RECIPIENT OF THE DC BLACK MBA ASSOCIATION 2023 LEGACY AWARD
Vol 60 No 49
Celebrating Progress, Addressing the Needs of DCPS Students
Serving Our Community in the DMV
September 18 - 24, 2025
Cracks in the System: D.C. Residents Struggle With Sidewalk Hazards and Delayed Repairs
CAPE Scores Reveal a National Model That Still Needs Work By Jada Ingleton WI Content Editor With chronic absenteeism down, citywide investments soaring, and public school enrollment surpassing pre-pandemic levels, District education officials are celebrating achievements and hoping for continued growth at the dawn of the 2025-26 school year. However, local educators like Tom Pollack note there is still a ways to go for D.C. schools, and it starts with 5District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS) Chancellor Lewis Ferebee and D.C. Mayor recruiting more tutors and mentors. Muriel Bowser engaging with local students in March 2023. As the District stands in the top “Most people in the education space certainly feel like 5% of absolute growth across the nation, Ferebee is confident in DCPS holding the “blueprint these things are heading in the right direction, but just and recipe” for continued success, which includes doubling down on literacy and math
STUDENTS Page 26 investments. (WI File Photo)
Returning Citizens Unite against Infringement on District Laws
CBCF Supplement Center Section
By William Armstead WI Intern
When Jayden Mason walks the streets of Ward 1, he’s not thinking about scenery—he’s bracing for injury. “I don’t like the sidewalks in D.C. because they’re uneven. I always trip,” said Mason, originally from Chesterfield, Virginia, and now a Ward 1 D.C. resident. “It doesn’t matter where I’m at—I’m always tripping, my ankles [roll]. I
SIDEWALKS Page 41
The Silent Layoff: How Economic Strain is Pushing Small Businesses into Survival Mode
By Dr. Patrise Holden Contributing Writer
Bowser Administration Yet to Speak Directly about IRAA and Second Look Amendment Act
By Sam P.K. Collins WI Staff Writer More than a dozen bills making their way through the U.S. House challenge District home rule by, among other things, making the D.C. attorney a presidential appointee, extending the congressional approval period for locally 5 Colie “Shaka” Long (second from right), is among those who approved laws, and allowing 14-year-old offend- watched as a congressional committee marked up bills that jeopardize legislation that paved the way for his early prison release and that of ers to be charged as adults. Also on the chopping block is the Incarcer- other returning citizens who entered the prison system as youth. He plans to keep talking to Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene and
CITIZENS Page 25 others about the ramifications of their decisions. (Courtesy Photo)
Alongside thousands of formerly employed federal and corporate workers lies a second group of Americans hit hard by downsized jobs and lost wages without ever receiving a formal pink slip: small business owners. The economic downturn is hitting the middle class and entrepreneurs hard. According to the 2025 Wage Reality Report, 73% of U.S. workers are struggling 5 Self-employed professionals and small business owners, financially, unable to afford such as Dr. Chere Goode, are discovering innovative ways
LAYOFF Page 16
to stay in business despite declining revenue trends. (Courtesy Photo/Media Expertzy)
Celebrating 60 years. Your credible and trusted source for Black news and information.