director of the DC Office of Planning during the Nov. 15 gathering. “DC 2050 will ensure residents across all eight wards benefit from growth with more affordable housing, opportunity-rich neighborhoods and good jobs.”
The DC 2050 meetings and presentations are required by the Home Rule Charter of the District under its Comprehensive Plan, which serves as a blueprint for city growth and a guidepost on such issues as land use, environmental sustainability and controlled economic expansion.
Under the Comprehensive Plan, the two-year process must be approved by the D.C. Council and the mayor for it to be legal and go into effect.
With DC 2050 underway, 50 people took to the city planning headquarters on North Capitol Street NE on Nov. 15 to view charts, weigh in on how they feel
neighborhoods should be managed for growth and engage Bowser administration officials.
District Mayor Muriel Bowser embraces the process and encourages residents to express their views in shaping the city’s future in preparation for its halfway mark of the 21st century.
“DC 2050 is our chance to lay out a vision for both current and future residents– one that ensures we have the affordable housing, good jobs, and world-class amenities needed to support a thriving city,” said Bowser. “This plan will help us build on our successes, address challenges, and create a roadmap for a strong and dynamic D.C.— and we want residents to be involved in the process.”
Salmoncan Smith-Shomade, a student at George Washington University, came to the workshop out of curiosity and was impressed with what he saw. However, he wondered how such planning could be possible with the District still seeking statehood.
“There is so much uncertainty. Policies on the federal level can change and that can affect what people are trying to do here. There are so many other factors,” said Smith-Shomade,
New Bar Association Launched in D.C.
By James Wright WI Staff Writer
Attorneys and other legal professionals with Caribbean backgrounds launched a new bar association in the District.
The DC Caribbean Bar Association took root at an October mixer with president and founder Zenia Wilson Laws, from Trinidad, and vice president Jilene Workman, who has roots in Guyana and Barbados, at the helm of the organization.
Among the 50 people at the inaugural event, held in concert with the Mayor’s Office on Caribbean Community Affairs on Oct. 16 at Wild Days Rooftop in Northwest, was D.C. Shadow Rep. Oye Owolewa (D).
“The DC Caribbean Bar Associ-
21. “But it is great that they are trying to be forward-thinking.”
Workshop Showcases Possibilities for Ward 8, Residents Weigh In
The Explore Possible Futures Workshop, hosted by the DC Office of Planning on Nov. 15, featured colorful poster boards revealing information on easels, instead of having agency staffers and leaders speak to attendees as a group in presentation style.
The first set of posters talked about various residential living communities that could be around in 2050, ranging from small-scale residential, which would consist of mainly single-family homes in neighborhoods, to large scale residential types that highlight apartment-style living and with heights reaching as high as eight stories.
Throughout the two-hour period, Richardson paid close attention to the poster boards and to the staffers who manned them.
“I see that [city officials] have already made up their mind what they want to do,” Richardson said. “This reminds me of a process that happened about 15 or 16 years ago. The city had a presentation at the Anacostia Community Museum about what they wanted to do in that area but hardly anybody showed up to hear them. That is why the area is the way it is.”
The Anacostia neighborhood was pegged as an “urban center” with a mixture of four to eight-story residential and commercial buildings, featuring amenities such as a grocery store, restaurants and places for nightly entertainment.
“In my conversations with people about Anacostia, they told me they don’t want it to become another Georgetown,” said Cozart. “They want Anacostia to be a place that at-
tracts people there.”
Another Ward 8 neighborhood, Fort Stanton, could be large-scale residential with high rise apartment buildings that could be eight stories or higher with housing units and some ground floor retail.
Navy Yard, also in Ward 8, has been deemed a regional center with its high concentration of retail, office and residential units that could reach eight stories.
Naylor Gardens has been labeled predominantly residential that is close to grocery stores and walkable as far as a bus stop is concerned. The Ward 8 community includes homes that are largely detached and range in height from one to three stories.
Another set of poster boards noted the city’s growth by neighborhoods and wards, and Cozart made it clear that not one area will be burdened with planned growth.
“We want the growth to take place everywhere and for everyone to share the burden,”she said. “We know there are some who are excited about the growth and some who are apprehensive about it. We want everyone to feel comfortable about development and will explore different ways to address concerns.”
ation comes at a critical moment in D.C. history,” Owolewa said. “At a time where the federal government targets diversity, equity and inclusion, it’s important for us as a community to build grassroots power. Diversity is D.C.’s greatest strength. The DC Caribbean Bar Association brings together legal professionals from different backgrounds to challenge the status quo and bring meaningful opportunities to D.C.”
The association’s vice president said she was surprised that no Caribbean based social and community minded legal organization existed in the District, given its strong population of people from that part of the world.
“We are hard workers,” said Workman. “When Zenia and I discovered that no Caribbean legal organization
5Zenia Wilson Laws is the founder and president of the new DC Caribbean Bar Association in the District, which recently launched on Oct. 16. (Courtesy Photo/DC Caribbean Bar Association)
existed, we decided to get to work to start one. We want our countries and regions to be represented and we want the work to be carried forward.”
Workman, who holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of South Florida and a juris doctorate from
Cornell University School of Law, paired with Laws, a Baltimore resident who attended Morgan State University and the University of Baltimore School of Law, in organizing the paperwork and fine-tuning the mission and purpose of the organization.
The president of the organization said the DC Caribbean Bar Association is in line with other types of ethnic legal organizations, such as the Hispanic Bar Association and the South Asian Bar Association, in that it does not certify legal professionals but will offer continuing education courses, public services and events that highlight its work.
“It is time for our community to mobilize around the issues that affect us, such as immigration reform,” said Laws. “But we also have another purpose, celebrating our heritage, being our authentic selves and living in our truth as lawyers.” WI
@JamesWrightJr10
During a discussion group with Cozart, Sharon Kershbaum, director of the District Department of Transportation, said there would likely not be a predominant mode of transit in the city by 2050.
“There will be people who will always drive their cars,” she said. “What we are doing now is giving people all types of options, whether it is biking, walking, scooters or public transit. We are also not saying every street has to have a bike lane.”
DC Office of Planning officials said the next phase of the process will start in August 2026 and last until June 2027, when the actual plan will be written.
Richardson said more Ward 8 residents need to pay more attention to the DC 2050 process.
“We as a people are reactive instead of being proactive,” she said. “When something happens in our community that we don’t like, we speak up but it's too late. They have already decided what they are going to do in our community and we had no input because we didn’t pay attention.” WI @JamesWrightJr10
3 The Anacostia neighborhood in Ward 8 could change over the next 25 years according to the DC 2050 planning process. (WI File Photo/Ja’Mon Jackson)
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‘I Am Not Afraid’: Artists Use Music, Movement to Honor Palestinian Resilience
Performers Gather to Fundraise for UNRWA Workers and Uplift Palestinian Voices Amid Devastation
By Mya Trujillo WI Contributing Writer
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As Israeli forces continue to commit ceasefire violations, the fight for a liberated Palestine still persists as one that requires global action, including through the arts.
In an attempt to help support the 12,000 United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) staff still on the ground in Gaza, artists and advocates gathered in resilient solidarity for a music fundraiser at the Palestine House of Freedom on Nov. 16.
The fundraiser featured vocal, instrumental and illustrative performances leading up to a screening of the visual adaptations of songs “I Am Not Afraid” and “Melody For What Is Lost,” composed by Niko Michalopoulos and directed by Ilana Alazzeh. Belly dancer Crystal Silmi performed in both videos, and high school sophomore Jennah Mokhtarzada sings the lyrics of “I Am Not Afraid” in its respective film.
Michalopoulos views these projects as sheer activism. While he is not Palestinian himself, the artist of Armenian and Greek heritage sees the desire to help liberate the occupied territory as something that should come naturally.
“It’s what it means to be human,” he told The Informer about the activism that stems from this plight. “Palestinians are on the front lines all the time. Literally, their bodies are over there,... so for me, as a Middle Eastern artist,... I feel like it’s essential to say something.”
While these songs serve as a means to spread awareness about the Palesitnian genocide and the devastation the country and its people have faced, they also shine a light on and honor the resilience of Palestinians in Gaza and abroad. The videos, which were filmed in just a few hours, with a crew full of people who traveled hours to help, are a way to spread the message even further and hopefully allow more people to understand the need for a Palestine that is truly free after decades of occupation.
The advocates note that spreading awareness, offering a call to action and displaying unshakeable solidarity through these videos— during this fundraiser and at the Palestine House of Freedom through its regular programming and events— represent why global solidarity and action are essential to the cause.
Alezzeh, who is of Palestinian and Israeli descent, emphasized her support for Palestine’s liberation is unwavering. In a panel following the screening, she described the dehumanization she’s experienced from one side of her family as paralyzing, which is why she was so grateful to have worked on these projects, which offered her a sense of solace and healing.
“This was a great opportunity to do something creative and constructive,” Alazzeh said to the audience. “It’s time to stop being so frozen and step into our power.”
Art Born from Loss, Made for Liberation
Michalopoulos composed “Melody For What Is Lost” even before the onslaught of death and destruction in the
Gaza Strip on October 7, 2023.
The song is an ode to the land and people that had already been lost in Palestine, as the country and its people have been subject to targeted displacement and violence since Israel’s establishment and Nakba Day– or “Memory of the Catastrophe”– on May 14 and 15, 1948, respectively, and the occupation of Palestinian territories in June
“I’ve actually stopped creating art that’s not associated with Palestine at this point,” Michalopoulous told The Informer. “It might sound a bit like [my] head is in the sky, but I’m not sure what art can do if you’re not going to talk about this.”
“I Am Not Afraid” strings together the words Michalopoulos has heard online from videos of children in Palestine, featuring lyrics such as, “Mama died last night,” “All alone here I stay,” “Send us your power/ My spirit will not cower.” He told the audience that almost none of the words written were his own, but rather snippets he wove together to portray the suffering and strength Palestinian children endure and possess.
In May, UNICEF reported that more than 50,000 children had been killed or injured in the Gaza Strip since October 2023. According to Save the Children, at least one Palestinian child is killed per hour by Israeli forces.
During her performances in the short films, Silmi drew attention to Palestinian children’s deaths by aerobically dancing with a white veil. She used the fabric to represent the image of Palestinian mothers holding their deceased children who are wrapped in white shrouds– something many on social media have borne witness to within the last two years of genocide. At the end, she surrenders to the veil and is covered by it.
“The beautiful thing about our people, the Palestinian people, is that they entrust everything to God,” Silmi said to the audience. “Everything is God’s will, and so that is sort of the surrender. I surrender to what my faith is.”
WI
Read more on washingtoninformer.com.
5 Irish-Palestinian artist Crystal Silmi performs a cover of “Dollar” by singer I Am Roze– a song that soulfully and vulnerably calls out injustice. (Mya Trujillo/The Washington Informer)
Live Boldly –A Message from Department of Aging and Community Living
DIRECTOR CHARON P.W. HINES
Protect Your Health
This November: What DACL Wants You to Know
November is both National Diabetes Awareness Month and Alzheimer’s Disease Awareness Month, two conditions that greatly impact aging adults. DACL is committed to sharing helpful information, early warning signs, and local resources to support your health and well-being.
Spot the Signs: Understanding Alzheimer’s
Disease
November is Alzheimer’s Awareness Month, a time to raise awareness about a disease that affects memory, thinking, and behavior. While some forgetfulness is normal with age, Alzheimer’s is not a typical part of aging. Rec-
ognizing symptoms early can help individuals and families plan, seek treatment, and maintain brain health for as long as possible.
10 Early Warning Signs of Alzheimer’s
If you or someone you know experiences any of the signs below, don’t ignore them—schedule an appointment with your health care provider.
1. Memory loss that disrupts daily life
2. Challenges in planning or solving problems
3. Difficulty completing familiar tasks
4. Confusion about time or place
5. Trouble understanding visual images or spatial relationships
6. New problems with speaking or writing
7. Misplacing items and losing the ability to retrace steps
8. Poor judgment or decision-making
9. Withdrawal from work or social activities
10. Changes in mood or personality
For a more detailed overview, visit the Alzheimer’s Association: alzheimer’s.org – 10 Warning Signs
https://www.alz.org/alzheimers-dementia/10_signs
Diabetes in the District
More than 1.4 million adults in the DC Metropolitan area are living with diabetes. As we age, it becomes even more important to understand the condition, recognize warning signs, and take steps to reduce risk.
What Is Diabetes?
Diabetes occurs when the body
does not make enough insulin or cannot use it effectively. Insulin helps the body turn food into energy. There are several types:
Type 1 Diabetes:
Accounts for about 5% of cases. Causes may include genetic or autoimmune factors.
Warning signs include frequent urination, unusual thirst, extreme hunger, unexpected weight loss, extreme fatigue, and irritability.
Type 2 Diabetes:
The most common and often preventable form, making up 90–95% of cases.
Warning signs include: any Type 1 symptoms, frequent infections, blurred vision, slow-healing cuts, tingling or numbness in hands/ feet, and recurrent skin, gum, or bladder infections.
Many people experience no symptoms at all.
Gestational Diabetes:
Occurs during pregnancy and increases the risk of developing Type 2 diabetes later in life. A small percentage of people develop diabetes due to surgery, medication side effects, illness, or hereditary conditions.
How to Prevent or Delay Type 2 Diabetes
Knowing your risk factors is the first step. These include older age, obesity, a sedentary lifestyle, family history, and a history of gestational diabetes.
You can lower your risk by:
• Staying active
• Eating balanced, nutritious meals
• Managing stress
• Maintaining a healthy weight
DC Diabetes Prevention & Control
The District of Columbia Diabetes Control Program works to reduce the burden of diabetes through partnerships, policy changes, and improved access to prevention and self-management resources.
Program Services Include:
• Support and technical assistance to health care providers and community programs
• Information on diabetes prevention and self-management resources
• Promotion of health policies that improve outcomes
• Monitoring diabetes trends and sharing updated data
For more information, visit dchealth.dc.gov.
