Serving Our Community in the DMV
Vol 61 No 17
February 5 - 11, 2026
The Collins D.C. Council Report
Black History Unfolding in the Wilson Building in Real Time By Sam Plo Kwia Collins, Jr. WI Senior Local Politics & Education Writer As is often the case, portions of this edition of The Collins D.C. Council Report were completed in the Maurice Williams Memorial Press Room, located on the fifth floor of the John A. Wilson Building. For those who don’t know, Maurice Williams was a WHUR reporter who lost his life during the 1977 Hanafi Siege on the Wilson Building, then known as the District Building. This particular council report, written in commemoration of the Black History Month centennial, is written in honor of Williams, whose picture this reporter sits across from while filing copy in the press room. At a time when people in power apply pressure, overt
WILSON Page 13
One Hundred Years Down, More to Go: ASALH Reflects on Centennial of Black History Month
By Jada Ingleton WI Content Editor
5 A photo of Maurice Williams, a WHUR reporter killed during the 1977 Hanafi Siege, hangs in the press room of the John A. Wilson Building. The room was named in his honor on March 12, 2007. (Courtesy Photo)
D.C. Students Lead Walkout Against ICE
Amid National Outcry, Activists Seek General Unity By Sumaya Abdel and Keith Golden Jr. WI Interns
5 Students across local college campuses, including Howard University and the University of Maryland, march on Georgia Avenue in Northwest, D.C., during a nationwide shutdown against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on Jan. 30. (Keith Golden Jr./The Washington Informer)
Capture the Moment Page 32
In the wake of a new year sullied by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Howard University freshman Zahir Kalam Id-Din found inspiration in youth protests, igniting his own interest in encouraging a call for collective action. A week ahead of a nationwide anti-ICE shutdown, 20-year-old Kalam Id-Din was on a FaceTime call with his brother discussing the latest news of recent ICE arrests and violence that not only sparked high school walkouts in cities across the country, but would catapult his vision for a movement in D.C.
STUDENTS Page 9
It’s been 100 years since Carter G. Woodson created a celebration recognizing African American history, and his mission is still a waging battle for Black America. Before the annual commemoration throughout February, Woodson established Negro History Week in 1926 and, as founder of the Association for African American Life and History (ASALH), set a precedent for what it means to uphold the truths of America – plus the roots engraved by the culture. From correcting the record on more than four centuries of enslavement, to recognizing the pioneers of
ASALHPage 29
Black Journalists Arrested for Reporting: Don Lemon and Georgia Fort Lawmakers, Activists Warn of Attack on First Amendment and Other Rights
By Stacy M. Brown WI Senior Writer Two Black journalists— Minneapolis-based Georgia Fort and national reporter Don Lemon—were arrested on Jan. 30 in what many are calling an attack on the First Amendment. 5 Since the short-lived arrests of Black The Black journalists' only apparent offense was docjournalists Don Lemon (pictured) and Georgia umenting protests critical of the Trump administration’s Fort, in relation to an anti-ICE protest in St. immigration crackdown. Paul, Minnesota, people are calling for renewed Lemon, a veteran broadcaster and longtime critic of protections of the First Amendment. (WI File Photo/ Robert R. Roberts
LEMON Page 4
Celebrating 61 years. Your credible and trusted source for Black news and information. FEBRUARY 5 - 11 , 2026 1
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