VOL. 53, NO. 41 • JULY 26 - AUGUST 1, 2018
Celebrate Grandparents during National Black Family Month
Don’t Miss the WI Bridge Center Section
D.C. Students are Shattering Black-Brown Barriers
Makiyah Wilson’s Death Sparks Heated Discussion Many Say Needs of Residents in Blighted Areas Remain Ignored By Sam P.K. Collins WI Contributing Writer @SamPKCollins Jermonie Chaney struggled to stop the flow of tears as she returned to the Clay Terrace public housing complex in Northeast where just over a week ago, a hail of bullets suddenly rained down upon a gathering of neighborhood families and their friends as they enjoyed a hot summer night, resulting in non-life-threatening injuries to four and the death of 10-yearold Makiyah Wilson. “It’s not safe here anymore and you have to always watch your back,” said Chaney, 19, as she attended a recent candlelight vigil for Makiyah, held just steps away from the spot where she
died after four still-unidentified gunmen opened fire for reasons still unknown before disappearing as quickly as they appeared into the night. “I just want to see something change,” Chaney said, recounting memories of her encounters with Makiyah and her family – well-known among the inhabitants of the Clay Terrace courtyard. “We used to hang out in [Makiyah’s] house all the time – everybody would be there and it was really cool.” Following the young girl’s death, District residents, community leaders and prominent artist have led the way in speaking out on social media platforms, addressing what they
VIGIL Page 36
Study Abroad Youth Speak Spanish to Communicate By Sam P.K. Collins WI Contributing Writer @SamPKCollins
GAO Page 30
STUDY Page 13
5 A mourner holds a painting of Makiyah Wilson during a recent candlelight vigil held at Clay Terrace in Northeast on Saturday, July 22. /Photo by Sam P.K. Collins
GAO Report: Federal Agencies Still Spend ‘Pennies’ with Minority-owned Businesses By Stacy M. Brown WI Senior Writer
5 D.C. Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton. /Photo courtesy YouTube
gresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton has strongly hinted she’ll likely back Chavis and call on her colleagues to take action. “As the nation’s largest advertiser, the federal government has an obligation to provide advertising opportunities to news outlets and media companies owned or published by people of color,” said Norton, who in 2016 led the call for the GAO to issue a new report. The 41-page report, issued on July 18, revealed that over the past five fiscal years, federal government agencies spent $5 billion in advertising with a meager $327 million of the total expen-
Upon her return from a service-learning trip in Costa Rica earlier this month, Hadnet Okbagabir reflected on the young people she encountered, quickly realizing that, at times, language barriers complicated efforts to effectively communicate with her Spanish-speaking counterparts. As the rising senior gears up for her final year in high school, she has pivoted her attention toward mastering the foreign language and embracing future travel opportunities that will immerse her in the diverse cultures of Spanish-speaking countries. “The trip did make me want to learn more Spanish,” Hadnet, a student at Benjamin Banneker High School in Northwest, told The Washington Informer. “It’s cool to speak to other people fluently in their language. I would probably go to the Dominican Republic next; the Spanish is different there. I just want to talk.” Hadnet, along with dozens of other high school students from various D.C. public schools, spent much of their week-long stay in Costa Rica not as tourists, but partners in a cultural exchange
In a blistering response to the new, recently-released Government Accountability Office [GAO] report revealing that federal agencies spend a neglible amount of advertising dollars with minority-owned businesses, National Newspaper Publishers Association [NNPA] President and CEO Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis said he will demand legislation to fix the inherent discrepancies. Now, D.C. Democratic Con-
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