The Washington Informer - September 16, 2021 by The Washington Informer

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Malaika Wins World Literacy Award Page 39 Vol. 56, No. 48 • September 9 - 15, 2021

Mendelson and Bowser Clash over STAY DC Program James Wright WI Staff Writer D.C. Council Chairman Phil Mendelson recently voiced concern about STAY DC’s sluggish pace on distributing funds to needy tenants who face eviction but a key Bowser administration official says the program has worked well. “STAY DC needs to move more quickly,” Mendelson told the Informer on Sept. 10. “We have had a number of residents who are at risk of being evicted and writs to that effect have been issued. We need to get money immediately out of the door.” STAY DC serves as a financial assistance program for District renters and

housing providers who need help to cover housing and utility expenses and offset the loss of income due to the coronavirus pandemic. Federal funds largely fuel the $352 million program. D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser declared a public health emergency in the District in March 2020 because of the coronavirus. The emergency made it illegal for tenants to be evicted because of non-payment of rent. The mayor lifted the emergency in July, thereby setting up a timetable for landlords to go to D.C. Superior Court to file eviction notices. The D.C. Council intervened in July, setting up a process for landlords to evict

EVICTIONS Page 38

Sixth-Grade Class Quarantines Lead Johnson Middle School Parents to Seek Help Sam P.K. Collins WI Staff Writer Less than a month after students re- 5 Johnson Middle School in Southeast. turned to the classroom, D.C. Public (WI File Photo/Ja’Mon Jackson) School [DCPS]’s COVID-19 preparagrade -- nearly 130 students and teachers -- is tion and protocols are being tested. With more than 100 cases reported under quarantine, parents continue to raise systemwide, and nearly 850 DCPS stu- concerns about incomplete learning spaces dents in quarantine, attention has piv- and the difficulties that teachers face in adhering to social distancing guidelines. oted to on-the-ground conditions. While the Panther Guardians Parent At John Hayden Johnson Middle School, where 80 percent of the sixth COVID EXPLOSION Page 44

5 The District of Columbia is expected to resume evictions this week and has made a push to help residents in need with the STAY DC program. (DR Barnes/The Washington Informer)

Longtime Black Homeowners Feel Pressured to Sell Houses Kimberly Cataudella Special to the Washington Informer Lovell Walls is a third-generation Washingtonian. His maternal grandparents, Ada and John Wesley Bailey, bought an 18-year-old house on what is now Grant Street NE in 1939. They bought four plots of land at $10 each, public records show, and probably spent a few thousand dollars on the house, Walls said. Today, Walls calls this house in Ward 7 his home. Its value is assessed by the District at more than $430,000. Real estate site RedFin estimates its worth at close to $500,000. The District is experiencing the hottest housing market in

OUR HOUSE Page 37

5 Lovell Walls, a Ward 7 resident has been bombarded with requests to purchase his house. (Shevry Lassiter/The Washington Informer)

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COMPILED BY WI STAFF WRITER WILLIAM J. FORD AND WI SENIOR EDITOR D. KEVIN MCNEIR

Two Prince George’s Residents Seek State Delegate Seats Prince Georgians LaTasha Ward and Marlin Jenkins have announced their plans to run for seats in the Maryland House of Delegates. Ward, who ran unsuccessfully in 2018 for one of the three District 24 seats, will try again to replace Del. Erek Baron, nominated by the White House to serve as a U.S. attorney for Maryland. Ward, a community activist and the former campaign manager for Prince George’s Circuit Court Judge Gladys Weatherspoon, received the most votes in last year’s election. Jenkins, who works as a community liaison for Del. Wanika Fisher (D-District 47B), will seek Fisher’s seat who plans to run for Prince George’s County Council’s District 2 seat. Jenkins, of Hyattsville, ran unsuccessfully in 2018 for a delegate seat when he resided in Montgomery County. His website at https://marlinformaryland. com highlights his background which includes former deputy for the Maryland Vaccine Equity Task Force.

The second, four-year term for Prince George’s council vice chair Deni Taveras (D-District 2) of Adelphi expires in December 2022. Taveras plans to seek Fisher’s seat, according to an updated website at https://votedenitaveras. com/. The primary takes place June 28. WI

5 LaTasha Ward and Marlin Jenkins. (Courtesy photos)

Comcast’s RISE Grants to Support Businesses Owned by People of Color

In Memoriam Dr. Calvin W. Rolark, Sr. Wilhelmina J. Rolark THE WASHINGTON INFORMER NEWSPAPER (ISSN#0741-9414) is published weekly on each Thursday. Periodicals postage paid at Washington, D.C. and additional mailing offices. News and advertising deadline is Monday prior to publication. Announcements must be received two weeks prior to event. Copyright 2016 by The Washington Informer. All rights reserved. POSTMASTER: Send change of addresses to The Washington Informer, 3117 Martin Luther King, Jr. Ave., S.E. Washington, D.C. 20032. No part of this publication may be reproduced without written permission from the publisher. The Informer Newspaper cannot guarantee the return of photographs. Subscription rates are $45 per year, two years $60. Papers will be received not more than a week after publication. Make checks payable to: THE WASHINGTON INFORMER 3117 Martin Luther King, Jr. Ave., S.E Washington, D.C. 20032 Phone: 202 561-4100 Fax: 202 574-3785 news@washingtoninformer.com www.washingtoninformer.com

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Comcast recently announced it will award $1 million in grants to 100 small businesses owned by people of color, including Black, Indigenous, Hispanic, and Asian American owners, among others, in the District, as well as technology and marketing resources to 93 businesses in the area. These recipients are part of nearly 4,700 entrepreneurs nationwide who have been selected as Comcast RISE awardees since November 2020. D.C. was one of six cities, including Houston, Miami, Oakland, Seattle and the Twin Cities, selected to award a $10,000 grant to 100 local businesses from the Comcast RISE Investment Fund, for a total of $6 million across 600 businesses. Through Comcast RISE, the company will also support 13,000 small businesses, owned by people of color, with monetary grants; a TV campaign, production of a TV commercial or consulting services from Effectv; or computer equipment, internet, voice or cybersecurity from Comcast Business by the end of 2022. In addition, Comcast RISE invests in ongoing mentorship and resources to help businesses succeed over the long-term. The program has partnered with Ureeka, an online platform for entrepreneurs, to provide grant recipients with business coaching to help build skills in company foundation, growing customers and financial stability. Comcast RISE was formed in late 2020 to give small businesses owned by people of color, from bakeries and barber shops to childcare centers and cleaning services, the tools needed to not just survive, but thrive. The 4,700 recipients are from 422 cities across 34 states. More information and the applications to apply for either the grant program or marketing and technology services are available at www.ComcastRISE.com. WI

Maia Chaka Becomes First Black Woman to Officiate NFL Game

Maia Chaka made history on Sunday, Sept. 12, becoming the first Black woman to officiate an NFL game. She worked as a line judge for the Jets-Panthers game. Chaka said on an official NFL Instagram post before the game, “it’s a privilege that I’ve been chosen to represent women and women of color in the most popular sport in America.” She added that “it's a proud moment for myself. It's a proud moment for my family. It's a proud moment for my community and my students and coworkers.” She counts as just the third on-field female NFL official, joining Sarah Thomas, the first female hired as a full-time NFL official and the first woman to officiate in the Super Bowl, and Shannon Eastin. She previously worked as an official on the college level for the Pac-12 Conference and Conference USA before joining the NFL’s Officiating Development Program in 2014. The program “identifies top collegiate officiating talent to expose them to some of the same experiences as NFL officials,” the NFL said. Chaka graduated from Norfolk State University with a bachelor’s in education in 2006. WI

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Norton Chairs D.C. Statehood Issue Forum for CBC Conference James Wright WI Staff Writer

D.C. Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton served as the host for the “A New Majority for D.C. Statehood” virtual issue forum for the 50th Annual Congressional Black Caucus Foundation Annual Legislative Conference that took place on Sept. 13. In addition to Norton, panelists for the 27-minute issue forum included U.S. Sen. Ben Cardin (DMd.), Justin Vail, the special assistant to the president for Democracy & Civic Participation and Stasha Rhodes, the campaign manager for 51 for 51, an advocacy organization with the goal of getting a D.C. statehood bill on the Senate floor without the filibuster as an impediment. Norton, who shepherded the passing of her own D.C. statehood bill for the second time in the U.S. House of Representatives in April, led the issue forum three months after the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee held its second ever hearing on D.C. statehood. Sen. Thomas Carper (D-Del.) serves as the author and primary sponsor of the Senate’s “The Washington, D.C. Admission Act of 2021.” Carper’s bill has 45 co-sponsors, with 44 Democrats and one independent. His bill has no Republican sponsors. One Democrat, Sen. Joe Manchin (W.Va.), said he supports the District becoming a state but only through a constitutional amendment. Democrats Kyrsten Sinema and Mark Kelly of Arizona and indepen-

dent Angus King of Maine have not publicly weighed in on D.C. statehood legislation. Without a change to the Senate’s filibuster rules, Carper’s bill would need 60 votes for consideration on the chamber’s floor.

CARDIN

Cardin said the District becoming the 51st state of the Union “will correct a great wrong.” “There is no justification for the denial of the full rights for the 700,000 residents of the District of Columbia,” Cardin said. “Congresswoman Norton, your friends in Maryland and around the nation are with you on this. This is a basic denial of human rights.” Cardin said that as the chairman of the Helsinki Commission, he let it be known that District residents could not fully participate in its national legislature, that being a violation of international human rights. Cardin said his fellow Democratic senators are with the residents of the District and “we are making progress in the Senate.”

VAIL

Vail said the Biden-Harris administration strongly supports D.C. statehood. “We urge Congress to send the bill to the president’s desk so he can sign it,” he said. “It is an affront to the very democratic values that we stand for that the District is not a state.” Vail said Congress has within its power to make the city a state and called for the Senate to move quickly so the orderly transition to statehood could take place.

Cardin said that as the chairman of the

Helsinki Commission, he let it be known that District residents could not fully

participate in its national legislature,

that being a violation of international human rights.

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RHODES

Rhodes said while she supports with enthusiasm such legislation such as For the People Act of 2021 and the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act of 2021, the D.C. statehood bill should be embraced by the voting rights movement, also. “It shouldn’t just be H.R. 1 or H.R. 5 but H.R. 51, too,” she said. Rhodes said 54 percent of Americans in a recent poll favored statehood for the District. “Throughout our two-and-a-half year working for statehood, we have found the more people knew about D.C. residents not having their full rights despite paying federal taxes, the more they supported us,” she said. “What we need now is for D.C. residents to tell their story. We are a city of nurses and librarians who are disconnected from the lobbyists and the press the city is known for.” WI @JamesDCWrighter

5 Eleanor Holmes Norton represents the District in the U.S. Congress. (Roy Lewis/The Washington Informer)

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1973 – Illinois becomes the first state to honor Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday as a holiday. 1983 – Vanessa Williams (top) becomes the first African American to be crowned Miss America.

SEPT. 18

1850 – The Fugitive Slave Act, which required that all escaped slaves were to be returned to their masters upon capture, is passed by the U.S. Congress. 1895 – Booker T. Washington delivers the Atlanta Compromise speech. The compromise was a deal struck between Southern Blacks and whites that Blacks would work and submit to white political rule in exchange for basic education and due process in law. 1951 – Ben Carson, retired neurosurgeon and former presidential candidate, is born in Detroit. 1970 – Rock icon Jimi Hendrix is found dead in a London apartment at age 27. 1980 – Arnaldo Tamayo Méndez, a Cuban Air Force pilot, becomes the first Hispanic and first person of African ancestry to travel in outer space.

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1893 – Black inventor Elbert R. Robinson receives patent for the electric highway trolley. 1931 – Singer Brook Benton of "Rainy Night in Georgia" fame is born in Camden, South Carolina.

SEPT. 20

1958 – Martin Luther King Jr. is stabbed during a Harlem book signing by Izola Ware Curry, an African American woman later diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia. 1984 – "The Cosby Show" debuts on NBC, beginning an eight-year run as one of television's all-time most beloved and successful shows.

SEPT. 21

1872 – John H. Conyers becomes the first African American admitted to the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis. 1891 – Inventor F.W. Leslie is issued a patent for the envelope seal. 1989 – Colin Powell (above) is confirmed by the Senate as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the first African American to hold the position.

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1828 – Shaka Zulu, monarch of Africa's Zulu Kingdom, is assassinated. 1862 – President Abraham Lincoln issues a preliminary Emancipation Proclamation, which sets a date for the freedom of more than 3 million Black slaves in the United States. 1950 – Civil rights icon Ralph Bunche becomes the first African American to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. WI

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The World According to Dominic D. Kevin McNeir / WI Senior Editor

What I Learned When Tupac Shakur Met the Supremes

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Before I decided to commit myself to a career as a journalist, I worked in the trenches as a high school teacher in two departments: English and Religion. Later, I would become an adjunct professor at several colleges in Chicago and then in Atlanta. Because the world was changing so rapidly in the 90s and the early 2000s, particularly due to a surge in technological advancements and with the rise in the popularity of rap and hip-hop, I often struggled to find more creative ways to maintain my students’ interests and ensure their participation. I knew the power that one wields when they have full command of the English language and wanted my students to understand that the most effective way to secure change remained not with the sword but with the pen. One evening, while listening to the radio, I heard a young rapper rattle off the lyrics to a song that made me stop in my tracks. Hiphop didn’t really appeal to me given my penchant for the kinds of music that I had grown up hearing, learning and loving out of Motown. But there was one rising star in the hip-hop world who truly fasci-

What made me a fan and follower of Tupac Shakur was his uncanny ability to dissect the changes occurring in society and provide his critique. His prowess as a lyricist made him a force to be reckoned with – then and now, 25 years after his tragic nated me. But what garnered my attention and caused me to begin focusing on his music was not his bravado, his youthful swag or his thug-like persona which I later learned was more by design than actual experience. What made me a fan and follower of Tupac Shakur was his uncanny ability to dissect the changes occurring in society and provide his critique. His prowess as a lyricist made him a force to be reckoned with – then and now, 25 years after his tragic death. I would use the lyrics from his mind-blowing, 1991 release, “Brenda’s Got a Baby” and compare them to the words from one

of my favorite Supremes songs, “Love Child,” a No.1 single released by Diana Ross and her girls in 1968. Both songs addressed the issue of teen pregnancy. But it was clear that how society viewed this challenge for young girls, especially Black girls, had undergone significant changes. While I didn’t want to try to convince my students that one perspective was more appropriate than the other, I did want them to be able to analyze and share their views on the differences that had ensued over the years. In “Love Child” the prevailing attitude was clear: sexual intercourse before marriage, and the possibility of pregnancy, should be avoided at all costs. The changes that came from being a young, unwed mothers, were far too great. But as Tupac later illustrated, those “costs” had become even greater – even life-threatening – just a few decades later. It would be one of those teachable moments that led to provocative conversations which continued even after our time in the classroom was over. But my students weren’t the only ones who learned something during our classroom encounter. I grew as well. Judge for yourself as you look at just an excerpt of the lyrics below. We need more Tupacs today. May he rest in peace.

TUPAC Page 32

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Adofo Challenges Prestwood for Leadership of Ward 8 Democrats

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James Wright WI Staff Writer Troy Donte Prestwood will seek re-election as the president of the Ward 8 Democrats but he faces a challenge from the club’s second vice president, Salim Adofo. The showdown will occur at the club’s 2021 biennial convention slated for Sept. 18 at the Temple of Praise Church. All Ward 8 registered Democrats will be allowed to cast their ballot for the office of president and other positions including first and second vice president and recording and corresponding secretary and corresponding secretary. While the convention kicks off at 11 a.m. and ends at 2 p.m., the voting begins at noon and concludes at 2 p.m. Whoever emerges as the president will take over one of the District’s most active political clubs among the city’s eight wards. With 48,760 registered Democrats, according to recent data from the D.C. Board of Elections, the Ward 8 Democrats has the sixth greatest number of Democratic members in the city. With 82% of the ward’s registered voters as Democrats, it trails only neighboring Ward 7 as having the highest percentage of the party’s members in the District. The Ward 8 Democrats have historically defined trends in mayoral contests. In 2010, though D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty received the most votes out of the Ward 8 Democrats during a public poll, the momentum in the race shifted to then D.C. Council Chairman Vincent Gray who defeated Fenty in the Democratic primary. Four years later, Ward 4 Councilmember Muriel Bowser’s campaign for mayor received a crucial boost when she defeated Gray in a straw poll of Ward 8 Democrats. Past presidents of the Ward 8 Democrats include D.C. Democratic State Committee Chairman Charles Wilson and At-Large D.C. State Board of Education member Jacque Patterson.

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Prepare for unexpected power outages with a Generac home standby generator 5 Troy Prestwood (left), who serves as the president of the Ward 8 Democrats and is a former advisory neighborhood commissioner, faces a challenge by Salim Adofo, (right) the club’s second vice president. (WI file photo)

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“In regard to the LGBTQ celebration, we wanted to make sure all of the voices in the community are heard.” – TROY PRESTWOOD ry neighborhood commissioner for the 8A commission based in Anacostia. First elected president of the Ward 8 Democrats in 2019, he said he wants to continue the progress the club has made under his leadership. “We still have more work to do,” he said. “We have a strong record to run on.” Prestwood noted club events dealing with the census, the District government budget, the push to get more ward residents on the city’s boards and commissions, establishing the Ward 8 Democrats Lifetime Achievement Award and setting up a celebration of the LGBTQ community, among his several accomplishments. “In regard to the LGBTQ celebration, we wanted to make sure all of the voices in the community are heard,” he said. If re-elected, Prestwood wants to continue to educate ward residents on the new voting technologies, testify before the D.C. Council on policies and legislation, reach out to young people in the ward with better engagement and continue to help more residents register to vote.

ADOFO SHARES MULTI-TIERED PLATFORM

Adofo has served as an advisory neighborhood commissioner for 8C since 2018, defeating longtime commissioner Mary Cuthbert for the position. He currently chairs the 8C Commission and has consistently supported policy changes for liquor licenses of retail establishments and proposed strategies for curtailing the ward’s deadly gun violence. He has also worked extensively with the District’s chapter of the National Black United Front in their efforts to host food drives and clothing giveaways. If elected, Adofo said he will work to better prepare those who have an interest in representing Ward 8, increase the ward’s engagement on legislation on the D.C. Council and provide an avenue for residents to gain greater understanding of the political process while allowing more opportunities for civic engagement among students. WI @JamesDCWrighter

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Howard University Gradually Bounces Back from Ransomware Attack Students, Staff Address Ongoing Cyberspace Situation Sam P.K. Collins WI Staff Writer Howard University (HU) resumed online and in-person instruction in the third week of September after a ransomware cyber attack brought most activity to a halt for several days. For the time being, students, faculty, and staff have access to some of the university’s most common applications. As administrators explained on Sept. 12, recovery will happen in phases and in a manner that ensures continuity of operations. In the aftermath of service disruptions and the compromise of important data, some students, like Kaya Freeman, relished the gradual return to normalcy. “Some people clicked a link and gave their passwords to the hackers,” said Freeman, a freshman from West Bloomfield, Mich. “It’s been hard in terms of watching television, using your computer and writing papers. Teachers postponed deadlines because you can’t go online unless you have a hotspot. It’s affecting our schoolwork but you do what you can on campus.”

A GROWING THREAT

In ransomware attacks, hackers use phishing emails to steal user credentials and access to IT networks. They then block institutions’ access to networks and leverage stolen information to demand their target pays a hefty sum. Over the last couple of years, tactics have included threats to sell stolen information on the darkweb if demands aren’t met. In 2020, the average ransom demand totaled more than $312,000, a report by Unit 42/Palo Alto Networks determined. Since its detection of unusual activity on Sept. 3, HU has collaborated with external forensic experts and law enforcement officials to fully investigate the cause of the ransomware attack and its impact. HU told The Informer that its response team, composed of in-person and remote personnel, has used its resources to add new secure systems. Such tools build upon security up-

dates the university has implemented over the years with the aid of what officials described as expert cybersecurity partners. Over the last few days, much of HU’s focus has been on protecting data and strengthening its network, all while keeping HU community members abreast of the ongoing situation. “Faculty, staff, and students should soon expect audits concerning devices and access credentials associated with university work and operations,” Executive Vice President & Chief Operating Officer Tashni-Ann Dubroy and Provost & Chief Academic Officer Anthony K. Wutoh said in a Sept. 10 statement. “These audits will require sweeping of phones, laptops, and other digital work tools, which may be susceptible to data breaching. All university usernames, email addresses and other login credentials will be verified for authenticity, access privileges, and activity.

PREVENTING FUTURE RANSOMWARE ATTACKS

Throughout the pandemic, and in the months leading up to the full return to in-person learning in the U.S., threats of ransomware attacks, phishing emails, identity theft against K-12 and collegiate institutions have increased. In July, cybersecurity group Check Point Security recorded an average of 1,700 cyberattacks per week, an increase of nearly 30 percent from the first half of the year. That’s why experts encourage institutions to tighten access to critical documents and utilize encryption to deter hackers. Additional safeguards include multi-factor authentication, software updates, and training employees to detect phishing attempts. An HU employee who spoke to The Informer suggested that, in the spirit of preventing future ransomware attacks, HU provides more support for an IT department they described as overworked and underpaid. The longtime employee, who requested anonymity, said the university has gradually outsourced IT

personnel over the years as a cost-saving measure, all while passing on the work of employees who leave the university to their colleagues already juggling responsibilities of their own. “It’s a lot of work and you’re in multiple roles,” the employee said. “Howard saves money and the people who do that type of management get bonuses. They do a great job [saving money] but the workers should be given that money if anything.”

FINDING COMMUNITY IN ALL THE CONFUSION

On Monday, HU freshman Kayla Austin attempted to jump back into the rhythm of academic life, but found doing that a bit difficult.

ATTACK Page 44

5 A student uses a computer. (Photo courtesy Howard University News Service)

WELCOME BACK TO RECESS! DC is making it easy for everyone ages 12 and up to get the COVID-19 vaccine. Get vaccinated and be even more confident heading back to school. Go to backtoschool.dc.gov to learn more about childhood immunizations and the COVID-19 vaccine.