In Service, Charon P.W. Hines Director, DC Department of Aging and Community Living
Weather Shifts and Flu Risks Take Center Stage Across the D.C. Region
By Stacy M. Brown WI Senior Writer
The District of Columbia woke up on Monday under a blanket of gray skies and a wind that cut straight through a coat, the kind of morning that reminds folks the season is shifting – and with it comes concerns beyond chilly temperatures.
“Since it’s been getting cold, I’ve been getting sick,” one person wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter. According to The Weather Company, The District sat at 45 degrees with clouds hanging low, and the first half of the week brings more of the same. Temperatures settle most-
ly in the low and mid-50s through Thursday before climbing toward the mid-60s as the weekend approaches.
But the wind forecast is the kind that carries warnings. Gusts and dry air have created a high fire threat, The Weather Company reports, and the region sits in that uneasy balance between cool air, fast breezes, and ground cover that has gone crisp.
While the chill fills the air and clouds cover the District, Friday through Sunday warm the area back into the 60s with only scattered chances of showers.
However, the weather is only half the story. The flu outlook across the District and its neighboring states is
5
Disease Control and Prevention recommend taking the annual flu vaccine. (WI File Photo/Anthony Tilghman)
beginning to take shape, and right now officials say the region is holding steady. The Weather Company lists the flu risk as “very low” on its cold and flu tracker.
“In the United States, flu season usually occurs in the fall and winter,” according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). “While influenza viruses spread year-round, most of the time flu activity peaks between December and February.”
The DC Health Department notes that individual adult influenza cases are not required to be reported in the District, though outbreaks and pediatric flu deaths must be reported.
The relative quiet in the data gives a small measure of breathing room as residents head deeper into the colder months. Still, the wider picture comes with caution.
Axios reported that health experts are watching a newly circulating H3N2 flu strain that surfaced over the summer, and with winter forecasted to run colder than usual across the Mid-Atlantic, Maryland and Virginia could see higher risk as families spend more time indoors.
Currently, Maryland and Virginia are also categorized as low-risk areas, according to current regional assessments, but low-risk readings can shift quickly once temperatures drop and indoor gatherings increase.
Weather officials said the ingredients are already on the table and include dry air, colder evenings, a community of commuters moving between crowded trains, offices, schools, and holiday events.
Additionally, forecasters say that, as humidity levels fall, airways dry
out and people inch a little closer together, which is when flu activity often picks up, even after a calm start.For now, the message remains to keep hands clean, remain home when sick, and make sure elders, children, and those with chronic conditions are protected.
Further, the CDC encourages people to take the yearly flu vaccine in order to reduce the risk of getting the flu “and its potentially serious outcomes.”
“Flu vaccines help to reduce the burden of flu illnesses, hospitalizations and deaths on the health care system each year,” according to the CDC. “Flu vaccination also has been shown to reduce the severity of illness in people who get vaccinated but still get sick.”
WI
With the changing weather comes concerns about cold and flu; however, the District is at very low risk, according to The Weather Company’s cold and flu tracker. To stay healthy and vigilant, the Centers for
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EARTH OUR
8 Woods Conservancy.
Earlier this year, Walston spoke in support of the Recycling Refund and Litter Reduction Amendment Act of 2025— a bill that D.C. Councilmember Brianne Nadeau (D-Ward 1) introduced with 10 of her council colleagues. If passed, this legislation would levy a 10-cent fee on beverages that goes back into consumers’ pockets each time they drop off empty bottles at stores and redemption centers.
For three years, Walston and other members of the Return, Refund, and Recycle Coalition for DC (3RC for DC) have organized around the Recycling Refund and Litter Reduction Amendment Act. This campaign grew amid efforts by Ward 8 Woods members and other coalition members to beautify several miles of woodland located east of the Anacostia River.
As Walston pointed out, that undertaking has often involved removing several hundred pounds of empty bottles and other debris that ends up in the District’s waterways.
“We have first-hand experience with 60% of the bottles that end up in places like the landfills, or in this river here, or in areas where there used to be rivers and small lakes,” Walston said earlier this month during an Anacostia River boat tour conducted by the Anacostia Watershed Society. “The water recedes and there's nothing but a small landfill or a small seed of hundreds of thousands of plastic bottles, glass bottles, beer bottles that aren't created anymore. We've seen it all.”
Walston said he joined the movement eager to encourage more Ward 8 residents to take ownership of their communities, especially as Ward 8 Woods expands its volunteer-based operations to portions of Wards 5 and 7, along with Prince George’s County, Maryland.
“This could turn into a full-time job for somebody,” Walston said. “Somebody could collect bottles for $8 a day and make a good living, depending on their methods… You can fill your car three, four times in a day, and that's $200 a day, depending on how many bottles you collect.”
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A Legislative Journey, and the Fight around Messaging
The Recycling, Refund and Litter Reduction Amendment Act mandates bottle distributors— like Coca-Cola, Pepsi, and BlueTriton— to establish an environmental stewardship organization.
Those organizations would collaborate with the D.C. Department of Energy and Environment in the creation of redemption centers throughout the District that facilitate the collection of used bottles. In addition, the bottle distributors would pay handling fees to grocery stores and other entities that would also be responsible for collecting and storing bottles that consumers return.
In 1987, a ballot measure in favor of a container deposit-return system failed by a 10-point margin, due in part to a corporate-funded opposition campaign. Decades later, Nadeau said she’s facing similar opposition as she aims to secure the passage of a bill that makes sense.
“It's very basic if you think of it that way,” she said. “Should big companies have to pay for their impact? I think so. So that's how we're going to try to stay focused as we get to the end of the process here.”
In recent decades, bottle bills have caught traction across the U.S. Today, nearly a dozen states— including California, Michigan, Massachusetts, and Oregon— have laws to establish redemption centers, and levy refundable deposits and handling fees.
Some of those jurisdictions report bottle return rates of higher than 80% and at least a 40% increase in recycling.
States that have been less success-
ful— including Massachusetts and Connecticut— have explored the expansion of bottle eligibility, while some opted to increase their bottle deposit value from 5 cents to 10 cents.
For Nadeau, the benefits of the D.C. bottle bill far outweigh the labor and resources expended by the corporate bottle distributors. In any other scenario, she said, the bottles end up on D.C. streets, and eventually in the Anacostia River.
“In the systems that we have…with commingled recycling, everything gets so contaminated that it doesn't really ever get reused,” Nadeau said. “Most of our recycling ends up getting down-cycled into landfills or incinerators and that's not what we want here in the District of Columbia. I think it's actually pretty offensive to people who've done their due diligence to separate all of their recyclables and put them in the container and wash them out.”
The Alliance for an Affordable D.C., a coalition of 500 businesses and residents standing in opposition to the D.C. bottle bill, responded to an Informer inquiry on behalf of Coca-Cola, Pepsi, and BlueTriton, telling The Informer that Nadeau’s bill would further burden local businesses operating in a stressful economic environment.
“It…adds a 10-cent deposit at the cash register on every container sold unless you return it to a redemption center,” the Alliance said in a statement. “There is no guarantee that residents will get the 10-cent fee back if they aren’t able to easily redeem them or just choose to dispose of them in the residential recycling 'blue bins’ as happens now.”
The Alliance also expressed concerns about what would happen with
D.C. taking on this endeavor alone in the Mid-Atlantic region.
“This bill would make D.C. an outlier surrounded by larger states with no bottle deposit laws, leaving it open to fraud, which would cost the program immense amounts of money,” the Alliance said. “With no way to designate where a bottle was purchased and Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania and West Virginia having no bottle/can deposit program, it will make it likely that millions of empty containers will end up being redeemed in D.C., even though no deposit was ever paid.”
On Oct. 1, the D.C. Council’s Committee on Business and Economic Development, chaired by D.C. Councilmember Kenyan McDuffie (I-At large), conducted a public hearing about the Recycling Refund and Litter Reduction Amendment Act. Some of the more-than-200 public witnesses who spoke in support of the legislation represented: Girl Scout Troop 42139; the D.C. chapter of the Sierra Club; and Friends of Kingman & Heritage Islands.
The bill had an opponent in Shawn Townsend of the D.C. Restaurant Association, who sought an alternative approach. During the hearing, he expressed concerns about the legislation’s potential to discourage businesses and distributor activity in the District. He also raised the issue of restaurants’ capacity for bottle storage, and the costs they would incur for transporting bottles to redemption centers.
“Rather than creating a costly parallel infrastructure, we encourage the committee to consider strengthening existing recycling systems through improved curbside collection and education, expanded access to recycling bins in public spaces and commercial corridors, and enhanced sorting technology at processing facilities,” Townsend said on Oct. 1. “We also recommend working with Maryland and Virginia on regional approaches to environmental policies rather than implementing an isolated system. Finally, resources would be better invested in helping local businesses adopt sustainable practices through incentives rather than imposing compliance costs.”
Ryan Nicholas, legislative director
BOTTLE BILL Page 31
3 Several bottles collected in a 2021 Earth Day cleanup along the Anacostia River. (WI File Photo/Anthony Tilghman)
EDUCATION
Alfred Street Baptist Church Hosts 2025 HBCU Festival
By WI Staff
Families flocked to The St. James in Springfield, Virginia, a multi-purpose, Black-owned, sports complex, on Nov. 15 for an event where students not only learned about historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs), but left with opportunities to attend the institutions.
For the 23rd year, Alfred Street Baptist Church hosted its Annual HBCU Festival, an event offering on-the-spot acceptances and scholarships to students from around the DMV area.
“[This] is the largest HBCU festival in the United States of America,” said the Rev. Dr. Howard-John Wesley, pastor of Alfred Street Baptist Church, to the students and families at the Nov. 15 event. “Welcome to the more than 72 colleges and universities that are awaiting you.”
The festival kicked off Nov. 14 with virtual sessions, interviews and conversations, before the Saturday, in-person event at The St. James, which featured auditions for college music programs, financial aid and mental health seminars, and resource rooms.
With guest speakers from Google, plus influencers such as Howard University students and social media personalities Jade Johnson and Jadah Clay, the event offered a wealth of information and entertainment.
“As HBCU students, it feels so good to see so many high school students excited about college, excited to be able to go to HBCUs,” Jade said in a video posted to the church’s Instagram account. “It’s people in line wrapped around the building.”
For many students and families in attendance, the admission interviews, on-site acceptances, and scholarship
5 Families listen during a seminar at the Alfred Street Baptist Church Annual HBCU Festival 2025 at The St. James in Springfield, Virginia on Nov. 15. (Courtesy Photo/Alfred Street Baptist Church)
4 Attendees visit more than 72 colleges and universities at the Annual HBCU Festival 2025, hosted by Alfred Street Baptist Church and held at The St. James in Springfield, Virginia on Nov. 15. (Courtesy Photo/ Alfred Street Baptist Church)
“I got into Johnson C. Smith Uni versity and I got money and a schol arship,” said student attendee Lamya Johnson in the video.
For Wesley and Alfred Street mem bers, the annual event is an opportu nity to not only spread God’s love and light, but invest in the future of the nation and world.
“We have been praying for this day,” Wesley said. “We believe in not only the love of Jesus Christ, but the future God has for you as high school students.” WI
5 The Rev. Dr. Howard-John Wesley speaks to the crowd at Alfred Street Baptist Church’s Annual HBCU Festival 2025 on Nov. 15 at The St. James in Springfield, Virginia. (Courtesy Photo/Alfred Street Baptist Church)
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offers were an added bonus.
3 Attendees hold signs for Howard University at the Annual HBCU Festival 2025, hosted by Alfred Street Baptist Church and held at The St. James in Springfield, Virginia on Nov. 15, featuring more than 72 colleges and universities.
(Courtesy Photo/ Alfred Street Baptist
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Jeffrey Epstein, MAGA, and the Politics of Protecting Power
The recently released Jeffrey Epstein documents have shocked American politics — not only because of the powerful names involved but also because they reveal a more profound truth about how America shields its elites. For decades, Epstein’s hidden world centered on wealthy, influential white men who thought they could exploit vulnerable girls without facing consequences. This story isn't just about crime; it’s about entitlement, privilege, and a system built to protect the powerful rather than defend the powerless.
Wednesday’s decisive votes in both the House and Senate to force the release of the remaining Epstein files should be seen as a historic yet revealing moment. Bipartisan pressure finally pushed Congress to act, but hesitation from key Republican leaders—including President Donald J. Trump—still lingers. Trump, although not accused of wrongdo-
A GOP in Disarray
ing and despite years of criticizing Democrats over allegations linked to Epstein, has never called for full transparency.
If he genuinely believed in “draining the swamp,” why did he initially stay silent while others—many within his own movement—pushed for answers? Let us not forget that in a previous presidential campaign, he promised his supporters that the Epstein files would expose a “deep state” conspiracy of powerful Democrats.
Even Trump’s MAGA base, which portrays itself as anti-elite populists, is starting to question whether he is now disconnected from the very movement he created. His recent public split with Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) only amplifies those doubts.
This hesitation reveals a deeper, longstanding pattern: white men protect other white men at the expense of young white female victims
who will never fully recover from what was done to them. Power defends its own. Loyalty often outweighs justice. Wealth becomes a barrier instead of a duty. Too often, men who harm young girls are defended by connections rather than facing consequences.
Until this congressional vote compelled the government to act, the GOP said little, demanded nothing, and mostly stayed quiet. That silence signals complicity — not in Epstein’s crimes, but in the white privilege that allows certain men to avoid scrutiny altogether. The release of these files doesn’t just highlight individual sins; it reveals a system where justice favors wealth, race, and male dominance.
America cannot fully confront the injustice faced by Epstein’s victims without first facing that truth. Today’s congressional votes are a step forward—but they are only the beginning. WI
Has Homeownership for Americans Become an Impossible Dream?
One of the ideas that dominated the thoughts of Americans as World War II came to an end, was the real possibility of purchasing a home.
Veterans found that because of the GI Bill, established as part of the Servicemen’s Readjustment Act of 1944, it became easier and more affordable for them to secure mortgages and purchase their dream home with a white picket fence.
