WINNER OF SIX SOCIETY OF PROFESSIONAL JOURNALISTS D.C. AWARDS FOR 2022
July 2023. Volume 9. Issue 7.
Center Section
Ode to Summer
Don't Miss This Month's WI Bridge
Celebrating 58 Years - Vol. 58, No. 41 • July 27 - August 2, 2023
Ranked-Choice Voting and Open Primaries Discussed as Constitutional Matters D.C. Board of Elections Has Yet to Approve ‘Make All Votes Count’ Ballot Initiative By Sam P.K. Collins WI Staff Writer
5 President Joe Biden signed a proclamation on Tuesday, July 25, designating a national monument spanning two states to memorialize Emmett Till and his mother Mamie Till-Bradley. (Mark Mahoney/NNPA) For more on this story go to Hot Topics on Page 4
Roots Public Charter Founder to Soon Retire
Dr. Bernida L. Thompson, Others Explore Legacy of the African-Centered Public Charter School By Sam P.K. Collins WI Staff Writer
in the District benefit from an educational model that promotes the greatness of their African culture and heritage, immerses them in a family-oriented environment, and exposes them to academically enriching material. In making her point, Mama Bernida points to what she describes
For more than 50 years, Dr. Bernida L. Thompson, with the help of several conscientious mamas and babas, has provided an African-centered education for hundreds of Black children who’ve walked through the halls of Roots Activity Learning Center and Roots Public Charter School, both loTHOMPSON Page 26 cated in Northwest. As she gears up for her retirement 4 Dr. Bernida L. Thompson, founder and and emeritus status, Thompson, who soon to be principal emeritus of Roots Public goes by Mama Bernida, remains stead- Charter School and Roots Activity Learning fast in her assertion that Black children Center (Courtesy Photo)
When it comes to ranked-choice voting (RCV) and open primaries, those on opposing sides of these polarizing issues base their reasoning on what they call a high regard for democratic values. In the midst of D.C. Board of Elections (DCBOE) deliberations about an RCV/open primaries ballot initiative, there have been questions about how the District's Home Rule Charter interprets partisan elections and whether RCV/open primaries would incur an additional cost to
DC BOARD Page 52
5 Cecily Collier-Montgomery, director of the Office of Campaign Finance and Karyn Greenfield, DCBOE board member. (Sam P.K. Collins/ The Washington Informer)
D.C. Sues Makers of ‘Forever Chemicals,’ Joining Nationwide Litigation Surge By Kayla Benjamin WI Climate & Environment Reporter The D.C. attorney general sued more than 20 companies over allegations of toxic contamination July 18, joining more than half of U.S. states in an effort to hold the producers of ‘forever chemicals’ accountable for widespread pollution issues. The complaint filed by Attorney General Brian Schwalb alleges that 3M, DuPont and other major chemical companies produced and sold a fire-fighting foam that contains chemicals they knew could cause health harms. Tests have found measurable traces of those man-made chemicals—commonly
LITIGATION Page 52
Celebrating 58 years. Your credible and trusted source for Black news and information.