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SEPTEMBER 16 - 22, 2021 11

PRINCE GEORGE'S COUNTY Panel: Injustice Created Through Unhealthy Food Choices William J. Ford WI Staff Writer

5 Volunteers await to put bags and boxes of food in vehicles at distribution giveaway Sept. 11 at Kingdom Fellowship AME

prevalent in the Black community. A Church at High Point High School in Beltsville. (Robert R. Roberts/The Washington Informer) panel led by Sen. Cory Booker (D-N. J.) said the country’s lack of healthy about seven years, spoke during a to produce a healthier society such as: , said government officials should innearly one-hour session entitled “Food Provide financial incentives for new corporate zoning laws to limit the loThe Centers for Disease Control food options are part of the reason. and Prevention notes the ongoing “We have a savagely broken food Justice: The State of Food and Nutri- businesses that manufacture healthy cation of fast-food restaurants. products. “We have 7.8 billion on this Earth, coronavirus pandemic affects those system that is hurting everyone but tion in Black Communities.” According to Move for Hunger of Cook school lunches versus serving but [only] a handful of corporations with underlying conditions such as big, multinational corporations where heart disease, high blood pressure and too many Americans are overfed, but Red Bank, N. J., about one in six chil- processed food heated in microwaves. controlling our food system,” she said. Show videos of how animals are “Our number one target is our childiabetes. undernourished,” he said Tuesday, dren “face hunger each day” and 42 dren.” The federal agency noted how the Sept. 14 during the Congressional million Americans are food insecure, killed to produce food. Read the labels that showcase calLevya, who produced a film two pandemic “has brought social and ra- Black Congress Foundation’s 50th or lack resources to provide affordable ories, sugar and information on food years ago called “The Invisible Vegan” cial injustice and inequity to the fore- annual legislative conference. “It is and healthy food options. Three women – Tambra Raye Ste- and drink products. at, said she would “wave my wind and front of public health.” making our nation tragically sit on epvenson, Karen Washington and JasWashington, co-owner and farmer require truth.” Various health studies and reports idemic levels.” For instance, she said chicken prohave shown health ailments are more Booker, who’s been a vegan for mine C. Leyva – outlined several ideas at Rise & Root Farm in Chester, N.Y. cessing features the use of chlorine, the chemical used in swimming pools to existing, proposed development,” kill bacteria and found in some houseBellamy said during a more than hold cleaning products. four-hour public hearing on Mon“Rebuild the trust between the peoday, Sept. 13. ple and the government,” said Leyva, The virtual hearing with the who resides in Los Angeles. “If you are county’s planning board and Dis- putting out policies on top of distrust, William J. Ford Park in Capitol Heights near InterBellamy, chief executive officer trict Council allowed comments you’re not going to have people getstate 95 would affect current con- for Velocity Companies in GreenWI Staff Writer Monday and Tuesday, Sept. 14 on ting involved in wanting to see these struction of an office building slated belt that helped redevelop the mall, the “countywide map amendment.” policies flourish in getting the support Brandon Bellamy believes a pro- to include Prince George’s County’s said the industrial employment The hearings count as part of the fi- [officials] need.” Office of Aging. designation doesn’t fit with the posed zoning change at Hampton nal step for members of the County land currently zoned for mixedStevenson, who serves on the D.C. Council, which sits as the District Food Policy Council, said what’s needuse transportation. (The property Council on land use and zoning ed for a healthy society in the Black includes an IHOP, Dunkin Domatters, to possibly approve new community that includes: invest in nuts and Home Depot.) maps and zoning districts by No- educational programs to hire Black However, he said the mall could vember. be rezoned under the new “comnutritionists and dieticians, conduct “We know it will be a benefit to research on African-based diets and semercial, general office” designathe development of Prince George’s cure equitable funding from the Small tion. A summary shows that the County,” Councilmember Todd Business Administration to support zone which he recommends “proTurner (D-District 4) of Bowie said Black entrepreneurs. vides for a broad and diverse range before Monday’s hearing. of retail, business, civic and mixed“These are the issues that need to “Given the time, the effort and be addressed,” said Stevenson, who use development at major intersecthe money that’s been spent on this founded Women Advancing Nutritions and other highly-visible and process, it’s nice to say that we are tion Dietetics and Agriculture at www. accessible locations.” getting close but until we say that it’s iamwanda.org. “An inclusive food sys“This is the zone that is most 5 The University of Maryland Capital Region Medical Center in Largo sits within similar to the zone we have right tem is a resilient food system.” WI the zoning district labeled regional transit-oriented, high intensity. (Robert R. Roberts/ now and is most reflective of the ZONING Page 53 @jabariwill The Washington Informer)

Residents, Merchants Make the Case for Zoning Changes in Prince George’s

12 SEPTEMBER 16 - 22, 2021

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PRINCE GEORGE’S COUNTY

Maryland Committee Approves Mask Mandate in Public Schools William J. Ford WI Staff Writer A Maryland legislative committee approved an emergency declaration Tuesday, Sept. 14 for public school students, teachers and staff to wear masks and face coverings. The declaration, first considered last month by the state board of education, will immediately go into effect until Feb. 25 as a way to “prevent public school closures and limit the number of students required to quarantine out of the classroom during the 2021–2022 school year due to COVID-19.” Lawmakers with the General Assembly’s Joint Committee on Administrative, Executive, and Legislative Review voted 10-7 in support of the mask requirement during a fourhour virtual public hearing. “I really think this is good, public policy that protects our children and educational staff as we navigate these really challenging times,” said Sen. Malcolm Augustine (D-District 47) of Cheverly who voted in favor of the declaration. All the Republican members voted against it. Some explained it takes away control from local school officials. “The regulation is just one more step to remove local discretion in public education and it’s not warranted,” said Sen. Robert Cassilly (R-Harford County). “It seems that it’s more of a political statement.” As of Tuesday, the state Health Department reported that nearly 1,100 confirmed coronavirus cases have surfaced during a 24-hour period. Hospitalizations increased by 26 patients Monday, Sept. 13 for a total of 828. The figure sat below 800 on Sept. 6. The majority of the state’s 24 school systems required students and school staff to wear masks in buildings and on buses. Somerset and Carroll counties represented the only two school systems that didn’t implement universal mask policies, but the declaration requires all school systems to adopt policies and procedures “expeditiously.” That’s why at least half of the people who testified came from Carroll County, engaging in some verbal

Not all Carroll County parents agree with the school board’s decisions in not offering virtual learning in July for summer school and to make masks optional.

lashings during Tuesday’s virtual public hearing. Trey Stokely, 42, opposes the declaration because it takes away a parent’s right to choose. “My wife and I do a damn good job at parenting our two kids,” he said. “I truly appreciate your offer, but I respectfully decline your assistance in helping me parent my children.” Not all Carroll County parents agree with the school board’s decisions in not offering virtual learning in July for summer school and to make masks optional. “This board has not done everything it could do to keep our kids safe,” said Niki Guinan, whose two children are younger than 12 years old and not able to receive a COVID-19 vaccine. “We rely on you to act responsibly in defense of our kids.” Shortly after the vote, Senate President Bill Ferguson (D-Baltimore City) released a statement to applaud the committee’s vote. “This measure, which the senate called for weeks ago, comes at a time when school has already begun across the state and the protection of our children needs to remain our top priority,” Ferguson said. “We know mask wearing helps slow the spread of COVID-19 and my goal has been to keep as many kids learning in school as possible.” WI @jabariwill

5 Deerfield Run Assistant Principal Nicole Scott (center) helps direct parents and students in line Sept. 8 on the first day of school in Prince George’s County. (Robert R. Roberts/The Washington Informer)

A Message from Prince George’s County Chamber of Commerce

A More Perfect Disunion Our civic acrimony over vaccines and masks has uncovered an unfortunate truth, that our union is divided. Public meetings, on-line opinion makers and families are entwined in divisive infighting that is leaving all of us in confusion and disengagement. Even for our children’s sake, we cannot come together! Our disunity is grounded on the bombastic notion that individualism trumps community. Those who hold on to this notion point to our founding documents and the Constitution that protects individual liberty and the right to make self-centered decisions. Ignored here is the principal of forming a more perfect union. Our powerful Constitution begins with the iconic words,” We the People in order to form a More Perfect Union” not we the individuals in order to protect our individual rights. In short, our government and democracy were formed to build a unified society protected by the law. Of course, discourse will emerge, however these differences are meant to make this Union stronger. On this country’s current health and societal crisis, we find ourselves in a mirage of discontent supported by individualism. Needed is community that debates the path that brings all of us to health, safety, and community. The cacophony of suspicion and intrigue has clouded the need for collective action. We must return to civic and civil dialogue and discourse that directs us to a higher calling. That calling, is community! It is the only remedy that will cure us of this health crisis.

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David C. Harrington President & CEO Not a member? 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*

SEPTEMBER 16 - 22, 2021 13

BUSINESS FIRST OF A TWO-PART SERIES

Leaders in Media and Advertising Focus on Advancing Diverse Talent Retention

Inaugural Series of Events, including Gen Z Town Hall, Slated for Sept. 20-23 D. Kevin McNeir WI Senior Editor Those who hail from the Baby Boomer generation may count as the last segment of Americans who believed that securing a career meant staying in one job or with one company until their retirement. But the terrain has changed in

many ways, particularly due to advancements in technology including the internet, social media and the expansion of the economy which now represents participants and entities from nations worldwide. Recognizing these and other fundamental changes and their impact on the kinds of strategies and best practices that must be

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employed for businesses to succeed, more than 80 changemakers from the media, advertising and entertainment community will soon participate in a four-day event, Advancing Diversity Week, Sept. 20-23. The inaugural series of events will allow for provocative conversations about advocacy, activism, equity and belonging, culminating with a Gen Z Town Hall. Advancing Diversity Week’s series of keynote addresses and provocative panel discussions will be hosted by MediaVillage.com, AdvancingDiveristy. org and The Female Quotient [The FQ] featuring themes which include: D-E-I + Belonging!; Belonging + Retention; and Multicultural + Meaning. Other highlights from the week include a tribute to some of today’s most creative and advanced-thinking leaders from within the media industry. They will be joining previous inductees as new members of the Advancing Diversity Hall of Honors – a recognition event that marks its fourth year. The roots of the Advancing Diversity series can be traced to Jack Myers, recognized as the nation’s best-known practicing media ecologist and the founder of MediaVillage and AdvancingDiversity. org. Myers remains committed to a philosophy of industry innovation focused on growth and has built a leading consulting firm whose innovative approaches to strategic innovation have been adopted by more than 200 media, advertising and marketing clients. The 10 Advancing Diversity Hall of Honors inductees, who will be sharing their stories, and

A D VA N C I N G DIVERSITY FROM ADVOCACY TO ACTIVISM

ADVANCING DIVERSITY WEEK SEPTEMBER 20TH — 23 RD 2021

2021 Advancing Diversity Hall of Honors Inductees honors accepted by:

Marla Kaplowitz

Simon Fenwick

Jacki Kelley

Steve Pacheco

Sherina Smith

Tina Davis

Byron Allen

Dean Gracie Lawson-Borders

Yvette Moyo

responding to audience questions, include: [4A’s] American Association of Advertising Agencies’ President and Chief Executive Officer Marla Kaplowitz; 4A’s Foundation’s Executive Vice President of Talent and Engagement Simon Fenwick; American Advertising Federation’s President and Chief Executive Officer Steve Pacheco; American Family Insurance’s Vice President and Head of Marketing Sherina Smith; Citi’s Interim Chief Marketing Officer Tina Davis; Entertainment

Studios’ Founder, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Byron Allen; Howard University’s Cathy Hughes School of Communications’ Dean and Professor Gracie Lawson-Borders; MOBE / Marketing Opportunities in Business & Entertainment’s Founder Yvette Moyo; and The CW’s Executive Vice President of Development Gaye Hirsch For a complete agenda of speakers and events visit www.advancingdiveristy.org. WI

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14 SEPTEMBER 16 - 22, 2021

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BUSINESS

Bowser, Hogan and Northam Talk to Business Leaders about COVID-19 James Wright WI Staff Writer D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser, Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan and Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam addressed a gathering of business owners and executives on Sept. 9 about the Washington, D.C. region’s economy and how it has been impacted by the coronavirus pandemic. The trio of jurisdictional leaders served as the featured guests of the 2021 Capital Region Business Forum held at the Hilton Washington, DC National Mall The Wharf in Southwest. The Prince George’s County Chamber of Commerce, the Greater Washington Board of Trade and the Northern Virginia Chamber of Commerce co-sponsored the event. “This is probably one of the most important conversations we have ever had in this region,” said Rose Allen Herring, president and CEO of the United Way National Capi-

tal Area and the 2021 chair of the Greater Washington Board of Trade. “Where else can you get the mayor and the governors at the same time?” The three leaders shared their insights as the region slowly recovers from the effects of the coronavirus pandemic. Roughly defined, the Washington, D.C. region consists of the District; Prince George’s and Montgomery counties in Maryland; and in Virginia, Alexandria, Arlington, Fairfax and the counties of Prince Williams and Loudoun. POLICOM, an independent economic research firm based in Palm City, Fla., identified the Washington, D.C. metro area as having the strongest economy in the U.S. in 2015. Fifteen Fortune 500 companies have headquarters in the Washington region along with 400 international associations and 1,000 internationally-owned companies, according to data from the office of the D.C. deputy mayor for planning and economic development.

BOWSER OPTIMISTIC ABOUT THE FUTURE

Bowser told the business leaders that the District is “open for business.” “It’s time for us to get back to work,” the mayor said. “We’ve stuck together and made tremendous sacrifices during the COVID period. We will be stronger coming out of the pandemic.” Bowser highlighted several initiatives developed to assist struggling businesses including the $100 million Bridge Fund established last year. When the new city budget takes effect on Oct. 1, it will provide money for rent relief and other financial offerings. The mayor said infrastructure jobs will be key for Washingtonians and noted the completion of the new $440 million Frederick Douglass Memorial Bridge as an example of the city’s willingness to repair its roadways and bridges. Bowser said the Washington re-

5 D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser, Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam and Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan at the 2021 Capital Region Business Forum. (James Wright/The Washington Informer)

gion’s Metro system will need more federal money, reiterating how this and similar requests would have a better chance of being approved with D.C. finally being granted statehood. “We will be able to get the funding we need for Metro if the Washington, D.C. area had six senators on Capitol Hill instead of four,” she said.

HOGAN LIKES HIS STATE’S COVID METRICS

The governor said business leaders should be pleased with Maryland’s coronavirus metrics.

FORUM Page 52

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2:10:19 PM SEPTEMBER 16 -6/2/2021 22, 2021 15

NATIONAL President Biden Issues Executive Order Requiring Vaccination for Nation's Federal Employees Natalie C. Hockaday WI Staff Writer President Biden issued an executive order requiring all federal employees to be vaccinated. The Sept. 9 order surfaced amid a national and global surge of the COVID-19 virus through the

Delta Variant. The mutated form of the virus has become the dominant variant among COVID-19 cases in the United States as mask mandates and other safety protocols have been put in place in different areas of the country. Meanwhile, the Centers for

Disease Control and Prevention continues to prompt the public to get vaccinated because, the agency said, it has proven to be the most effective way to combat the virus. “It is essential that federal employees take all available steps to protect themselves and avoid spreading COVID-19 to their co-workers and members of the public. The CDC has found that the best way to do so is to be vaccinated,” Biden said during a briefing last week. According to the D.C. COVID-19 dashboard on the website of the District’s department of health, an estimated 57.7 percent of residents are fully vaccinated. However, younger generations still have lower vaccination rates compared to older generations, officials said, noting that only thirty-six percent of those between the age of eighteen and twenty-four are fully vaccinated and sixty percent of those between the ages of fifty and sixty-four are fully vaccinated. More data on vaccination rates are available at the D.C. coronavirus dashboard. WI

5 President Joe Biden (Photo courtesy The White House)

Prince George’s Groups Collaborate for Two-Year Project on ‘Freedom Stories’ William J. Ford WI Staff Writer A descendant of a family enslaved on a former White Marsh plantation in Prince George’s County described slavery in one word: theft. The comment came from Sandra Green Thomas, who’s mentioned in a book written by William G. Thomas III about families who trace their lineage to the Maryland jurisdiction now home to the state’s second largest population. The book, entitled “A Question of Freedom: The Families Who Challenged Slavery from the Nation’s Founding to the Civil War,” will serve as a nucleus to educate, inform and enlighten about stories of slavery. More specifically, highlight families who resided in Prince George’s that fought for their freedom through Maryland

16 SEPTEMBER 16 - 22, 2021

and federal courts starting in the late 1700s. “Enslaved families challenged slavery as a matter of law. Challenging it as unjust. Challenging it as contradictory to natural law,” Thomas said Thursday, Sept. 9 at Joe’s Movement Emporium in Mount Rainier. “In many ways, we have a story of American history that left out these kind of stories.” Thomas’s book will be part of a two-year project to include various programs, in-person discussions and other events led by agencies and groups from Prince George’s. Joe’s Movement, a cultural arts center, plans to showcase a play next year based on the book led by award-winning playwright Psalmayene 24, whose formal name is Gregory Morrison. He’s con-

FREEDOM Page 17

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FREEDOM from Page 16

ducted several acting, playwright and directorial productions locally and nationwide such as Kalamazoo College in Michigan, Imagination Stage in Bethesda, Md., and The Kennedy Center in Northwest. The Brooklyn, N.Y., native who colleagues call “Psalm,” also serves as an adjunct professor at Bowie State University. “Part of my function is to enable the audience to experience catharsis,” he said. “I can’t think of a better story, a better narrative than the stories that exist in this book. My artistic vision and mission is to highlight little known stories that illuminate the Black experience. This is right up my alley.” The county’s Office of Human Rights will also conduct various activities that included a unity rally Friday, Sept. 10 at Seabrook Seventh Day Adventist Church in Lanham, themed “Spread love, stop hate.” The county’s Memorial Library System will house several

programs beginning Oct. 27 at Bowie Branch Library featuring Chris Haley, co-director of “Unmarked.” The film released last year focuses on the disappearance of African-American grave sites and burial grounds in the South. Haley plans to speak in Bowie to reclaim and honor burial sites of enslaved people in the Mid-Atlantic region. “The collaboration helps us to inform and educate people through the arts,” said Roberta Phillips, CEO of the county’s library system. “When you think of art, you think of entertainment, but you don’t think about all the things you would learn from the arts.” To learn more about the twoyear project or to participate, go to www.joesmovement.org or call 301-699-1819. Individuals can also reach the library at www.pgcmls.info, or call 301-699-3500. Patrons can check out Thomas’s book online or the system’s app. WI @jabariwill

NATIONAL

5 William G. Thomas III (left) and Psalmayene 24 chat at Joe's Movement Emporium in Mount Rainier, Maryland, on Sept. 9. Both will participate in a project to highlight the legacy of slavery in the United States. (William J. Ford/The Washington Informer)

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SEPTEMBER 16 - 22, 2021 17

NATIONAL Amid Repatriation of Displaced Headstones, Descendants Explore Family Histories Sam P.K. Collins WI Staff Writer More than 50 years ago, during the relocation of Columbian Harmony Cemetery from Rhode Island Avenue in Northeast to Landover, Md., an untold number of headstones ended up in the Potomac River. Some have recently been recovered. As a cohort of historians and descendents endeavor to repatriate the headstones to what’s now called National Harmony Memorial Park, some members of the descendent community, like Elizabeth Perry, continue to unearth the stories of their beloved relatives. “When I do my research and get information, it makes me want to have more,” said Perry, a Silver Spring, Md. resident whose bloodline includes Leon L. Perry, a well-regarded early 20th century District education official.

For the last 40 years, Perry has explored aspects of her family history, including their connection to National Harmony Memorial Park. She received a critical piece of information last fall when Lynchburg, Va.-based nonprofit History, Arts, and Science Action Network [HASAN] alerted her to the discovery of her greatgreat grandparents’ three youngest children’s headstone near the Potomac River. By that time, Perry, who had long scoured obituaries and other historical documents, already determined that nearly a dozen of her ancestors had been interred at Columbian Harmony Cemetery, and four of them had been transferred to National Harmony Memorial Park during the 1950s. To her disappointment, Perry visited National Harmony Memorial Park in 2017 to find out that the graves of

her great-great grandfathers, The Rev. Daniel E. Wiseman and Capt. James A. Perry had been left unmarked. She told The Informer that, given the prominence of Wiseman, founder and pastor of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Our Redeemer in Northeast, and Perry, an official in the Capital City National Guard, both men most likely would have had headstones at Columbian Harmony Cemetery. Perry has since conferred with HASAN to share information about her ancestors in the hopes their headstones will be found one day. “It’s a Pandora’s Box [with] any documentation that can help me learn about people who were my relatives,” said Perry, a human resources professional. “What I found in my research, I can’t even paint a picture as rich as their lives were. The people I come from are pretty impressive so to see

5 Elizabeth Perry, the great-great granddaughter of The Rev. Daniel E. Wiseman and Captain James A. Perry (Photo by Robert R. Roberts)

their headstones has been precious.”

A KEY DISCOVERY

In 2016, Virginia State Sen. Richard Stuart (R-Dist.28) found headstones in the stretch of the Potomac River near his estate and nearby Caledon State Park in King George County, Va. Historians later designated Columbian

Getty Images Launches Grant Program for HBCUs Stacy M. Brown WI Senior Writer Cassandra Illidge said she grew up recognizing the importance of historically-Black colleges and universities [HBCUs]. Now, as the vice president of

partnerships at Getty Images, she believes in preserving the history and legacy of HBCUs. So, imagine her excitement when Getty Images announced it would partner with the Getty Family and Stand Together to launch the inaugural Getty Images

5 A photo of the Howard University marching band, first published in 1978, had a caption which said, ‘The Howard University Marching Band Drummers Give The Best To The Marchers.’ (Photo by Afro American Newspapers/Gado/Getty Images)

18 SEPTEMBER 16 - 22, 2021

Photo Archive Grants for HBCUs. According to Illidge, the grants will cover the cost for the digitization of the visual history of HBCUs. “It’s such a pleasure to lead this effort on the Getty side,” Illidge said. “Similar to most corporations in the world, we took a hard look at ourselves as a leader in this industry to see what we can do differently. We wanted to make sure we were making impactful changes.” The grants will provide $500,000 to digitize the photo archives for two HBCUs that can total up to 100,000 archival assets per grant recipient. Under the program, grant recipients retain all copyright for visual assets. The digitized content will be converted to the “HBCU Photo Collection” and be available for Getty Images licensing. In addition, the collection will be available free as part of Getty Images’ content donation initiative for non-commercial use, Illidge noted. She said 50 percent of the roy-

alties will go towards grant recipients, 30 percent for a donation to a new United Negro College Fund-Getty Images Scholarship fund for HBCU education and 20 percent will be reinvested annually into Getty Images Photo Archive Grants for HBCUs. The UNCF-Getty Images Scholarship for students at HBCUs provides awards to students attending those schools across the country. Revenue created by the inaugural Getty Images Photo Archive Grants for HBCUs will fund the scholarships. “Our industry and Getty Images have not historically worked from a foundation of diversity, equity and inclusion,” said Illidge, who has worked at Getty for more than two decades. “We have built a program not only to honor the legacy and history of HBCUs and their contribution to American history but a program which will support our students’ futures,” Illidge said. “For Getty Images to move the world, we must ensure that all content creators, their work and

Harmony Cemetery as the headstones’ origin. That discovery initiated a process to unearth more headstones, return the headstones to their rightful place and honor those ancestors. In August, D.C. Mayor Muriel

FAMILY Page 24 their stories are preserved. We are committed to making content accessible and to ensuring a more authentic representation of history.” Officials at Stand Together, a nonprofit based in Arlington, Virginia, which assists philanthropic activities across the country, said they’re excited to build the organization’s long-standing support for the HBCU community by participating with Getty Images and UNCF. “By bringing images from HBCU archives to millions of more people, the new curation will help celebrate the unique contributions that HBCUs, their graduates and faculty members have made and continue to make to our country,” Stand Together CEO Brian Hooks said in a statement. In addition to being available to license on the Getty Images platform, the HBCU Photo Collection will also be made available as part of Getty Images’ content donation initiative for non-commercial use free of charge in support of learning about and reflecting on Black history for Black storytellers and not-for-profits as part of the

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africa now

COMPILED BY OSWALD T. BROWN, WI CONTRIBUTING WRITER

In Conservative Somalia, a Rare Woman Presidential Candidate The woman who broke barriers as the first female foreign minister and deputy prime minister in culturally conservative Somalia now aims for the country's top office as the Horn of Africa nation moves toward a long-delayed presidential election, The Associated Press (AP) reported Sunday, Sept. 12. Parliament member Fawzia Yusuf H. Adam is well aware of the challenges in winning votes in a nation where women often remain marginalized. In an interview with The Associated Press, she described the struggle of leading a foreign ministry staff that was overwhelmingly male. “They were very reluctant to collaborate with me just because I am a female,” she said. Even as more educated women return to Somalia from the large diaspora to help rebuild the country after three decades of conflict, attitudes toward Adam’s run for office are mostly sceptical, if sympathetic. Even friends and colleagues see her chances as next to impossible because of her gender. “She’s good, but unfortunately she’s a woman,” said Abdiwahid Mohamed Adam, a doctor at Mogadishu Memorial Hospital. Complicating her bid, he said, is the fact that Adam comes from the breakaway region of Somaliland, a comparatively stable area in the north that has sought international recognition as an independent country for years. But the soft-spoken Adam, a widow and mother of three, said she believes her run for the presidency is worthwhile, not futile, on several levels, while the timing of the election has been pushed back once again amid political tensions from mid-October toward the end of the year. “I want to break this barrier against women so that in the near future many others will have the courage to run and even win,” she said, adding that it’s time to fight for the rights of women. Somalia's years of insecurity marked by devastating attacks by the al-Qaida-linked al-Shabab extremist group also have driven Adam to run. “There was mayhem in this country for the past 30 years,” she said. “Young people are dying like flies, killing each other, exploding themselves, killing other people.” Like others across Somalia, she has watched as the insecurity weakened the country’s foundation. High unemployment, poor education and one of the world’s least equipped health systems are all a result. Corruption and political squabbling haven’t helped. “I thought a woman may be what this country needs, the leadership of a woman, to bring peace and stability,” Adam said. Her presidential campaign has been relatively low-profile because of the insecurity and the COVID-19 pandemic. Instead of holding large public rallies, Adam prefers smaller indoor gatherings. WI

caribbean now Jamaica’s Education Ministry to Continue Community Intervention Plan Jamaica’s Ministry of Education, Youth and Information continue its targeted community intervention plan this school year, aimed at reaching those students who are not engaged through any of the remote learning modalities. Portfolio Minister Fayval Williams, told JIS News that the intervention involves the direct engagement of students in their communities by Ministry personnel. “We find that in the communities where (these) students are, they are running around, they are not engaged online, they are not sitting down with their books. They really need some direction, some supervision…so you will see us doing that again as safely as we can,” she noted. Williams said that the intervention, which was successfully rolled out last year, involves working with students in groups of five and no more than seven “to go through work and have them…get their minds back again into the mode of school.” “You will see us trying to reach students by the telephone, try to reach the parents to make sure books are collected at schools and so on. So, we are going to redouble our efforts to really reach students, who were unreachable last year,” she said. The 2021/22 academic year started on Sept. 6, with lessons being delivered online, via printed learning kits, and through the audio/visual (television and radio) platforms, in a bid to ensure that no student is denied an education. WI

