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Vol 60 No 27
D.C. Emancipation Day 2025: Preserving History and Keeping Up the Fight
April 17 - 23, 2025
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Black Immigrants and Organizers Look at Abrego Garcia Detainment with Concern
Elected Officials and Organizers Stand Against President Trump and Salvadoran President Bekele
By Sam P.K. Collins and Mya Trujillo WI Staff Writer and WI Contributing Writer For two decades, District residents celebrated D.C. Emancipation Day—- a holiday marking the end of slavery in the nation’s capital— at an annual parade and concert on Freedom Plaza, during panel discussions, and even online while learning about D.C.’s statehood battle. Recently, while speaking about the holiday’s significance, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser (D) paid homage to a former D.C. Council colleague who’s credited with bringing D.C. Emancipation Day to fruition. “I have to acknowledge the leadership of (former) D.C. Councilmember Vincent Orange, who for many years championed the Emancipa5Former D.C. Councilmember Vincent Orange, pictured tion Day holiday,” Bowser said. here at the D.C. Emancipation Day 20th Anniversary While Orange did not immediately reply to Parade, Festival and Concert, is credited as a champion for the D.C. Emancipation Day holiday. (Robert R. Roberts/
EMANCIPATION DAY Page 34 The Washington Informer)
Ward 8 Residents Celebrate, and Express Hopes for, D.C.’s Newest Hospital
By Stacy M. Brown, Sam P.K. Collins, and Richard Elliott WI Senior Writer, Staff Writer and WI Contributing Writer For years, as the Black Alliance for Just Immigration (BAJI) expanded operations throughout the U.S., executive director Nana Gyamfi oversaw the launch of a District-based policy research office, while collaborating with grassroots groups focused on statehood, police accountability, and migrant
IMMIGRANTS Page 34
5Dozens gather at the Greenbelt courthouse to advocate for the return of Hyattsville resident Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia, who a judge ruled was illegally deported to El Salvador. (Courtesy Photo)
National Cherry Blossom Festival Parade Culminates Beloved Season with a Taste of D.C., Nationwide Culture By Jada Ingleton WI Digital Equity Fellow
By Sam P.K. Collins and Lindiwe Vilikazi WI Staff Writer and WI Health Writer For Alyce McFarland, Ward 8’s newest hospital presents opportunities she wished she had as: a mother who gave birth miles away from her home; a sister who recalled watching her sibling 5 D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser speaks at a celebration for the opening of Cedar Hill Regional Medical Center GW Health
CEDAR HILL Page 20 on April 10. (Roy Lewis/The Washington Informer)
Wuthering winds, wet weather and low temperatures were no match for the thousands of attendees donning cherry blossom-themed merchandise and high spirits at the National Cherry Blossom Festival Parade on Saturday, April 12. Kicking off with the Pink Tie Party in March to raise funds for the festival’s free programming, the parade culminated a month-long series of springtime fun with a
CHERRY BLOSSOM Page 38
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5 Dancers from across the nation culminate the National Cherry Blossom Festival with flying colors and a finale performance on April 12. (Cleveland Nelson/The Washington Informer)