RECIPIENT OF THE DC BLACK MBA ASSOCIATION 2023 LEGACY AWARD
Vol 60 No 37
Serving Our Community in the DMV
Capture the Moment
June 26 - july 2, 2025
Peace DC’s Path Marred with Questions about Pre-Trial Detention
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Family and Advocates Highlight Challenges Faced by Pre-Trial DOC Residents By Sam P.K. Collins WI Staff Writer As the D.C. Council inches closer to fully approving legislation that makes the expansion of pre-trial detention permanent, a District grandmother continues to worry about her grand-
Mike Austin Wins Ward 8 Democrats Straw Poll, Sheila Bunn Addresses Concerns about Ward 7 Office Stewardship
PEACE DC Page 44
Nation’s First Communal Housing for Older LGBTQ+, Adults Opens in Ward 7 By Zerline Hughes and Ve Wright WI Contributing Writer and WI Intern 5Resident of Mary’s House for Older Adults, Wallace Corbett. (Robert R. Roberts/The Washington Informer)
When the rainbow flags come down and the glitter is cleared from
Informer Founder Dr. Calvin By Sam P.K. Collins Go Museum & Cafe in Southeast, the WI Staff Writer former council member spoke, in only Rolark Honored with a Plaque but so many words, about the summer Since announcing his bid for the 2024 FBI arrest that set in motion at The Clara that took place on June 24. council seat his colleagues expelled him from earlier this year, Trayon White has only attended two special election candidate forums, the most recent of which was hosted by the Ward 8 Democrats. Last weekend, as the sun beamed on community members sitting in the Bundy’s Secret Garden behind the Go-
Ward 8’s current predicament. “Well, I’m entitled to due process, and as you know, as a person that’s been accused of a crime this serious, it’s not wise for me to speak on that in any form or fashion to the public because I have to have my day in court,” White
SPECIAL ELECTION Page 15
5A May report reveals several flaws within the D.C. Department of Corrections Central Detention Facility (pictured), including reports of correctional staff use of force, inadequate medical care, and an excessive rate of in-custody deaths. (Courtesy Photo/DC.gov)
After the Parades: As Anti- LGBTQ+ Policies Surge, Advocates Emphasize Pride Beyond June
5Ward 8 Special Election candidates Sheila Bunn, Salim Adofo, Trayon White and Mike Austin during the Ward 8 Democrats forum on June 21 in Bundy’s Secret Garden behind the Go-Go Museum & Cafe in Southeast, D.C. (Sam P.K. Collins/The Washington Informer)
In Special Election Bid, Former D.C. Councilmember Trayon White Struggles to Inspire Confidence
son, one of the D.C. Department of Corrections (DOC)’s youngest residents. This grandmother, who requested anonymity, told The Informer that, nearly three years after his arrest, her grandson still awaits his day in court
By James Wright WI Staff Writer
Record heat and humidity in the District did not stop friends and family members of Washington Informer founder Dr. Calvin Rolark from being present at a commemorative plaque unveiling ceremony
“When I think of Calvin Rolark, I think of him as a griot, as a warrior,” said Eurica Huggins Axum. “We began to remember the legacy that he left us.” Axum was joined by 40 people who talked about Rolark’s contri-
ROLARK PLAQUE Page 8
Celebrating 60 years. Your credible and trusted source for Black news and information.
the streets, one question lingers: How does the fight for LGBTQ+ rights and equity continue when the spotlight fades? With more than 850 anti-LGBTQ+ bills filed in 2025 alone, as well as continued challenges
PRIDE Page 44
5Washington Informer Publisher Denise Rolark Barnes, African drummer Joseph Ngwa, Lafayette Barnes III and Desmond Barnes pose around the new plaque honoring Dr. Calvin Rolark, founder of The Washington Informer, that sits in front of The Clara at MLK in Southeast, D.C. (Demarco Rush/The Washington Informer)