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HEALTH Texas Abortion Ban Stirs National Conversation Natalie C. Hockaday WI Staff Writer The debate over women's right to choose in the reproduction arena stepped up to a new, combative level Sept. 9 with U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) lawsuit Sept. 9, challenging the constitutionality of a Texas law that bans abortion after six weeks of pregnancy. Texas enacted the abortion ban “in defiance of the constitution,” the lawsuit contends, saying “the law violates individuals’ rights to have an abortion procedure prior to viability, which is usually

around 24 weeks.” “The United States has the authority and responsibility to ensure that no state can deprive individuals of their constitutional rights through a legislative scheme specifically designed to prevent the vindication of those rights,” said Attorney General Merrick Garland. Texas’ strict abortion law differs from other state and district laws throughout the country. Different states have different restrictions for abortions, but Texas’ has become one of the most stringent. In Washington D.C., for ex-

ample, there are fewer limitations on abortion rights. Girls under the age of 18 seeking an abortion in Washington, D.C. do not need parental consent or notification to have an abortion compared to its neighboring states of Maryland and Virginia which require some consent or notification from an adult family member, according to Planned Parenthood. The Texas abortion ban challenges the 1973 Supreme Court Roe v. Wade ruling, which legalized abortion in all 50 states. This case also challenged a law in Texas which at the time made abortions illegal unless given permission by a doctor under the circumstances that a woman’s life would be at risk due to the pregnancy. After the ruling deemed the Texas law unconstitutional, all 50 states legalized abortion but restrictions in some states were put in place. In Virginia, only doctors licensed by the state to practice medicine and to conduct surgery are allowed to perform the procedures. The state also requires that second trimester abortions be conducted at a licensed general hospital or outpatient hospital. Abortions after the third trimester are illegal in the state of Virginia unless a doctor says that the woman’s life is at risk due to the pregnancy. In Maryland, a parent/guardian needs to be notified for a minor

5 U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland (Photo courtesy The White House)

(person under the age of 18) to have an abortion. Contrary to Virginia law, in Maryland the minor does not need to have adult consent to have the abortion, however, they need to be aware of the minor’s choice to have an abortion. There are caveats to this law however, the judgement of the doctor plays a vital role into whether a minor needs to inform a parent or guardian of their choice. The

doctor can waive the parental or guardian notification if the minor has enough maturity to make their own decision, the minor’s safety is at risk (risk of possible abuse), it is not in the best interest of the minor to notify their parent/ guardian, the minor does not have a parent/guardian and the attempt to notify a parent/guardian was unsuccessful. WI

D.C. Residents May Lose Some Access to Medicaid through MedStar After Sept. 30 Expiring Contract Casts Broad Shadow Over Healthcare Delivery Natalie C. Hockaday WI Staff Writer D.C. residents may lose access to MedStar Health System, a healthcare network which delivers treatment under Medicaid to local residents. In a letter written to Attorney General Karl Racine, Councilmember At-Large Elissa Silverman and Councilmember Kenyan McDuffie wrote their concerns of MedStars’s plans to discontinue services to Medicaid insurers and said, “It is unfair for a health system to use the resources of its

22 SEPTEMBER 16 - 22, 2021

tax-exempt charitable entities for the benefit of its taxable business affiliates in a manner that defeats the charitable purpose.” The two are also concerned that MedStar is unfairly influencing Medicaid contracting in the city and is “designed to force the city to take actions that would benefit MedStar.” The D.C. Healthcare Alliance is a medical assistance program that is locally funded in D.C. for those who do not qualify for Medicaid and for residents of low-income

MEDICAID Page 23

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MEDICAID from Page 22 communities who are not covered by any other medical insurance. Eligibility is spelled out on the District’s web site at the page for the D.C. Department of Health Care Alliance. “MedStar is a valuable partner in our city’s health care system. We have learned from past experiences that when access to one major acute care hospital is reduced, the impact will echo through the city’s entire health care system,” Mayor Muriel Bowser said. “As a result, all residents – not just the publicly insured – will face unacceptable waiting periods in crowded hospital emergency rooms, difficulty securing primary care visits, and lengthy 3- or 4-month delays for specialty care appointments,” The contract for MedStar is set to expire Sept. 30, 2021 which will leave D.C. residents without access to the health care system. Over 250,000 people in the city rely on Medicaid and such programs for healthcare. The end of the MedStar contract threatens that. “I am aware that many of the 250,000 District residents who receive their health care through the District’s managed care program now face a loss of access to the critical services offered by the MedStar Health System,” Bowser said. “When the council, by a 7-6 margin, refused to support a reasonable exemption that would have allowed MedStar’s managed care organization to complete the procurement process, circum-

stances were created that now threaten the very access to treatment for managed care enrollees at all MedStar hospitals, clinics, their specialty care physicians, and its rehabilitation hospital,” the mayor added. In a statement issued late last month, the mayor said she would announce her proposal to protect the residents of the city and “will keep fighting for these residents to prevent a chaotic and abrupt disruption.” On Sept. 1, the mayor issued an emergency order warning that because MedStar provides a significant portion to the Medicaid and Alliance program “negative impacts that will result from this lack of access to MedStar system is particularly high.” The order was set to be effective immediately and will last for 15 days. Councilmember Robert White along with Councilmember Kenyan Mcduffie, Councilmember Elissa Silverman and Chairman Phil Mendelson proposed a disapproval resolution of the contract with MedStar Family Choice. White tweeted: “MedStar announced that if it does not not win a managed care contract, it will no longer allow Medicaid patients to use its doctors or facilities. Now days before these contracts expire, the Mayor has declared an emergency as a way to extend the contracts.” He tweeted further: “This disapproval resolution gives the Mayor the time to comply with the law and minimize disruption while the council decides on its next steps.” WI

The D.C. Healthcare Alliance is a medical

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5 Stephen Hammond, a distant cousin of William Syphax, stands in front of an historical landmark named for the late Syphax. (Ja’Mon Jackson/The Washington Informer)

FAMILY from Page 18

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Bowser (D), Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan (R) , and Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam (D) hosted a ceremony with HASAN and members of the descendent community at Caledon State Park. During this event, officials oversaw the transfer of 55 headstones to Maryland and announced the construction of a one-acre memorial garden at National Harmony Memorial Park for the 37,000 people buried at the original site. Over the last couple of years, HASAN, in conjunction with historian Lex Musta, has closely followed the developments unfolding near Caledon State Park and contacted members of the descendent community. Plans to retrieve and repatriate as many headstones as possible gelled during the pandemic. The timeline for the memorial’s completion hasn’t been determined but William Hart, a member of the descendent community working on the project, said it should be completed in a year. “The artist that’s designing the memorial is waiting for my task force to provide a list of bullet points of what will be most important to the ancestors to see in a memorial,” said Hart, the great-grandson of Howard University criminology professor William Henry Harrison Hart. [The remainder of this story is available on the WI website] Hart said that he acquired knowledge about William Henry Harrison Hart during childhood conversations with his grandmother.

After she passed in the late 1970s, Hart continued digging into his great-grandfather’s life, learning about his long journey from Alabama to D.C. during the Reconstruction Era and his launch of the Hart Farm School in Ft. Washington, Md., along with several other feats. Like so many others who he’s met through HASAN, Hart’s great-grandfather’s grave didn’t have a headstone. Long before understanding the circumstances behind that situation, Hart purchased a bench-style headstone 15 years ago that not only identified his great-grandfather, but chronicled a 1905 court case in which he successfully challenged segregation on public transportation. Such stories, Hart told The Informer, have inspired him to work his hardest in his darkest moments. He said that the memorial, to be accompanied by a nonprofit he’s launching later this year, will serve as a reminder for Black youth about the richness of their ancestral history. “There’s great potential in this,” Hart said. “You can create an image of people that younger generations can use to form their own self-image. We’re restoring the images of our ancestors in the minds of our young folks. This is a restorative justice effort.”

D.C.’S PREMIER CEMETERY FOR AFRICAN AMERICANS

Between the 1850s and 1960s, Columbian Harmony Cemetery served

FAMILY Page 51

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How Digital Banking Can Help Boost Your Financial Health By Sonsyrea Tate The Washington Informer Letitia Newman taught her family a few lessons in next-level finances thanks to several financial literacy classes she attended, including one most recently at the Chase branch in Skyland Town Center. “When my children were 13-years-old, I got them their own bank accounts,” said Newman, a Ballou High School graduate, who went on to Prince Georges Community College, where she earned a degree in sociology. “It was important to teach them {saving and building good credit} because if we don’t know, we don’t do.” Newman, who lives in Ward 8 and works as an outreach worker for the National Association for the Advancement of Returning Citizens (NAARC), knew the financial literacy basics, but she decided to take it up a notch. Through Chase she took a three session course on Money Management, Credit, and Small Business and Entrepreneurship. One tip she learned was to open multiple bank accounts and separate a savings fund from an emergency fund. “What I learned in my financial literacy course is that anything can be saved. Instead of buying lunch or eating out at restaurants every day, pack your lunch three times a week. Right there, you could save about $30 for just one week,” Newman said. “Do you really need that soda for $1.25 from the vending machine? Every little amount could be saved. That is why digital banking is something that’s really good, because you’re able to track your spending and savings with every account that you own.” Newman has been using digital banking for years and even downloaded the Chase app onto her mother’s phone “I got my mom hooked on digital banking,” Newman said. “She loves it because it’s super easy!” Her mom now has a better understanding on how to track her spending and savings, and does her banking from anywhere at any time using the app. Chase Managing Director Nicole Sanchez says customers appreciate the one-stop-shopping experience the Chase mobile app offers - from depositing checks and paying bills to checking account balances and receiving account alerts. “Simply put, digital banking makes it easier to take control of your finances and improve your financial health,” Sanchez said. Sanchez offers tips for improving finan-

cial health: 1) CREATE A BUDGET – Carefully consider your income and expenses, your spending and savings habits and modify as necessary. A Budget Worksheet can help you figure out your finances and show you places where you can turn spending into savings. 2) SET A SAVINGS GOAL – Set realistic goals. Look at your income and spending habits, and find the little extras that you can cut back on, such as eating out for lunch or dinner on a weekly basis, or purchasing a soda or snack from the vending machine. 3) BUILD A THREE-MONTH RESERVE – Set money aside until you have at least three months of living expenses in an emergency account fund. That should be enough to cover your rent or a mortgage, utilities, debts, food, etc. for three months, at least. 4) ACHIEVE AND MAINTAIN GOOD CREDIT – Having strong credit can make it easier to get a loan while also determining the rates you pay and, ultimately, what financial options are available to you. Good credit can lead to significant financial savings – the higher your credit score, the lower your interest rate. 5) BE PREPARED FOR EMERGENCIES – The important thing is to get into the habit of saving for an emergency, because one day it will happen and you’ll be grateful you planned ahead. Even before COVID, 40 percent of Americans did not have enough money saved for a $400 emergency. And, the pandemic has affected us all in profound ways – about half the population in the U.S. is experiencing financial hardships, Chase financial experts found. According to a recent survey, while most people know it’s important to save, fewer are confident in their ability to do it. Through the Chase Mobile app, consumers can improve overall financial health using features, including: Credit Journey, which helps you get instant access to their credit score and gain an understanding about how they can improve it; Autosave, which automatically transfers money to a savings account, regardless of amount; Budget:, which helps you set a budget, track and adjust day-today spending; and Snapshot, which provides easy-to-digest daily insights into your everyday spending, saving, earning and more. The app is designed to improve your relationship with your cash by helping you maximize your financial planning and saving. “The “Contactless Payments” feature has been particularly popular during the pandemic because it allows “peer-to-peer (P2P)

payments, like Zelle,” says Sanchez. The Chase Skyland branch will be holding free virtual financial health classes the second Monday of each month, and the fourth Friday of each month. The next Financial Freedom Friday course will be taught on Friday, September 24.

“When I was in high school, they taught us a little bit about banking but not too much,” Newman said. “How your credit score works was one of the most beneficial things I learned during these money management classes,” she said. “Having a good credit score is a way of life.”

Despite ﬁnancial stress, consumers still look ahead Consumer optimism is high, particularly among Black and Latinx consumers, as many take active steps to improve their ﬁnancial health.

37%

said their ﬁnancial situation has gotten worse this past year, however, respondents are still optimistic and taking steps to improve their ﬁnancial health:

Top 3 ﬁnancial goals in the past year:

Black (54%) and Latinx (49%) respondents are optimistic about their ﬁnances and have taken action to improve their credit and spending, or earned a second income.

• Paying bills in full each month • Developing a workable budget • Paying rent/mortgage in full each month

48% of total consumers think their ﬁnances will be better oﬀ next year. 27% made improvements in their spending habits and savings over the last year.

The majority of consumers think it’s important to save, but fewer are conﬁdent in their ability to do so. 83% of consumers said it’s important to budget for long-term ﬁnances and emergency savings each month.

But fewer (76%) are conﬁdent in their ability to do so, and even fewer (62%) feel conﬁdent in their ability to save for retirement.

Consumers equally value in-person advice, digital tools when looking to improve ﬁnancial health.

34% of respondents prefer a digital tool that helps them budget or automatically save,

consistent with 31% who prefer expert advice or interaction with a banker.

For more information about Chase’s tools to help reach money goals, visit www.chase.com/personal/ﬁnancial-goals.

Source: This study is based on a Chase survey conducted by Morning Consult sampling more than 5,000 consumers in the United States between February 12-26, 2021. The interviews were conducted online in the respondent's choice of English or Spanish and the data were weighted to U.S. census data representative of the total U.S. population based on age, race, gender, and educational attainment. The survey includes an oversample of Black and Latinx respondents.

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SEPTEMBER 16 - 22, 2021 25

EDUCATION COVID-19 Task Force Member Confirms Black, Brown Children Dying the Most Dr. James E.K. Hildreth: ‘For most places, it is not safe’ for schools to reopen . . . Stacy M. Brown WI Senior Writer Children of color represent most of those dying from COVID-19 and authorities, politicians and parents need to do more to protect them, Meharry Medical College President and CEO Dr. James E.K. Hildreth said during a candid interview. Dr. Hildreth, a member of the White House COVID-19 Equity Task Force and a Food and Drug Administration member, empowered to approve COVID vaccines, did not hesitate when asked whether schools should reopen before children have been vaccinated. “The short answer is, for most places, in my opinion, it is not safe

because mask mandates are not in place,”Dr. Hildreth responded. “In Tennessee, for example, there is a mask mandate but the governor is giving parents the option to opt-out of this,” he said. “A mandate with exceptions is not a mandate. It’s just a recommendation and recommendations won’t stop this virus.” Children now represent 26.8% of the weekly COVID-19 cases and Dr. Hildreth and other health experts have sounded the alarm about the lack of mask mandates in schools. “We’re now seeing infection rates among children that are much higher than they’ve ever been for most of the pandemic,” Dr. Hildreth added. Born and raised in Camden,

26 SEPTEMBER 16 - 22, 2021

Arkansas, Dr. Hildreth began his undergraduate studies in 1975 at Harvard University and earned selection as the first African-American Rhodes Scholar from Arkansas in 1978. He graduated from Harvard magna cum laude in chemistry in 1979. Later that year, he enrolled at Oxford University in England, graduating with a Ph.D. in immunology in 1982. At Oxford, he studied the biology of cytotoxic T cells with Professor Andrew McMichael and became an expert in monoclonal antibody technology and cell adhesion molecules. Dr. Hildreth returned to the U.S. to attend Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore, taking a one-year leave from medical school for a postdoctoral fellowship in pharmacology from 1983 to 1984. In 1987 he obtained his M.D. from Johns Hopkins and joined the Hopkins faculty as an assistant professor. In 2002, Dr. Hildreth became the first African American in the 125-year history of Johns Hopkins School of Medicine to earn full professorship with tenure in the basic sciences. In July 2005, Dr. Hildreth accepted the position of research director at the NIH-funded Center for AIDS Health Disparities at Meharry Medical College. On July 1, 2015, Dr. Hildreth returned to Meharry Medical College to serve as the 12th president and chief executive officer of the nation’s largest private, independent, historically-Black academic health sciences center. As schools reopen, Dr. Hildreth expressed more concern about the health of children. “Even though children might do well, they can get long COVID and since children are not small adults, their nervous and skeletal systems are still developing,” he warned. “Long COVID could have an impact long term on a child’s development. Therefore, I believe we should do everything we can to keep COVID-19 out of our children, especially black and brown children because most of the children who have died of COVID happen to be black and brown.” Dr. Hildreth demanded that those around children should be vaccinated and wear masks. “That’s what we should demand

5 Dr. James E.K. Hildreth (Courtesy photo)

of our leaders, but unfortunately, we don’t have leaders. Instead, we have politicians,” he observed. “We need to do everything that we can to protect our children, and school systems all over the country are now shutting down, even temporarily, and this is really a challenging situation.” Dr. Hildreth also addressed vaccine hesitancy and the process taken in developing the vaccines while taking exception to those using unconventional tactics and medication like ivermectin. “I acknowledge that ordinarily, people who are not in science or medicine might have questions,” he said. “That is reasonable. But when all the questions are answered and you think about the risk of getting sick and dying, understand that African Americans have a higher burden of heart disease, hypertension, asthma and obesity which places us at a greater risk than white people.” “I’ve been studying viruses for 40 years and I have conducted research for more than 30 years. I have also studied the immune system and I can tell people that none of the steps [required to approve] the vaccine were omitted. I understand that it was developed relatively fast but we have the technology available and it accelerated the process.” “Ivermectin is not a wise thing

to do. It’s a drug used to treat parasitic infections in horses and there is no study in the world of ivermectin in humans. Compared to the vaccines evaluated with hundreds of thousands of people, there is no evidence whatsoever that this would be effective against COVID-19. I realize there’s a level of desperation but that desperation should lead to getting vaccinated.” On September 17, Dr. Hildreth will sit on an FDA panel to determine whether booster shots are necessary. “The rationale behind this is that we’ve been collecting data on vaccine recipients and antibody levels since the phase 1 trial,” Dr. Hildreth said. “What the data shows is that, over time, antibody levels start to taper off around seven or eight months. So, what the FDA is going to do on September 17, and I’m on that panel, is make a recommendation as to whether boosters are necessary.” “Even though antibodies are dropping, they’re still still high enough at least in the lab to neutralize the virus, which gives us comfort that there’s no need for a mad rush for boosters. But we do want to be proactive to make sure that the antibodies don’t drop below a critical threshold needed to protect people.” WI @StacyBrownMedia

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DCPS

BRIEFS Compiled by Dorothy Rowley WI Staff Writer

‘TAKE THE SHOT, YOUTH GIVEAWAY’

D.C. youth, ages 12-17, who have been vaccinated are eligible to win a $25,000 college scholarship or an iPad with a pair of Beats headphones. Eight students will be selected as potential winners of the scholarship as participants in the “Take the Shot, Youth D.C. Giveaway,” aimed at getting more D.C. residents protected from further spread of COVID-19. Thirty-two students will be selected as potential winners of a new iPad and headphones. A student is eligible to win if they have received at least one of the two required COVID-19 vaccination shots. Once student names are drawn, a District representative will reach out to their family to confirm the student’s vaccination status. More information on the ‘Take the Shot, DC Youth Vaccine” giveaway can be found on the D.C. website.

TMA COMMUNITY PANTRY

Community Service Ambassadors have been holding monthly “Community Pantry Day” events where

they provide fresh produce, toiletries, and bagged lunches. The next gathering takes place from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in front of Thurgood Marshall Academy in southeast D.C.

COLLABORATIVE POEM

A class of seniors recently read an article about learning loss that led to a conversation about how the youth perspective was unaccounted for in the story. As the students reflected, they jotted down what they wished people knew about them and how the pandemic and virtual learning has impacted their lives. Their teacher, Karen Lee, subsequently adapted a “Poetry of Defiance” lesson from the Zinn Ed Project, which helped tie student reflections together to create a poem.

the D.C. Health Department and Giant (Food Stores), a D.C. Vaccination Center has been established at Thurgood Marshall to provide free routine and COVID-19 immunizations to children ages three to 18 years old or for D.C. residents as well as those who attend school in D.C. Immunization appointments are available from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m., Wednesdays and from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturdays until the end of September. Please register at vaccinate. dc.gov. TMA is also now providing space at the front of the campus for a longterm COVID-19 kiosk provided by Curative Inc. that will offer appointments to the community from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. WI

EDUCATION

5 Students from Thurgood Marshall Academy in Southeast, as well as schools from the surrounding region, said they were most excited about seeing their friends again. (Photo courtesy TMA)

STUDENTS IN THE NEWS

A group of students from the D.C. region that included Prince George’s County and Fairfax County recently gathered for Fox 5’s “Good Day DC” show to discuss their return to in-person learning at their respective schools. Students from Thurgood Marshall Academy in southeast D.C. as well as schools from the surrounding region said they were most excited about seeing their friends again. For the most part, most of the students participating in the news station interview admitted not being worried too much about their return to school, as it was still too early to gauge how things would go.

VACCINATION PROGRAM

Thanks to a partnership between

TWO RIVERS PUBLIC CHARTER SCHOOL REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS Tutoring Two Rivers Public Charter School is seeking tutoring services to provide virtual instruction to students in elementary and/or middle school. For a copy of the RFP, email Liz Riddle at procurement@tworiverspcs.org.

Coronavirus TeleTown Hall: Staying Safe Amid the Surge Friday, Sept. 24 10 - 11 am Call-in Number: 866-495-1091

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SEPTEMBER 16 - 22, 2021 27

Need help with rent or utilities? Mayor Bowser has your back.

Need help with rent or utilities?

