VOL. 53, NO. 17 • FEBRUARY 8 - 14, 2018
NATIONAL BLACK HIV/AIDS AWARENESS DAY IS HERE: GET TESTED!
Phill Wilson to Retire from AIDS Institute
By Stacy M. Brown WI Senior Writer
residents trust that their voice is the most important part of our campaigns and elections,” said Councilmember Charles Allen (D- Ward 6), who chairs the Committee on the Judiciary and Public Safety and introduced the bill. Candidates who forgo contributions from corporations and special interest groups and collect small-dollar donations from District residents will receive 5 to 1 match of the small donations. Once a candidate qualifies for the program, they will receive the
The D.C. region ranked as the second-most educated among metropolitan areas in America, according to a new survey released by D.C.-based WalletHub personal finance website. The rankings grouped D.C., Northern Virginia and Maryland together, but it may not have considered the recent scandal that’s gripped D.C. public schools. The scandal involved a report from the D.C. Office of the State Superintendent which revealed that more than 900 unqualified students in D.C. public high schools graduated last year. Mayor Muriel Bowser ordered the report in December after NPR published a story that revealed many students at Ballou Senior High School in Southeast were able to graduate despite missing months of school. “We are tremendously disappointed,” Bowser said of the finding by investigators who analyzed citywide attendance and graduation records. Policy violations were found in 937 of 2,758 graduating students’ records. The findings included credit recovery — or accelerated coursework — was used inappropriately at most high schools and schools rarely followed attendance policies. The investigation discovered that the schools system’s Central Office did not support schools or provide
CAMPAIGN Page 44
GRADUATION Page 38
By D. Kevin McNeir WI Editor @dkevinmcneir
WILSON Page 11
Pages 18-24
City Officials Blast DCPS Attendance Scandal: ‘A Systemic Failure’
Ending Spread of HIV among Blacks Still His Goal African-Americans continue to be disproportionately impacted by HIV/AIDS despite recent medical breakthroughs that could reduce the number of infections. And on Wednesday, Feb. 7, health advocates, politicians and community activists around the country ramped up their efforts to end the spread of HIV
Black History Month
Saluting a Moment in Black History 5 Mayor Muriel Bowser, in front of the Howard Theatre last Thursday, February 1 in Northwest, where she, and DC Department of Public Works employees, joined cities across the country that observed a “National Moment of Silence” in honor of the 50th anniversary of the tragic deaths of two sanitation workers which lead to the historic 1968 Memphis Sanitation Workers Strike, as well as the subsequent assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. on Thursday, February 1 in Northwest. /Photo by Roy Lewis
D.C. Council Votes to Create Publicly-Financed Campaigns By Tatyana Hopkins WI Staff Reporter
5 Members of DC council. /Courtesy photo
The D.C. Council unanimously passed the Fair Elections Act of 2017 in its second and final vote on the matter, Tuesday, February 6, but funding for the program still hangs in the balance. The measure creates a voluntary public financing program for political campaigns where candidates running for public office. “This is a great day for the District of Columbia and a big step forward in ensuring D.C.
Celebrating 53 Years of Service / Serving More Than 50,000 African American Readers Throughout The Metropolitan Area