But for Black people, even those who had served their country, neither the passage of the 1866 Civil Rights Act or the 14th Amendment would be enough for them to overcome widespread discrimination and redlining. It would take the Fair Housing Act of 1968 to outlaw systemic racism and help African Americans realize equitable access to homeownership.
As for women, it would be the passage of the Equal Credit Opportunity Act (1974) that made it illegal for financial institutions to deny loans for unmarried women or to require a male co-signer for a married woman.
Now, more than 50 years later, the once touted “American dream” has become further out of reach
for more and more Americans due to factors like soaring home prices, high mortgage rates, and a severe housing shortage. These economic pressures have made it significantly more difficult for first-time buyers to afford a home compared to previous generations.
President Donald Trump recently proposed the idea of 50year home loans to make housing more affordable, lowering monthly payments and making it easier to qualify for loans. But housing experts are already questioning whether it would truly make a difference.
It seems that Trump’s proposal
misses the mark.
First, stretching out loan terms doesn’t fix the deeper issue — the country’s shortage of affordable homes. Even more, housing analysts point out that the real winners would inevitably be the banks who would make huge profits on interest payments.
For millions of Americans, the cost of purchasing a home has become unaffordable and out of reach. So, while the president may seem to want to do something, it’s clearly not the best solution.
Meanwhile, the dream of homeownership is rapidly evolving into a nightmare. WI
For millions of Americans, the cost of purchasing a home has become unaffordable and out of reach. So, while the president may seem to want to do something, it’s clearly not the best solution.
TO THE EDITOR
“This piece captures an important tension, community distrust in law enforcement alongside the unifying power of go-go culture.”
-In reference to the article “Go-Go Appreciation Week: An Organizing Tool for Two Groups Under Siege”
“The need for another march on Washington coupled with labor strikes is what the standard calls for Martin Luther King Jr. showed us the way. We should be 3-million strong for the next march on D.C.”
- Wayne Matabar, in reference to the article “Union Temple Baptist Church Spurs Million Man March Anniversary, Unifest Events”
Readers’ Mailbox The Washington Informer welcomes letters to the editor about articles we publish or issues affecting the community. Write to news@ washingtoninformer.com. or send to: 3117 Martin Luther King Jr Ave., SE, Washington, D.C. 20032. Please note that we are unable to publish letters that do not include a full name, address and phone number. We look forward to hearing from you.
OPINIONS/EDITORIALS
Cruel and Unusual Punishment
problems of affordability.
Just in these few months that Donald Trump has been called president, I have on so many occasions wondered how he could be so cruel to people who least deserve such cruelty. He says he doesn't even want to hear about affordability. He says the only problem is that Republicans don't want to talk about the
When Doug Jones announced his candidacy for the U.S. Senate in a 2017 special election, he was considered a long shot as a Democratic candidate running for statewide office in the deeply Republican state of Alabama. The special election was held following the resignation of Republican incumbent Jeff Sessions, who stepped
Americans aren't just anxious about next year's elections — they're uneasy in a deeper way.
In 2025, voters across the political spectrum worry that our country is one overheated news cycle away from political violence.
At the same time, election officials are sounding alarms about something quieter but just as dan-
I don't know if there is a problem with his ears because I talk with a lot of people and listen to a lot of reporters who do their homework, and not a day goes by that I don't hear about how tough things are — and they sure don't see it the way Trump does. He seems to care about himself or his family, making more money for themselves. That's all!
Along with others, I listen to Congresswoman Jasmine
E. Faye Williams
Crockett, who is never afraid to tell us the truth about how bad things are for the average American. She says there's no time for niceties when people are hungry, can't pay their mortgages and are wondering where the next meal for their family is coming from.
Yet, judges, labor leaders, ministers and people who haven't been paid for nearly two months — many of whom were already living paycheck to paycheck — saw their president
flying around the world making sure he was enriching himself and his family. He stayed away from Washington, where he could have alleviated the situation for those of us who are never paid fairly and try to help our neighbors feed their families by dividing the little we have.
We've seen so much cruelty out of the mouths of Trump's chosen ones — whether in the White House speaking for him or top-level staff who act like they don't even know how much
so many people are hurting. Don't they see mothers on the evening news crying out for help while Trump holds million-dollar parties at his Florida mansion? He has the East Wing of the People's White House with so much history, torn down, because he wants to build a monument to himself, while children starve as their mothers plead for help that is ignored.
WILLIAMS Page 45
down to become the U.S. attorney general in the first Trump administration.
As a former U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Alabama, Jones's most prominent cases in 2001 and 2002 were successful prosecutions of two Ku Klux Klan members who were responsible for the 1963 bombing of the 16th Street Baptist Church. The attack resulted in the death of four young girls. After nearly 40 years, long-overdue justice and closure were given to the victims and their
families.
Fast forward to 2017, Jones shocked the political establishment by becoming the first Democrat in 25 years to win a U.S. Senate seat in Alabama. During the general election, he faced Roy Moore, the former chief justice of the Alabama Supreme Court. The election, which pitted a former judge against a former prosecutor, was not just a race over political ideology. It would soon become a race about character and conviction — the character of
the Republican nominee and the convictions of each Alabama voter. A month before the election, Moore was alleged to have sexually assaulted and otherwise acted inappropriately with several women, including some who were minors at the time when Moore was in his 30s.
The Senate race would have likely been a victory for Moore if his character had not become an issue on the ballot. With Moore losing what normally is a safe Republican seat, it showed that enough voters
from both parties held to their convictions. While Moore lost the special election by 22,000 votes, Tommy Tuberville won the 2020 U.S. Senate election in a landslide as the Republican nominee against Jones. Will character and conviction become an issue for Donald Trump's supporters, as it did for Republicans who could not bring themselves to vote for Roy Moore? It appears that Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene is not only show-
gerous: there simply aren't enough poll workers available to run our elections safely.
After years of threats, harassment and burnout, thousands have walked away.
The people who keep democracy functioning are exhausted, and the voters they serve are fearful.
On the eve of our nation's 250th birthday, we are heading toward an election cycle with a system that feels overstretched and overstressed.
Moments like this should force us to remember what earlier genera-
tions did when democracy came under strain. In the fall of 1918, as the Spanish flu tore through Chicago, hospitals overflowed and neighborhoods fell under quarantine.
Yet the city refused to let democracy collapse.
Officials rushed paper ballots to residents' homes.
Nurses carried ballots to the sick; clerks delivered them to families behind closed doors. It was improvised and imperfect — but it worked.
Chicago proved something we need to remember now: when the
ballot comes to the voter, democracy survives.
As America approaches its 250th year, we face a similar choice. Will we cling to systems that assume voters and poll workers will always be able to show up in person on the same day?
Or will we meet voters where they actually live — with a system designed for the pressures and possibilities of modern life?
For most of our history, we have expanded the right to vote only to surround that right with new hur-
dles.
We ended property requirements, ended slavery, enfranchised women and passed the Voting Rights Act — yet we never made voting simple. Access grew, but the process remained fragile.
Today, with election workers burning out and public confidence eroding, the fragility is showing.
Yet this difficult moment offers something unexpected: clarity. Both political parties now see what they
JEALOUS Page 45
Ben Jealous
David W. Marshall
Guest Columnist
Guest Columnist
Guest Columnist
The Urban League Empowerment Center: Development With a Mission
or-elect Zohran Mamdani
"This project is befitting of the legacy of greatness that so many Black New Yorkers have built here in Harlem. It is Black-owned in a time when we are being taught as if the words DEI are that of a slur, when in fact what they are is a representation of the fulfillment of the ideals that make so many proud to be New Yorkers." — New York City May-
Harlem has always been more than a neighborhood — it's a symbol of resilience, creativity and the enduring fight for justice. This week, the National Urban League reaffirmed that legacy with the dedication of the Urban League Empowerment Center, a transformative development that does more than add bricks and mortar to the skyline. It sets a new standard for what inclusive development should look like in America.
Guest
This is not development for development's sake — it is development with purpose and with passion. It is a bold declaration that equity and opportunity must be built into the very foundation of our communities.
The Empowerment Center is more than a building — it's a vision realized. At its heart are 170 units of affordable housing for families earning between 30% and 80% of the area median income. In a city where housing insecurity is rampant, this commitment
ensures Harlem remains a place where working families can thrive. Among its residents will be young adults aging out of foster care, supported by The New York Foundling's program — a population too often left behind. Here, they will find stability, dignity and a chance to build a future.
But housing is only the beginning. The Empowerment Center includes retail and office space for minority-owned businesses and nonprofits, creating an ecosystem where entrepreneurship
Hochul Can Lead the Nation in Gene Therapy Access for Our Children
she has demonstrated a consistent commitment to accessible health care and making New York a leader for cutting-edge drug innovation.
My friend and our leader, Gov. Kathy Hochul, has constructed an impressive infrastructure for championing health care innovation and children's health in New York.
From launching Long Island's Biogenesis Park, which leads the nation in cell and gene therapy R&D, to expanding Medicaid coverage to 800,000 kids in New York,
The governor's aspirations for New York to be the hub for innovation and high-caliber health care are already coming to fruition. Along with Biogenesis Park and expanded health care, Roswell Park's $98 million cell and gene therapy academic facility opened in Buffalo last year. At the celebration event, she committed to "offering hope to generations of New Yorkers and
others who rely on the creation of these cutting-edge treatments."
In August, Gov. Hochul announced a $300 million investment to strengthen health care access and quality across the state.
When she expanded New York children's access to health care, she made an honorable statement that rings truer than ever: "We will always go the extra mile to create a healthy future for our youngest New Yorkers."
Contrary to this strong foundation, on Oct. 6, New York's Drug
Utilization Review Board (DURB) voted to pause Sarepta Therapeutics' FDA-approved gene therapy Elevidys' state Medicaid coverage pending FDA safety label updates.
Elevidys is the only FDA-approved gene therapy for Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), an incurable rare genetic disease that causes irreversible muscle loss at a fatal rate. Elevidys has a significant impact on patients, proven to aid in slowing symptoms and recovering motor function and mobility.
During the DURB meeting,
Investing in Entrepreneurship After the Government Shutdown
for the country."
Recently, I spoke with a D.C.based contractor who has dedicated her career to helping minority- and women-owned small businesses thrive in technology and innovation. Over the past few months, she has watched every one of her federal contracting lines disappear. "It's been devastating," she told me. "Not just for me, but
Her story reflects a deeper truth: the ongoing war on the public sector has not only upended lives, but it has also weakened America's economic foundation. Programs that once powered inclusive growth — the Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFI) Fund, the Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA), the Small Business Administration, and the Department of Agriculture's entrepreneurship initiatives — have been frozen,
defunded, or dismantled altogether.
Even after months of erosion, the 42-day shutdown delivered a new blow, halting the very agencies responsible for ensuring that economic opportunity reaches every community.
According to new analysis by the Congressional Budget Office, this shutdown (the longest in U.S. history) erased an estimated $14 billion in permanent economic output, with as much as $74 billion in delayed federal spending.
These losses are not abstract. They represent shuttered labs, canceled research, unprocessed small business loans, and missed contracts that drive local economies. Federal workers will receive back pay; federal contractors like her will not.
This pain is also deeply concentrated and represents a crisis that was bubbling before the shutdown. A Bank of America Institute analysis released recently found that while roughly one-quarter of U.S. households live paycheck to paycheck, that rate soars to
and community service intersect. The project is expected to generate over $300 million in economic activity, with a pledge to hire local residents, women and people of color. Jobs aren't just being created — they're being created with intention.
Perhaps the most profound element of the Empowerment Center is its role as a cultural and historical beacon. In 2026, the Urban Civil Rights Museum will open its
families shared their own personal stories of life-changing successes. One patient shared that she could do more daily tasks independently, such as transferring herself to and from her wheelchair, opening containers and overall participating in life more fully. One mother shares that her son can attend public school with little assistance and even participate in gym and play at recess.
The experiences these parents
nearly one-third for lower-income families — a direct reflection of sustained economic pressure. For the millions of Socially and Economically Disadvantaged Individual (SEDI) business owners, the contracts and supports provided by government agencies are the difference between growth and collapse.
The Senate-passed bill to reopen the government is a hybrid measure — a short-term funding
Eric Morrissette
Marc H. Morial
Ed Towns
Columnist
Guest Columnist
LIFESTYLE
Things To Do, DMV!
By Keith Golden Jr. WI Intern
From interactive art fairs, to comedy takeovers and hands-on volunteer opportunities, the DMV offers a packed weekend of interesting and engaging events.
Whether looking to network, enjoy entertainment, tap into literature, or do community service, there’s something happening in D.C. for everyone.
Further, to learn about more fun events around town, don’t forget to check out the Washington Informer Calendar.
Thursday, Nov. 20
Arlington Business Networking Event - All Industries Welcome 10:30 a.m. - Noon | Free Arlington Central Library, 1015 N Quincy Street Arlington, VA 22201
Hosted by business event coordinator and realtor Philippa Main, this free networking event invites professionals from every industry across the DMV to mix, mingle and grow their contacts in a relaxed morning session.
Whether a solopreneur, startup founder or seasoned executive, come ready with business cards and a 60-sec-
ond elevator pitch in a space that emphasizes connection over formality.
From open networking to quick “introduce yourself” rounds, it’s an opportunity to build business relationships that can last beyond this week.
DC Comedy Festival: Comedy Club Takeover | Busboys Brookland
8 p.m. - 9:30 p.m. | $20.00 Busboys and Poets- Brookland, 625 Monroe Street NE, Washington, D.C.
20017 4251 Campbell Avenue Arlington, VA 22206
The DC Comedy Festival brings its signature “Comedy Club Takeover” to Busboys and Poets in Brookland, transforming the venue into a lively showcase of stand-up talent from across the region.
Audiences can expect a mix of rising comedians and seasoned performers, each bringing their own style, energy, and perspective to the stage.