Apply for #STAYDC today. Mayor Bowser has

your back. Apply for #STAYDC today. Call:

833-4-STAYDC (78-2932)

Online: stay.dc.gov

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OPINIONS/EDITORIALS

EDITORIAL

Sept. 18 ‘J6 Rally’ Expected to be a ‘Dud’

Here we go again. The “Justice for J6” protestors announced plans to rally at the U.S. Capitol on Saturday, Sept. 18, to show their support for the defendants arrested for the attempted insurrection and damage to the U.S. Capitol they caused on Jan. 6. More than 500 men and women have been charged and several are keeping company with inmates at D.C. jail. The charges they face include destruction of property, using pepper spray on police officers, unlawful entry, and disorderly and disruptive conduct, to name a few. The violence and mayhem following a rally promoted by former President Donald Trump resulted in several deaths. U.S. Capitol police officer Brian Sicknick was reportedly struck in the head with a fire extinguisher by protestors and later died. Ashli Babbit, an Air Force veteran, died after a U.S. Capitol police officer shot her as she and other protestors attempted to break down the doors of the U.S. Senate chamber. In the wake of the Jan. 6 protest, local authorities admitted they were ill-prepared for what became a forceful and violent attack on the U.S. Capitol. Many of the protestors brought weapons, demonstrating their intended plans to wreak havoc and cause harm to those who dared stand in their way. And, nothing stood in the way but the bravery of U.S. Capitol police and members of MPD. Once again, authorities report that Internet chatter tells them that the J6 protest will not be a repeat performance of Jan. 6. They are predicting it will be a “dud.” Just in case, however, the fencing surrounding the U.S. Capitol will be reinstalled, and more law enforcement is in place. There is a justifiable concern about the intentions and plans of the protestors. And, even if their protest is peaceful, their motives and messages must not be ignored. A fence may protect bricks and mortar, but their words continue to stoke the fire of dissension and divisiveness, ignited by their leader Donald Trump. The hats they wear promoting Make America Great Again cast a shadow on a country broken by their rhetoric and violent acts. WI

Women of Color and the Poor Stand to Lose the Most in Latest Abortion Rights Showdown

While the state of Texas represents ground zero in the recent battle for abortion rights in the U.S., when the smoke clears and the courts make their rulings, the biggest losers will inevitably be poor women and women of color. To be clear, it is not the intention of The Washington Informer to make a stand on either side of the wide delta which exists within our nation over a woman’s right to choose versus those who support the right to life for the unborn. Our concern remains with women and their having equal access to an abortion, should that be the decision they make. We understand that the decision to abort a child is not one which most women make lightly. But a woman’s economic status should not be the factor that allows some women to have the choice while other women have no choice at all. Since the law in Texas went into effect several weeks ago – one which for all practical purposes has resulted in the majority of patients seeking an abortion being ineligible for the procedure – experts have witnessed a significant rise of women traveling to states that include Oklahoma, New Mexico and even Illinois where eligibility requirements are not as stringent. But as all circumstances for women considering an abortion are not equal, women who cannot afford to take time off from work, who do not have the finances to travel to other states or who cannot afford to pay for childcare while they travel and have the procedure performed, have little choice but to carry their child to term. It’s a “choice” whose consequence, for some, will further exacerbate the economic hardships which they and their families already face. In addition, some abortion advocates fear that women denied the right to an abortion stand a far greater chance of being impacted by physical and mental health challenges. Before Roe v. Wade, rich women, mostly white, simply traveled to Europe where they were able to secure a physician, undergo the procedure, take time to recuperate and then return to the U.S. Meanwhile, poor women, often disproportionately including Black women and other women of color, were forced to have backroom abortions performed by those without proper medical training, often in unsanitary conditions leading to horrific outcomes. Choosing an abortion is already a difficult and painful decision for women. But it should be a choice that they and their family make. Economic stability, or lack thereof, should not be the factor that determines that right. WI

TO THE EDITOR

Unity of 9/11 Has Faded Support Black I can’t believe it's been 20 years since Businesses

9/11, a horrible, tragic day in our nation’s history. I can’t remember a time where I’ve ever been so scared to be an American, but I also can’t recall a time where I’ve seen the country so united. Following that day, Black, brown and white stood together. Now it didn't last, but it indeed happened.

Looking forward to trying the Angry Jerk restaurant in Silver Spring by Jason Miskiri and supporting Black business! The menu looks delicious, and I’m all for Caribbean food and flavors. Thanks for letting the community know about this place.

Thomasina Belks Washington, D.C.

Dylan Canter Silver Spring, Md.

Readers' Mailbox

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The Washington Informer welcomes letters to the editor about articles we publish or issues affecting the community. Write to: lsaxton@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. SEPTEMBER 16 - 22, 2021 29

OPINIONS/EDITORIALS Guest Columnist

Marian Wright Edelman

Bridging Gaps This School Year this year, you get the safe and fulfilling school year you deserve…" "To America's children, families, and educators, the last two school years have not gone the way you planned. You've missed chances to connect, share, and help each other. Outside of the classroom, you've struggled with loneliness, fear, anxiety, and maybe much more. You've lost chances to learn new skills, and you may even have worried about having enough to eat or having a safe place to live. You've made the very best of a difficult situation, but I'm fighting to make sure that

So begins an open letter Children's Defense Fund supporters are sharing with students, parents, and educators across our country at the start of another extraordinary school year. Back-to-school season always brings some uncertainty about the unknown, but for the second year in a row the COVID-19 pandemic has created significant new worries and anxieties as schools continue to navigate uncharted ground. There are ongoing concerns about how we can help children recover

Guest Columnist

from the academic disruptions so many of them have faced, and children who were most at risk before the pandemic still have the most at stake. A recent New York Times editorial, "The School Kids Are Not Alright," put it this way: "Virtually every school in the nation closed in March 2020, replacing face-to-face schooling with thrown-together online education or programs that used a disruptive scheduling process to combine the two. Only a small portion of the student body returned to fully opened schools the following fall. The resulting learning setbacks range from grave for all groups of

students to catastrophic for poor children … [T]he pandemic amplified disadvantages rooted in racial and socioeconomic inequality, transforming an educational gap into a gulf." The editorial cites an analysis by the nonprofit N.W.E.A. that found Latino third graders scored 17 percentile points lower in math in the spring of 2021 than in the spring of 2019, Black students 15 percentile points lower, and Native American students 14 percentile points lower, and studies showing that schools with higher numbers of Black, Latino, and poor students were more

likely to remain closed, providing their students fewer opportunities for in-person learning. It also cites a McKinsey report that found the pandemic "has widened existing opportunity and achievement gaps and made high schoolers more likely to drop out. As the authors say: "The fallout from the pandemic threatens to depress this generation's prospects and constrict their opportunities far into adulthood. The ripple effects may undermine their chances of attending college and ultimately finding a fulfilling job that enables them

EDELMAN Page 53

Marc H. Morial

Michael K. Williams' Death Underscores the Need for 'Antiracist Public Health Approach' to Substance Abuse growing up in Brooklyn's then-crime- "That couldn't be further from the "He was a Hollywood star with an off-Broadway paycheck that mostly went up his nose. He was a pacifist with a barroom-brawl, razor scar down the middle of his face. He played a sneering killer but started his career in dance tights. On set, he was Omar Little, the Robin Hood of the hood feared by fictional street thugs who feared nothing else. Off

it, he was an aimless soul begging for someone — anyone — to love and accept him for who he was, not who he played." — Kevin Manahan, Newark Star-Ledger Of the many tributes to gifted actor Michael K. Williams, who passed away Monday at the age of 54, the most enduring and consequential may be namesake legislation aimed at curbing mass incarceration in his home state of New York.

Guest Columnist

Assemblywoman Rodneyse Bichotte Hermelyn of Brooklyn plans to introduce a bill named for Williams, a criminal justice reform advocate and ACLU ambassador for ending mass incarceration. Williams gained fame in the early 2000s for his groundbreaking portrayal of Omar Little, an openly gay armed robber who preyed on drug dealers, in the HBO series "The Wire." His portrayal drew upon his experiences

ridden Vanderveer Estates and childhood abuse that left him conflicted about his sexuality. Despite his professional success, Williams never overcame the demons that drove his struggle with drug abuse. Even in the years following his well-publicized recovery, he hinted of the turmoil beneath the surface. "People often think that when a person puts down the drugs or the alcohol, that all the problems go away," he told journalist Tamron Hall in February.

truth. Drugs and alcohol are not the problems, they're merely symptoms of the problem. And once those things go away, the real work begins." Williams death from a suspected fentanyl overdose underscores both the growing opioid crisis among Black Americans and the need for a more compassionate, community‐based approach to substance abuse and mental health problems.

MORIAL Page 53

Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis Jr.

American Business Leaders Step Up to Fight Inequities in the South

Even as the pandemic has laid bare societal inequities that have been eroding the foundation of our democracy, political leaders in Washington and in state capitols are mired in a level of rancor and partisanship not seen since the ideological struggles over the Vietnam War. This toxic atmosphere has left them incapable of addressing pressing, yet ingrained issues like the racial

wealth gap, the digital divide, and vast inequalities in everything from health care to home ownership. With COVID-19 still an omnipresent concern and the country's recovery still very much in jeopardy, individuals, families, and communities — particularly communities of color throughout the South — are struggling to deal with issues that have only been exacerbated by the pandemic. From impediments to wealth creation opportunities and a dearth of ed-

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ucation and workforce development to a lack of access to reliable broadband, substandard housing, and inadequate political representation, communities of color have suffered an outsized toll during the ongoing public health crisis. Yet political leaders can't even agree on basic facts that would allow the nation to implement a coherent national strategy for combatting a pandemic that appears to be entering a new wave amid the rise of the highly contagious delta variant that is currently ravaging

parts of the South. Against that disillusioning backdrop, there is at least some reason for hope. Moving to fill the vacuum created by the inaction of our political class, a group of business leaders in the technology and investment sectors have embarked on a far-reaching — and perhaps unprecedented — campaign to address the social inequities and systemic racism that has historically plagued our country's southern communities.

Known as the Southern Communities Initiative (SCI), the campaign was founded by financial technology company PayPal, the investment firm Vista Equity Partners (Vista), and the Boston Consulting Group (BCG). SCI was formed to work with local elected officials and advocacy groups to tackle the ubiquitous problems of structural racism and inequalities facing communities of color in six com-

CHAVIS Page 53

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OPINIONS/EDITORIALS Guest Columnist

Rev. Jesse L. Jackson Sr.

No Longer Any Serious Doubt Global Warming is Real — Now What Do We Do About It?

Record fires in Oregon and California. Floods in Houston and New York. Deadly winter storms in Texas. Droughts across much of the west. Flash floods in England and Germany. Blinding dust storms in China. One hundred year cyclones devastate Fiji and Indonesia. Deadly droughts across sub-Saharan Africa. Wildfires in Greece and Italy. The year is not over yet, but in the

United States and across the world, the toll in lives and destruction is growing in storms of biblical proportion. The poorest peoples and the poorest nations are most at risk, but no one is insulated against the impact. The wealthy on Lake Tahoe are evacuated in the face of unprecedented wildfires. Texan oilmen struggle when record winter storms shut down the electric system. Wall Street bankers are hit with floods sweeping through subways and streets. As the storms increase, food supplies and prices will be hit. Millions will be displaced. There is no longer

Guest Columnist

any doubt about the reality of global warming, the dangers of it, or the causes of it. Republicans who for years scorned the reality of global warming — Donald Trump dubbed it a "Chinese hoax" — now accept that it is real. Corrupted scientists paid by oil companies that argued the crisis wasn't manmade, now quietly reverse their opinions. Now the only question is: what will we do in the face of what the United Nations warns is literally an existential threat? We can't undo what we have done, but we can alter how bad the future becomes. We can move to sustainable

and efficient energy systems, make production and housing and transport more energy efficient, replant forests, invent new ways to generate or save energy, or more. In its last authoritative report, the UN issued what it called a "code red for humanity." The change must take place over the next decade or we will seed calamities too horrible to imagine. Already this year, the town Lytton, British Columbia, in Canada was erased by a hit so extreme — temperatures reached 121 degrees — that it literally went up in smoke and was reduced to ashes. And yet, we keep putting more

and more carbon in the atmosphere. Like addicts on drugs, we know we are killing ourselves but can't resist the high. Feeding deadly drug addictions — from heroin to crack to fentanyl — are multitrillion-dollar enterprises, some corporate, some gangs, all criminal. They have the power not only to slake the thirst of the addicted, but to corrupt the guardians — the police on the street, the politicians in the suites, the CEOs in the boardrooms. Can we summon up the awareness, the moral courage, and the popular

JACKSON Page 54

A. Peter Bailey

Journalists/Propagandists and the Afghanistan Military Evacuation

While watching, listening and reading about events surrounding the Afghanistan evacuation by correspondents, reporters, columnists and editorial writers for MSNBC, CNN, Fox News, The New York Times, The Washington Post and The Washington Street Journal, I often find myself noting that they often came off more like propagandists than journalists.

For instance, many of them repeatedly stated that "thousands" of U.S. military personnel were killed in the war in Afghanistan. The actual number was slightly more than 2,400. It's for sure that those deaths were a tragedy to the family and friends of the deceased but that number by no means should be reported as thousands. It is repeatedly reported that way to arouse the American public about what the journalists/propagandists consider President Biden's too early evacuation of U.S. military personnel from the 20-year war in Afghanistan. If they

Askia-At-Large

report that thousands were killed and wounded that would have been accurate. Obviously, they didn't believe just noting 20,000 wounded would have sufficiently aroused the American public so they inflated the number killed. As the journalists/propagandists rant on and on about President Biden's decision to remove U.S. military personnel from Afghanistan, I wonder how many of them had served time in military service. I seriously doubt that the number is very high. Though they speak and write reverently about U.S.

military adventures to fight for "Justice and Freedom," it is very doubtful that most of them had volunteered for that noble cause. Their position is best reflected by a statement by Sen. Lindsey Graham who declared, "We will be fighting [in Afghanistan] again soon." Graham's "we" is very deceptive. People like him and the journalists/propagandists won't be fighting anywhere soon; neither will their sons or daughters. The fighters will be the children of low-income and working-class families. Usually from small towns for whom the military is a way to make

a living. A recent front-page article in The Washington Post provided photos, names and ages of the 13 U.S. military personnel killed during the Afghanistan evacuation. One of them was 31 years old. The other 12 were between 20 and 25 years old with probably a short time in the military. Finally, I have thus far not seen or heard a single journalists/propagandists ask American citizens in Afghanistan why they had to be so dramatically evacuated. President Trump

murdered by belligerent White folks and law enforcement authorities in the 1920s. I knew about Dixie and "Negroes" being consigned to pick cotton in The South, but learned nothing about the preservation of slavery — mentioned 80 times in the Confederate Articles of Secession. All of that and libraries full of material amount to what I would describe as the "Un-critical American Pedagogy," or the method of teaching. But a challenge has arisen,

in the form of the teaching of critical race theory (CRT), which is: a body of legal scholarship and an academic movement of civil-rights scholars and activists who seek to critically examine the place where race and law collide in this society and to challenge mainstream American liberal approaches to racial justice. But White Americans — whose Original Sins are slavery and genocide — want no parts of the truth

BAILEY Page 54

Askia Muhammad

Critical Race Teaching vs. Truth-Telling

I confess, I was barely a better-than-average student all through school. Even though I always scored in the 95 percentile on standardized tests, I followed no one's guidance, or counseling, I didn't care much for some of my classes, and I almost flunked out of high school after I took a full-time job, from 4 p.m. until midnight, loading trucks for

the princely sum of $1.00 per hour. I did a fair job of committing to memory all the lessons/stories of the American Adventure — the amazing life of blind and deaf genius Helen Keller, an amazing "New Deal" which lifted the nation from The Depression, and the Civil War, America's deadliest, which fought over "states rights" and not slavery. I might have been better off had I been taught about the amazing life Dr. Dorothy Height instead of, or at least along with, the stories of Keller.

I might have been shocked to learn that written into the New Deal was the practice of "redlining" which literally marked Black neighborhoods on maps in red, designating places where New Deal or post-war G.I. mortgage assistance was not available. I knew about the Watts uprising, because I was there, but I had no clue that there had been even bloodier "race riots" in Tulsa and Greenwood and dozens of other places where Black people were

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ASKIA Page 54

SEPTEMBER 16 - 22, 2021 31

LIFESTYLE TUPAK from Page 8 I hear Brenda's got a baby But, Brenda's barely got a brain A damn shame, the girl can hardly spell her name (That's not our problem, that's up to Brenda's family) Well let me show ya how it affects the whole community Brenda got herself a boyfriend Her boyfriend was her cousin, now let's watch the joy end She tried to hide her pregnancy, from her family Who didn't really care to see, or give a damn if she Went out and had a church of kids As long as when the check came they got first dibs Now Brenda's gotta make her own way Can't go to her family, they won't let her stay No money no babysitter, she couldn't keep a job She tried to sell crack, but end up getting robbed So now what's next, there ain't nothing left to sell So she sees sex as a way of leaving hell It's paying the rent, so she really can't complain Prostitute, found slain, and Brenda's her name, she's got a baby

16 ACTIVATIONS 8 WARDS

9.24 - 9.25 #DCisOpen | #DCARTALLNIGHT

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SEPTEMBER 16 - 22, 2021 33

LIFESTYLE

Arena Stage Premieres Play about Toni Stone’s Complexities Trailblazing Woman Broke Negro League Gender Barrier

5 Santoya Fields, JaBen Early and Sean-Maurice Lynch (Photo courtesy/

Arena Stage/Ryan Maxwell) Natalie C. Hockaday WI Staff Writer

Oftentimes Black stories fall through the cracks and become lost in history because some don’t believe they are necessary to be told. Art has become a medium to tell the stories that history books have neglected to tell. Toni Stone was a riveting play which navigates race and gender how a trailblazing woman challenges gender norms. The play by Lydia R. Diamond showed the life of Toni Stone, the pioneer who became the first woman to be in the Negro Baseball Leagues. The play took place at The Arena Stage in Washington, D.C. For its opening night it was a packed theater of people ready to watch live theater after over a year of it being on hold due to the Pandemic. The play's use of having the cast play multiple characters was interactive for the audience and gave a sense of comedic relief. It was also interesting the way the main character, Toni Stone, spoke to the audience as if the audience was part of the story itself. Instead of the audience being disconnected from the play, although we were still observers, Toni Stone’s character acknowledged the audience and how the scenes and characters switched which made it more interesting to watch. Stone’s character explores how the world is puzzled by the way she moves

34 SEPTEMBER 16 - 22, 2021

and thrives in it. A woman playing a sport that requires getting dirty and is not graceful was presumed to be an unfit activity. In her story, Stone tries so hard to fit into the culture of the sport but is often questioned about her femininity. Indeed, this is done in sexist manners to belittle her part in the sport and downgrade her humanity but looking deeper into it, it challenges her own views on her femininity. As Stone constantly struggles to find a balance of gaining the respect of a man as a woman, it begs the question of why women cannot gain the respect as women without placing hyper masculine characteristics to them to seem respectable. Stone struggles with this idea as well, thinking that showing her emotions, covering herself up and being seen as “just one of the guys” will gain their acceptance of her. Her character develops by being challenged by those around her to question what it means to be seen as a woman and more particularly a Black woman. Femininity and masculinity are constantly battling as if a person can be just on or the other. Society tries to force Stone’s character to be hyper-feminine and Stone herself tries to embrace being hyper-masculine. While this happens, for most of the first act and part of the second, there was little room to explore the idea of

ARENA STAGE Page 52

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Congressional Black Caucus Foundation Concludes 50th Annual Legislative Conference with Foundation Friday on BET This week, BET will broadcast two Congressional Black Caucus Foundation (CBCF) Annual Legislative Conference (ALC) signature events. Viewers can watch a pre-taped airing of the National Town Hall and the Phoenix Awards for CBCF’s virtual 50th ALC on Friday, September 17 starting at 7 p.m. ET/PT, on BET and BET Her. The ALC will conclude with a virtual Black Party hosted by DJ Spinderella via Facebook Live. The Black Party begins at 10 p.m. ET and 7 p.m. PT on Friday, September 17 immediately following the Phoenix Awards. The CBCF National Town Hall gathers renowned thought leaders to discuss the importance of creating a Black agenda, honoring Black voices in a democracy, and addressing the most pressing issues for the Black community today. The discussion, moderated by journalist April Ryan, includes segments on health equity, education, voting rights, and criminal justice. Panelists and speakers include Congressional Black Caucus Chair, Congresswoman Joyce Beatty; ALC 50 honorary co-chairs, U.S. Representatives Lisa Blunt Rochester and Anthony Brown; President of the Black Information Network, Tony Coles; Procter & Gamble Chief Communications Officer, Damon Jones; CEO of DoSomething.org, DeNora Getachew; and activist, author, educator, and Vice President of Social Impact at BET, Brittany Packnett Cunningham. The annual Phoenix Awards recognize individuals who have made significant contributions to society. The program will feature a lineup of notable speakers and presenters including remarks by President Joseph R. Biden. A star-studded lineup of musical performances will feature: En Vogue, Leela James, Wayne

Brady, Ledisi, Mali Music and Jonathan McReynolds, Stokley, Rapsody, and Chaka Khan. This year, in the spirit of the conference theme of “Black Excellence Unparalleled: Pressing Onward in Power,” honorees have made a widespread impact in civic engagement, diversity and inclusion, and healthcare – all with a keen focus on equity for Black communities and beyond: Stacey Abrams, a two-time honoree, is a political leader, voting rights activist and New York Times bestselling author. She is the CBC Body awardee. Secretary of Defense Lloyd James Austin III is an ALC CoChair’s awardee in recognition of his strides to diversify and bring racial equity to the United States Armed Forces. Dr. Joan Coker is a board-certified otolaryngologist and an ALC Co-Chair’s awardee. She has saved lives with a focus on those disproportionately impacted by COVID-19 and other health disparities. Housing and Urban Development Secretary Marcia L. Fudge is the 2021 Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) Chair’s awardee. Secretary Fudge served as U.S. Representative for the 11th Congressional District of Ohio from 2008 – 2021. She was a member of several Congressional Caucuses and past Chair of the Congressional Black Caucus. Senior Advisor to the President and Director of the White House Office of Public Engagement, Cedric Richmond, is the 2021 CBCF Chair’s Award honoree. Richmond is former CBCF and Congressional Black Caucus chair and a dedicated public servant who represented Louisiana’s 2nd Congressional District in the United States House of Representatives from 2011 – 2021. The CBCF Annual Legislative Conference (ALC) is the leading policy conference on issues impacting African Americans and the global Black community. This week’s ALC, the second in a fully virtual format, has presented a unique opportuni-

ty to acknowledge and celebrate the history of the 50th Anniversary of the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) and the largest class of the CBC to date. To register for free and view more than 80 policy sessions on-demand visit: cbcfinc.org/alc. This fall, the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation will host additional opportunities to engage with their mission to advance the global Black community. CBCF will hold the in-person return of its Mervyn L. and Stephanie Tubbs Jones Memorial Scholarship Classic on October 25 at the Lake Presidential Golf Club in Upper Marlboro, Md., in support of the CBC Spouses Scholarship Fund. On November 4, the CBCF will host a virtual summit addressing the work of its National Racial Equity Initiative for Social Justice. To learn more about upcoming CBCF events visit: cbcfinc. org.

