Intimately, Yours
A Quick Guide to Black Men's Sexual & Reproductive Health
VOL. 53, NO. 43 • AUGUST 9 - 15, 2018
Summer’s Almost Over, Let’s Get Ready for School Bells to Ring
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D.C. Central Cell Block at Center of Protest By Sam P.K. Collins WI Contributing Writer @SamPKCollins
In June, Rev. Jimmie Hawkins and eight other clergymen spent more than a day in D.C. Central Cell Block after police arrested them on the steps of the U.S. Supreme Court, where they rallied after the courts upheld Ohio voter-roll purges. During their 28-hour stay, the group mediated a disagreement between two detainees and led a prayer. As often becomes the case during a stint in lockup, Hawkins and his colleagues also became accustomed to what he described as inhumane treatment. “It was horrible. We had shackles on our hands, feet and around our waists,” said Hawkins, an official in the National Presbyterian Church in Northwest leading responses to social justice issues. On Monday afternoon, he and
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Voter Registration, Community Service Top Agenda By Brenda C. Siler WI Contributing Writer
learn about the decision by Providence to further eliminate inpatient services,” said Ward 7 Councilman Vincent Gray. “Providence was a hospital of choice for many residents in Ward 7. The closure puts further strain on Washington Hospital Center’s emergency room services and continues a disturbing trend over the last year, in which hospital services in the eastern quadrants of the District have continued to be scaled back.
Teens spending a Sunday afternoon playing basketball in the gym at Shiloh Baptist Church in Northwest isn’t that unusual in the summer. But this time was different. The game was a brief respite from a grueling travel schedule for young people on the “March for Our Lives: Road to Change” tour, which advocates for passage of legislation that will effectively address gun violence. The February killing of 17 students and staff at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., sparked the movement, which started with a national rally in Washington a month later and the creation of local chapters of March for Our Lives. The 60-day tour began June 15 in Chicago and ends on Aug. 12 in Newtown, Conn., the site of a 2012 massacre in which 20 children were killed. The two-day stop in the D.C. area included a rally on Saturday at the National Rifle Association in Virginia to remember victims of gun violence. Before coming to Shiloh Baptist Church on Sunday, students went to Dunbar High School to pack school supplies for local students. Community service and peer-to-peer support from youth organizers is part of the game
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5 William Lamar IV, pastor of Metropolitan African Methodist Episcopal Church in Northwest, uses a bullhorn to address supporters gathered at the headquarters of the Metropolitan Police Department on Monday, August 6 to protest conditions at D.C. Jail. /Photo by Roy Lewis
Officials Lambaste Providence Hospital’s Latest Closure By Stacy M. Brown WI Senior Writer
5Providence Hospital /Courtesy photo
‘March for Our Lives’ Tour Stops in D.C.
District officials, including two prominent members of the city council, are blasting Providence Hospital’s decision to close its acute care services by the end of the year. Officials at the embattled 408-bed Northeast hospital said they’ve decided to concentrate on ambulatory and outpatient services in a health village model. “While not entirely unexpected, I am deeply troubled to
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