Friday, Nov. 21
Umbrella Art Fair
6 p.m. - 10 p.m. | Free The Square, 1850 K Street Northwest Washington, D.C. 20006
Umbrella Art Fair is a three-day celebration of art and entrepreneurship where more than 100 artists from Washington, D.C. and around the world converge under one roof.
Presented by District Fray, the fair is a declaration of creative independence — emphasizing economic opportunity by offering a commission-free marketplace, so 100% of sales go directly to the artists.
Beyond just shopping, Umbrella Art Fair brings together a curated mix of gallery installations, live performances, and conversations, all set in a space designed to challenge the mundane.
Whether an art collector or simply curious, this fair invites visitors to engage with daring work, connect with makers, and celebrate the avant-garde pulse of the DMV’s creative scene.
50 Years of Project Censored: State of the Free Press Panel
7 p.m. | Free Politics and Prose at The Wharf , 610 Water Street SW Washington, D.C. 20024
Join Politics and Prose at The Wharf
3 The DC Comedy Festival’s “Comedy Club Takeover” at Busboys & Poets in Brookland will feature rising and seasoned comedians sharing laughs, energy, and unique perspectives on Thursday, Nov. 20. (Courtesy Photo/Busboys & Poets)
for a landmark panel commemorating the 50th anniversary of Project Censored, the nonprofit media watchdog devoted to exposing underreported stories and defending press freedom.
The discussion will feature: journalist Ryan Grim; Lauren Harper, the Daniel Ellsberg chair on government secrecy with Freedom of the Press Foundation; former intelligence officer John Kiriakou; and Project Censored’s outreach and engagement officer Mischa Geracoulis.
Moderated by Mickey Huff, the event will spotlight key investigations from the latest State of the Free Press yearbook—including reporting on ICE surveillance, social media censorship, and police violence.
Directed by Huff, Project Censored remains committed to fostering media literacy and empowering the public with news that wasn’t shown on mainstream outlets.
Through its 2026 volume, the organization amplifies voices marginalized by mainstream media, arguing that a truly free press is essential to democracy.
This event offers an opportunity to hear firsthand from leading voices in independent journalism and to reflect on the importance of accountability in today’s media landscape.
Saturday, Nov. 22
Transformations Dance Festival 2025
7 p.m. - 10 p.m.| $25 Pozez Jewish Community Center of Northern Virginia, 8900 Little River Turnpike Fairfax, VA 22031
Hosted by DanceArtTheater, Transformations Dance Festival showcases the range and diversity of contemporary dance, featuring 15 choreographers from inside and around the DMV.
The performance takes place at Chaiken Auditorium and highlights companies like Ballet Embody, Next Reflex Dance Collective, UpRooted Dance, and more.
Expect an evening of a celebration of transformation, expression, and the collective spirit of dance.
The annual festival offers a rare opportunity to witness bold new works that explore identity, movement, and
THINGS TO DO from Page 28
artistic collaboration through a variety of voices.
Collecting Memories: Treasures from the Library of Congress
10 a.m. - 5 p.m. | Free The Library of Congress, 101 Independence Avenue SE Washington, D.C. 20540
Step inside the newly opened David M. Rubenstein Treasures Gallery to explore more than 100 rare and deeply personal artifacts in the “Collecting Memories” exhibition.
On view in the Thomas Jefferson Building, the exhibition spans centuries and cultures, highlighting everything from Abraham Lincoln’s handwritten Gettysburg Address to audio recordings, letters, maps, photographs, and more.
The exhibit is designed to invite visitors to reflect on memory in its many forms—collective, cultural, and individual.
Through themed sections such as: “Commemoration,” “Recording and Retelling,” and “Personal Narratives,” guests can listen to oral histories from veterans and civil rights activists, view designs for iconic monuments, and see historically significant items.
Sunday, Nov. 23
Between the Lines with Jason Reynolds and Dr. LaCharles Ward
4 p.m. - 6 p.m. | Free Planet Word, 925 13th Street NW Washington, D.C. 20005
Join the Planet Word Museum for an inspiring evening with New York Times bestselling author Jason Reynolds in conversation with Dr. LaCharles Ward, supervisory museum curator of photography and film and director
of the Earl W. and Amanda Stafford Center for African American Media Arts. Together, they will explore the power of Black storytelling, poetry, and personal resilience in Reynolds’s work—from his novels for young readers to his poetry that tackles identity, justice, and belonging.
This event invites attendees to engage with themes of youth, creativity, and cultural voice through conversation, live readings, and an audience question and answer portion.
Impact in ActionEverything But The Turkey 12:30 p.m. - 2 p.m. | Free Edlavitch DC Jewish Community Center, 1529 16th Street NW Washington, D.C. 20036
Volunteers are invited to gather at the Edlavitch DC Jewish Communtiy Center (EDCJCC) for the Jewish Federation of Greater Washington’s annual ‘Everything But The Turkey’ program.
Participants will chop, mix, grate, and prepare thousands of Thanksgiving side dishes— everything except the turkey— to support people experiencing hunger and homelessness throughout the region. The event is open to the entire community, with a suggested donation of $22 per person to help cover food costs.
This gathering is part of the federation’s larger ‘Impact in Action’ series, aimed at giving people a hands-on experience of how community support translates into tangible, meaningful work.
While preparing meals, attendees will also learn more about the federation’s role in partnering with its longtime collaborator, Edlavitch DCJCC, and how these collective efforts help strengthen the fabric of the local Jewish and broader D.C. community. WI
LIFESTYLE
“The High Cost of Rolling Back DEI: Why Inclusion Is an Economic Imperative”
By DC Black MBA
Attacks on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives are often framed as political disagreements. According to organizational strategist and inclusion expert, Geraldine White, what’s really under attack is the nation’s collective humanity and its economic future. “It’s not just a political stance,” she emphasizes. “It’s a question of organizational integrity and economic foresight.”
5 Geraldine White
4 Organizational
Strategist and Inclusion
Expert, Geraldine White
White draws a parallel between today’s DEI rollbacks and failed economic theories of the past. “Just as trickle-down economics is often viewed as a cautionary tale in economic theory, the dismantling of DEI programs is a cautionary tale in organizational health,” she says. “It doesn’t benefit people equitably at all. Instead, it creates inequities and a less resilient organization.”
As companies rush to dismantle DEI programs, White says they are making a short-sighted tradeoff. Removing these frameworks may appease certain interest groups today, but it “backloads risk” into the future by weakening workforce stability, limiting innovation, and eroding community well-being. Exclusion creates homogeneity. Homogeneity creates inequity. While inequity creates long-term economic decline and what organizations forget is that the absence of inclusion always shows up financially in revenue, in reputation, and in shareholder confidence. White explains further, “Signing up for that path is detrimental not just to organizations, but to the larger economy. Defaulting of homogeneity, inequity, and exclusion doesn’t just limit human potential, it actually hurts our economic future.”
White’s analysis goes far beyond corporate culture. She warns that what happens inside organizations reverberates into the neighborhoods they serve.
“What happens in the world shows up in the workplace and what happens in the workplace inevitably shows up in our communities,” she notes.
The rollbacks on DEI mirror a broader pattern: shrinking civil liberties, reduced access to federal support systems, and renewed attacks on human rights. “These decisions are interconnected,” White states. “The consequences ripple far beyond the workplace.”
When employees feel unseen, undervalued, or unsafe, workplace morale and productivity decline. And when layoffs disproportionately impact the very people who often carry cultural intelligence and psychological safety, the damage compounds. Organizations lose critical talent, institutional memory, and the leadership pipeline that drives innovation and growth.
When communities absorb the fallout, families, schools, and local economies are destabilized. These layoffs do more than reduce household income, they reduce generational wealth, community mobility, and long-term stability. The effects, White says, are already visible.
The U.S. retreat from inclusion comes at a time when international markets are proving the opposite. “There’s a global case study unfolding right now,” White shares. “Organizations that stay committed to inclusion are consistently reporting the strongest financial performance. This isn’t theoretical. It’s happening quarter after quarter. Businesses that choose exclusion, she argues, are positioning themselves on the wrong side of economic history.
In response to shrinking corporate commitments and implications to the talent within, White believes the moment is urgent. “With each misstep not countered, rebuilding becomes significantly harder,” she warns. However, she also sees opportunity for recalibration. “We need to push past the politics and acknowledge the long-term socioeconomic consequences communities will feel if we don’t intervene.”
White sees this moment as a turning point. “We need to reclaim the narrative and recalibrate action,” she urges. “The stakes couldn’t be higher.” For her, the path forward is clear: understand the full system, acknowledge the intertwined consequences, and make choices that strengthen versus weaken the communities we need. Her hope is that her company, Identify and Impact, can help organizations reclaim the narrative and take informed action. “The cost of dismantling inclusion isn’t theoretical,” White says. “Communities are already paying it.”
White launched IDENTITY & IMPACT, a consulting practice grounded in systems thinking. Her approach spans individual identity work, team dynamics, organizational structures, and enterprise-wide strategy. You can find her on LinkedIn or her website.
5 New York Times bestselling author Jason Reynolds will discuss the power of Black storytelling and poetry with Dr. LaCharles Ward at Planet Word Museum, inspiring audiences to explore themes of identity, justice, and resilience. (Courtesy Photo/Planet Word Museum)
Wale’s Gifted Week Brings Community Together
By Demarco Rush WI Contributing Writer
Residents, students and the local creative community gathered at events across Washington, D.C. to celebrate Gifted Week, presented by EQT and Grammy-nominated rapper Wale Nov. 10-14.
Dedicated to celebrating DMV community and culture, EQT was founded by Wale, who felt it was essential to give back to the area where he grew up and launched his career.
“I [have to do it] for the community because it does so much for me,” said the artist, “my whole career, my whole life.”
The events for the week included: the rapper appearing as principal for the day at Duke Ellington School of the Arts in Northwest; a youth football clinic hosted by the Washington Commanders; a sneaker design workshop sponsored by Nike; a poetry showcase highlighting local talent; a discussion on the state of Black media; and closed off with a live performance by Wale on the heels of his new album “Everything is A Lot.”
Kelsye Adams, co-producer of events for Gifted Week, felt the programming was not only a way to give back to the community, but
highlight the beauty, strength and power of the District.
“This is our second annual Gifted Week. We are here deeply rooted in culture, specifically D.C. culture,” Adams told The Informer, celebrating the success of the week of programming. “We gave away over 125 pairs of Nikes, some directly from Kevin Durant himself!”
Henny Yegezu, CEO and founder of EQT, echoed those sentiments.
“I was born in D.C. and grew up in [Prince George’s] County, [so this is] definitely an honor and a privilege,” Yegezu said. “ [Wale has] done so much for our area. We’re reenergizing our local community, we're giving away things and we're activating [the] youth.”
Poetry Jam Unites D.C. Creatives
Many local creatives took to the highly anticipated Poetry Jam, held at Grounded in Southeast, D.C. on Nov. 12, hoping to showcase their talent.
Jaelynn Baker, a student attending American University, felt Gifted Week gave those underrepresented in the city a chance to come together and learn from one
5 Local creatives and poets fill Grounded in Southeast, D.C., for a poetry jam as part of Wale’s Gifted Week (Nov. 10-14). (Demarco Rush/Washington Informer)
WALE'S from Page 30
“I don't really come to this side of town much,” Baker told The Informer, “[but] I’ve recently gotten more into creativity and I think poetry is a great way to express yourself.”
For Baker, hosting the event in Southeast was a great way to showcase some of the District’s creative gems.
“Some of the most disenfranchised neighborhoods in D.C. is where some of the most art is. [It’s] a way for people to believe in their future, and to believe in their own lives,” Baker continued.
Savaj Tompkins, a newcomer to the nation’s capital and poetry jams, was equally excited to participate in the showcase.
“This is my first poetry event that I've ever been to,” he said
as he brainstormed words for his Wednesday evening performance.
BOTTLE BILL from Page 22
myths perpetuated by corporate bottle distributors.
Despite the Gifted Week event being an introduction to a lot of new things and people, Tompkins was excited to make his District debut.
“It's a packed out event [and] I'm ready,” he told The Informer. “This is my welcome to D.C. moment.”
WI
5 Washingtonians interact during the poetry jam at Grounded in Southeast, D.C., as part of Wale’s Gifted Week’s Nov. 10-14. (Demarco Rush/The Washington Informer) another.
in the Office of the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development, expressed similar concerns about businesses moving out of the District to other jurisdictions.
“Introducing a new regulatory process, as envisioned in this legislation, risks tipping the scale against our businesses,” Nicholas said on Oct. 1. “This risk is amplified without regional counterparts taking similar actions…Businesses have spoken loud and clear that administrative burdens are making it more difficult to operate and that adding new ones can be lifeor-death.”
The D.C. bottle bill has since moved on— unscathed— to the council’s Committee on Transportation and the Environment, where D.C. Councilmember Charles Allen (D-Ward 6) will likely conduct a hearing.
The council member’s office told The Informer that a date has yet to be determined.
Meanwhile, Nadeau continues to engage her council colleagues and local businesses about the legislation. She’s also railing against what she calls
“There has never been proof that a bottle bill raises prices anywhere that bottle bills exist,” Nadeau said. “Small stores are exempted from the requirement to take back beverage containers. That really takes…the impact on small businesses completely off the table. Restaurants don't have to collect containers and smaller bottlers like our awesome breweries here in D.C. don't have to pay that handling fee that the other distributors pay.”
A Concept That’s Persisted across Generations
The 3RC for DC coalition, dedicated to the passage of a local container deposit-return law, has 32 member organizations, including: Anacostia Riverkeeper, Anacostia Watershed Society, Beautify D.C., Friends of Kingman & Heritage Islands, Sierra Club, Ward 8 Woods, and Zero Waste Coalition. WI
Read more on washingtoninformer.com.
LIFESTYLE
Amy Sherald: American Sublime Comes Home to Baltimore
By Brenda C. Siler WI Contributing Writer
Amy Sherald gained global recognition after unveiling her portrait of former First Lady Michelle Obama in 2018 for the National Portrait Gallery. While Sherald’s greatly anticipated current national exhibition, “Amy Herald: American Sublime,” would have been at the Portrait Gallery, she announced in July she would pull her show, citing censorship.