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SCULPTURE IN THE GARDENS

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Hours: Tues – Sun 10am – 5pm HillwoodMuseum.org 4155 Linnean Ave. NW, Washington DC Free parking Photo: Erik Kvalsvik

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Congressional Black Caucus Annual Conference Reflects Global Black Agenda Stacy M. Brown WI Senior Writer The Congressional Black Caucus Foundation [CBCF] again has invited the world to be a part of the leading policy conference on issues affecting African Americans and the global Black community. The 50th Annual Legislative Conference kicked off on Sunday, September 12. It runs through Friday, Sept. 17. The conference also acknowledges the largest Congressional Black Caucus [CBC] class to date. “The conference programming reflects our charge for 2021 and beyond to a continued commitment to uplifting, empowering and mobilizing Black communities through the theme of ‘Black Excellence Unparalleled: Pressing Onward in Power,’” CBCF officials noted. The conference features thought leaders, legislators and concerned citizens who engage in economic development, civil and social justice, public health and education. CBC Chair Rep. Joyce Beatty (D-Ohio) opened the conference with honorary co-chairs Rep. Anthony Brown (D- Md.) and Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-Del.), CBCF Chair Lori George Billingsley and CBCF President Tonya Veasey. Sessions scheduled include “Re-envisioning Liberation for the Global Black Diaspora” and “Real Talk: Conversations about Family Caregiving in the Black Community” featuring Melanie Campbell, president and CEO of the National Coalition on Black Civic Participation and convener of the Black Women’s Roundtable. The conference also tackles “The Impact of COVID-19 on Black Businesses: One Year Later.” “Black businesses continue to experience the downside of navigating a pandemic and dramatically reduced access to resources especially customers and contracts,” conference officials stated. “The lack of equitable access to capital and shrinking reserves continues to hinder sustainability. Clearly, COVID-19 has impacted our society in more ways than one and Black entrepreneurs are fighting

a pandemic within a pandemic.” Sessions also include an “Environmental Justice Braintrust,” which will focus on the connection between environmental justice and health disparities. The COVID-19 pandemic laid bare the significant impact both environmental and health disparities have on communities of color. This year’s program promises to discuss the intersections of these two areas and what must occur to address these disparities. Rep. James Clyburn (D-S.C.) will lead a voting rights brain trust titled, “Winning the Fight for Voting Rights,” where panelists will discuss the urgency of the John Lewis Voting Rights Act, Alabama Rep. Terri Sewell’s legislation to restore and strengthen the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and address modern-day barriers to the ballot box. Additionally, the conference will impanel a group to discuss the importance of mental health in the Black Community. Panels will also tackle the narrowing of the wealth gap and the state of housing in Black America, Sustaining Fathers, Black Men and Boys through the Impact of COVID Pandemic and Racial Justice and a discussion on the impact of the late boxing great Muhammad Ali. The conference also includes the 13th annual Black Women’s Roundtable Policy Forum: The Power of Black Women’s Leadership in the Voting Rights Movement. The conference concludes with the annual Phoenix Awards and the “Black Block Party.” For more information or to attend the conference, visit www.cbcfinc. org. WI @StacyBrownMedia

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OUR HOUSE from Page 1 recorded history and the median price of homes city-wide reached $700,000 this summer. But this hot market comes at another price: Longtime Black Washingtonians say they’re getting pushed out of their city. In 1957, Washington, D.C., became the country’s first predominantly Black major city, earning the nickname “Chocolate City.” After years of gentrification, recently released Census numbers show that there are now more white District residents than Black. Today, residents in Wards 7 and 8 – the areas with the city’s most Black residents – are getting offers left and right to buy their homes. Walls, an auditor in the District’s Office of the Chief Financial Officer, receives weekly phone calls, postcards, text messages and flyers from local investors, house flippers and developers asking to buy his property. Investors may not renovate houses and instead sell them to interested parties as-is, while flippers and developers will revamp homes to sell them at a larger profit. Developers often expand and add additions to homes, increasing their value all the more. Since Walls began keeping track in 2018, he said he’s gotten more than 80 mailers, dozens of phone calls and constant texts, including a few in-person visits from interested investors. He’s one of many District residents getting bombarded with offers to buy his house in “as-is condition” through a quick cash sale. “No amount of money would get me to sell this house,” Walls said. “I don’t even engage in conversations with these people to know how much they’d offer but neighbors and friends who’ve talked to these guys say that they offer pennies on the dollar, a fraction of what the house is worth.” Walls wants to pass the house down to his sons, who would be fourth-generation Black homeowners in a neighborhood where the Black population dropped from 98% to 88% over the past decade, according to Census data. “I grew up coming to this house on the weekends, mowing the lawn and taking my grandmother out grocery shopping,” Walls said. “The neighborhood was 95%, 98% Black. We all knew each other.” Walls’ mother, Gwendolyn, took over the property after his grandmother died in the 1980s. She rented out the home, but after issues with tenants, she wanted to get it off her hands. Walls jumped at the opportuni-

LIFESTYLE About Our House D.C. OUR HOUSE addresses issues surroundingthe impact of gentrification on Black homeownership in the communities of Wards 7 and 8. This examination by The Washington Informer is produced in collaboration with the Center for Public Integrity (CPI), a non-profit investigative journalism organization that inspires change using investigative reporting that reveals the causes and effects of inequality.

ty and moved into the house in 1990 to make renovations, which included turning the four plots of land into one. He bought the house with his wife in 1998.

AS HOME VALUES INCREASE IS THAT ALWAYS A GOOD THING?

Walls began getting requests to buy the house as soon as he moved in but they’ve become more frequent in the past few years. “Wards 7 and 8 aren’t cheap but investors see the ability to make more profit than if they were to buy property west of [Rock Creek Park] and spend millions,” said Ericka S. Black, a Coldwell Banker real estate agent who bought property in Walls’ neighborhood in 2011. The area has more yard space than most places in the city, she said, allowing investors to expand properties and increase profits when they sell. A hot real estate market can put stress on residents whose incomes are fixed or aren’t keeping up with increased taxes and other pressures. Walls said he successfully appealed his property taxes, with Black’s help, a few years ago. When the city increased his assessment value by tens of thousands of dollars, his taxes increased by about $1,200 too, he said. Black helped him navigate the appeals process and avoid the tax increase. “Why should I be penalized for keeping my property livable and up to standards? For the benefit of other people?” said Walls, who attri-

butes the assessment value increase to beautification in his neighborhood. Black, who has successfully appealed her own property taxes too, wants District residents to know they can appeal their tax assessment annually: “It’s a tedious process, but it could be worth it for so many residents.” Telling others about the appeals process is one of the ways she works to retain the city’s Black homeownership and keep housing affordable, she said. But when you’re struggling, it can be hard to think about your house as a long-term investment, said Sunya Musawwir, a homeowner in Ward 7. It’s sometimes more appealing to get quick cash. Musawwir, who has owned property in Ward 7 for more than 25 years and grew up in Ward 8, said she also gets offers from buyers on a weekly basis. She’s not interested in selling her home, hoping to let its market value rise with time. “[Investors] offer $300,000 or $400,000, … and you’ll think that’s a lot of money, especially when you’re facing hard times, so you’ll take it. Then you turn around, and the person who put the house on the market sold it for $500,000,” Musawwir said. “That’s happened to people I know.” Musawwir bought her home for less than $80,000 in 1994. Today, its assessed value is more than double that. For the rest of the story, including to learn more about “what buyers are up to,” visit www.washingtoninformer.com. WI

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ARE YOU READY FOR EXTREME WEATHER? Join the DC Department of Insurance, Securities and Banking (DISB) for a forum—Flood and Water Damage: Prevention, Protection and Programs. Learn how to protect your home and personal property from water damage or flooding due to extreme weather. Also, learn about available government resources and insurance products. Topics include: w Early warning systems and flood risk DC Department of Energy and Environment w Public alert systems, emergency preparedness, community resources DC Homeland Security and Emergency Management Agency w Changes to National Flood Insurance Program that lower flood insurance premiums Federal Emergency Management Agency w Role of insurance brokers/agents, claims process, policy inclusions and exclusions District of Columbia Insurance Federation WHEN Thursday, September 23 Time: 4:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. JOIN BY PHONE 1-650-479-3208 Access Code: 180-036-0338 JOIN BY COMPUTER/ONLINE bit.ly/3jPa5Pd Phone line and website open at 3:45 p.m. on September 23 FOR MORE INFORMATION Idriys J. Abdullah 202-442-7832 idriys.abdullah@dc.gov

SEPTEMBER 16 - 22, 2021 37

LIFESTYLE

EVICTIONS from Page 1 tenants for back rent accrued during the pandemic. Those evictions, according to the council’s intervention, could start on Oct. 12. However, confusion has set in as some tenants reported in late August as getting eviction notices. John Falcicchio, the deputy mayor for planning and economic development, has said the August eviction notices are for tenants in the pre-pandemic eviction process, not those affected by the coronavirus. Additionally, federal officials have told Bowser administration officials that a large chunk of the money needs to be used by Sept. 30 or it will go back to the U.S. Treasury.

MENDELSON VENTS

The chairman said he wants to limit evictions to as few as possible. “We have money available to help tenants with their rent; and if the tenant is eligible, they shouldn’t be evicted,” he said. “There are several hundred evictions that could take place in the coming weeks.” The chairman said about 70 evictions are set to occur between Sept. 13 and Sept.19. He said those evictions won’t occur if STAY DC applicants aren’t subject to bureaucratic processes that prevent tenants and landlords from getting their money. The D.C. Office of the Tenant Advocate said 290 evictions are scheduled to occur between Sept. 13 and the end of October. Mendelson has sought to meet with D.C. Department of Human Services officials. DHS is one of the agencies managing STAY DC. The chairman said DHS officials said they didn’t have time to meet and that upset him. “They’re not willing to meet with me,” he said. “It seems that they don’t aren’t interested in addressing this problem and stopping the evictions next week.”

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FALCICCHIO RESPONDS

Falcicchio told the Informer on Sept 11 that STAY DC funds cannot be used for tenants at risk of being evicted before Bowser declared the emergency. The eviction notices tenants received in late Au-

5 Phil Mendelson serves as the

chairman of the D.C. Council. (WI File Photo)

Falcicchio told the Informer on Sept 11 that STAY DC funds cannot be used for tenants at risk of being evicted before Bowser declared the emergency. gust are for residents in the process before the emergency set in. “The STAY DC program is critically important to the District’s recovery from COVID, it is not the one and only eviction prevention program,” he said. Falcicchio said the tenant advocate’s office and DHS seek to help pre-pandemic tenants stay in their homes. “It is important to understand tenants can pay their full balance up until the day they are scheduled to be evicted,” he said. “Plus, we are working with the Housing Counseling Service to provide quick money to tenants who could be evicted soon.” WI @JamesDCWrighter

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African Nonprofit Malaika Wins World Literacy Award

LIFESTYLE

Organization Encourages Girls in The Democratic Republic of the Congo World Literacy Foundation Special to the Washington Informer Malaika, a life-changing nonprofit organization in The Democratic Republic of the Congo [DRC], has won a World Literacy Award for its significant contribution to literacy by an organization. The announcement was made at the World Literacy Award online event hosted by the World Literacy Foundation. The awards were judged by a 16-person panel which included Julian. Fellowes, the writer, director, producer and creator of Downton Abbey; author and screenwriter Victoria Aveyard; Dr. Cree, the chair of the World Literacy Council; and Tae Keller, author of the Newbery Award-winning “When You Trap a Tiger.” Through the incredible work of its founder, Noëlla Coursaris Musunka, judges deemed Malaika, a non-

profit organization empowering girls and their communities in the DRC through education and health, as having demonstrated exceptional and sustained depth in commitment to the advancement of literacy. “My message to every child, to every young girl, is this: take your opportunity, go to school. Educate yourself. Become pioneers of education and pioneers of Africa and the world,” Noëlla Coursaris Musunka said in a release. Before Malaika, the village of Kalebuka in the southeastern portion of the Democratic Republic of the Congo had no access to electricity, clean water, educational facilities or technology. Malaika’s community-driven model has been integral to the organization’s success since its founding. Through a comprehensive, local approach, an entire village has undergone a transformative ripple effect. Outside of the gates of the school, which educates 400 students, they

are ensuring the entire community thrives. The Malaika Community Center, opened in 2013 partially in partnership with FIFA, provides a hub of learning for over 5,000 youth and adults each year. “The World Literacy Awards put a spotlight on people and organizations who are doing exemplary and innovative work in the literacy sector,” said Andrew Kay, CEO of the World Literacy Foundation. “The pandemic has caused serious disruption in the lives of children learning to read and write, particularly those from low-income homes with limited access to books, educational resources and online learning tools,” Kay said. “Malaika’s exemplary work in changing the lives of thousands of young people, mainly girls, through education, skills and improved living conditions is awe-inspiring.” WI

5 Noëlla Coursaris Musunka, a Congolese/Cypriot philanthropist and inter-

national model, is the founder of Malaika. (Courtesy photo)

Mark your calendars for Whitman-Walker’s 35th annual Walk & 5K to End HIV on Saturday, October 23, 2021! Register online at WalktoEndHIV.org WALK & RUN TO END HIV.

WALK & RUN TO ENSURE EQUALITY.

WALK & RUN TO FIGHT RACISM.

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WALK & RUN TO LOVE OPENLY.

WALK & RUN TO SAVE LIVES.

SEPTEMBER 16 - 22, 2021 39

Should people be able to ride skateboards on sidewalks? Some people say, “For sure!” and others say, “Definitely not!” Today’s Kid Scoop looks at both sides of the issue and lets you ask, think and decide for yourself.

The most important piece of equipment a skateboarder needs is a

Use the Skateboard Secret Code to find the answer.

Streets are dangerous places to ride skateboards. Riders risk being hit by a car or falling in front of one.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission suggests that skateboarders should never ride in the street.

Some people are afraid that skateboarders zipping along sidewalks endanger pedestrians, especially older people and small children who may have difficulty getting out of the way of a speeding skateboard.

Before you answer, ask, think and then decide.

Standards Link: Reading Comprehension: Follow simple written directions.

Concerns for the safety of skateboarders and pedestrians has led to the development of skate parks in many communities.

Find the two identical skateboarders.

List three reasons why some people say YES to skateboards on sidewalks and three reasons why some people say NO to skateboards on sidewalks.

Standards Link: Research: Students compare information and draw conclusions.

SKATEBOARD DEBATE SIDEWALKS S T D R E U S S I T AFRAID N O I N I P O I T E OPINION A S A Y S D A D H R RISK SECRET K F R E E I E E I C SAFETY N S F B T H E W N E RIDE D R A O B E T A K S WHEELS H T A P T E M L E H HELMET E W H E E L S K S T ASK THINK R E Y T E F A S E T PATH Standards Link: Letter sequencing. Recognize identical words. Skim and scan reading. Recall spelling patterns. ISSUE

Having a Say

Look at the letters to the editor section of your newspaper and read a letter that interests you. Do you think the person did a good job of expressing his or her position on this debate? What could you add to their letter?

You’ve asked questions, you’ve thought about what each side has to say. Now it’s time for YOU to decide. Write down your opinion here:

40 SEPTEMBER 16 - 22, 2021

1958: Th from rolle board. It i there are surfing.

1963: Th contest is

Ask friends and family members for their opinion. Write down their reasons for or against skateboarding on sidewalks on a sheet of paper.

YES

Below a about ska well as a Do th statement. that stat answer

Look through the newspaper to find: • A picture of a street or sidewalk • Something with wheels • A person who might ride a skateboard • The letters that spell pedestrian Standards Link: Research: Use the newspaper to locate information.

Standards Link: Language Arts: Students respond to comments (e.g., gives reasons in support of opinions, responds to others’ ideas).

Brain Builders List three to five ways you can think of to exercise your brain.

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1969: Ton competitio

1973: Th wheels tu bumpy rid Because t grip conc ditches an skating co

1976-78: forces hom pools. Em mini-skat invented.

1977: Pre makes his to his inau

1985: Sci discover a dating bac

2000s: M skate park and lesson young pe

Standards Lin Students know

Complete the letters in the vertical and should only b Some spaces

LIFESTYLE

wi book review "Three Girls from Bronzeville: A Uniquely American Memoir of Race, Fate, and Sisterhood" by Dawn Turner c.2021, Simon & Schuster $26.99 321 pages Terri Schlichenmeyer WI Contributing Writer Go left or go right? It seems that at every point in life, you need a decision: take a familiar street, or a route you rarely travel? A restaurant you frequent, or something new for dinner? Sometimes, the choices won't matter next week or in a year, but — as in the new book "Three Girls from Bronzeville" by Dawn Turner — other decisions are more consequential. One of her earliest memories involves her newborn sister. Dawn Turner was no more than a toddler herself then, living in a hotel room with her mother because her father was gone again. Turner remembers the weight of her baby sister, Kim, and knowing that everything had changed. For the rest of their childhoods, the girls were inseparable though, like many big sisters, Turner sometimes resented Kim's tag-alonging. That became more pronounced when Turner found her first best friend, who lived in the apartment directly above theirs in a new housing project in Chicago's Bronzeville. Turner wanted Debra to herself, but she had to share the friendship with Kim and that was fine. Summer days and after-school was often better with three. The girls made their own fun, hiding from maintenance men in the building, hanging out on fire escapes, and reading in a secret spot on an accessible rooftop. In the shadows of deteriorating apartment complexes and abandoned buildings, their childhoods were almost idyllic. And things changed again. As high school loomed, Turner and Debra slowly started to drift apart, a slide that was defined by Debra's family's move to Indianapolis. Turner began to plan for college, while Kim struggled in school. Time passed and as the neighborhood that nurtured three little girls fell into a state of disrepair, so did the girls' bond and suddenly, they "were on different trajectories." One went south, one went to college, boys came around, and so did trouble. One took a gin bottle, one took a baby bottle, and one took a gun... Have you ever wondered what life might've been like if you'd made different choices, picked a different spouse or another job? Yep, then "Three Girls from Bronzeville" is for you. And yet, this book isn't entirely about choices; it's also about taking what life seems to hand you and molding it to fit. On that, author Dawn Turner is irresistibly nostalgic and her memories will leave you with a sense of carefree childhood in the city — but she's also realistic, describing her surroundings with decreasing enthusiasm that speaks volumes. Turner points no fingers here but you'll see likely culprits to blame along the way. Substance abuse plays a large part in this tale. Opportunites existed to seize or discard freely, the latter of which is painful to watch. Responsibility is taken for wrong turns. And readers will be thrilled to see that angels existed, too. This is one of those books that's warm to the start and envelopes you like a hug mixed with gravel. It's harsh and gracious, jagged and loving. Yep, "Three Girls from Bronzeville" is all right. WI

horoscopes

SEPT. 16 - 22, 2021

ARIES If you're accused of selfishness at some point in the first half of the week — or if it suddenly dawns on you that you're being selfish — the easiest fix is to turn the glow of your attention onto someone else. By Thursday, you register your own growth as a person. It's a slow process, a lifelong process, but a sense of renewal is definitely within you on Friday. Lucky Numbers: 14, 16, 36 TAURUS Something wonderful is definitely afoot. It's a feeling. The everyday stuff seems fascinating. Your friends are funnier than ever. Your attachment to them is so strong that on Thursday, when you have coffee or dinner with one friend, another may become jealous. This kind of jealousy is ridiculous, but it speaks to how much you adore one another. Lucky Numbers: 6, 11, 19 GEMINI Action, romance, partnerships and new projects all come into play. Those new projects may not all pan out the way you'd like them to, but your talent right now is simply getting things started, so don't worry. Thursday and Friday find you more calculating — you're taking measure of your life and work, asking tough question of good friends and reading heavy books. Lucky Numbers: 3, 10, 15 CANCER You may be in the mood to buy a new stove, or repaint the kitchen, or go in a new direction with the layout of the garden. But have you considered that what's really getting under your skin has nothing to do with the kitchen or the garden? If something's bothering you at home, deal with it directly. Emotional upheaval basically makes you useless at work. Lucky Numbers: 9, 23, 38 LEO "You plus friends" is a winning combination — whether it's you or them or something in the air that none of you has anything to do with, you seem almost psychically connected this week. Your romantic life is active, too. Your needs are being met in just about every realm. It's only natural that you begin to think deeply about this state of happiness, such as where it comes from and how to maintain it. Lucky Numbers: 4, 6, 9 VIRGO If you're going to the store at the start of the week, bring a friend. Your shopping is best done with a partner right now. You may need some advice, or you may go in on a big purchase together. The benefits of the shopping excursion also may have nothing to do with the shopping itself. A conversation with a pal on Wednesday about the difference between the things you want and the things you need sets you up to be in deep-thinking mode on Thursday and Friday. Lucky Numbers: 5, 12, 19 LIBRA What is it that makes everyone want to flirt with you right now? Is it your sly smile? Your shoes? Your social life is in tip-top shape until around Thursday, when work woes weigh you down. Business matters figure strongly on Friday as well. Maybe you're making up for all that time you spent in coffee shops earlier in the week. Lucky Numbers: 8, 25, 38 SCORPIO You could go either way. You can see both sides. You'd love a lot of toppings on your ice cream, but ordering it without toppings has an appealing simplicity as well. You're in love with so-and-so; you're not in love. Sheesh! How do people make decisions in this world? Have patience. Many answers become apparent. Lucky Numbers: 4, 17, 22 SAGITTARIUS You need some time to think things through. You need to prepare for what you're getting into. The major message broadcasted during the first half of the week is that you're loved by your friends. But that doesn't solve your career-related quandaries. On Wednesday, the law (or a lawyer, or justice itself) comes into play in some way. Your subconscious is going crazy. Lucky Numbers: 6, 7, 32 CAPRICORN You're well aware of what everyone else thinks. The pressing question at the start of the week is: What do you think? There couldn't be a better period of time to initiate new projects than Tuesday and Wednesday. But if you're unclear on what you want, how will you get it? What should the shape of your next project be? Friends might help you with this. Pay someone a visit on Thursday — go for a walk or possibly bowling — and talk it through. Lucky Numbers: 15, 41, 46 AQUARIUS Your new ally may come in a funny disguise at the start of the week. It may be a zombie outfit or a pumpkin costume. It may not be the season for masquerade parties, but everyone's wearing some kind of mask right now. Go outside of your comfort zone and try to connect with someone you almost assuredly have nothing in common with; you may be surprised how wrong you are. The energy you get from this burgeoning friendship will have you buzzing. Lucky Numbers: 5, 24, 41 PISCES People are crazy. Just when you feel like you and you-know-who are going to take over the world together — in a peaceful, wonderful way — they flake out on you. They become distracted. Their reasons may be valid, but the truth remains: If you want something, it's on your own shoulders to make it happen. Toward the second half of the week, your resolve strengthens even more, and you take someone who's treating you like a doormat to the curb. You do it smiling. You're a pro. Lucky Numbers: 13, 29, 48

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SEPTEMBER 16 - 22, 2021 41

SPORTS Washington Loses Both QB Ryan Fitzpatrick and Season Opener, 20-16

Fan Favorite Heinicke Adds Spark to the Offense but Defense Falls Short Rob A. Warren WI Sports Writer The only thing hotter than the sun beaming down on Fed Ex Field in Landover on Sunday, Sept. 12 – second-year quarterback phenom, Justin Herbert – who guided the Los Angeles Chargers to a 20-16 victory over the Washington Football Team [WFT]. But more bad news awaited the home team of maroon and gold after their starting quarterback, Ryan Fitzpatrick went down hard following a sack and sustaining an injury that’s expected to keep him sidelined for about four to six weeks. Once again, Taylor Heinicke, who had an electric performance in last season’s playoff game against the Buccaneers, stepped in as quarterback, piling up impressive numbers. But despite Heinicke’s best efforts, the offense’s output appeared as sluggish as last season where they held court near the bottom of their division. Heinicke, who in interviews with the local press appears optimistic about this year’s roster, will continue as the WFT’s quarterback. But he will need more help from his skilled position players. Other than running back Antonio Gibson who had a very productive day outside of a very costly fumble late in the game, and the reliable Terry McLaurin who did not make his first catch until the second half, there were not many contributions from other offensive players. Logan Thomas, the team’s emerging talent at tight end, did account for the team’s sole touchdown. However, with the absence of Curtis Samuel who was expected to give a jolt to the offense, the skilled position offensive

players left much to be desired. Samuel remains on the short term injured reserve list and will be ineligible to play until at least week four. The defense did not fair much better. On the first drive of the game, the Chargers marched easily down the field. It appeared WFT faithful would be in for a long day. But the defense settled down and ended up holding the Chargers to 20 points. Still, they failed to generate an effective pass rush, giving Herbert far too much time to operate and find his big, speedy wide receivers. Herbert finished 31 for 47 for 337 yards. The defense did generate two turnovers but when it counted they could not get off the field on third down – something which would cost them dearly on the final drive of the game. Bright spots for the team included a solid effort from Gibson who had 100 total yards from scrimmage, as well a good showing from the special teams who dropped punts inside the 20. Dustin Hopkins was 3 for 4 on field goals and the team’s new returner, Deandre Carter, also had a good day with a 14-ard punt return and a 31-yard kick return. The team’s young secondary held up fairly well in coverage as William Jackson had an interception but collectively, they allowed Herbert too much time to find receivers. Now, Heinicke and company only have a short week in preparation for Thursday night’s game at home against the New York Giants. Scott Turner will need to get more out of his skilled position players. And the team’s pass rush has to be more effective for the WFT to have a chance WI

42 SEPTEMBER 16 - 22, 2021

(TOP) Ryan Fitzpatrick gets sacked in a loss to the LA Chargers 20-16 at Fedex Field. (Abdullah Konte/The Washington Informer) 5 Antoino Gibson runs down the lane in a loss to the LA Chargers 20-16 at Fedex Field (Abdullah Konte/The Washington Informer) 4 Chase Young stops the run and celebrates in a loss to the LA Chargers 20-16 at Fedex Field. (Abdullah Konte/The Washington Informer)

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SPORTS

Big-Time Boxing Returns to DMV with Baltimore’s ‘Triple Threat’

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Mack Allison III said he recently experienced a treat that he’ll never forget. After a challenging evening of practice, the owner of the now-famous Time 2 Grind Boxing Gym in northeast Baltimore has routinely provided a ride home to the young men training while under his watchful eyes. However, while recently closing up the gym with three young men he had trained, Allison witnessed something that made him smile. “All three of them got in their own vehicles and drove home,” Allison recalled. “It just made me sigh and smile.” The three – Mack Papi Allison IV, Tyrell “Iron Soldier” Boyd and Malik Titus – will all appear on the same card in Sterling, Virginia, on Saturday, Sept. 25 at the Dulles Sportsplex. Allison IV will enter the ring as a lightweight with 15 professional bouts under his belt. Boyd, a super middleweight, will compete for the third time as a pro, while Titus, a heavyweight, and U.S. Army veteran, will make his professional debut. “I call them the ‘Triple Threat,’” said Allison III – better known as Coach Allison. “It’s so exciting to see these boys grow to become men. They are fighting as professionals and with all three on the same card I couldn’t be prouder.” Billed by promoters as “The Return of Big-Time Professional Boxing in the DMV,” the fight card is headlined by Dionte “Mr. Untouchable” Burts, who will clash with Juan Rodriguez in a welterweight bout. Also on the card, Ricar-

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5 Coach Mack Allison III (right) with his “Triple Threat” of boxers: Mack

Papi Allison IV, Tyrell “Iron Soldier” Boyd and Malik Titus. (Courtesy photo) do Volcin will take on Brient Pierce Rodriguez in a heavyweight showdown. But for Coach Allison, it’s all about his “Triple Threat.” “I look at Terryl Boyd and he’s in the military with the Army and with the Reserves on the weekend while Mack and Malik both attended Eastern Shore and graduated from high school,” Coach Allison said. “Boyd is a father who takes really good care of his son,and the other two are hard workers. This is what the gym is all about.” While Allison IV hails from Baltimore, the card presents at least four D.C. natives. Coach Allison opened Time 2 Grind in 2015, but he has served for years as a mentor for many young ones in the Baltimore area.

