RECIPIENT OF THE DC BLACK MBA ASSOCIATION 2023 LEGACY AWARD
2025 Back To School Supplement
We’ve Got Our Books in Our Bags: What to Know Before Heading Back to School Title Sponsor
Serving Our Community in the DMV
Vol 60 No 45
August 21 - 27, 2025
As Youth Return to School, Concerns about Federal Takeover Intensify
Harriet’s Wildest Dreams Activist Arrested While Protecting Youth at Navy Yard Metro By Sam P.K. Collins WI Staff Writer District families are gearing up for a new school year at a time when hundreds of federal law enforcement agents and National Guard troops from red states have descended upon the nation’s capital, occupying marginalized communities and, as many have reported, targeting young people and immigrants. For D.C. State Board of Educa-
tion (SBOE) Representative LaJoy Johnson-Law, the current situation raises the question of what District youth can do to avoid confrontations with, not only the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD), but the litany of federal
By Ve Wright WI Summer Intern
4Members of the National Guard stand outside of Union Station in Northeast, D.C. (Ja’Mon Jackson/The Washington Informer)
D.C. Celebrates Chuck Brown Day at Fort Dupont Park
pont Park in Southeast, D.C. on Aug. 16 for the 11th Annual Chuck Brown People from across the Day, not only celebrating DMV area took to Fort DuBROWN Page 31 By Demarco Rush WI Contributing Writer
By Trevor Johnson and William Armstead WI Interns
With the new school year, D.C. students, teachers and guardians alike are entering a major transition: a ban on student cell phone use during the school day across District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS) and public charter schools. While many adults are ready for the change, students are bracing for a rocky adjustment. “Most parents and educators, for the most part, are okay with this,” said Dr. Jacque Patterson, president and at-large representative on the D.C. State Board of
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5Students, parents and teachers from District of Columbia Public Schools and public charter schools are bracing for the new ban on student cell phone use during the school day. (WI File Photo/Robert R. Roberts)
Students Navigate Challenges with Howard University Financial Services
Senior with GoFundMe Says ‘I Don’t Think They’re Doing Enough’
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DCPS Phone Ban: Brace for Impact
Back to School Supplement Center Section
5The annual Chuck Brown Day celebration, held this year at Fort Dupont Park in Southeast, D.C. on Aug. 16, honors the life and legacy of the late musical pioneer, often called the “Godfather of Go-Go.” (Demarco Rush/The Washington Informer)
Following a $64 million cut in federal funding, and what many students are chopping up to academic negligence, an increasing number of Howard University students are turning to GoFundMe to pay off account balances and avoid losing enrollment in the historically Black institution. While university officials have said they are aware of the challenges being faced and are taking steps to address them— including offering flexible payment plans and emergency aid when possible— some students, such as Nylah Hughes Brown, are saying: “I don’t think they’re doing enough,” citing billing errors, past-due debts and limited access to financial aid. “Speaking not only just for myself, but a lot of other Bison, Howard has afforded us the opportunities that not many schools can give you. [But] when
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GOFUNDME Page 47