Criticism began to rise earlier this year about one of Sherald’s portraits on her exhibition tour: “Trans Forming Liberty.” Attempts by the Smithsonian to make viewing that portrait more “acceptable” to the public were not working for Sherald, so she withdrew her exhibition from the Portrait Gallery.
“There were conversations about the work being censored,” said Sherald in a “60 Minutes” interview. “The show is ‘American Sub
lime.’ It was a whole narrative, and a trans woman is a part of that narrative. For me, any type of contextualization around the work would have been unacceptable and would have deviated from how the work was conceived.”
After exchanging a few text messages with the Baltimore Museum of Art (BMA), Sherald decided to bring the biggest and most anticipated exhibition of her work to the BMA. “American Sublime” opened on Nov. 2 and will be on view at the BMA until April 5, 2026.
The paintings were created by Sherald between 2007 and 2024, with 40 paintings on view, including the First Lady portrait on loan from the Portrait Gallery and “Trans Forming Liberty.”
“Baltimore has always been part of my DNA as an artist,” said Sherald, according to BMA. “Every brushstroke carries a little of its history, its energy, its people, and my time there. To bring this exhibition
5
on display at the Baltimore Museum of Art through April 2026. Sherald is pictured in front of her portrait “A God Blessed Land.” (Courtesy Photo/Kevin Bulluck)
here is to return that love.”
A Gift from Heaven
A Columbus, Georgia native, Sherald came to Baltimore after acquiring her bachelor's degree in fine arts from Clark Atlanta University in Atlanta, Georgia.
She studied at the Maryland Institute College of Art in Baltimore under famed painter Grace Hartigan, and lived in the city for many years, honing her skills and receiving acclaim for her unique way of capturing the lives of Black people on canvas.
For BMA, there was sheer joy and a lot of questions when taking on Sherald’s show.
“This exhibition was unexpected. It came together, not in two years, but in two months,” said BMA’s Dorothy Wagner Wallis Director, Asma Naeem.
The timing of this exhibition also coincides with the BMA 2025 Ball this month. Sherald had been scheduled to be an honoree. Celebrating her at the same time that “American Sublime” is on display creates a “win-win” on many levels.
“Moments after the news broke,” Naeem said, “I texted Amy and I said, if we can move mountains here at the Baltimore Museum of Art to make this exhibition happen, I will.”
An Exhibition of Major Proportions
The layout of “American Sublime” is intentional, bright, and spacious. Paintings start with Sherald’s earliest pieces, progressing to more recent paintings. As the artist's work evolved, so did the canvases. They are huge.
titled “Miss Everything (Unsuppressed Deliverance)" and is hung diagonally across from the First Lady portrait.
There’s also a portrait of Breonna Taylor that BMA staff say was painted as a special request to Sherald from author and journalist Ta-Nehisi Coates, a native of Baltimore. The Taylor portrait was used on the September 2020 cover of Vanity Fair.
“Amy Sherald: American Sublime” will evoke feelings of hope, joy, and pride for visitors.
“Amy Sherald is one of the most important painters in the world today,” Naeem declared.
Sherald’s portraits are of Black people. Visitors will see that she does not use shades of brown for skin color. She uses shades of gray that are not noticeable until that is explained to us.
“As an artist, she has decided to use grayscale to create a story that goes beyond race and skin color,” said Naeem.
The artist’s ideas come from folks she has actually met. Not all of the sitters depicted are identified by their actual names, but titles of the portraits provide a hint of what the artist might want to convey. Background colors on the canvas also set a neutral tone-- shades of blues, pale pink, orange, or light green-allowing audiences to focus more on facial expressions.
“She’s… using compelling colors like a bright red,” Naeem continued, “and then incorporates some twists in what the sitter is doing.”
Captivating Portraits
Several standout portraits at the BMA are included in “American Sublime.”
The painting viewed by former First Lady Obama that moved her to select Sherald for her piece is
Entry to “Amy Sherald: American Sublime” is a ticketed event, but is free to BMA members. For exhibition hours, individual and group sales ticket prices, visit the Baltimore Museum of Art's website at artbma.org. WI @bcscomm
5“Trans Forming Liberty,” painted by Amy Sherald, is the controversial painting that made her decide to pull her exhibition from the National Portrait Gallery. The exhibition is now at the Baltimore Museum of Art until April 5, 2026. (Courtesy Photo/Mitro Hood)
5On loan from the National Portrait Gallery, the portrait of the Former First Lady titled “Michelle LaVaughn Robinson Obama” is hung diagonally to “Miss Everything (Unsuppressed Deliverance),” the artwork that influenced Obama to choose Sherald to paint her portrait. Both pieces are on display in the “Amy Sherald: American Sublime” exhibition at Baltimore Museum of Art. (Courtesy photo/Mitro Hood)
With its official launch on Nov. 2, the exhibition “Amy Sherald: American Sublime” is
said. “There's a huge opportunity to work together, to understand that what happens to me today can happen to you tomorrow, that we're all on the same boat. For many years, we've been born apart with the premise that we're not the same, and it's a fallacy.”
In the mid-1960s, Black and Latino people showed unity as Chuck Brown performed with Los Latinos, a band that played Top 40 music with a Latin flair. Shortly after, Brown launched Chuck Brown and the Soul Searchers. His stint with Los Latinos is credited, in part, with his development of the go-go genre that’s gone on to dominate the hearts, minds, and souls of countless Washingtonians.
Earlier this year, Poder del Pueblo and The Afro-Latino Institute hosted a panel discussion at The Go-Go Museum and Cafe where Landero and others explored similarities between go-go and cumbia.
Months later, in September, Landero, J’Ta and The Experience Band returned for a two-day event that turned into the music video featured at Monday’s kickoff event.
“We had first The Experience Band play, then we had Jason's band play a couple of songs, then we did the panel and then we had them jam,” said Guerrero. “Then out of that, the African drums from Colombia were mixing with the congas, and they were mixing with the timbales. The melodies of the trombone, accordion and the gaita were all just coming together.”
At the height of the pandemic, Guerrero launched Poder del Pueblo as a virtual platform for Latin American artists speaking about the spirit of resistance permeating through their music. He would later build upon those efforts by bringing Colombian band Son Palenque to the District, and later working with The Go-Go Museum and Cafe.
“That kind of became the model where we started bringing specific groups, especially the ones that
were really about what it meant to be Black in Colombia, to be indigenous or to be displaced by the armed conflict or affected by it,” Guerrero told The Informer. “Basically highlighting those stories of really how music has helped unite people, how people have been able to keep their traditions through music, and then really bringing that story to immigrants in D.C.” Guerrero, a native of Colombia and ardent grassroots organizer, reflected on the opportunities abound for he and others striving to drive home a larger point about Black-Latino unity.
“This song (“Go-Go Cumbia”) can help [expose us to] the wisdom in the Black community of what it means to have this promise of citizenship not realized,” Guerrero said. “Many of us in the immigrant community think that if we have citizenship, that’s the answer. But even with citizenship, we're not gonna have those promises realized. So I think the goal is really to have that deep conversation about what does it mean… and how we can work together to actually build something even more powerful than the 14th Amendment.”
A Question of How to Keep Go-Go for Future Generations
This year, Go-Go Appreciation
appearing on streaming platforms. Bridges, founder and lead mic of TOB, said that youth must encourage one another to continue the tradition. “I know when we was kids and we started a gogo band, we inspired other kids,” Bridges said. “There were so many bands right after TOB.”
For Bridges, school provided that environment conducive to exploring with the bounce beat.
“I’m vouching for the music programs to be back in D.C. public schools,” he told reporters on Monday. “The Go-Go Museum, Ron Moten, myself and other people that help out with go-go in general, we're going to do all we can to get the music back in front of the kids because that's the first step. And then we'll have all the kids back in go-go, just claiming their heritage.”
“When we're doing these jam sessions with different artists, we bring young people…like they used to do with the African drummers in different charter schools that were African.”
Ron Moten
Week marks the countdown to the 2026 Go-Go Awards, which will commemorate 50 years of go-go music with a focus on its African roots.
On Nov. 17, the first night of Go-Go Week, the Go-Go Museum and Cafe, based on Martin Luther King, Jr. Avenue in Anacostia, hosted a discussion with Bob Cicero of Globe Poster, a pioneer of the classic go-go poster. Other programming throughout the week includes the Make Go-Go 4EVA Youth GoGo Band Showcase, an African diaspora cooking demonstration with Chef Angie, and the launch of a campaign to encourage the embrace of vinyl at a time when fewer go-go songs are
Moten, who, along with go-go scholar Dr. Natalie Hopkinson, opened The Go-Go Museum and Cafe to the public earlier this year, articulated a vision in which District youth see and recognize go-go culture and tradition in all facets of their existence, similar to what he recounted seeing as a youngster in the District, and more recently, while traveling abroad.
“When we grew up, go-go was in churches,” Moten said. “I didn't understand the impact that had on our community until I went to Brazil and saw how every weekend they had what we would consider go-gos, with the food and the culture and the people coming together at the church.”
Moten later said he’s attempted to recreate that essence with live events at the Go-Go Museum and Cafe.
“When we're doing these jam sessions with different artists, we bring young people…like they used to do with the African drummers in different charter schools that were African,” Moten said.
As Moten and other leaders of cultural venues figure out how to secure funding during economically precarious times, he continues to espouse the Go-Go Museum and Cafe's role in expanding visitors’ musical palettes.
“When I see different people, different cultures, different races come into this museum, we can educate them and bring them together,” Moten said. “I don't think there's nothing better that could be happening right now.”
WI
5 Chris “Go-Go Chris” Bridges of TOB speaks at the Go-Go AppreciationWeek press conference on Nov. 17 at the Go-Go Museum and Cafe in Southeast, D.C. (Ja’Mon Jackson/The Washington Informer)
5 Ivan Navas says Black and Latino Washingtonians share a special connection that can be found in go-go music. (Ja’Mon Jackson/The Washington Informer)
review wi book
"Black Arms to Hold You Up: A History of Black Resistance" By
Ben Passmor
c.2025, Pantheon
$22
223 pages
Terri Schlichenmeyer WI Contributing Writer
This week, you plan on acting up.
In a good way, of course. You'll make a cardboard sign and march with others for your beliefs. You'll shout and dance, walk and make noise. You'll get into "good trouble" and yes, you might get arrested for it. You do what you need to do to make politicians and others know how you feel and that you mean business. As in the new book, "Black Arms to Hold You Up" by Ben Passmore, you have history at your back.
There was violence just down the street when Ben's father showed up on his doorstep with two bags of books. He hadn't been much of a father, so when he started pushing Ben to pay attention to history, Ben wasn't having any of it.
They argued. Ben's father hit him in the head with a book — and the next thing he knew, Ben was standing on a street corner somewhere, and there were policemen; nearby was a man named Robert Charles, and the year was 1900. Ben was about to witness a deadly gunfight over Jim Crow laws, Black Code, "Christian Black identity," and inequality in New Orleans.
He ran for safety and landed at the foot of a stage, where activist Marcus Garvey was giving a speech at a Universal Negro Improvement Association (UNIA) rally. Ben ran, and found himself in a church, at Emmett Till's funeral. He sat in a movie theater and learned about Robert E. Williams, a man whom "both the whites and the NAACP made… out to be an angry and violent brute." Ben received a new name to reflect the Republic of New Afrika, and he hid upstairs in a house in Philadelphia, as MOVE fought with police in 1985.
The journey was wild and terrifying, and his eyes were opened. Yes, he wanted liberation, but it could kill him. So could just walking around his neighborhood.
Were these things inevitable? He wondered — until his father told him what "Black liberation is really about."
Your young adult needs to know their history. You might need the same. And you both might find it inside "Black Arms to Hold You Up," but there are a few things you need to know first, before you pick it up.
Deeply researched, very thought-provoking, and including a bibliography for more information, this book hits a lot of major points in Black history, many of which today's schoolbooks don't tell. Author Ben Passmore proves that Black activism didn't just start during the civil rights movement, or five years ago, or last year. Such reminders make this book relevant.
Just know this: violence literally colors every page of this book. It's relentless. It's loud and shocking, with illustrations tinted blood-red throughout, which will properly and righteously shock anyone who's unaware.
That may trigger a sensitive reader, but it may wake up folks ages 16-toadults, too. Just be mindful and know who's doing the reading. Having "Black Arms to Hold You Up" around might be a good action.
WI
horoscopes
LIFESTYLE
NOV.