He has trained dozens of boxers and has helped countless others achieve their goals of living a healthy and productive life. “It’s not just me – it’s the community,” Coach Allison stated. “It really does take a village to raise children and that is what we’ve been working hard to accomplish here in Baltimore. I can’t really express how proud all of us are of these young men whom we’ve seen grow from being young boys to young men,” he concluded. For tickets and information about the September 25 boxing card, visit https:// www.eventbrite.com/e/the-return-of-bigtime-professional-boxing-in-the-dmvtickets-165772376641. WI

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Teacher Organization (PTO) acknowledged that administrators at Johnson promptly identified the COVID case and notified parents, they called on DCPS Chancellor Lewis Ferebee and the community to support the school in completing, and installing security doors for, the entire fourth floor of the building, where sixth graders attend classes. “It is our fear that without completion of the unfinished classrooms and other half of the 4th floor, the teachers, staff, and 6th grade students will be forced again to try and maximize social distancing in a limited space, increase class sizes, and ultimately present the same risk of high close contact should a 6th grade student or team member test positive for COVID-19,” the Panther Guardians PTO said in a statement. “Additionally, the lack of outdoor furniture and broken outside gate by the field limits [the Johnson Middle School] administration in their efforts to create a safe and effective outdoor space for students to increase social distancing during lunch periods,” the statement continued. DCPS told The Informer that, in regard to Johnson Middle School and 36 other schools, officials followed its three pillars for a safe and healthy learning environment, which includes informing the school community of positive COVID cases. Last month, the Washington

By the late morning, her dorm still didn’t have wifi, and one of her teachers, unable to access the Blackboard academic portal, canceled class. Throughout much of last week, Austin traveled to Georgetown to access wifi, complete homework, and conduct her photography/videography business. She said such moments not only taught her lessons in time management, but highlighted the importance of having a village. “The community has made up for it in a sense,” said Austin, 18, who hails from the suburbs of Chicago. “My teachers have been accommodating. My assignments have been pushed back, but a lot of us will have to spend some time getting our classes back on the right track to make up for what we’ve gone through this past week.”

5 Dr. Carlene Reid - Ward 8 Member of the State Board of Education (Photo courtesy Dr. Reid)

Teachers’ Union and DCPS finalized a memorandum of agreement (MOA) despite some teachers’ apprehensions about possible overcrowding, lack of working HVAC systems in some schools, and the degree to which guidelines have taken into account the severe impact of the COVID Delta variant. The MOA, the second of its kind since March 2020, mandates a safety walk-through of the premises at least one week before classes start. Weeks before the start of the 2021-2022 school year, the Panther Guardian PTO raised concerns about the sixth grade space, pushing for, at the very least, the completion of two sixth grade classrooms before Aug. 30. As of Sept. 12 the request had not yet been fulfilled. On Sept. 8, D.C. Health reported a COVID daily case rate of 23.6 per 100,000 District residents. Data compiled by the agency show Bancroft Elementary School and Garrison Elementary School in Northwest and Hendley Elementary School in Southeast among the District public schools with the highest number of COVID cases this recorded school year. Since the ascent of the Delta variant, community members have pressed for an expansion of virtual learning options in the District

public and public charter schools. Before the school year started, nearly 130 DCPS students applied for such accommodations. To the chagrin of parents, the virtual option wasn’t available without a medical waiver. In a statement to The Informer, the office of the deputy mayor for education, citing local and national health guidelines, said DCPS will, for the time being, continue in-person learning for students who don’t qualify for a medical exemption. However, Ward 8 State Board of Education Representative Carlene Reid, who has spoken about the virtual learning option throughout much of the spring, pointed to the situation at Johnson as enough of a reason to make it more available. Last month, she sent a letter requesting Bowser do so. “We are asking to have virtual options to empower families to make decisions about their child based on the number of COVID cases and the information we have about the Delta variant,” Reid told The Informer. “What I and other advocates have testified about in May has come to light. It’s disappointing that the administration has not pivoted with the new information we have about how the virus is spreading.” WI @SamPKCollins

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RELIGION the religion corner WITH LYNDIA GRANT

When You Love Someone, Be Willing To Let Them Go!

Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers. — 2nd Corinthians 6:14 When I was a young girl, butterflies were plentiful where I grew up, down south in Dover, North Carolina. In fact, our home was located on the Hill Farm, owned by my grandfather. During that time, butterflies were plentiful. However, according to U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), over the past two decades, the monarch butterfly has been eliminated by 90%. We are grateful to Sen. Klobuchar for calling for action to preserve the monarch butterfly, which my family and I enjoyed more than 60 years ago. Butterflies were all around us, but when I caught one, I always let it go. Never did I feel the need to pull the butterfly wings off or tear it apart to watch it die. They were so beautiful, just watching them pollinate from the flowers in our yard was a joy. The point of this story is to remind us of how important it is to cherish those family members, friends, co-workers and neighbors whom we love and adore. This week, allow me to focus on couples, whether you are married or significant others, being unequally yoked is always a problem. Scripture reminds us in 2nd Corinthians 6:14: Be ye not unequally yoked. Many times, we are attracted to someone based on their personal appearance. Are they too tall or too short? How do they look physically — handsome, cute, beauti-

ful? Get that cute and handsome significant other, or even spouse, home with you each and every day for a while, and it will definitely become a different story. You may discover selfishness, where it is all about me. It won't work, folks, that I know for sure! Once we learn their fate is in doing something totally different from what they're doing with you, we must be willing to let them go. None of us came to this earth to please man. Our job is to please God. Though it will break our hearts, be willing to let them go. That exact thing happened to me 40 years ago. This was a wonderful man (now deceased) I had been dating, but he had a problem that would not work in the future for us. It was a health problem which I won't get in to details on, but he had to have help, so he broke up with me. I was devastated, because I really did love this man. He said to me, "You deserve someone who can be who you need them to be. You are too special to have to deal with me and my health problems." We were not married, maybe if we were, that would have been "our" problem. But in this case, we were

not married, so he let me go. He talked about the business I owned, and at the time I was the executive director and lead coordinator for the annual Georgia Avenue Day Festival and Parade. It took years to get over him, but later on, I realized that it was the right thing to do. Resilience is our capacity to bounce back, get back up. Get back up again — it is your own moment in time, when what you do next. Know that it can and will make a difference. Though I felt that he really did not love me, his actions proved that he loved me enough to let me go. If you find yourself in a relationship where one person is so selfish that they only think of themselves, get out of there. He or she really does not love you, they love themselves, end of story! Do you know your time? Dorothy Height once said, "When you're a Black woman, you seldom get to do what you want to do, but you always do what you have to do. Here is the time for you to shine your light. Do not miss your moment. It doesn't matter who gets the credit. We must get the work done we were sent here to do." WI

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Adams Inspirational A.M.E. Church Dr. E. Gail Anderson Holness / Senior Pastor Rev. Ali Gail Holness-Roland / Assistant & Youth Pastor 12801 Old Fort Road • Ft. Washington, MD 20744 Office (301) 292.6323 • FAX (301) 292.2164 Service and Times Sunday Worship 10:15 am Sunday Church School 11:00 am Youth Sunday every 4th Sunday Prayer Call @ Noon every Tuesday & Thursday 978.990.5166 code: 6166047# Virtual Bible Study Wednesday Facebook & Zoom 7:00 pm “A Growing Church for a Coming Christ” www.adamsinspirationalamec.org

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SEPTEMBER 16 - 22, 2021 45

RELIGION The Miracle Center of Faith Missionary Baptist Church

Pilgrim Baptist Church

Bishop Michael C. Turner, Sr. Senior Pastor

Rev. Louis B. Jones II Pastor

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

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

Service and Times Sunday Worship Times : 7:30 AM 7 10:00 AM Communion: 1st Sunday Sunday School: 9:00 AM Bible Study: Wednesday, 12 Noon Bible Study in homes: Tuesday 7:00 PM Website: www.themiraclecenterFMBC.com Email: Miraclecenterfmbs@gmail.com Motto: “We Walk by Faith, Not by Sight”

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

Covenant Baptist United Church of Christ

Blessed Word of Life Church

Church of Living Waters

Allen Chapel A.M.E. Church

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

St. Stephen Baptist Church

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

Third Street Church of God

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

Reverend William Young IV Pastor

Bishop Lanier C. Twyman, Sr. Senior Pastor

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

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

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

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

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

Service and Times Sunday School: 9:30 AM Sunday Morning Worship Service: 11:00 AM Communion Service: First Sunday Prayer Service/Bible Study: Tuesday, 6:30 PM www.blessedwordoflifechurch.org E-mail: church@blessedwordoflifechurch.org

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

Campbell AME Church Rev. Dr. Henry Y. White 2562 MLK Jr. Ave., SE - Washington, DC 20020 Adm. Office 202-678-2263 Email: Campbell@mycame.org Service and Times Sunday Worship Service: 10:00 AM Sunday Church School: 8:45 AM Bible Study Wednesday: 12:00 Noon Wednesday: 7:00 PM Thursday: 7:00 PM “Reaching Up To Reach Out” Mailing Address : Campbell AME Church 2502 Stanton Road SE - Washington, DC 20020

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

Mount Carmel Baptist Church

Turning Hearts Church Virgil K. Thomas, Sr. Senior Pastor/ Teacher 421 Alabama Ave. SE Washington, DC 20032 Phone: 202-746-0113 Fax: 301-843-2445 Service and Times Sunday School: 10:15 AM Sunday Worship Service: 11;15 AM Children’s Church: 11:15 AM Tuesday Bible Study: 6:30 PM Motto : “A Great Commitment to the Great Commandment” Website: www.turningheartschurchdc.org Email: gr8luv4u2@gmail.com

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

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

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

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

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

5101 14th Street, NW / Washington, DC 20011 Phone: 202-726-2220 Fax: 202-726-9089 Service and Times Sunday Worship Service - 8:00 a.m. & 11:00 a.m. Children’s Church - 11:00 a.m. (1st & 3rd Sundays) Communion - 10 a.m. 4th Sunday Sunday School - 9:15 a.m. (4th Sunday 8:15 a.m.) Prayer Meeting & Bible Study - Wednesday 7:00 p.m. “A Church with a past to remember – and a future to mold” www.mtzbcdc.org

headline and photo for Mount Olivet LIF - MALCOLMXLutheran Church DAY

901 Third Street N.W. Washington, DC. 20001 Phone (202) 842-3411 Fax (202) 682-9423

1306 Vermont Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20005

46 SEPTEMBER 16 - 22, 2021

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

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

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

Reverend John W. Davis Pastor

John F. Johnson Reverend Dr.

themcbc.org

“Ambassadors for Christ to the Nation’s Capital”

Rev. Dr. Alton W. Jordan Pastor

Isle of Patmos Baptist Church

Mt. Zion Baptist Church

Reverend Dr. Paris L Smith, Sr. Senior Pastor

Service and Times Sunday Church School : 9:00 AM Sunday Morning Worship: 10:10 AM Bible Study Tuesday: 6: 00 PM Prayer Service Tuesday: 7:00 PM Holy Communion: 3rd Sunday 10:10 AM

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

Crusader Baptist Church

Service and Times Divine Worship, Sunday 10:00 a.m. Communion 1st and 3rd Sunday “Friendliest Church in the City” Website: mountolivetdc.org Email: mtolivedc@gmail.com

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

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

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

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

Israel Baptist Church

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

Dr. Earl D. Trent Senior Pastor

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

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

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

Sermon On The Mount Temple Of Joy Apostolic Faith

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

Elder Herman L. Simms Pastor

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

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

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

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

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

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

Service and Times Sunday Apostolic Worship Services 11:00 A.M and 5:00 PM Communion and Feet Wash 4th Sunday at 5:00 PM Prayer/Seeking: Wednesday at 8:00 PM Apostolic in Doctrine, Pentecostal in Experience, Holiness in Living, Uncompromised and Unchanged. The Apostolic Faith is still alive –Acts 2:42

New Commandment Baptist Church

Eastern Community Baptist Church Damion M. Briggs Pastor

Rev. Stephen E. Tucker Senior Pastor

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

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

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

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

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

Service and Times Sunday Worship: 11 AM Sunday School: 10 AM Wednesday Mid-Week Worship, Prayer & Bible Study: Wed. 7 PM

Rehoboth Baptist Church

Reverend Peter R. Blue Sr. Pastor

Rev. Curtis l. Staley Pastor

2001 Brooks Drive District Heights MD. 20744 240.838.7074

621 Alabama Ave., S.E.- Washington, D.C. 20032 P: (202) 561-1111 - F: (202) 561-1112

Service and Times Sunday Worship Experience: 10:15am Sunday School: 9:00am Holy Communion: 3rd Sunday Morning Noontime Bible Study: Tuesday @ 12:00pm Prayer Meeting/Bible Study: Tuesday @7:00pm Theme: "Building On A Firm Foundation"

Service and Times Sunday Service: 10:00 AM Sunday School for all ages: 8:30 AM 1st Sunday Baptism: 10:00 AM 2nd Sunday Holy Communion:10:00 AM Tuesday: Bible Study: 6:30 PM Prayer Meeting: 7:45 PM

Email: revprbstmbc@gmail.com Website: www.stmatthewsbaptist.org

Motto: “Where God is First and Where Friendly People Worship”

“Real Worship for Real People” Website: www.easterncommunity.org Email: ecc@easterncommunity.org

“A Church Where Love Is Essential and Praise is Intentional”

Foggy Bottom - Founded in 1867 728 23rd Street, NW - Washington, DC 20037 Church office: 202-333-3985 - Fax : 202-338-4958

Shiloh Baptist Church

Service and Times Sunday Worship Services: 10:00 AM Sunday Church School: 8:45 – 9:45 AM Holy Communion: Every First Sunday Intercessory Prayer: Monday – 7:00-8:00 PM Pastor’s Bible Study: Wednesday –7:45 PM Midweek Prayer: Wednesday – 7:00 PM Noonday Prayer Every Thursday

Matthews Memorial Baptist Church Dr. Joseph D. Turner / Senior Pastor 2616 MLK Ave., SE - Washington, DC 20020 Office 202-889-3709 - Fax 202-678-3304 Service and Times Early Worship Service: 8:00 AM Worship Service: 11:00 AM New Member’s Class: 9:45 AM Holy Communion: 1st Sunday, 11:00 AM Church School: 9:45 AM Wednesday 12:00pm Bible Study Prayer, Praise and Bible Study: 7:00 PM Saturday Bible Study: 11:00 AM Baptism 4th Sunday: 11:00 AM “Empowered to love and Challenged to Lead a Multitude of Souls to Christ”

Peace Baptist Church

4504 Gault Place, N.E. / Washington, D.C 20019 202-397-7775 – 7184 Service and Times Sunday Church School: 9:30 AM Sunday Worship Service : 11:00 AM The Lord’s Supper 1st Sunday Prayer & Praise Services: Wednesday 7:00 PM Bible Study: 7:30 PM Saturday before 4th Sunday Men, Women, Youth Discipleship Ministries: 10:30 AM A Christ Centered Church htubc@comcast.net

Christ Embassy DC

Kelechi Ajieren Coordinator 6839 Eastern Avenue, R1 Takoma Park, MD 20912 (202) 556-7065 Service and Times Sunday Worship Service: 10:00 AM Wednesday Bible Study: 7:00 PM Friday Evening Service: 7:00 PM ; Last Friday “…Giving Your Life a Meaning” www.Christembassydc.org Christ.embassy.dc@hotmail.com

Pennsylvania Ave. Baptist Church

Rev. Dr. Michael T. Bell 712 18th Street, NE Washington, DC 20002 Phone 202-399-3450/ Fax 202-398-8836 Service and Times Sunday Early Morning Prayer & Bible Study Class: 8:00 AM Sunday School: 9:00 AM Sunday Morning Worship Service: 10:00 AM Wednesday Service: 12:00 PM “The Loving Church of the living lord “

Rev. Dr. Kendrick E. Curry Pastor 3000 Pennsylvania Ave.. S.E Washington, DC 20020 202 581-1500 Service and Times Sunday Church School: 9:30 AM Sunday Worship Service: 11:00 AM Monday Adult Bible Study: 7:00 PM Wednesday Youth & Adult Activities: 6:30 PM Prayer Service Bible Study

First Rising Mt. Zion Baptist Church

Mt. Horeb Baptist Church

Rev. Dr. Wallace Charles Smith Pastor

Rev. Oran W. Young Pastor

Rev. Dr. H. B. Sampson, III Pastor

9th & P Street, N.W. - W. D.C. 20001 (202) 232-4288

602 N Street NW - Washington, D.C. 20001 Office:(202) 289-4480 Fax: (202) 289-4595

2914 Bladensburg Road, NE Wash., DC 20018 Office: (202) 529-3180 - Fax: (202) 529-7738 Service and Times Worship Service: 7:30 AM Sunday School: 9:00 AM Worship Service: 10:30 AM Holy Communion: 4th Sunday 7:30AM & 10:30 AM Prayer Services:Tuesday 7:30 PM. Wednesday 12 Noon

www.stmarysfoggybottom.org Email: stmarysoffice@stmarysfoggybottom.org

Service and Times First Sunday Worship Service (one service): 10:00 AM Second, Third, Fourth, and Fifth Sunday Worship service: 7:45 AM and 10:55 AM Sunday Church School/Bible Study: 9:30 AM Thursday Prayer Service: 6:30 PM

All are welcome to St. Mary’s to Learn, Worship, and Grow.

Email: sbc@shilohbaptist.org Website: shilohbaptist.org

Service and Times Sundays: 10 a.m. Holy Eucharist with Music and Hymns Wednesdays: 12:10 p.m. - Holy Eucharist

Rev. Dr. George C. Gilbert Senior Pastor

Email Address: admin@pbc712.org

Historic St. Mary’s Episcopal Church The Rev. E. Bernard Anderson Priest

Holy Trinity United Baptist Church

Florida Avenue Baptist Church

Reverend Christopher L. Nichols Pastor

Rev. Dr. Jerryl V. Moody Pastor-Elect

Web: www.mountmoriahchurch.org Email: mtmoriah@mountmoriahchurch.org

St. Matthews Baptist Church

Emmanuel Baptist Church

King Emmanuel Baptist Church

WWW.WASHINGTONINFORMER.COM / THE WASHINGTON INFORMER

Service and Times Sunday School for All Ages: 8:00 AM Sunday Worship Services: 9:30 AM Midday Prayer & Bible Study: Wednesday 11:30AM Evening Prayer & Bible Study: Wednesday 7:00 PM Laymen's League: Thursday 7:00 PM Email: Froffice@firstrising.org Website: www.firstrising.org “Changing Lives On Purpose “

Email:mthoreb@mthoreb.org Website:www.mthoreb.org For further information, please contact me at (202) 529-3180.

SEPTEMBER 16 - 22, 2021 47

LEGAL NOTICES

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

SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA PROBATE DIVISION Washington, D.C. 20001-2131

2021 ADM 000798

2021 ADM 000752

2021 ADM 865

2021 ADM 000908

2021 FEP 000098

Claudia M. Walker Decedent

Burnell Edgar Irby aka Burnell E. Irby Decedent

Roderick Andre Avery Decedent

Colden Murchinson Decedent

February 26, 2018 Date of Death

Valerie Edwards, Esq. 1725 DeSales Street, NW, Suite 600 Washington, DC 20036 Attorney

Joan M. Wilbon 1120 Connecticut Ave., NW Suite 1020 Washington, DC 20036 Attorney

NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS Tomeka Walker McNeal, whose address is 2656 Bowen Road, SE, Apartment 103, Washington, DC 20020, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Claudia M. Walker who died on 10/4/2020 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 3/2/2022. 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 3/2/2022, 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: 9/2/2021 Tomeka Walker McNeal Personal Representative

TRUE TEST COPY

Wilbert Baccus 11807 Lisborough Road Bowie, Maryland 20720-3423 Attorney NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS Melissa N. Irby, whose address is 1436 Montague Street, NW, Washington, DC 20011, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Burnell Edgar Irby aka Burnell E. Irby who died on September 23, 2019 without a Will, and will serve with Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance in this proceeding. Objections to such appointment shall be filed with the Register of Wills, D.C., 515 5th Street, N.W., Building A, Third Floor Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before 3/2/2022. 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 3/2/2022, 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: 9/2/2021 Melissa N. Irby Personal Representative

NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS Cheryl Marvray, whose address is 11524 Cox Hill Road, Gordonsville, VA 22942, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Roderick Andre Avery who died on March 13, 2021 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 3/2/2022. 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 3/2/2022, 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: 9/2/2021 Cheryl Marvray Personal Representative

NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS Jonathan Murchinson, whose address is 4640 84th Ave., SE, Mercer Island, WA 98040, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Colden Murchinson who died on 5/14/2021 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 3/2/2022. 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 3/2/2022, 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: 9/2/2022 Jonathan Murchinson Personal Representative

Norbert Okechukwu Ezeh aka Ezeh Norbert aka Rev. Fr. Ezeh Norbert Okechukwku Name of Decedent NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT OF FOREIGN PERSONAL REPRESENTATIVE AND NOTICE TO CREDITORS Most Rev. Hilary Paul Odili Okeke and Rev. Fr. Celestine Okonkwo whose addresses are P.M.B. 5099 of Nnewi, Anambra State of Nigeria were appointed personal representatives of the estate of Norbert Okechukwu Ezeh, deceased, by the High Court of Anambra State of Nigeria Court, on May 13, 2019. Service of process may be made upon Aimee D. Griffin, Esq., The Griffin Firm, PLLC, 5335 Wisconsin Avenue, NW, Suite 440, Washington, DC 20015 whose designation as District of Columbia agent has been filed with the Register of Wills, D.C. The decedent owned District of Columbia personal property. Claims against the decedent may be presented to the undersigned and filed with the Register of Wills of the District of Columbia, 515 5th Street, NW, Third Floor, Washington, D.C. 20001 within 6 months from the date of first publication of this notice. Date of first publication: 9/2/2021 Most Rev. Hilary Paul Odili Okeke Rev. Fr. Celestine Okonkwo 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

SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA PROBATE DIVISION Washington, D.C. 20001-2131

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

SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA PROBATE DIVISION Washington, D.C. 20001-2131

2021 ADM 000899

2021 ADM 000866

2021 FEP 88

2021 ADM 000867

2011 FEP 000132

Olivia Stroman aka Olivia R. Stroman Decedent

Johnny Rufus Bowen Decedent

May 13, 2019 Date of Death

Katie Mae Crawford Decedent

February 9, 2011 Date of Death

Nicole Stevens Register of Wills Washington Informer

Tina Smith Nelson, Esq. Legal Counsel for the Elderly 601 E Street, NW Washington, DC 20049 Attorney NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS Patricia A. Griffin, whose address is 2220 R Street SE, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Olivia Stroman aka Olivia R. Stroman who died on December 18, 2020 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 3/9/2022. 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 3/9/2022, 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: 9/9/2022 Patricia A. Griffin Personal Representative

Aimee D. Griffin 5335 Wisconsin Avenue, NW Suite 440 Washington, DC 20015 Attorney NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS

Beatrice M. Cook Name of Decedent NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT OF FOREIGN PERSONAL REPRESENTATIVE AND NOTICE TO CREDITORS

Nicole Stevens Register of Wills Washington Informer

Wesley N. Gordon Name of Decedent NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS Mary Elizabeth McNeil, whose address is 4337 4th St., SE, Apartment 4, Washington, DC 20032, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Katie Mae Crawford who died on 12/15/2020 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 3/2/2022. 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 3/2/2022, 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.

NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT OF FOREIGN PERSONAL REPRESENTATIVE AND NOTICE TO CREDITORS Carl W. Gordon whose address is 9135 Creekstone Lake Dr., Houston, TX 77054 was appointed personal representative of the estate of Wesley N. Gordon, deceased, by the Circuit Court, operating as Orphan’s Court for Montgomery County, State of Maryland, on February 23, 2021. Service of process may be made upon Jason Gordon, 6615 Georgia Ave., NW, Washington, DC 20012 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 estate. 7301 Georgia Ave., NW, Washington, DC 20012, 7303 Georgia Ave., NW, Washington, DC 20012, 7309 Georgia Ave., NW, Washington, DC 20012, 6615 Georgia Ave., NW, Washington, DC 20012, 867 Van Buren St., NW, Washington, DC 20012. 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.

Dena Bowen, whose address is 1605 Taylor Street, NW, Washington, DC 20011, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Johnny Rufus Bowen who died on 3/2/2021 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 3/2/2022. 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 3/2/2022, 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.

Arnold Cook and Aileen B. Cook Whose addresses are 4707 Lisborough Ter., Bowie, MD 20720 and 5821 5th Street, NW, Washington, DC 20011 were appointed personal representatives of the estate of Beatrice M. Cook, deceased, by the Orphans Court for Prince Georges County, State of Maryland, on May 29, 2019. Service of process may be made upon Aileen B. Cook, 5821 5th Street, NW, Washington, DC 20011 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 estate. 5821 5th St., NW, Washington, DC 20011. 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: 9/2/2021

Mary Elizabeth McNeil Personal Representative

Arnold Cook Aileen B. Cook Personal Representative

TRUE TEST COPY

Carl W. Gordon Personal Representative

Nicole Stevens Register of Wills

Washington Informer

Dena Bowen Personal Representative

TRUE TEST COPY

Nicole Stevens Register of Wills

Washington Informer

48 SEPTEMBER 16 - 22, 2021

Date of first publication: 9/2/2021

THE WASHINGTON INFORMER / WWW.WASHINGTONINFORMER.COM

LEGAL NOTICES

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

2021 ADM 000475

2021 ADM 000848

Wanda C. Thomas Decedent

Annie Oakes Decedent

Tina Smith Nelson, Esq. Legal Counsel for the Elderly 601 E Street, NW Washington, DC 20049 Attorney NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS Roscoe P. Johnson, III, whose address is 5614 Blaine Street, NE, Washington, DC 20019, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Wanda C. Thomas who died on May 14, 2014 without a Will, and will serve without Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance in this proceeding. Objections to such appointment shall be filed with the Register of Wills, D.C., 515 5th Street, N.W., Building A, Third Floor Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before 3/2/2022. 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 3/2/2022, 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: September 2, 2021 Roscoe P. Johnson, III Personal Representative

NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS Reginald K. Oakes, whose address is 2317 3rd Street, NE, Washington, DC 20002, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Annie Oakes who died on 12/24/2020 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 March 2, 2022. 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 March 2, 2022, 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: September 2, 2021 Reginald K. Oakes Personal Representative

TRUE TEST COPY

Nicole Stevens Register of Wills

Washington Informer

LEGAL NOTICES Notice of Reference : 0112358-13 Declaration of Nationality & Notice of White Flag Surrender In God We Trust. Declaration of Nationality. Notice of White Flag Surrender. Notice of Special Appearance: I am that I am:" Brian Paul Terry©", in full life, in propria persona, sui juris, in solo proprio, Haqdar by natural issue, the beneficiary and heir of:" TERRY, BRIAN PAUL©", corp.sole Dba.: "BRIAN PAUL TERRY© ", having reached the age of majority, being aboriginal to the northwestern and southwestern shores of Africa, the Atlantic Islands , the continental Americas, being duly certified, hereby affirms to declare my tribal intention to be as my pedigree subscribes, as a: Moorish American, but not a citizen of the United States. I declare permanent, and unalienable , allegiance to The Moorish Empire, Societas Republicae Ea Al Maurikanuus Estados, The Constitution for the united States of America, Article III Section 2, The Lieber Code, Hague Conventions of I899 & 1907, The Geneva Conventions, [ United Nations Declaration on the Rights of lndigenous Peoples ], and all natural laws governing moors, and hereby declare and proclaim my nationality in good faith as a: Moorish American. I am that I am: " Brian Paul Terry©", from this day forward, in harmony with my Nationality/ Status/ Jurisdiction, shall be known as:" brian terry bey©". Notice of White Flag Surrender: as "hors de combat", pursuant to The Geneva Conventions, Article III, as a minister of The Moorish Empire, and Internationally Protected Person. Notice of: LAWS AND CUSTOMS OF WAR ON LAND ( HAGUE, TV), ARTICLE: 45, 46, & 47. Notice of Claim pursuant to Public Law 87-846, TITLE II, SEC. 203. Notice of Bailment Merging of Legal Title with Equitable Title: This order is to preserve legal and equitable title, and to reserve all rights, title, and interest, in the property, Re: State File Number 156-56-328 121, " BRIAN PAUL TERRY© ", is as a special deposit order conveyed to " 7 Steps Trust©". All property of the same issue and amount, in like kind and specie, is to be returned fully intact, as a Special Deposit order of the Depositor / Beneficiary/ Bailor / Donor / Principal / Creditor: " brian terry bey© ", nom deguerre: " Brian Paul Terry©", as a special deposit order in lawful money. This special deposit is to be used exclusively for the benefit of: "7 Steps Trust© ", an Inter Vivos Unincorporated Divine Grantor Trust. This deposit is not to be commingled with general assets of any bank, nor depositary / trustee / agent/ bailee/ donee / debtor. This deposit is not limited to, but including: discharge and set off, of any and all outstanding liabilities as accord and satisfaction. Inter alia enact fuit. All Rights Reserved. Deo volente

Notice of Reference : 0112358-13 Subject of Notice : Declaration of Nationality & Notice of White Flag Surrender

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

2021 ADM 000121

2020 ADM 000726

2021 ADM 000869

Pearl B. Thompson Decedent

Hurshul Goosby aka Hurshul Louis Goosby aka Hurshul L. Goosby Decedent

Anita Austin aka Anita Iona Austin Decedent

Washington Informer In God We Trust. Declaration of Nationality. Notice of White Flag Surrender.

In God We Trust. Declaration of Nationality. Notice of White Flag Surrender.

Notice of Special Appearance : I am that I am: " Richard Stanley McHenry Jr© ", in full life, in propria persona, sui juris, in solo proprio, Haqdar by natural issue, the beneficiary and heir of: " MCHENRY JR, RICHARD STANLEY© ", corp.sole Dba.: " RICHARD STANLEY MCHENRY JR© ", having reached the age of majority, being aboriginal to the northwestern and southwestern shores of Africa, the Atlantic Islands, the continental Americas, being duly certified, hereby affirms to declare my tribal intention to be as my pedigree subscribes, as a: Moorish American, but not a citizen of the United States. I declare permanent, and unalienable, allegiance to The Moorish Empire, Societas Republicae Ea Al Maurikanuus Estados, The Constitution for the united States of America, Article III Section 2, The Lieber Code, Hague Conventions of 1899 & 1907, The Geneva Conventions, [ United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples ], and all natural laws governing moors, and hereby declare and proclaim my nationality in good faith as a: Moorish American. I am that I am: " Richard Stanley McHenry Jr© ", from this day forward, in harmony with my Nationality / Status / Jurisdiction, shall be known as: " rick mchenry bey© ". Notice of White Flag Surrender: as "hors de combat", pursuant to The Geneva Conventions, Article III, as a minister of The Moorish Empire, and Internationally Protected Person. Notice of: LAWS AND CUSTOMS OF WAR ON LAND ( HAGUE, IV), ARTICLE: 45, 46, & 47. Notice of Claim pursuant to Public Law 87-846, TITLE II, SEC. 203. Notice of Bailment Merging of Legal Title with Equitable Title : This order is to preserve legal and equitable title , and to reserve all rights, title, and interest, in the property, Re: State File Number 66-137508, " RICHARD STANLEY MCHENRY JR© ", is as a special deposit order conveyed to " Richard Stanley Mchenry Jr Trust© ". All property of the same issue and amount, in like kind and specie, is to be returned fully intact , as a Special Deposit order of the Depositor / Beneficiary / Bailor / Donor / Principal / Creditor: " rick mchenry bey© ", nom deguerre: " Richard Stanley McHenry Jr© ", as a special deposit order in lawful money. This special deposit is to be used exclusively for the benefit of : " Richard Stanley Mchenry Jr Trust© ", an Inter Vivos Unincorporated Divine Grantor Trust. This deposit is not to be commingled with general assets of any bank, nor depositary / trustee / agent / bailee / donee / debtor. This deposit is not limited to, but including: discharge and set off, of any and all outstanding liabilities as accord and satisfaction. Inter alia enact fuit. All Rights Reserved. Deo volente. nding liabilities as accord and satisfaction. Inter alia enact fuit. All Rights Reserved. Deo volente.

Notice of Special Appearance : I am that I am: " Vaughn Edward Greathouse© ", in full life, in propria persona, sui juris, in solo proprio, Haqdar by natural issue, the beneficiary and heir of: "GREATHOUSE, VAUGHN EDWARD© ", corp.sole Dba.: " VAUGHN EDWARD GREATHOUSE© ", having reached the age of majority, being aboriginal to the northwestern and southwestern shores of Africa, the Atlantic Islands, the continental Americas, being duly certified, hereby affirms to declare my tribal intention to be as my pedigree subscribes, as a: Moorish American, but not a citizen of the United States. I declare permanent, and unalienable, allegiance to The Moorish Empire, Societas Republicae Ea Al Maurikanuus Estados, The Constitution for the united States of America, Article III Section 2, The Lieber Code, Hague Conventions of 1899 & 1907, The Geneva Conventions, [ United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples ], and all natural laws governing moors, and hereby declare and proclaim my nationality in good faith as a: Moorish American. I am that I am: " Vaughn Edward Greathouse© ", from this day forward, in harmony with my Nationality / Status / Jurisdiction, shall be known as: "vaughn edward greathouse© ". Notice of White Flag Surrender: as "hors de combat", pursuant to The Geneva Conventions, Article III, as a minister of The Moorish Empire, and Internationally Protected Person. Notice of: LAWS AND CUSTOMS OF WAR ON LAND ( HAGUE, IV), ARTICLE: 45, 46, & 47. Notice of Claim pursuant to Public Law 87-846, TITLE II, SEC. 203. Notice of Bailment Merging of Legal Title with Equitable Title : This order is to preserve legal and equitable title , and to reserve all rights, title, and interest, in the property, Re: STATE OF MICHIGAN DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES : 121-0076459 , " VAUGHN EDWARD GREATHOUSE© ", is as a special deposit order conveyed to "Greater Life Trust© ". All property of the same issue and amount, in like kind and specie, is to be returned fully intact , as a Special Deposit order of the Depositor / Beneficiary / Bailor / Donor / Principal / Creditor: " vaughn edward greathouse© ", nom deguerre: "Vaughn Edward Greathouse© ", as a special deposit order in lawful money. This special deposit is to be used exclusively for the benefit of : "Greater Life Trust© ", an Inter Vivos Unincorporated Divine Grantor Trust. This deposit is not to be commingled with general assets of any bank, nor depositary / trustee / agent / bailee / donee / debtor. This deposit is not limited to, but including: discharge and set off, of any and all outstanding liabilities as accord and satisfaction. Inter alia enact fuit. All Rights Reserved. Deo volente.

LEGAL NOTICES

Reginald Harris 1775 I Street, NW, Suite 1150 Washington, DC 20006 Attorney NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS Ruby Clayborne and Deborah Clayborne- Faison and Robin Marie Reid, whose addresses are 9120 Emersons Reach, Columbia, MD 21045 & 10104 Newhall Road, Potomac, MD 20854 & 645 Sheridan Ave., Plainfield, NJ 07060, were appointed Personal Representatives of the estate of Pearl B. Thompson who died on July 14, 2020 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 3/9/2022. 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 3/9/2022, 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: 9/9/2021 Ruby Clayborne Deborah Clayborne-Faison Robin Marie Reid Personal Representative

In God We Trust. Declaration of Nationality. Notice of White Flag Surrender.

In God We Trust. Declaration of Nationality. Notice of White Flag Surrender. Notice of Special Appearance : I am that I am:" Larry Smith Bey© ", in full life, in propria persona, sui juris, in solo proprio, Haqdar by natural issue, the beneficiary and heir of: " SMITH, LARRY © ", corp. sole Dba.: " LARRY SMITH© ", having reached the age of majority, being aboriginal to the northwestern and southwestern shores of Africa, the Atlantic Islands , the continental Americas, being duly certified, hereby affirms to declare my tribal intention to be as my pedigree subscribes, as an: Moorish American but not a citizen of the United States. I declare permanent, and unalienable, allegiance to The Moorish Empire, Societas Republicae Ea Al Maurikanuus Estados, The Constitution for the united States of America, Article III Section 2, The Lieber Code, Hague Conventions of 1899 & 1907, The Geneva Conventions, and [ United Nations Declaration on the Rights of lndigenous Peoples], and all natural laws governing moors, and hereby declare and proclaim my nationality in good faith as a: Moorish American. I am that I am: " Larry Smith Bey© ", from this day forward, in harmony with my Nationality / Status / Jurisdiction, shall be known as: " larry smith bey© ". Notice of White Flag Surrender: as " hors de combat ", pursuant to The Geneva Conventions, Article III, as a minister of The Moorish Empire, and Internationally Protected Person. Notice of: LAWS AND CUSTOMS OF WAR ON LAND ( HAGUE, IV), ARTICLE: 45, 46, & 47. Notice of Claim pursuant to Public Law 87-846, TITLE II, SEC. 203. Notice of Bailment Merging of Legal Title with Equitable Title : This order is to preserve legal and equitable title , and to reserve all rights, title, and interest, in the property, Re: " The Arkansas Department Of Health & Vital Statistics: State File Number 7022 ", " LARRY SMITH© ", is as a special deposit order conveyed to " The Tehuti Amon Trust© ". All property of the same issue and amount, in like kind and specie, is to be returned fully intact , as a Special Deposit order of the Depositor / Beneficiary / Bailor / Donor / Principal / Creditor: " larry smith bey© ", nom deguerre: " Larry Smith© ", as a special deposit order in lawful money. This special deposit is to be used exclusively for the benefit of : " The Tehuti Amon Trust© ", an Inter Vivos Unincorporated Divine Grantor Trust. This deposit is not to be commingled with general assets of any bank , nor depositary / trustee / agent / bailee / donee / debtor. This deposit is not limited to, but including: discharge and set off, of any and all outstanding liabilities as accord and satisfaction. Inter alia enact fuit. All Rights Reserved. Deo volente

Joan M. Wilbon 1120 Connecticut Ave., NW, Ste. 1020 Washington, DC 20036 Attorney

Adria Goosby-Gresholm 221 Rittenhouse Street, NW Washington, DC 20011 Attorney NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS Adria Goosby-Gresholm, whose address is 221 Rittenhouse Street, NW, Washington, DC 20011, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Hurshul Goosby aka Hurshul Louis Goosby aka Hurshul L. Goosby who died on 10/19/2006 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 3/9/2022. 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 3/9/2022, 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: 9/9/2021 Adria Goosby-Gresholm Personal Representative

Notice of Special Appearance : I am that I am:" Deanne Sophia Lorne © ", in full life, in propria persona, sui juris, in solo proprio, Haqdar by natural issue, the beneficiary and heir of: " LORNE, DEANNE SOPHIA © ", corp.sole Dba.: " DEANNE SOPHIA LORNE © ", having reached the age of majority, being duly certified, hereby affirms to declare my tribal intention to be as my pedigree subscribes, as an: American National, but not a citizen of the United States. I declare permanent, and unalienable, allegiance to the united States of America, The Lieber Code, Hague Conventions of 1899 & 1907, The Geneva Conventions, and all natural laws governing We the People, and hereby declare and proclaim my nationality in good faith as a: " Israelite ". I am that I am: " Deanne Sophia Lorne © ", from this day forward, in harmony with my Nationality / Status / Jurisdiction, shall be known as: " dana bit ashayah © ". Notice of White Flag Surrender: as " hors de combat ", pursuant to The Geneva Conventions, Article III, as a minister of Ahayah's covenant: Law of the People, and Internationally Protected Person. Notice of: LAWS AND CUSTOMS OF WAR ON LAND ( HAGUE, IV), ARTICLE: 45, 46, & 47. Notice of Claim pursuant to Public Law 87-846, TITLE II, SEC. 203. Notice of Bailment Merging of Legal Title with Equitable Title : This order is to preserve legal and equitable title , and to reserve all rights, title, and interest, in the property, Re: N/A : N/a , " DEANNE SOPHIA LORNE © ", is as a special deposit order conveyed to "Deanne Lorne Trust © ". All property of the same issue and amount, in like kind and specie, is to be returned fully intact , as a Special Deposit order of the Depositor / Beneficiary / Bailor / Donor / Principal / Creditor: " dana bit ashayah © ", nom deguerre: "DEANNE SOPHIA LORNE © ", as a special deposit order in lawful money. This special deposit is to be used exclusively for the benefit of : " Deanne Lorne Trust © ", an Inter Vivos Unincorporated Divine Grantor Trust. This deposit is not to be commingled with general assets of any bank , nor depositary / trustee / agent / bailee / donee / debtor. This deposit is not limited to, but including: discharge and set off, of any and all outstanding liabilities as accord and satisfaction. Inter alia enact fuit. All Rights Reserved. Deo volente.

NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS Grace Minns and John Minns, whose address are 9767 Polished Stone, Columbia, MD 21046, were appointed Personal Representatives of the estate of Anita Austin aka Anita Iona Austin who died on 3/17/2021 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 3/9/2022. 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 3/9/2022, 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: 9/9/2021 Grace Minns John Minns Personal Representative

TRUE TEST COPY

Nicole Stevens Register of Wills

Washington Informer

WWW.WASHINGTONINFORMER.COM / THE WASHINGTON INFORMER

SEPTEMBER 16 - 22, 2021 49

LEGAL NOTICES

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

SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA PROBATE DIVISION

2021 ADM 000878

2021 ADM 000918

2021 ADM 000909

2021 ADM 000884

Constance Hackett Name of Deceased Settlor

Alberta Addison aka Alberta Gertrude Addison Decedent

Bertha Johnson Decedent

Phillip Datcher Decedent

Cassie B. Johnson Decedent

NOTICE OF EXISTENCE OF REVOCABLE TRUST

Aimee D. Griffin, Esq. The Griffin Firm, PLLC 5335 Wisconsin Ave., NW, Ste. 440 Washington, DC 20015 Attorney

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

NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS Jean M. Harris, whose address is 1913 Randolph Street, NE, Washington, DC 20018, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Alberta Addison aka Alberta Gertrude Addison who died on 11/1/2013 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 3/9/2022. 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 3/9/2022, 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: 9/9/2021

Monica Taylor, whose address is 4652 Kendrick Road, Suitland, Maryland 20746, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Bertha Johnson who died on May 10, 2021 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 3/9/2022. 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 3/9/2022, 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: 9/9/2021 Monica Taylor Personal Representative

Jean M. Harris Personal Representative TRUE TEST COPY Nicole Stevens Register of Wills Washington Informer

Declaration of Nationality Notice of White Flag Surrender In God We Trust. Declaration of Nationality. Notice of White Flag Surrender. Notice of Special Appearance : I am that I am:" Melvin Louis Huges © ", in full life, in propria persona, sui juris, in solo proprio, Haqdar by natural issue, the beneficiary and heir of: " HUGES , MELVIN LOUIS © ", corp.sole Dba.: " MELVIN LOUIS HUGES © ", having reached the age of majority, being duly certified, hereby affirms to declare my tribal intention to be as my pedigree subscribes, as an: Moorish American, but not a citizen of the United States. I declare permanent, and unalienable, allegiance to The Moorish Empire, Societas Republicae Ea Al Maurikanuus Estados, The Constitution for the united States of America, Article III Section 2, The Lieber Code, Hague Conventions of 1899 & 1907, The Geneva Conventions, [ United Nations Declaration on the Rights of lndigenous Peoples ], and all natural laws governing moors, and hereby declare and proclaim my nationality in good faith as a: Moorish American. " I am that I am: " Melvin Louis Huges © ", from this day forward, in harmony with my Nationality / Status / Jurisdiction, shall be known as: " bandele el © ". Notice of White Flag Surrender: as " hors de combat ", pursuant to The Geneva Conventions, Article III, as a minister of The Moorish Empire, and Internationally Protected Person. Notice of: LAWS AND CUSTOMS OF WAR ON LAND ( HAGUE, IV), ARTICLE: 45, 46, & 47. Notice of Claim pursuant to Public Law 87-846, TITLE II, SEC. 203. Notice of Bailment Merging of Legal Title with Equitable Title : This order is to preserve legal and equitable title , and to reserve all rights, title, and interest, in the property, Re: LOUISIANA DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH : 1191963-044-00555 , " MELVIN LOUIS HUGES © ", is as a special deposit order conveyed to "ORANGE BARON Trust © ". All property of the same issue and amount, in like kind and specie, is to be returned fully intact , as a Special Deposit order of the Depositor / Beneficiary / Bailor / Donor / Principal / Creditor: " bandele el © ", nom deguerre: "MELVIN LOUIS HUGES © ", as a special deposit order in lawful money. This special deposit is to be used exclusively for the benefit of : " ORANGE BARON Trust © ", an Inter Vivos Unincorporated Divine Grantor Trust. This deposit is not to be commingled with general assets of any bank , nor depositary / trustee / agent / bailee / donee / debtor. This deposit is not limited to, but including: discharge and set off, of any and all outstanding liabilities as accord and satisfaction. Inter alia enact fuit. All Rights Reserved. Deo volente. Notice of Reference : 0112358-13

Rachelle H. Raphael, Esq. 4800 Hampden Lane, Ste. 200 Bethesda, MD 20814 Attorney NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS Cheryl Saunders, whose address is 4302 22nd Place, Temple Hills, MD 20748, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Phillip Datcher who died on April 10, 2020 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 3/9/2022. 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 3/9/2022, 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: 9/9/2021 Cheryl Saunders Personal Representative

NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS Gwendolyn Daniel, whose address is 1551 Hemlock Street, NW, Washington, DC 20012, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Cassie B. Johnson who died on February 8, 2020 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 3/9/2022. 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 3/9/2022, 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: September 9, 2021

2021 NRT 00028

Constance Hackett whose address was 5412 13th Street, NW, Washington, DC 20011 created a revocable trust on October 26, 2015, which remained in existence on the date of her death on March 9, 2018, and Catherine Hackett Botts, whose address is 515 Roxboro Place, NW, Washington, DC 20011, is the currently acting trustee, hereinafter the Trustee. Communications to the Trust should be mailed or directed to James Larry Frazier, Esq. at 918 Maryland Avenue, NE, Washington, DC 20002. The Trust is subject to claims of the deceased settlor’s creditors, costs of administration of the settlor’s estate, the expense of the deceased settlor’s funeral and disposal of remains, and statutory allowances to a surviving spouse and children to the extent the deceased settlor’s residuary probate estate is inadequate to satisfy those claims, costs, expenses, and allowances. Claims of the deceased settlor’s creditors are barred as against the Trustee and the trust property unless presented to the Trustee at the address provided herein on or before 3/9/2022 (6 month after the date of the first publication of this notice.) An action to contest the validity of this trust must be commenced by the earliest of (1) 3/19/2019, (One year from date of death of deceased settlor) (2) 3/9/2022, (6 months from the date of first publication of this notice) or (3) Ninety days after the Trustee sends the person a copy of the trust instrument and a notice informing the person of the trust’s existence, of the Trustee’s name and address, and of the time allowed for commencing a proceeding. The Trustee may proceed to distribute the trust property in accordance with the terms of the trust before the expiration of the time within which an action must be commenced unless the Trustee knows of a pending judicial proceeding contesting the validity of the trust or the Trustee has received notice from a potential contestant who thereafter commences a judicial proceeding within sixty days after notification.

