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February 2025. Volume 10. Issue 2.
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February 27 – March 5, 2025
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Serving Our Community in the DMV
Vol 60 No 20
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The Influence of Black Culture in Fashion, Music, & Storytelling
RECIPIENT OF THE DC BLACK MBA ASSOCIATION 2023 LEGACY AWARD
Don't Miss This Month's WI Bridge Center Section
Union Leaders at the Forefront of a Local and Federal Fight
As President Trump – and District Residents – Decry Homeless Problem, Bowser Attempts to Tout Progress
Two Men Represent Black Union Leadership Helping All Workers
By Sam P.K. Collins WI Staff Writer
RENTAL Act Still Not Introduced, Councilmember Lewis George Weighs In By Sam P.K. Collins WI Staff Writer
Day by day, President Donald J. Trump speaks with disdain for the District, most recently telling reporters aboard Air Force One that the federal government should take over a structure that’s been under the authority of D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser 5In the years since Mayor Muriel Bowser commissioned for a decade. For Emma P. Ward, a local educator and senior the creation of what’s now known as Black Lives Matter advocate, Trump’s rhetoric is revenge for what she Plaza, her administration, in collaboration with the D.C. called Bowser’s flamboyant show of solidarity with Council, has dedicated dollars and resources to high-impact
After an email from the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) threw federal government agencies into a frenzy, some employees found reprieve when their agency heads rejected an order mandating weekly reports. While this development represents a singular instance when officials within
AFGE Page 26
5In early February, union members, labor activists, members of Congress, and other supporters gathered at the US Department of Labor to protest the Department of Government Efficiency’s interference. (Robert R. Roberts/The Washington Informer) 3 D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser jumps on the congas with The Experience Band & Show during the Go-Go Museum & Café grand opening. (Ja’Mon Jackson/ The Washington Informer)
tutoring, downtown rental conversions, and amenities for
HOMELESS Page 56 historically underserved communities. (Courtesy Photo)
A Ward 8 Special Election, with Some Familiar Faces and Persistent Issues
D.C.’s Go-Go Museum Officially Opens to Public
By Sam P.K. Collins WI Staff Writer
NOTE: This article is the first part of a series about the Ward 8 D.C. Council special election, scheduled for July 15, 2025.
Creative Team, Local Leaders Share Their Stories Jr. Avenue on Feb. 19. The occasion— five years to the day that go-go became D.C.’s official sound— proved particularly significant for Nabeeh Bilal, a visual artist and Ward 8 resident With Black History Month in full who developed the style guide that influswing, legions of go-go aficionados cele- enced the design of the go-go bus, and brated the official opening of the Go-Go what has eventually become the world’s Museum & Cafe on Martin Luther King, GO-GO Page 50 By Richard Elliott and Sam P.K. Collins WI Contributing Reporter and WI Staff Writer
Long before Trayon White lost his council seat, Ward 8 residents heard rumblings about a handful of well-
WARD 8 Page 46 5Ward 8 civic leader Sheila Bunn and vice president of Bellevue Neighborhood Civic Association, is running for the Ward 8 Council seat. The special election is on July 15. (Courtesy photo/Sheila Bunn for Ward 8)
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