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Theatre Roundup See how plays go from pen to stage through these free offerings from Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company and Ford’s Theatre.
WOOLLY MAMMOTH
“A Mammoth Showcase: An Interdisciplinary Gathering of Native Artists,” is hosted at Woolly Mammoth on Jan. 29 from 6:00-10:00 p.m. This free one-day event allows producing partners to create long-term relationships with local Indigenous artists and communities. The evening includes D.C.-based intertribal Native American Northern drum group Uptown Singerz, a conversation with Rose Powhatan, a local Pamunkey Indian Tribe mixed-media artist, and much more. Get free tickets at https://www.woollymammoth.net.
FORD’S THEATRE
From Feb. 2-4, the “Ford’s Theatre Legacy Commissions Festival: A First Look,” presents workshops and staged readings from playwrights Pearl Cleage, Dominic Taylor, and Rickerby Hinds. Ford’s Theatre commissioned each play from these African American creatives. “Something Moving: A Meditation on Maynard,” by Cleage looks at the legacy and election of Maynard Jackson, Atlanta’s first Black mayor. “Blackbox” by Hinds showcases the remarkable life of Henry Box Brown, an abolitionist, a magician, and an illusionist who mailed himself to freedom. “Young and Just” from Taylor explores the life of African American pioneer biologist Dr. Ernest Everett. Reserve free tickets at https://fords.org WI
No Labels Names Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis Jr. as National Co-Chair
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 $55 per year, two years $70. 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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4 JANUARY 26 - FEBRUARY 1, 2023
No Labels, a nonprofit think tank that describes itself as a national movement of Democrats, Republicans, and Independents working to solve the country’s most complex problems, has named Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis Jr. as its national co-chair. The formal announcement occurred during a Zoom news conference on Jan. 22. It included welcome messages from Sens. Susan Collins (R-Maine), Joe Manchin (D-West Virginia), and former Maryland Republican Gov. Larry Hogan, among others. Recording star Deborah Cox opened the introductory news conference by performing a spirited song about No Labels, who created the bipartisan House Problem Solvers Caucus and an allied Senate group that led passage of some of the most important legislation of recent years, including the CHIPS Act, a
gun safety bill, and a rewrite of the Electoral Count Act in 2022. The organization then played a tribute video that included Dr. Chavis’ family and his legendary career as a civil rights leader. “I’m very pleased to join Sen. Lieberman and Gov. Hogan as co-chairs of No Labels,” Dr. Chavis exclaimed. “As a veteran of the civil rights movement, during the last six decades, I’ve learned a few things about the importance of people working together across lines of race, ethnicity, language, geography, and the things that divide us…. I believe No Labels offers that opportunity but also that responsibility to move forward,” Dr. Chavis said. WI
Following More Mass Shootings Democrats Introduce Assault Weapons Ban Two proposals aimed at curbing the spread of assault rifles were submitted Jan. 24 by Democratic Sens. Dianne Feinstein of California, and Richard Blumenthal and Chris Murphy, both of Connecticut. The Assault Weapons Ban seeks to prohibit the commercialization, distribution, production and importation of assault rifles and other firearms designed for use in military operations, as well as high-capacity magazines and similar devices. On Jan. 22, a gunman opened fire on a crowd celebrating the Lunar New Year in Monterey Park, California, killing 11 and wounding 9. The Democrats’ proposed Age 21 Act would make
it illegal to sell or buy an assault weapon to anybody under 21, bringing it in line with the legal age for purchasing handguns. President Joe Biden has publicly stated his support for the legislation. Biden said that the number of mass shootings declined during the decade that the Assault Weapons Ban was in effect. “In the 10 years that the Assault Weapons Ban was on the books, mass shootings went down,” Biden remarked. “After Republicans let the law expire in 2004 and those weapons were allowed to be sold again, mass shootings tripled,” he declared. Both houses of Congress were urged to take quick action by the president. According to Biden, “the majority of American people agree with this rational measure.” WI
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