The Washington Informer - November 29, 2018

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VOL. 54, NO. 7 • NOVEMBER 29 - DECEMBER 5, 2018

Monthly WI Bridge Returns with News for Millennials / Center Section

D.C. Rolls Up its Sleeves in Battle Against AIDS World AIDS Day, Dec. 1st, to Provide Hope, Help and Love

By D. Kevin McNeir WI Editor @dkevinmcneir Saturday, Dec. 1 will mark the 30th anniversary of World AIDS Day with communities around the globe pulling out all the stops in efforts to raise money for research, offer testing for those unsure of their HIV status and take time out to honor the memory of those who have succumbed to AIDS-related illnesses. In conjunction, Whitman-Walker Health [WWH] will host its 32nd annual Walk & 5K to End HIV! – an event rescheduled to Dec. 1 after inclement weather caused organizers to delay the walk/run originally planned for the fall. With two locations in Northwest (Whitman-Walker @1525) and Southeast (Max Robison Center), the center’s staff says fundraising and participation can help save lives and provide needed support to the 40-year old nonprofit’s signature fundraising event. The goal: to work toward a future with zero new HIV infections and barrier-free access to treatment for people living with HIV. Today, more than 13,000 people live with HIV in the District – more than 25 percent of these individuals receive their care at Whitman-Walker. Challenges Facing the Black Community A long history of being exploited, abused and given erroneous information has caused many African Americans to be leery of medical care facilities, making the job of the staff at Whitman-Walker Health that much more difficult, says their external affairs manager, Jewel Addy.

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Residents Wary of St. Elizabeths Development By Sam P.K. Collins WI Contributing Writer @SamPKCollins

5 DC Councilmember Vincent Gray, Walk Grand Marshall Jim Obergefell, Rep. Eleanor Holmes Norton, Whitman-Walker Executive Director Don Blanchon and Bishop Allyson Abrams of Empowerment Liberation Cathedral hold the “We Can See the Finish Line” banner at the 2017 Walk & 5K to End HIV. /Photo by Edward Le Poulin

The highly anticipated transformation of St. Elizabeths East Campus in Congress Heights continued this week as the Bowser administration broke ground on the Residences at St. Elizabeths, seven historically preserved red brick buildings that, once fully revamped in 2020, will have 252 units, 80 percent of which have been designated as affordable. St. Elizabeths East Campus Executive Director Ed Fisher described the inclusion of affordable housing in the $100 million space, across the street from the newly

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Views Vary on Priorities for Ward 8 Residents

NBUF Hosts Spirited Discussion at THEARC By Sam P.K. Collins WI Contributing Writer @SamPKCollins A growing number of citizens in Ward 8 agree that time remains of the essence in stopping, or at least retarding, forces that threaten to increase the cost of living for some of the District’s poorest residents and spur inevitable mass displacement. Uniting around an effective strategy, however, remains elusive. But that didn’t derail efforts initiated by the National Black United Front [NBUF] on Mon-

day, Nov. 26 during which several dozen citizens from across the area gathered to discuss their concerns over a variety of overwhelming challenges that continue to disproportionately impact majority-Black communities East of the River. “At the end of the day, the elders failed us. Y’all owe the youth, not the other way around,” Ivan Hall, a single father and lifelong Ward 8 resident who moved Uptown earlier this year to secure better educational opportunities

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5 Residents of Ward 8 make their voices heard during a State of Southeast Town Hall Meeting sponsored by the National Black United Fund held at THEARC on Monday, Nov. /Photo by Roy Lewis

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