RECIPIENT OF THE DC BLACK MBA ASSOCIATION 2023 LEGACY AWARD
Vol 60 No 43
Serving Our Community in the DMV
August 7 - 13, 2025
Landmark Civil Rights Law Under Attack, Washingtonians Seek Full Representation in Congress
By James Wright WI Staff Writer
As the Voting Rights Act of 1965 turned 60 on Aug. 6, many activists are examining what the landmark legislation means for voters today. While the bill faces attacks from the Trump administration, a conservative U.S. Supreme Court, and state legislators, and as Washingtonians still fight for statehood and full representation in Congress, modern freedom fighters are determined to prevent the clock from turning back on the right for all Americans to to fully participate in the political system.
“Sixty years ago, a courageous U.S. Congress took steps to enfranchise Black voters in the passage of the Voting Rights Act,” Donna Brazile, former chair of the Democratic National Committee and a political commentator, wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter, on Aug. 4. “Today, this historic law has allowed millions of citizens to vote as well as run for public office. Remember, we fought for this right to exist. Speak up!” Brazile and other political experts and justice advocates are fighting against voter suppression happening throughout the U.S.
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By Sam P.K. Collins WI Staff Writer
5Sharon Carr advocates for voting rights at a May 2024 “Souls to the Polls,” a partnership with Community of Hope AME Church and the National Coalition of Black Civic Participation. (WI File Photo/Cleveland Nelson) 3Graduates of Maya Angelou Academy @ D.C. Jail during the commencement ceremony at the D.C.’s Jail’s Central Treatment Facility on July 30. (Courtesy Photo/D.C. Department of Corrections, Instagram)
Some Residents Embrace Curfew Law, Skeptical it Will Deter Troubled Youth
5Corey R. McSwain, a high school senior and organizer known to many as ‘The Kid President,” said that the emergency juvenile curfew policy doesn’t align with late night events, like what D.C. Department of Parks and Recreation has hosted this summer. (Courtesy Photo)
As the summer winds down, and youth in D.C. prepare for their return to the classroom, some young people are gelling plans together for events intended to foster unity among the District’s youngest, and what some people consider the most misunderstood, residents. Such is a case for Corey R. McSwain, a Ward 8 student and organizer who’s in the throes of a crowd-
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Lawsuit Seeks Damages, Reform and Transparency for DYRS
Attorneys Allege DYRS Didn’t Respond to Repeated Sexual Abuse of Children
Mixed Reactions to Emergency Juvenile Curfew
By Sam P.K. Collins and Will Armstead WI Staff Writer and WI Intern
Capture the Moment Page 43
Another Crop of D.C. Jail Residents Receive Their High School Diploma After Charles H. Settlement, Maya Angelou Academy Celebrates Successes
By Sam P.K. Collins WI Staff Writer Returning citizen Tomar McWilliams recently re-entered D.C. Department of Corrections (DOC),
not as a resident, but one of several young men gearing up to celebrate a milestone which, for him, was more than a decade in the making. Earlier this year, McWilliams
DIPLOMA Page 26
In the aftermath of a former juvenile corrections officer’s conviction for sexual abuse of a minor, a couple of attorneys have filed a lawsuit with the demand that the District not only pays damages, but implements policies in alignment with national standards, and increases transparency at D.C.’s Youth Services Center (YSC). On Tuesday morning, while surrounded by a group that included local organizers, children advocates, and at least one former YSC resident, Bernadette Armand and Elizabeth Paige White announced their civil rights action against Kelvin Powell, the former juvenile corrections officer, as well as Sam Abed, director of the D.C. Department of Youth Rehabilitation Services (DYRS), D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser, and the D.C. Office of the Attorney General (OAG). Each party, Armand said, plays a role in perpetuating the danger that young people face, particularly when they’re under the supervision of the D.C. government. “This situation is a perfect example of how the city treats young
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