20 - 26, 2025
ARIES Professional momentum accelerates breakthrough achievements as Mars energizes your ambition sector, bringing advancement through decisive leadership demonstrating strategic vision that positions complex initiatives for success while securing stakeholder commitment. Executive visibility expands when bold presentations showcase capabilities exceeding organizational expectations establishing premium reputation. Lucky Numbers: 7, 33, 62
TAURUS Creative expression reveals distinctive talents as Venus activates your artistry sector, bringing recognition through authentic work resonating with audiences while establishing competitive differentiation. Romantic connections deepen when vulnerable communication fosters emotional intimacy transcending superficial interaction. Lucky Numbers: 14, 38, 56
GEMINI Domestic harmony strengthens foundational security as Mercury illuminates your home sector, bringing peace through thoughtful improvements creating environments nurturing well-being while supporting family connection. Real estate opportunities materialize when strategic analysis identifies properties offering exceptional value aligned with long-term objectives. Lucky Numbers: 5, 29, 51
CANCER Communication excellence expands intellectual influence as lunar energy activates your expression sector, bringing opportunities through persuasive messaging demonstrating analytical depth that establishes thought leadership credibility while influencing decision-makers. Learning initiatives accelerate when specialized training develops competitive capabilities meeting evolving demands. Lucky Numbers: 11, 42, 58
LEO Financial prosperity builds sustainable wealth as solar energy illuminates your resource sector, bringing abundance through strategic investment decisions identifying undervalued assets positioned for appreciation while maintaining prudent risk management. Income negotiations succeed when comprehensive performance records justify compensation increases reflecting contributions. Lucky Numbers: 18, 36, 64
VIRGO Personal transformation radiates confident presence as earth energy activates your identity sector, bringing influence through authentic self-expression projecting refined capabilities that attract significant opportunities while inspiring trust. Leadership visibility expands when strategic initiatives demonstrate comprehensive expertise exceeding expectations establishing authority. Lucky Numbers: 22, 45, 60
LIBRA Spiritual wisdom reveals transformative insight as Venus energizes your reflection sector, bringing clarity through contemplative exploration uncovering innovative solutions to persistent challenges while releasing limiting beliefs constraining potential. Intuitive guidance deepens when meditative practices enhance decision-making accuracy supporting priorities. Lucky Numbers: 3, 31, 53
SCORPIO Community leadership expands social influence as Pluto illuminates your alliance sector, bringing advancement through collaborative initiatives leveraging collective expertise toward shared objectives while respecting diverse contributions. Lucky Numbers: 16, 44, 57
SAGITTARIUS Career recognition achieves milestone breakthrough as Jupiter propels your achievement sector, bringing advancement through exceptional performance transforming complex assignments into strategic victories while securing executive confidence. Professional authority materializes when demonstrated expertise qualifies for elevated responsibility overseeing critical operations. Lucky Numbers: 9, 27, 49
CAPRICORN Philosophical exploration broadens worldview as Saturn activates your expansion sector, bringing insight through cultural experiences revealing fundamental values guiding purposeful direction while maintaining practical application. Lucky Numbers: 13, 39, 61
AQUARIUS Transformative intimacy deepens partnership bonds as Uranus energizes your regeneration sector, bringing renewal through vulnerable communication fostering authentic connection transcending superficial dynamics while establishing profound trust. Financial collaboration succeeds when transparent negotiation creates equitable agreements protecting interests. Lucky Numbers: 20, 34, 55
PISCES Relationship harmony cultivates meaningful alliance as Neptune illuminates your partnership sector, bringing opportunity through collaborative ventures combining complementary strengths generating mutual prosperity while maintaining balanced reciprocity. Contract negotiations progress when diplomatic communication addresses concerns fostering understanding. Lucky Numbers: 8, 25, 46
SPORTS
DMV Sports Roundup
Georgetown Men’s Basketball
Remains
Undefeated, Lady Terps 5-0, Wizards Suffer 11th Straight Loss
By Skylar Nelson WI Contributing Writer
As November settles in and the holiday season draws near, the DMV sports scene continues to captivate fans from all over. From historical moments, thrilling victories, and tough losses, it’s still an incredible time to be a DMV sports fan.
Below are some highlights from the captivating week, while previewing what is to come in the future.
Georgetown Men’s Basketball Moves
to a 4-0 Start
Georgetown Men’s Basketball remained undefeated this past weekend, grinding out a 79-74 victory over Clemson in front of an energized Capital One Arena.
With 8,562 fans in attendance, the packed crowd was present to take in the program's 4-0 start, which hasn’t been done since 2018.
“[Leading] up to this game started in the summertime. Playing a very competitive Canada trip, very competitive exhibition games, going to Maryland so we’re able to play against high-level competition that prepared us for what we just played, an NCAA tournament team,” said Georgetown Head Coach Ed Cooley. “It’s a great win not just for Georgetown, but a really big win for the Big East.”
After falling behind early due to foul trouble of both centers Vince Iwuchukwu and Julius Halaifonua, the Hoyas leaned on the solid scoring of junior guards KJ Lewis and Malik Mack to stay
within striking distance.
“Getting in transition, getting to the free-throw line, and being more physical in the second half,” Lewis said, referencing his focus areas of improvement as an athlete. “I don’t think I was that physical in the second half, so credit to my teammates for finding me in transition.”
The Hoyas gained momentum early in the second half, highlighted by a thunderous slam dunk by Lewis that tied the game at 46. Even after Halaifonua fouled out with just 14 minutes remaining, Georgetown kept pushing, eventually igniting a crucial 9-1 run and putting them ahead 60-51.
Clemson threatened late, trimming the lead to two, but Lewis sealed the game with a clutch, game-winning sequence, which featured a steal, an and-one finish, and a mid-range jumper that pushed the Hoyas towards success.
Although faced with foul trouble early on, Iwuchikwa managed to keep his composure, playing the final stretch without fouling out, scoring the final bucket and helping the Hoyas lock down the statement win. As memorable as the on-court performance was, the electric student section and full arena energy revived a new era in Georgetown basketball.
With enthusiasm surging, the Hoyas look to keep the momentum going into the next matchup, which is set for Saturday, Nov. 22 at Capital One Arena. Tip-off is set for noon.
“I want to thank our crowd. The energy really helped us,” said Cooley. “The players talked
about that. I really appreciate the DMV. Our students were unbelievable and that’s the energy that we were looking for and hoping for. I definitely think they were a key factor with the win…so I really appreciate them showing up and giving us all the love. And I thought our players responded.”
Maryland Women’s Basketball Improves 5-0 After Commanding 84-68 Win Over Princeton
The Maryland lady Terps rolled past Princeton 84-68 on Sunday afternoon at the Xfinity Center, with tennis phenomenon Francis Tiafoe in attendance for the thrilling victory.
“We’re just really, really proud of this team. You saw what it took to be able to get this really, really good win; Princeton is a really good team,” said Head Coach Brenda Frese. “It is going to be impactful for us, when you talk about the future and why we play games like this. For us playing with eight new players in this type of environment, and having one practice after losing a key player in our lineup, I thought we didn’t even flinch.”
The Terps developed a 12-0 first-quarter run to seize control early and never looked back. The
The Maryland lady Terps rolled past Princeton 84-68 on Sunday afternoon at the Xfinity Center, with tennis phenomenon Francis Tiafoe in attendance for the thrilling victory.
win improved Maryland to 5-0 for the 10th time in the coach Brenda Frese era, and continued its offensive surge, topping 80 points for the fifth-straight game this season.
Despite losing starting guard Lea Bartelme to a season-ending
ACL tear in the team’s victory against the Towson Tigers on Nov. 13, the Terps showed no signs of weakness. Four players scored in double figures led by junior guard Oluchi Okananwa’s 20-point performance, her fifth consecutive double digi t scoring game this season.
“We’re extremely sad for Lea. And know that she’s got all the support from us in this long recovery process,” said Frese. “We’ll be there for her each and every step of the way, but it allows a lot of our younger players to step up and grow a little faster and quicker. That's why they came here and are built for that moment.”
Redshirt senior guard Saylor Poffenbarger followed closely behind with 19 points, six rebounds, and three steals, cementing her impact on both ends of the floor.
Freshman guard Addi Mack made her first career start in Bartelme’s absence, delivering an impressive 35-minute outing as she recorded 15 points, five rebounds, and three assists. Senior guard Kaylene Smikle added to the victory with dominant effort–a perfect day from the freethrow line. This marked Smikle’s third 10-for-10 free-throw stripe in her career.
5 Maryland Women’s Basketball team celebrates on the bench during their dominant 84-68 win over Princeton on Nov. 16. (Marcus Relacion /The Washington Informer)
CAPTURE the moment
Café Mocha’s 15th Annual Salute THEM Awards at the legendary Howard Theatre on Nov. 6 kicked off the three-day HBCU First Look Film Festival (Nov. 7-8) with a celebration of generational Black storytelling in Northwest, D.C. Honorees included: award-winning actors Lynn Whitfield and Marsai Martin; Texas Rep. Jasmine Crockett; Grammy-nominated singer Kenny Lattimore; Edna Kane Williams, AARP’s executive vice president and chief diversity officer; Virginia Ali, co-founder of Ben's Chili Bowl; District entrepreneur and advocate Angel Gregorio; and the recipient of the inaugural I Aspire Global Impact Award, writer, director and producer Ryan Coogler. (Robert R. Roberts/The Washington Informer)
RELIGION
New Book’s Theory: Ministry Flows Best With Rest
Rev. LaTeka Graham Helps Clergy
Integrate Reflection and Self-Care
By Rev. Dorothy Boulware Word in Black
This article was originally published online with Word In Black, a collaboration of the nation's leading Black news publishers (of which The Informer is a member.
Rev. LaTeka Graham is a champion at going against the flow.
In an era when a majority of professionals, including ministers, demonstrate their worth through sheer busyness — starting ear-
ly and staying late, packing the workday with meetings and tasks, refusing to take breaks— Graham’s ministry centers on rest. She sees it as, arguably, life’s most valuable commodity and a spiritual requirement, albeit one that is too often neglected.
She’s seen it often: clergymen and women carrying an invisible burden, “leading others while quietly running on empty,” Graham says.
But, she says, rest “is not a reward after the work; it’s a com-
mand woven into our calling.”
That dynamic inspired her to write and publish her first book, “With Uplifted Hands — Rest.” It’s a 30-day devotional written especially for ministers, she says, designed to help them “rediscover the beauty of surrender, reflection, and spiritual renewal.”
Although she elevates rest as a spiritual practice, Graham is no slacker.
She’s an ordained minister with a master’s degree. Graham and her husband have been married for 20 years, and they have raised two children. Her ministry helps connect faith visionaries with people and resources and guides them along a trajectory toward their desired outcomes.
“With every sermon, consultation and written word, I seek to guide leaders back to Christ, the true source of rest, renewal and resilience,” she says.
Graham recently sat down with Word In Black for an interview, which has been edited for length and clarity.
Word in Black: What inspired you to write “With Uplifted Hands – REST?”
LaTeka Graham: I was inspired by the weight I saw so many ministry leaders carrying. God reminded me that rest is not a reward after the work; it’s a command woven into our calling. “With Uplifted Hands – REST” was born from that revelation.
WIB: What makes this devotional different than other leadership devotionals?
Graham: Most devotionals fo-
My prayer is that readers will walk away with renewed strength and a gentler rhythm of grace. I want them to realize that rest is not weakness; it’s wisdom.
cus on productivity, growth, or endurance. My book centers the conversation on stillness and on being, not just doing. It gently calls leaders to lay down the weight of performance and rediscover the peace of God’s presence. It’s both profoundly spiritual and deeply practical, giving leaders permission to pause without guilt.
WIB: Who is this devotional written for?
Graham: It’s written for pastors, ministry directors, worship leaders and anyone in Christian leadership who pours out more than they receive. But honestly, it’s also for anyone who’s ever felt weary in doing good. If you’ve ever prayed, “Lord, I’m tired,” this devotional is for you.
WIB: Why did you choose the title “With Uplifted Hands?” Graham: Uplifted hands sym-
bolize both surrender and strength. It’s the posture of worship and the posture of rest, giving God control while receiving his peace. The title reminds readers that rest is found not in retreating from God’s work but in remaining connected to God’s presence.
WIB: How is the book structured, and how should readers use it?
Graham: Each of the 30 days includes a short devotional, a reflection question, a prayer and a leadership challenge. It is designed to be completed in just a few quiet minutes a day. The goal is to create space for intentional pause, helping leaders shift from striving to resting in God’s promises.
WIB: What do you hope readers take away from this devotional?
Graham: My prayer is that readers will walk away with renewed strength and a gentler rhythm of grace. I want them to realize that rest is not weakness; it’s wisdom. That God does some of his greatest work not in our hustle but in our stillness. Resting is how we remain effective, anointed, and aligned with God’s purpose.
WIB: How does this devotional connect to your ministry, LRG Ministries?
Graham: “With Uplifted Hands – REST” reflects the heart of LRG Ministries — helping ministry leaders lead from a place of health, wholeness, and holiness. Through our leadership training, mentorship and devotionals, we equip leaders to serve with clarity, confidence and compassion; always remembering that the best leadership flows from a rested soul. WI
3 The Rev. LaTeka Graham, author of “With Uplifted Hands— Rest,” helps clergy integrate reflection and self care as a means of improving themselves and their work in ministry. (Courtesy Photo/LRG Ministries)
This is the Religion Corner, which leads me to the main point of this week's column: "My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge." — Hosea 4:6. In this column you have witnessed this very important message many times during National Diabetes Month over the past 20 years. Sharing how my family's struggle with Type 2 diabetes was a life-changing experience, lessons which will help you and your loved ones make healthier choices and avoid the suffering so many people are still experiencing. For the most part, this devastation usually happens because of "their lack of knowledge."
As we come to a close in this month's series, I want to share a powerful moment I heard during a C-SPAN interview with Dr. Griffin P. Rodgers, director of the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. Those who have not heard this interview will benefit. I'm asking everyone to please share this information with members of your family, church, workplace and community. Don't let folks continue to perish because of a lack of knowledge! Here is a short bio on Dr. Griffin P. Rodgers, an African-American genius of a doctor, in my opinion.
Dr. Griffin P. Rodgers, the director of the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), has made significant contributions to the understanding and treatment of diabetes, particularly Type 2 diabetes. His research has focused on genetic diseases, clinical evaluation of disease severity, and the development of novel gene therapy strategies. Dr. Rodgers has been instrumental in advancing the treatment of sickle cell anemia, a blood disorder,
WITH LYNDIA GRANT
What You Don't Know Will Kill You the religion corner
with the development of hydroxyurea, the first effective and FDA-approved therapy for this condition. His work has not only improved the lives of patients with sickle cell anemia but has also paved the way for future research and treatment options for Type 2 diabetes and other related conditions.
Dr. Rodgers was on C-SPAN, but as a high-speed typist of 100 words per minute for the past 50 years, I transcribed this interview below for you, the readers of The Washington Informer. Here is a rough transcription of what he said:
A caller asked an important question of Dr. Rodgers. She said her mother had diabetes, and her older brother and sister both take insulin. They have lived with complications from this disease for many years. But she, who is 10 years younger, has never developed diabetes. She asked Dr. Rodgers, "If we have the same genes, why didn't I get diabetes too?"
Dr. Rodgers gave a clear and helpful answer. He explained that genetics do play a major role in whether or not someone develops diabetes. But even siblings do not inherit genes the same way. We receive half our genes from one parent and half from the other. Sometimes, one child receives the gene that increases diabetes risk and another child does not. That alone can make a major difference.
