RECIPIENT OF THE DC BLACK MBA ASSOCIATION 2023 LEGACY AWARD
Serving Our Community in the DMV
Vol 60 No 39
July 10 - 16, 2025
The Informer Talks to Ward 8 Candidates Pages 40-41
51 Steps Towards a Unified Nation: Pilot App Virtually Revives 250 Years of D.C., National History By Jada Ingleton WI Content Editor
The countdown to America’s 250th anniversary (July 4, 2026) is heating up with innovation and legacy at the forefront thanks to the launch of 51 Steps to Freedom, the world’s largest outdoor museum reviving the treasured histories of the nation and its capital Now available for public use through the pilot app, which features 16 immersive stops in beta, the walking history tour presents a groundbreaking method of storytelling by using augmented reality (AR) to bring key figures and overlooked landmarks to 5H.H. Leonards, co-founder of 51 Steps to Freedom, celebrates life, capturing the nation’s continued journey to liberation across the official launch of the pilot app with a press conference at the AFL-CIO headquarters in Northwest, D.C. on June 30.
51 STEPS Page 52 (Courtesy Photo/51 Steps to Freedom)
5Shawn Townsend, president and CEO of the Restaurant Association of Metropolitan Washington, says that any further implementation of Initiative 82 could decimate the local restaurant industry to a point of no return. (WI File Photo)
In Private Meetings, Initiative 82’s Future Hangs in the Balance By Sam P.K. Collins WI Staff Writer
During the pandemic, Kyre Williams took on his first managerial role in the local restaurant industry amid great debate around, and soon after the implementation of, a ballot measure that incrementally raises the tipped worker minimum wage until it equals that received by non-tipped workers. Three years after this measure, Initiative 82, went into effect, Williams counts among those demanding that
the D.C. Council supports D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser’s (D) efforts to repeal it. He told The Informer that, despite supporters’ intentions, restaurants are struggling to maintain adequate staffing and quality of service. “The biggest issue I have [deals] with cutting labor,” Williams said. “Now I’m making…decisions to put less money in other people’s pockets because I have to battle against this.” At the time of Initiative 82’s approval, the tipped worker minimum wage was $5.35 while the non-tipped worker minimum wage was $16.10. As of July 1, those amounts are currently $10 and $17.95, respectively— although the tipped wage amount
INITIATIVE 82 Page 16
Ward 7 Residents Protest Impending Closure of CVS Pharmacy
4Deborah Johnson, a longtime resident of the Twining community in Southeast, D.C., holding up a sign protesting the closure of the CVS in Penn Branch. (Sam P.K. Collins/ The Washington Informer)
By Sam P.K. Collins WI Staff Writer
As the CVS corporation geared up for the closure of its Pennsylvania Avenue SE location, several Ward 7 residents campaigned to preserve what they described as a critical resource for residents of all ages.
CVS Page 33
Anacostia BID Comes Under Fire for Lackluster Effort By James Wright WI Staff Writer
Anacostia Business Improvement District (BID), a nonprofit designed to support businesses located in the Southeast Washington neighborhood, has recently come under fire for its approach to promoting commercial activities— with some en-
BID Page 14
5Three new Black-owned businesses recently opened in Anacostia after winning grants from D.C.’s Food Access and Neighborhood Prosperity funds. (Ja’Mon Jackson/The Washington Informer)
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