RECIPIENT OF THE DC BLACK MBA ASSOCIATION 2023 LEGACY AWARD
Presents
43rd Annual Spelling Bee
Coordinated by the District of Columbia Public Schools
Serving Our Community in the DMV
Vol 60 No 26
April 10 - 16, 2025
With D.C. Budget in Limbo, Families Anticipate the Worst
Students, Parents and Organizers Host Another ‘Recess at the Capitol’
5 Keya Chatterjee (left), executive director of Free DC, pictured here with Nee Nee Taylor of Harriet’s Wildest Dreams, is among the many activists demanding the Senate protects District budget autonomy. (Courtesy Photo/ Free DC, Instagram)
DC BUDGET Page 37
Thousands Take to the National Mall for Hands-Off March to Protest Trump-Era Setbacks
The 43rd Annual Spelling Bee Center Section
43RD ANNUAL WASHINGTON INFORMER SPELLING BEE SUPPLEMENT / APRIL 10, 2025 / www.washingtoninformer.com
Far Southeast Family Strengthening Collaborative and MPD to Collaborate on Crime Prevention, Youth Intervention By Sam P.K. Collins WI Staff Writer
By Sam P.K. Collins WI Staff Writer With one recess behind them and another on the horizon, House leadership has yet to bring the District of Columbia Local Funds Act to the floor for a vote— a situation that’s further incensed a group of local organizers fighting to save D.C.’s budget. The District of Columbia Local Funds Act, if passed, protects the District’s Fiscal Year 2025 budget from a $1.1 billion budget cut mandated in a continuing resolution that Congress approved earlier this year. The Senate sent the District of Columbia
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5Dionne Reeder (pictured), director of the Far Southeast Family Strengthening Collaborative, is looking forward to collaborating with MPD and other D.C. agencies to prevent youth crime through the newly announced Juvenile Investigative Response Unit. (Courtesy Photo)
March marked six years since the Far Southeast Family Strengthening Collaborative (FSFSC) celebrated the launch of its new headquarters one floor above Busboys & Poets on Martin Luther King, Jr. Avenue in Southeast. Since that move to Downtown Anacostia, FSFSC has continued its decades-long mis-
SOUTHEAST Page 38
Patrons Visit a Smithsonian Museum under Siege Concerns Galore about Division, More Misinformation By Sam P.K. Collins WI Staff Writer
Faith Leaders, Churchgoers Speak Out Against Attacks on Diversity, Democracy, Human Rights By Mya Trujillo WI Contributing Writer
Despite a divisive time for the nation and world, a historic day of action encouraged thousands of activists to take to the streets for the nationwide “Hands Off” protest, unifying people across cities in 5 Father and son Leslie and Jasen Sowers at the “Hands Off” protest America. As the rallies offered a moment on April 5, speaking out to preserve the rights their ancestors fought for in order to protect younger generations. (Jacques Benovil/ The
‘HANDS OFF’ Page 37 Washington Informer)
Keith Q.D. recently took his daughter to the National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC), which a recent Trump executive order alludes to as an institution part of “a widespread effort to rewrite our nation’s history.” As Keith, a frequent NMAAHC visitor, explained to The Informer, the museum helps him continue a family tradition where elders give the youth authentic lessons in U.S. history. “My parents… were part of the Great
Celebrating 60 years. Your credible and trusted source for Black news and information.
MUSEUM Page 38
5 President Donald J. Trump’s new executive order, titled “Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History,” alludes to the National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC), as part of “a widespread effort to rewrite our nation’s history.” (Courtesy Photo)