Gwendolyn Daniel Personal Representative

This Notice must be mailed postmarked within 15 days of its first publication to each heir and qualified beneficiary of the trust and any other person who would be an interested person within the meaning of D.C. Code 20-101(d). Date of First Publication: 9/9/2021 \ Catherine Hackett Botts Signature of Trustee

TRUE TEST COPY

Nicole Stevens Register of Wills

TRUE TEST COPY

Washington Informer

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

SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

2021 ADM 000931

2021 ADM 967

Everett Crosson Decedent

Dorine W. Caves Decedent

Robert P. Newman, Esq. Law Office of Robert P. Newman 801 Wayne Ave., Suite 400 Silver Spring, MD 20910 Attorney

Matthew F. Shannon, Esq. 1420 N Street, NW #203 Washington, DC 20005 Attorney

Date of Death

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

NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT OF FOREIGN PERSONAL REPRESEN-

NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS Doris B. Crosson, whose address is 7432 8th Street, NW, Washington, DC 20012, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Everett Crosson who died on July 18, 2021 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 3/16/2022. 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 3/16/2022, 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.

Sharon Jessup and Veronica Caves Greenfield, whose addresses are 135 47th St., NE, Washington, DC 20019 & 1302 Nicholson St., Hyattsville, MD 20782, were appointed Personal Representatives of the estate of Dorine W. Caves who died on July 3, 2021 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 3/16/2022. 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 3/16/2022, 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: 9/16/2021

Doris B. Crosson Personal Representative

Sharon Jessup Veronica Caves Greenfield Personal Representative

PROBATE DIVISION

Washington, D.C. 20001-2131 2021 FEP 000103 12/24/19

Barry Michael Pearson Name of Decedent

TATIVE AND NOTICE TO CREDITORS

Sylvia Pearson whose address is 3801 Cedar Drive, Suit-

land, Maryland 20746 was appointed personal representative of the estate of Barry Michael Pearson, deceased, by the

Orphans Court for Prince Georges County, State of Maryland, on February 7, 2020.

Service of process may be made upon George L. Garrow,

Jr., Garrow Law Firm PLLC, 300 New Jersey Avenue, NW, Suite 900, Washington, DC 20001 whose designation as District of

Columbia agent has been filed with the Register of Wills, D.C.

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:

TRUE TEST COPY

Nicole Stevens Register of Wills

Washington Informer

50 SEPTEMBER 16 - 22, 2021

SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA Probate Division Washington, D.C. 20001-2131 2021 ADM 000926 Joseph R. Cobb, Sr. Decedent Julius P. Terrell 1455 Pennsylvania Ave., NW, #400 Washington, DC 20004 Attorney NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS Victoria L. Brown, Oolooteka Bey and Joseph R. Cobb Jr., whose addresses are 7609 Castle Rock Dr., Clinton, MD 20735, 4903 McKinley St., Temple Hills, MD 20748 and 15305 Sir Edwards Dr., Upper Marlboro, MD 20772, were appointed Personal Representatives of the estate of Joseph R. Cobb, Sr. who died on 12/21/2017 without a Will, and will serve without Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance in this proceeding. Objections to such appointment shall be filed with the Register of Wills, D.C., 515 5th Street, N.W., Building A, Third Floor Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before 3/16/2022. 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 3/16/2022, 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: 9/16/2021

Sylvia Pearson

Victoria L. Brown Oolooteka Bey Joseph R. Cobb Sr. Personal Representative

Nicole Stevens

TRUE TEST COPY

9/16/2021

Personal Representative TRUE TEST COPY

Nicole Stevens Register of Wills

Nicole Stevens Register of Wills Washington Informer

THE WASHINGTON INFORMER / WWW.WASHINGTONINFORMER.COM

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FAMILY from Page 24 as one of the prominent burial sites for people of African descent in the District. The transfer of 37,000 bodies to National Harmony Memorial Park during the 1950s and 1960s made way for commercial development on land that currently includes the Rhode Island Ave-Brentwood Metro Station, condos and retail property. Lisa Sloane, a market sales director whose jurisdiction includes National Harmony Memorial Park, Fort Lincoln Cemetery in Brentwood, Md., George Washington Cemetery in Adelphi, Md., and Maryland National Memorial in Laurel, Md., told The Informer that there’s no exact record of how many headstones had been displaced during the move to National Harmony Memorial Park. That’s why she said she encourages descendents of those with unmarked graves to contact National Harmony Memorial Park with their ancestor’s name along with the appropriate dates. Officials would then use that information to determine whether ancestors are interred there and, if so, find their location on the premises. Though she acknowledged Stuart’s discovery, Sloane said families throughout the history of both cemeteries, and even in the present day, have opted out of purchasing grave markers for a number of reasons. Over the last few years, National Harmony Memorial Park has aligned its records with that of Columbian Harmony Cemetery to properly identify the location of those moved between locations. National Harmony Memorial Park has also collaborated with HASAN to match recovered headstones with burial plots. As of press time, National Harmony Memorial Park has identified placement for 90 percent of those headstones found in the Potomac River. Since meeting Musta and HASAN last winter, Stephen Hammond, a distant cousin of William Syphax, has embarked on a journey to find his ancestor’s headstone and remains. In February, Hammond contacted National Harmony Memorial Park, which he said has not been responsive. For 50 years, Hammond has conducted genealogical research about Syphax and other ancestors who share a familial connection to President George Washington. He told The Informer that while some of these family members are buried at

National Harmony Memorial Park, William Syphax and his progeny had been placed in unmarked graves during the relocation of their remains from Columbian Harmony Cemetery. As of publishing time, no Syphax headstone has been discovered near Caledon State Park. William Syphax, born in 1825, was the grandson of George Washington Parke Custis, a plantation owner and President Washington’s stepson. After Custis sold Syphax, his mother, and older sister to a Quaker in Alexandria, Virginia, Syphax gained a formal education and later went on to work in the U.S Department of the Interior under nine secretaries. During the Reconstruction Era, Syphax successfully petitioned Congress and President Andrew Johnson for the return of 17 acres of land that Custis bequeathed to Syphax’s mother in 1826. Today, that land counts as part of Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall, adjacent to Arlington National Cemetery. Syphax would later go on to serve as chairman of the Board of Trustees for Colored HIgh Schools of Washington and Georgetown, D.C., when he played a part in the founding of Paul Laurence Dunbar High School. He later advocated for the integration and equity of public schools. A school named for William Syphax during the early 20th century currently stands in Southwest as a historical landmark. During the pandemic, Hammond and other Syphax descendents petitioned D.C. Public Schools to rename Woodrow Wilson High School in Northwest in Syphax’s honor. In regard to Syphax’s headstone, and that of other ancestors buried at National Harmony Memorial Park, Hammond expressed a desire that members of the descendent community will continue to come forward to share the stories of their loved ones and educate the public about the tragedy of this event. He guaranteed that as the most effective means of righting a wrong. “My hope is that as a historian, we can fill in the gaps of the history that’s been lost here,” Hammond told The Informer. “How do we honor the 37,000 people buried and unceremoniously removed from their resting place? We can do justice by knowing who they were.” WI

SEPTEMBER 16 - 22, 2021 51

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“Eighty percent of eligible Marylanders have received at least one shot of the coronavirus,” he said. “We also found out that 95 percent of our senior citizens have had at least one COVID dose. Maryland has the second lowest case rate among the 50 states.” Hogan said he worked with the General Assembly to create a $750 million relief package for small businesses adversely impacted by the pandemic. Additionally, he said Marylanders got $1.5 billion in tax cuts. Like Bowser, Hogan looks forward to the infrastructure bill making its way through the U.S. Congress. He said the funds from the bill will help fix the American Legion Bridge and the 495 corridors. He said federal funds will make a difference in the building of the Purple Line, a transitway that starts in Bethesda and snakes its way through eastern Montgomery County to New Carrollton in Prince George’s County.

Getty Images Black History & Culture Collection launching later in 2021. Getty Images Co-founder and Chairman Mark Getty added his perspective. “A photographic archive tells a story; it’s a visual history of who we are,” he said. “As a society, we can only learn from history if it tells everyone’s story. This partner-

NORTHAM EMPHASIZES KEEPING COVID INFECTIONS LOW

Northam said controlling the pandemic remains the key to getting Virginia’s economy back on track and growing. “We have to get people vaccinated,” he said. “I encourage business leaders to get their employees vaccinated. Tourism is an important industry in Virginia and we have to get it back up.” To aid small businesses, Northam said Virginia’s $100 million Rebuild Virginia fund has been created. He called on business leaders to support community colleges in their quest to retrain workers. The governor echoed Bowser and Hogan, saying the congressional infrastructure bill will help bolster corridors such as I-66 and 495 and allow for the expansion of I-95. In addition, he favors more money for Metro and hopes to see its expansion in the Dulles area move along smoothly. WI @JamesDCWrighter

ship is an important step in that direction.” Officials will accept applications to the Getty Images Photo Archive Grants for HBCUs through Thursday, September 30 at 11:59 p.m. PST. For more information or to apply to the Getty Images Photo Archive Grants for HBCUs, go to: https://grants.gettyimages.com/ hbcu-grant. WI @StacyBrownMedia

5 About 2,000 students occupied the administration building for a third straight day in 1968. Here, two students place a "Black University" sign over the administration building's front door./ (Photo courtesy Bettmann Archives).

ARENA STAGE from Page 34 having both characteristics and finding a balance. Toward the end of the show Stone learns more about herself and comes to a self-revelation that she can be both and not conform to gender roles. During the second act the characters were describing what it was like to play against white teams and put on shows for a white audience. Doing this made them more money and was something that Black athletes and entertainers dealt with in pursuance of their dreams. The characters then went on to do a dance and put on a show much like ones often seen in minstrel shows. This long scene progressed and intensified and as the music became louder the dancing was heavier. It was metaphoric how they danced, showing that Black people are only consumable

to society as a form of entertainment, as an amusement for others. As the scene came to an end and the dancing stopped, the audience watching this play applauded with intensity. Perhaps they missed the point that this scene was not celebratory. It was a double entendre how while putting on this minstrel-like performance, we the audience were watching this scene within a scene. It was disturbing how the characters carried on and how silent the audience was as observers to then see them clap as the actors finished which ultimately gave more truth to the story the play was telling. The play was a success and touched on many important topics pertaining to race and gender. Tickets to see Toni Stone can be found on the Arena Stage website. WI

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52 SEPTEMBER 16 - 22, 2021

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ZONING from Page 12

EDELMAN from Page 30

done, I’m not counting any victories,” he said. County officials began the zoning revisions process in 2014 and approved a new ordinance in October 2018 to make the obsolete language easier to understand, eliminate dozens of zoning districts and make the process much smoother. The process continued in 2019 to decrease zones from 73 to 43 and to consolidate the acceptable uses from 1,200 to 250. The $534 million University of Maryland Capital Region Medical Center, near the Largo Town Center Metro station, would be labeled “regional transit-oriented, high intensity.” Several residents said a loophole in a state law amended could allow developers to grandfather projects before the map amendment becomes approved. In addition, a landowner could seek to add more density on property and possibly sidestep intense public scrutiny. A record of a public hearing between the District Council and planning board will remain open for 15 days, according to the county’s zoning ordinance. “Requests for zoning changes outside the county map amendment process should undergo the same scrutiny by the planning board, District Council and the public that are normally required,” said Janet Gingold, a member of the county’s Sierra Club. “We strongly urge you to rebuild public trust in the land-use decision-making process by holding yourselves and each other accountable.” However, one portion of the state law indicates that the county’s planning board and council “may not approve any request made by or on behalf of any person for zone intensification that differs substantially from the applicable zoning category or classification…” from new zones adopted in July 2019. Turner said the council may change zoning if “a clear error” exists, like residential property accidentally marked on county records as commercial. “As much as we have gone through this process, nothing is perfect,” Turner said. Residents and business owners have until Sept. 29 to submit written comments on the map amendment. WI @jabariwill

to support a family. Unless steps are taken to fill the pandemic learning gap, the authors say, these people will earn less over their lifetimes. "The impact on the U.S. economy could range from $128 billion to $188 billion every year as the cohort enters the work force." These setbacks have the potential to become long-lasting limitations, and for many students, academic set-

MORIAL from Page 30 Days after Williams' death, the National Institutes of Health published a study revealing that opioid overdose death rates. are growing faster among Black Americans than among whites. The study's authors recommended an "antiracist public health approach" to address the crisis in Black communities. "We have to do something different, a more intensive intervention in the African-American community," addiction specialist Dr. Edwin Chapman, who serves the African American community in Washington, D.C., told NPR. Williams struggled with cocaine addiction throughout "The Wire's" run, sometimes sleeping on a bare mattress alongside other addicts in the basement of a boarded-up house in Newark. He sought treatment after the show ended in 2008, spurred in part by a meeting with then-candidate Barack Obama. "Hearing my name come out of his

CHAVIS from Page 30 munities throughout the South. SCI notes that these areas — Atlanta, Birmingham, Charlotte, Houston, Memphis and New Orleans — were chosen in part because they are home to about 50% of the country's Black population and are where some of the greatest disparities exist. SCI is aiming to drive long-term change, as outlined by PayPal CEO Dan Schulman, Vista CEO Robert F. Smith and BCG CEO Rich Lesser. In Atlanta, for example, SCI is working to bridge the wealth gap that exists among the region's African American residents. While there is a strong Black business community in the city, and high levels of Black educational achievement thanks to the regional presence of several historically Black colleges and universities (HBCU) and the voice of the Black Press, there is still an extremely low level of Black entre-

backs have been exacerbated and in some cases overtaken by the deep social and emotional toll the pandemic has taken on children of all ages and socioeconomic levels struggling with anxiety, loneliness, and grief. Now, just as many are returning to full-time, in-person learning for the first time since the pandemic began, families and educators are facing a dangerous new surge in the pandemic driven by some adults' determined resistance to measures designed to

help keep children and adults in school safely. What greater responsibility could we have to children than to do everything in our power to keep them safe? Children need to be surrounded by adults who are more willing and determined than ever to do whatever it takes to ensure they get the school year they deserve and desperately need. Schools must have specific strategies for helping students who are behind to catch up. All of us

must support measures to help keep our children, teachers, and families safe. And parents and teachers must be ready to listen to children, discern how they are really feeling, and take every step they can to help them feel supported, connected, and secure. We must be prepared to bridge educational gaps before they become even deeper gulfs and offer all children the protection and support they need right now. WI

mouth woke me up," he told the New York Times. "I realized that my work could actually make a difference." He became an ACLU ambassador for ending mass incarceration in 2014. At the time, his nephew Dominic Dupont was 17 years into a 25-year sentence in connection with a fatal shooting. "Our society has been using jails and prisons as a dumping ground for the mentally ill and those addicted to drugs," Williams wrote in a 2015 ACLU blog post. These human beings don't belong in prison, they belong in treatment, yet we've pushed them into cages and denied them their humanity." The criminalization of substance abuse is partly to blame for the rising opioid death toll, deterring people in crisis from seeking help. "They have that fear. If you go to get help, then people want to turn you in and have your children taken away," said Latoya Jenkins, whose mother died of a fentanyl overdose in December. "If they are seen somewhere using

drugs, instead of, 'Hey can I get you to a treatment center or get someone to help you. No, we're going to throw you in jail,'" Assemblywoman Hermelyn's legislation to reduce mass incarceration would be a fitting tribute to Williams and the cause for which he fought so fiercely. "I will never forget that there are

many more men with bright futures who look like me that have been relegated to our prison systems," Williams wrote. "However, instead of being provided with opportunities to express themselves or their creativity safely or getting the right support, they make mistakes which cost them dearly. The costs of those mistakes are high and these men pay with their futures." WI

preneurship and business ownership with only 6% of employer firms being Black-owned. To remedy this disparity, SCI is working with the Southern Economic Advancement Project to create entrepreneurship hubs and accelerator programs to increase the number of minority-owned businesses. The corporations behind SCI are also using their networks to help other companies work with minority-owned supply companies. In Alabama, SCI is seeking to bridge the massive digital divide in an urban area where 450,000 households are without connection to the internet. In order to tackle the crisis, SCI is leveraging relationships with local schools and libraries to distribute laptops and service vouchers. Another tact SCI is taking is to partner with the owners of multi-unit buildings in low-income neighborhoods to install free public Wi-Fi for residents.

The lack of access to capital is another reason Black communities throughout the South have been traditionally underbanked. In Memphis, where 47% of Black households are underbanked, SCI is partnering with Grameen America to cover the $2 million per year per branch start-up cost to build brick-and-mortar banks in minority communities. This alone will provide 20,000 women access to more than $250 million per year in financing. Beyond these initiatives, SCI is partnering with groups like the Greater Houston Partnership and the Urban League of Louisiana to provide in-kind support to improve job outcomes for minority college students, expand access to home financing through partnerships with community development financial institutions, and harness the power of technology to expand health care access in underserved urban and rural neighborhoods.

The issues facing these communities throughout the South are not new nor will they be fixed overnight. Fortunately, SCI is taking a long-term approach that is focused on getting to the root of structural racism in the United States and creating a more just and equitable country for every American. A once-in-a-century pandemic and a social justice movement not seen since the 1960s were not enough to break the malaise and rancorous partisanship in Washington. Fortunately, corporate leaders are stepping up and partnering with local advocates and non-profit groups to fix the problem of systemic injustice in the U.S. We, therefore, salute and welcome the transformative commitments of the Southern Communities Initiative (SCI). There is no time to delay, because as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. so accurately said, "The time is always right to do what is right." WI

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Williams struggled with cocaine addiction throughout "The Wire's" run, sometimes sleeping on a bare mattress alongside other addicts in the basement of a boarded-up house in Newark.

SEPTEMBER 16 - 22, 2021 53

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demand to meet this clear, present and growing threat to our lives? Over the next few weeks, Congress will face yet one more skirmish in this struggle between the blind and the aware, the corrupt and the alarmed, the powers that be and the powers that must be. Democrats in the House and Senate are now working to draft and to pass the core elements of Joe Biden's Build Back Better Plan. Central to that are the first major investments in addressing climate change — mass transit, electric cars, rebuilding housing, solar and wind energy, an end to fossil fuel subsidies, modernizing the electric grid, creating a civilian climate corps that can enlist the energy of the young to retrofit houses and plant trees and much more. Republicans no longer deny the existence of the threat and admit that it is manmade in origin. Now they argue that it is too costly to do anything about it. They raise

BAILEY from Page 31

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had set a May 1, 2021, deadline for removing the U.S. military from Afghanistan. President Biden extended the deadline to Aug. 30. He had long

ASKIA from Page 31 being taught about their wicked past. They seem to believe that not saying anything about their evil deeds will make the theft of the North American continent and the mass murder of 90%, of the Native American population they found here, a staggering 55 million souls; and the brutal enslavement and abuse of 12 million kidnapped Africans for 400 years, just go away. But history, the truth, The Lord, are not to be mocked. "Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap." That's the sixth chapter of the Bible's book of Galatians. "For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting." Indeed, Thomas Jefferson, the third president of the country, the author of the Declaration of Independence, a certified "Founding Father" of the nation, and himself a slave-owner (so he ought to know), wrote in his "Notes of the State of Virginia": "Indeed I tremble for my country when reflect that God is just: that His justice cannot sleep

alarms that developing new energy and electric cars and retrofitting homes will somehow hurt jobs and the economy, when in fact, the transition to sustainable energy will be a source of new demand, new invention and new jobs and growth. Moreover, the U.S. would surely benefit if it became the leader in the new green technologies that surely will drive growth markets across the world. Plus, with their leaders convinced they will benefit politically if Biden fails, Republicans have lined up unanimously to oppose the Biden plan. So, making progress on climate demands completely on Democrats. With the Senate split 50-50 between the two parties, and Republicans unanimously opposed, Democrats must vote unanimously so Vice President Harris can break the tie to pass a budget bill that would contain the first major investments in dealing with climate change. That won't be easy. Despite popular support for reforms, big interests are mobilized

against change led by Big Oil, the coal barons, and companies hooked on fossil fuels, the deadly crack of our time. An army of lobbyists has descended on Washington. Deep-pocket donors are calling in their chips. When a politician like Sen. Joe Manchin (D-West Virginia) says he needs "greater clarity" and won't support the Biden plan, particularly its measures designed to accelerate the transition to renewable energy by utility companies, he isn't confused, he is compromised. The legislative process — the ugly sausage-making of the Congress — is confusing, secret and arcane. It seldom generates headlines or attention. But right now — in the next few weeks — this Congress will decide if we take the first steps to address a threat already taking a rising toll in lives and destruction. The interests invested in stopping change are mobilized. The only hope is that we the people rise up to demand the change that is desperately needed. WI

made clear his opposition to the war. So why didn't the Americans there begin packing and leaving when he was elected? Thus far, I haven't heard or read about a single journalist asking that obviously question. Instead,

they present the American evacuees as noble victims of rash decision by the president for a too early military evacuation. Thus they have earned the title of journalists/propagandists. WI

But history, the truth, The Lord, are not to be mocked. "Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap." That's the sixth chapter of the Bible's book of Galatians. forever." That's what I call critical race "thinking." You may call it critical race theory, some guilty, sinful White people call it hateful, but the Truth is being made known. The true truth will be taught, and trust me, The Truth will indeed make us all free, including the evildoers. I was fortunate. I stumbled on my own, upon the "Souls of Black Folks," by Dr. W.E.B. Du Bois, his "Black Reconstruction" and other works; Dr. Carter G. Woodson's "The Mis-Education of the Negro," Dr. E. Franklin Frazier's "Black Bourgeoisie," the books of historian Dr. Herbert Aptheker and a series of more than a dozen small pamphlets I would buy on the streets like they

were comic books, telling the stories of Nat Turner's slave rebellion, the thwarted rebellion of Gabriel Prosser, the Africans, Mansa Musa, Shaka Zulu, Askia The Great and so many other thrilling stories about the majesty of Black people that I was finally happy that as a child, I'd learned to read. Those histories cannot be unlived. Those lessons cannot be unlearned. White people may not like it, or even like to hear about it, but critical or not, the teaching about the wicked behavior of White people in the United States is The Truth. Trust me, it will be taught. Its critical life lessons will be learned. WI

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