However, Dr. Rodgers also said that our environment — our habits, our food, our activity level — plays an equally important role. He shared that research from the NIH, including
studies from their Phoenix branch, shows that our environment begins even before birth. If a mother has diabetes during pregnancy, even mild gestational diabetes, the child is more likely to develop diabetes later in life. This risk is higher compared to a child born when that same mother does not have diabetes.
In other words, diabetes risk is not based on one thing. It comes from a combination of genes, environment, family history, and lifestyle. But even with a strong family history, there are things we can control.
Dr. Rodgers ended his answer with simple but powerful advice:
• Get checked regularly for Type 2 diabetes.
• Eat properly and learn what foods your body can handle.
— Exercise and maintain a healthy weight.
The Holy Spirit moved me to share this message with you, because so many people in our communities are suffering needlessly. Millions of Americans have Type 2 diabetes right now, and millions more do not know they have it. Many of us are living with high blood sugar and don't realize the danger. Early detection saves lives. Knowledge saves lives.
Though I have said the same thing hundreds of times, this time, I'm hoping that you will receive this proven advice from Dr. Griffin Rodgers, a nationally known medical doctor with a proven track record. WI
Read more on washingtoninformer.com.
RELIGION
& Study: Wednesday @ 12 Noon and 7:00
Church with a past to remember – and a future to mold” www.mtzbcdc.org
Mount Carmel
Bottom - Founded in 1867 728 23rd Street, NW - Washington, DC 20037 Church office: 202-333-3985 Fax : 202-338-4958
Service and Times Sundays: 10 a.m. Holy Eucharist with Music and Hymns Wednesdays: 12:10 p.m. - Holy Eucharist www.stmarysfoggybottom.org Email: stmarysoffice@stmarysfoggybottom.org
Rev Kevin A. O'Bryant
401 Van Buren St., NW, Washington D.C. 20012 Office (202)-882-8331
Service and Times Sunday Worship 10:30 am Zoom: zoom.us/;/2028828331
Bible Study: Wednesday 7:00pm Communion Every First Sunday "Serve, teach and Live by precept and example the saving grace of Jesus Christ."
Froffice@firstrising.org Website: www.firstrising.org “Changing Lives On Purpose “ The Rev. E. Bernard Anderson
All are welcome to St. Mary’s to Learn, Worship, and Grow.
NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS
Patricia Banson, whose address is 202 34th Street SE, Washington, DC 20019, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Lois Banson who died on 1/21/2025 without a Will and will serve without Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance in this proceeding. Objections to such appointment shall be filed with the Register of Wills, D.C., 515 5th Street, N.W., Building A, Third Floor Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before 5/6/2026. Claims against the decedent shall be presented to the undersigned with a copy to the Register of Wills or filed with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned, on or before 5/6/2026, or be forever barred. Persons believed to be heirs or legatees of the decedent who do not receive a copy of this notice by mail within 25 days of its first publication shall so inform the Register of Wills, including name, address, and relationship.
Date of first publication: 11/6/2025
Patricia Banson Personal Representative
TRUE TEST COPY
Nicole Stevens Register of Wills
Washington Informer
SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA Probate Division Washington, D.C. 20001-2131
2025 ADM 001145
Edward Tyrone Green, Sr. Decedent
Iris McCollum Green, Esq. Pro Se 1714 15th Street, NW, Suite B Washington DC 20009 Attorney
NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS
Iris McCollum Green, whose address is 1714 15th Street NW, Washington, DC 20009, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Edward Tyrone Green, Sr. who died on July 5, 2006 without a Will and will serve without Court supervision.
All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance in this proceeding. Objections to such appointment shall be filed with the Register of Wills, D.C., 515 5th Street, N.W., Building A, Third Floor Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before 5/13/2026. Claims against the decedent shall be presented to the undersigned with a copy to the Register of Wills or filed with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned, on or before 5/13/2026, or be forever barred. Persons believed to be heirs or legatees of the decedent who do not receive a copy of this notice by mail within 25 days of its first publication shall so inform the Register of Wills, including name, address, and relationship.
Date of first publication: 11/13/2025
Iris McCollum Green
Personal Representative
TRUE TEST COPY
Nicole Stevens Register of Wills
Washington Informer
SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA Probate Division Washington, D.C. 20001-2131
2025 ADM 001110
Emma L. Ruffin Decedent
NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS
Beverly Ruffin Burrowes, whose address is 1441 Bangor Street, SE, Washington, DC 20020, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Emma L Ruffin who died on 2/10/2025 with a Will and will serve without Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance in this proceeding. Objections to such appointment (or to the probate of decedent’s Will) shall be filed with the Register of Wills, D.C., 515 5th Street, N.W., Building A, Third Floor Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before 5/6/2026. Claims against the decedent shall be presented to the undersigned with a copy to the Register of Wills or filed with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned, on or before 5/6/2026, or be forever barred. Persons believed to be heirs or legatees of the decedent who do not receive a copy of this notice by mail within 25 days of its first publication shall so inform the Register of Wills, including name, address, and relationship.
Date of first publication: 11/6/2025
Beverly Ruffin Burrowes
Personal Representative
TRUE TEST COPY
Nicole Stevens Register of Wills
Washington Informer
SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA Probate Division Washington, D.C. 20001-2131 2025 ADM 001192
Mary Margaret Mayes Decedent
Jeffrey K. Gordon, Esq. 5335 Wisconsin Avenue, NW #400 Washington, DC 20015 Attorney
NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS
David Ulysses Mayes, whose address is 620 Madison Street, NW, Washington DC 20011, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Mary Margaret Mayes who died on January 1, 2021 without a Will and will serve without Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance in this proceeding. Objections to such appointment shall be filed with the Register of Wills, D.C., 515 5th Street, N.W., Building A, Third Floor Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before 5/13/2026. Claims against the decedent shall be presented to the undersigned with a copy to the Register of Wills or filed with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned, on or before 5/13/2026, or be forever barred. Persons believed to be heirs or legatees of the decedent who do not receive a copy of this notice by mail within 25 days of its first publication shall so inform the Register of Wills, including name, address, and relationship.
Date of first publication: 11/13/2025
David Ulysses Mayes Personal Representative
TRUE TEST COPY
Nicole Stevens Register of Wills
Washington Informer
SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
Probate Division Washington, D.C. 20001-2131
2025 ADM 001108
Catherine N. P. Holmes aka Catherine Novella Pruitt Holmes
Decedent
Lynee C. Murchison, Esq. Adams Law Office, LLC 4201 Mitchellville Rd, Suite 500 Bowie, MD 20716 Attorney
NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS
Audrey Patricia Rice, whose address is 3527 Alameda Circle, Baltimore, MD 21218, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Catherine N. P. Holmes aka Catherine Novella Pruitt Holmes who died on 12/9/2024 with a Will and will serve without Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance in this proceeding. Objections to such appointment (or to the probate of decedent’s Will) shall be filed with the Register of Wills, D.C., 515 5th Street, N.W., Building A, Third Floor Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before 5/6/2026. Claims against the decedent shall be presented to the undersigned with a copy to the Register of Wills or filed with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned, on or before 5/6/2026, or be forever barred. Persons believed to be heirs or legatees of the decedent who do not receive a copy of this notice by mail within 25 days of its first publication shall so inform the Register of Wills, including name, address, and relationship.
Date of first publication: 11/6/2025
Audrey Patricia Rice Personal Representative
TRUE TEST COPY
Nicole Stevens Register of Wills Washington Informer
SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA Probate Division Washington, D.C. 20001-2131 2025 ADM 001167
Odell Odom Franklin Decedent
E. Regine Francois Williams 9701 Apollo Drive, Suite 301 Largo, MD 20774 Attorney
NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS
Elaine P. Crump, whose address is 3903 Briscoe Court, Mitchellville MD 20721, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Odell Odom Franklin who died on 3/4/2018 without a Will and will serve without Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance in this proceeding. Objections to such appointment shall be filed with the Register of Wills, D.C., 515 5th Street, N.W., Building A, Third Floor Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before 5/13/2026. Claims against the decedent shall be presented to the undersigned with a copy to the Register of Wills or filed with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned, on or before 5/13/2026, or be forever barred. Persons believed to be heirs or legatees of the decedent who do not receive a copy of this notice by mail within 25 days of its first publication shall so inform the Register of Wills, including name, address, and relationship.
Date of first publication: 11/13/2025
Elaine P. Crump Personal Representative
TRUE TEST COPY
Nicole Stevens Register of Wills
Washington Informer
SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
PROBATE DIVISION Washington, D.C. 20001-2131
2025 FEP 000131
March 11, 2023
Date of Death
Michael Anthony Jackson Name of Decedent
NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT OF FOREIGN PERSONAL REPRESENTATIVE AND NOTICE TO CREDITORS
Ronda B. Jackson whose address is 12605 Scarborough Oak Court, Brandywine, MD 20613 was appointed personal representative of the estate of Michael Anthony Jackson, deceased, by the Orphans Court for Prince Georges County, State of Maryland, on 10/8/2024.
Service of process may be made upon Jafi O. Barnes – 315 H Street, NE, Apt 417 Washington DC 20002 whose designation as District of Columbia agent has been filed with the Register of Wills, D.C. The decedent owned the following District of Columbia real property. 1235 Irving Street, NE, Washington, DC 20017. Claims against the decedent may be presented to the undersigned and filed with the Register of Wills of the District of Columbia, 515 5th Street, NW, Third Floor, Washington, D.C. 20001 within 6 months from the date of first publication of this notice.
Date of first publication: 11/6/2025
Ronda B. Jackson
Personal Representative
Nicole Stevens Register of Wills
Washington Informer
SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA Probate Division Washington, D.C. 20001-2131 2025 ADM 001191
NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS
Robin Cleland Allaway, whose address is 104 Fairley Road, Pittsburgh PA 15237, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Suzanne Cleland who died on March 3, 2025 without a Will and will serve without Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance in this proceeding. Objections to such appointment shall be filed with the Register of Wills, D.C., 515 5th Street, N.W., Building A, Third Floor Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before 5/13/2026. Claims against the decedent shall be presented to the undersigned with a copy to the Register of Wills or filed with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned, on or before 5/13/2026, or be forever barred. Persons believed to be heirs or legatees of the decedent who do not receive a copy of this notice by mail within 25 days of its first publication shall so inform the Register of Wills, including name, address, and relationship.
Date of first publication: 11/13/2025
Suzanne Cleland Personal Representative
TRUE TEST COPY
Nicole Stevens Register of Wills Washington Informer
SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA Probate Division Washington, D.C. 20001-2131
2025 ADM 001136
Eddie Prue Clarke Decedent
NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS
Lisa Clarke-Bell, whose address is 7413 12th Street NW, Washington, DC 20012, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Eddie Prue Clarke who died on 6/6/2024 with a Will and will serve without Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance in this proceeding. Objections to such appointment (or to the probate of decedent’s Will) shall be filed with the Register of Wills, D.C., 515 5th Street, N.W., Building A, Third Floor Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before 5/13/2026. Claims against the decedent shall be presented to the undersigned with a copy to the Register of Wills or filed with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned, on or before 5/13/2026, or be forever barred. Persons believed to be heirs or legatees of the decedent who do not receive a copy of this notice by mail within 25 days of its first publication shall so inform the Register of Wills, including name, address, and relationship.
Date of first publication: 11/13/2025
Lisa Clarke-Bell Personal Representative
TRUE TEST COPY
Nicole Stevens Register of Wills
Washington Informer
SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA Probate Division Washington, D.C. 20001-2131
2025 ADM 001159
Yvonne Pruitt Porter Decedent
NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS
Dwight O. Porter, whose address is 9828 Royal Commerce Place, Upper Marlboro, Maryland 20774, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Yvonne Pruitt Porter who died on April 27, 2023 with a Will and will serve without Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance in this proceeding. Objections to such appointment (or to the probate of decedent’s Will) shall be filed with the Register of Wills, D.C., 515 5th Street, N.W., Building A, Third Floor Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before 5/13/2026. Claims against the decedent shall be presented to the undersigned with a copy to the Register of Wills or filed with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned, on or before 5/13/2026, or be forever barred. Persons believed to be heirs or legatees of the decedent who do not receive a copy of this notice by mail within 25 days of its first publication shall so inform the Register of Wills, including name, address, and relationship.
Date of first publication: 11/13/2025
Dwight O. Porter Personal Representative
TRUE TEST COPY
Nicole Stevens Register of Wills
Washington Informer
SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
Probate Division Washington, D.C. 20001-2131
2025 ADM 001142
Willie E. Clark Decedent
NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS
Tanya C. Clark, whose address is 15402 Jennings Lane, Bowie MD 20721, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Willie E. Clark who died on May 15, 2025 without a Will and will serve without Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance in this proceeding. Objections to such appointment (or to the probate of decedent’s Will) shall be filed with the Register of Wills, D.C., 515 5th Street, N.W., Building A, Third Floor Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before 5/20/2026. Claims against the decedent shall be presented to the undersigned with a copy to the Register of Wills or filed with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned, on or before 5/20/2026, or be forever barred. Persons believed to be heirs or legatees of the decedent who do not receive a copy of this notice by mail within 25 days of its first publication shall so inform the Register of Wills, including name, address, and relationship.
Date of first publication:
11/20/2025
Tanya C. Clark Personal Representative
SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
Probate Division Washington, D.C. 20001-2131
2025 ADM 001176
Earlene Evelyn Smith Decedent
Janell F. Wheeler, Esquire
The Geller Law Group PLLC 4000 Legato Road, Suite 1100, PMB 6084 Fairfax, Virginia 22033 Attorney
NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS
Donna E. Walker, whose address is 407 Falabella Way, Hogansville, GA 30230, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Earlene Evelyn Smith who died on January 21, 2025 without a Will and will serve without Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance in this proceeding. Objections to such appointment shall be filed with the Register of Wills, D.C., 515 5th Street, N.W., Building A, Third Floor Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before 5/20/2026. Claims against the decedent shall be presented to the undersigned with a copy to the Register of Wills or filed with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned, on or before 5/20/2026, or be forever barred. Persons believed to be heirs or legatees of the decedent who do not receive a copy of this notice by mail within 25 days of its first publication shall so inform the Register of Wills, including name, address, and relationship.
