VOL. 53, NO. 2 • OCTOBER 26 - NOVEMBER 1, 2017 OCTOBER 2017 | VOL 3, ISSUE 10
October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month!
By Stacy M. Brown WI Senior Writer
KAEPERNICK Page 20
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Bowser, District Officials Make Pitch for Amazon
Kaepernick Prepares for Battle Against NFL In the summer of 2016, Philando Castile and Alton Sterling were killed by police in Minnesota and Louisiana, respectively. Their deaths were videotaped, and the footage went viral. People mourned. People raged. People protested. And starting with then-San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick, NFL players — in a historically unprecedented fashion — joined this fight. They took a knee or sat or raised a fist during the playing of the national anthem precisely to make people — fans, sponsors, media, and team
featuring Young Thug, Vince Staples, The Kitchenista, Howard Homecoming & More!
By Stacy M. Brown WI Senior Writer
crime and poverty,” Gray said. “I’m not from the other side of the tracks, I live on the East End.” It’s a tactic that the councilman has been using for about one year. “Right now, its word of mouth and if people say it enough, they’ll use it more and if [the media] begins using ‘east end,’ then that will be a big help,” Gray said. The councilman has worked tireless to improve not just the neighborhoods in Wards 7 and 8, but also the perception. Recently, Gray called out Safe-
The Anacostia Riverfront, NoMa-Union Station, Capitol Hill East and the Shaw-Howard University are the four areas District officials have proposed as potential sites of a new Amazon headquarters. Washington is among several big cities — including New York, Philadelphia, Atlanta and Austin, Texas — seeking to land the e-commerce and cloud computing company which seeks to build a second headquarters to go along with its Seattle location. Bidding closed on Oct. 19 and Amazon officials are expected to make a decision early next year and begin occupying space by late 2019. The winning city for the estimated $5 billion project will not only land the distinction of the having the second headquarters for Amazon, but forecasters said it should be a major economic boost. Amazon promises to create 50,000 new jobs paying on average more than $100,000 annually. Mayor Muriel Bowser said the four locations District officials propose meets Amazon’s needs. “These locations present
RIVER Page 5
AMAZON Page 11
5 The Ballou Senior High School marching band, the Majestic Knights, was one of the featured performers during the Howard University homecoming parade in Northwest on Saturday, October 21. Pictured is the the band’s drum major leading a routine in front of the grandstand. /Photo by Shevry Lassiter
Gray Hopes to Rebrand Wards 7, 8 as ‘East End’
By Stacy M. Brown WI Senior Writer
5 Colin Kaepernick has filed a grievance against the NFL alleging the league has colluded against hiring him. /Courtesy Photo
The neighborhoods that sit east of the Anacostia River will forever be known as “The East End,” if Ward 7 Council member Vincent Gray has the last word. While pointing out that various neighborhoods have been rebranded in recent years, Gray was blunt about why Wards 7 and 8 could also use a rebranding. “When you say, ‘East of the River,’ unfortunately people think of the other side of the tracks, which connotes something negative like
Celebrating 53 Years of Service / Serving More Than 50,000 African American Readers Throughout The Metropolitan Area