Date of first publication: 11/20/2025
Donna E. Walker Personal Representative
TRUE TEST COPY
Nicole Stevens Register of Wills Washington Informer
SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
Probate Division Washington, D.C. 20001-2131
2025 ADM 001165
Gregory Ross Decedent
NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS
Yvette J. Ross, whose address is 1239 Shepherd Street, NW, Washington, DC 20011, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Gregory Ross who died on 3/17/2024 without a Will and will serve without Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance in this proceeding. Objections to such appointment shall be filed with the Register of Wills, D.C., 515 5th Street, N.W., Building A, Third Floor Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before 5/20/2026. Claims against the decedent shall be presented to the undersigned with a copy to the Register of Wills or filed with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned, on or before 5/20/2026, or be forever barred. Persons believed to be heirs or legatees of the decedent who do not receive a copy of this notice by mail within 25 days of its first publication shall so inform the Register of Wills, including name, address, and relationship.
Date of first publication: 11/20/2025
Yvette J. Ross Personal Representative
TRUE TEST COPY
Nicole Stevens Register of Wills
Washington Informer
SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA Probate Division Washington, D.C. 20001-2131
2024 ADM 001436
Charles Leon Willie Decedent
NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS
Cynthia Amanda Robertson, whose address is 820 Headrow Terrace, Hampton VA 23666, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Charles Leon Willie who died on May 11, 2024 without a Will and will serve without Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance in this proceeding. Objections to such appointment shall be filed with the Register of Wills, D.C., 515 5th Street, N.W., Building A, Third Floor Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before 5/20/2026. Claims against the decedent shall be presented to the undersigned with a copy to the Register of Wills or filed with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned, on or before 5/20/2026, or be forever barred. Persons believed to be heirs or legatees of the decedent who do not receive a copy of this notice by mail within 25 days of its first publication shall so inform the Register of Wills, including name, address, and relationship.
Date of first publication: 11/20/2025
Cynthia Amanda Robertson Personal Representative
TRUE TEST COPY
Nicole Stevens Register of Wills Washington Informer
Although the Lady Terps had an impressive offensive performance, Okananwa emphasized that it was their defensive play that kept the team’s momentum going.
“My philosophy with defense is that it’s really all hard,” said Okananwa. “Of course there’s techniques to it, but really it’s your willingness to defend, and I think that the intensity that we brought in terms of that is really what helped us in this game.”
The Lady Terps will be back home at Xfinity Center to face off against Bethune-Cookman University, a historically Black institution, on Thursday, Nov. 20. Tip-off is set for 6 p.m.
“We knew just having so many new players— that blend of
young and old— that we wanted to be really intentional with the schedule, but I just love the fact that we’re growing every single [time] we step out on the court,” said Frese. “We’re improving in practice and we’re improving in games, and that’s all you can ask for.”
Wizards Suffer 11th Straight Loss of the Season, Yet Momentum Continues
The Washington Wizards dropped their 11th straight game, falling 129-106 to the Brooklyn Nets on Sunday night.
Despite both teams entering the matchup with identical 1-11 records on Nov. 17, the Wizards struggled to capitalize on what seemed like a team that they could beat.
“We started off okay, we were turning them over to start the game, but I think when adversity hit us, that’s where I was disappointed,” said Head Coach Brian Keefe. “We fouled when we shouldn’t, we didn’t dig in when they made certain runs. This group has never done that. That was disappointing on all of our ends, and we have to own that.”
Forward Kyshawn George had a solid offensive showing, recording 29 points, six rebounds, and five assists. Unfortunately, he fouled out for the third time in 12 games. He's picked up five or more fouls nine times, and four or more in 11 games which has become too much as a young player in the league.
Center Alex Sarr has proven to be a bright spot for Washington in his second year, but he strug -
gled against Brooklyn and even fouled out joining George not being able to finish down the stretch.
Guard Bilal Coulibaly returned to the starting lineup after missing four games due to muscle tightness. Against Brooklyn, he shot 2-of-6 from the field, recording six points, three rebounds, four assists, and two steals.
Veterans CJ McCollum and Khris Middleton continue to record proficient performances, but unfortunately are not as noteworthy due to the loss at hand. McCollum recorded 17 points, shooting 6-of-12 from the field, tallying two rebounds, three assists, and two steals. Meanwhile, Middleton recorded 14 points shooting 4-of-7 from the field, tallying five rebounds, two assists, and one steal.
The Washington Wizards are set to travel to Minneapolis, Minnesota to take on the Timberwolves at the Target Center. Tip-off is set for 8 p.m.
“We have an off day tomorrow,” George said before sharing the advice Keefe offered the team.
“‘Look at yourself in the mirror and answer the deeper questions.’”
George unpacked the head coach’s lesson.
“It’s more than basketball,” he continued, before sharing the questions Keefe asked the team. “‘What do you really want in life? What do you want to build? What are we going to do as an organization?’ And just make sure you answer the question correctly and come with the correct mindset the next day.” WI
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WILLIAMS from Page 26
I understand a person or two being cruel, but Trump has everyone around him so traumatized with his threats of punishment, so most don't even try to reason with him. With few exceptions, we have too many
MARSHALL from Page 26
ing conviction but also common sense. The Republican from Georgia, who was once one of Trump's strongest allies, is now calling for full transparency over the Epstein documents.
Taylor Greene is starting to become a voice of reason within the GOP; she is the third Republican who signed the discharge petition forcing the Justice Department to release the files related to the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Besides Taylor Greene, Reps. Lauren Boebert and Nancy Mace were the other two Republicans. The petition now has the required 218 signatures to move forward with the House floor vote, even if leadership opposes it. "Releasing the Epstein files is the easiest thing in the world," Taylor Greene said. "Just release it all, let the American people sort through every bit of it, and you know, support the victims. That's just like the most common sense, easiest thing in the world. But to spend any effort trying to stop it makes — it
JEALOUS
from Page 26
once resisted — that high turnout can help them.
Donald Trump proved that energizing unlikely voters can reshape the map.
Democrats have long understood that expanding access brings in voters who otherwise sit out.
Now Republicans know it, too. Participation is no longer a partisan advantage.
It is a shared national opportunity. That recognition makes this the hour for community leaders to rise together — so that when the 2026 legislative season arrives, our lawmakers are ready to shape elections that are simple, secure and worthy of the nation's 250th year.
A vote-at-home system is the clearest path to get there. A mailedout ballot gives every voter the same
useless leaders allowing Trump's threats to punish them.
So few people are willing to checkmate him. We're no longer a democracy. Trump's chosen friends are Russia's Vladimir Putin, North Korea's Kim and Hungary's Viktor Orban. They feed him advice on how he can
just doesn't make sense to me."
This is not the Marjorie Taylor Greene we are used to hearing, but we welcome it.
The question remains, how far will MAGA voters and MAGA-elected officials go to protect Trump once the truth is exposed?
The Doug Jones-Roy Moore Senate election gives us some hope. Given the questionable character of Moore regarding the alleged inappropriate behavior, a segment of GOP voters maintained a strong sense of right and wrong by denying Moore a Senate seat. But Roy Moore is not a cult leader, and he is not Donald Trump.
House Speaker Mike Johnson has tried everything possible to prevent the release of the Epstein files from being put to a House vote. How far will the House speaker go once the full truth becomes public knowledge? How far will women lawmakers in the GOP go in supporting the distractions, deflections and denials that will likely come from Trump and those within his administration?
Marjorie Taylor Greene has
chance to participate, whether they work a double shift, care for elders or children, lack transportation or simply want the quiet time to study candidates without someone sighing behind them in line.
And these systems are secure. Every ballot carries a unique barcode voters can track like a package. Signatures are verified against those on file. Bipartisan teams handle ballots at every step.
States like Colorado, Utah and Oregon have shown that mailed ballots increase participation, build trust and make elections easier to run and harder to disrupt.
Pennsylvania and Virginia now sit at the heart of whether the nation follows this path.
Pennsylvania's no-excuse mail voting, adopted in 2019, remains uneven after years of lawsuits and conflicting rulings. Standardizing procedures so every voter receives
be more like them!
We don't have the right to sit around and complain without doing something to change things. President Barack Obama reminds us that booing won't solve anything. We must do something: Vote!
WI
already stated she will read the names of Epstein's accomplices on the House floor. If she does, will other Republican lawmakers be inspired by her courage and conviction to speak out? What will evangelicals do? The evangelicals who maintain an unwavering support for this president despite the cruelty he has shown to our nation's most vulnerable citizens. Will the Republican Senate leadership do the right thing only when it benefits their political interests and agenda?
We saw what happened in Alabama, where it ultimately came down to the voters. The fallout from the Moore allegations was too much for many voters to accept. The truth behind the Epstein files may have the same impact on voters in the 2026 midterm elections, and rightfully so. The issue of character and conviction will be on the ballot next year. How each U.S. Senate and House candidate responds to the truth, the distractions, denials and deflections should be a game-changer for all of us.
WI
the same information and the same opportunity to correct mistakes would stabilize a system that often determines national outcomes.
Virginia — already further along than any Southern state — needs only the confidence to finish the transition. Mailing ballots to all active voters, with a simple opt-out and a clear statewide education effort, would give the Commonwealth a model of civic strength heading into 2026.
The 250th anniversary of the United States should not be a moment simply to celebrate our democratic inheritance. It should be the moment we improve it.
If we want a democracy strong enough for the next 250 years, we must bring the ballot home — back to the kitchen table, where Americans make their best decisions.
WI
AIRLINE CAREERS
KING from Page 27
doors within the Center, becoming New York City's first museum dedicated to the American civil rights movement. Unlike traditional narratives that focus on the South, this museum will spotlight struggles and triumphs in Northern urban environments — stories that shaped Harlem and countless other communities. Through interactive exhibits and immersive experiences, it will invite visitors not just to learn history, but to become agents of change.
The Center also houses the Whitney M. Young Center for Leadership and partners with cul-
TOWNS from Page 27
bravely shared are not the exception, they're the rule. Clinical data has repeatedly shown that Elevidys provides significant functional improvement to patients.
Unfortunately, the New York DURB is more interested in protecting pocketbooks, and these young children will end up paying the price.
This elected pause painfully contradicts the theme of cutting-edge health care accessibility that Gov. Hochul has cultivated in the state. New York is investing millions of dollars in gene therapy R&D on newly built sites while restricting access to gene therapy.
This is an opportunity for Gov. Hochul to pioneer a creative solu-
MORRISSETTE from Page 27
extension paired with three fullyear appropriations — designed to stabilize some critical sectors. The bill includes everything from SNAP and WIC food assistance to new Government Accountability Office guardrails. It is not, how-
What was lost in those 42 days was not just time, but trust — trust in the idea that government can still serve as a reliable partner in shared prosperity.
tural institutions like the Studio Museum in Harlem and the United Negro College Fund. Soon, organizations such as 100 Black Men of New York and Jazzmobile will join this vibrant hub. This is not just a development — it's a movement, weaving together housing, culture, education and economic empowerment.
In today's climate, where civil rights protections are under siege and diversity initiatives face relentless attacks, the Empowerment Center stands as a defiant answer. It says: We will not be erased. Our history matters. Our communities deserve investment — not neglect. It is a physical manifestation of the Ur-
tion that balances patient health and fiscal responsibility, precisely the nuanced thinking she has demonstrated throughout her leadership.
New York will set a precedent here that will either put New York children last or first. High cost and bureaucratic hoops should not be the barrier between suffering children and life-saving treatment. The investments the state has made in gene therapy can only yield their full benefit if patients can access the groundbreaking therapies being researched and developed.
The way Gov. Hochul moves forward will define the way New York and other states operate for generations to come. I am here to work with the governor to assist her in ensuring the right pathway that
ever, singularly a reopening of the government. It restores pay for furloughed workers and reverses the administration's aggressive "reductions in force" that sought to permanently eliminate federal jobs. By reopening agencies that serve as lifelines to rural communities, veterans and historically disadvantaged entrepreneurs, the bill represents an essential, if temporary, restoration of capacity.
Yet, the near-term costs of the shutdown cannot be undone, and the political roots of this crisis threaten an even steeper economic cliff ahead. While the immediate shutdown caused unrecoverable losses in productivity and innovation momentum — felt particularly acutely by SEDI businesses that have been under siege this past year — the longer-term costs stem from the administra-
ban League's enduring mission: to be a bridge between aspiration and achievement, policy and people. Harlem's story has always been one of transformation — of turning struggle into strength. The Empowerment Center honors that legacy while charting a course for the future. It reminds us that progress is not inevitable; it must be built, brick by brick, with purpose and passion.
As we look toward America's 250th anniversary, this project offers a blueprint for what inclusive development can — and should — be. It is not just Harlem's triumph. It is a national call to action. WI
protects patients' access to care. WI
This is an opportunity for Gov. Hochul to pioneer a creative solution that balances patient health and fiscal responsibility, precisely the nuanced thinking she has demonstrated throughout her leadership.
tion's ongoing willingness to use government funding as leverage in ideological battles. If efforts to undermine the Affordable Care Act continue, disruptions to coverage and medical spending could eclipse the shutdown's $14 billion in permanent losses many times over, breaking the backs of businesses and workers.
What was lost in those 42 days was not just time, but trust — trust in the idea that government can still serve as a reliable partner in shared prosperity.
Reopening the government must therefore be more than an administrative restart; it must be an act of renewal. Restoring and buttressing agencies, like the MBDA and the CDFI Fund, are essential to repairing the social contract and to rebuilding an economy that works for all. WI
Advancing care in our communities.
Together, we are a force for good. That’s why we invest in partnerships that advance equity in local Black communities by improving access to educational opportunities, healthcare and mental health support.
