OUR
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2026 Sustainability Supplement in Observance of Earth Day PRESENTED BY
CONTRIBUTING SPONSORS
PUBLIC S ERVIC E COMMISSIO N Distr ict of Columbia
Your Energy. Your Voice.
Serving Our Community in the DMV
Vol 61 No 27
April 16 - 22, 2026
In Her Last Budget Proposal, Bowser Opts for Future Growth
Amid Emancipation Day Celebrations, Conversations about Teen Engagement Persist
Fiscal Year 2027 Priorities Include Business Investments, Downtown Revitalization, Cuts to Programs and Subsidies
D.C. Council to Soon Vote on Youth Curfew Extension, Permanent Curfew Legislation
By Sam Plo Kwia Collins, Jr. WI Senior Writer
By Sam Plo Kwia Collins, Jr. and Sumaya Abdel-Motagaly WI Senior Writer and WI Intern This year’s D.C. Emancipation Day festivities are taking place as National Guard troops walk the streets and local officials advance permanent juvenile curfew legislation. Despite the circumstances, Monet Washington says it's 5 A group of cheerleaders representing Bald Eagle Recreation Center in business as usual for her and her family. “I will be going to the Emancipation Day events because I Southeast perform a routine to T.I.’s 2004 song, “Bring ‘Em Out,” after want my daughter to learn about D.C. and all of its history,” Bowser administration officials announced the rollout of programming in
celebration of D.C. Emancipation Day and DC250. (Sam Plo Kwia Collins,
EMANCIPATION Page 40 Jr./The Washington Informer)
Black Maternal Health Week 2026: 10 Years of Working to Save Lives
MATERNAL HEALTH Page 20
DC BUDGET Page 9
Student Authors Explore Their Community and Learn about Nature
By Keith Golden Jr. WI Intern
For health equity advocates across the D.C. area and nation, commemorating the 10th anniversary of Black Maternal Health Week (April 11-17) is about more than celebration. It’s about saving lives. Black women are three times more likely to die during childbirth than their white counterparts, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and District data shows that 90% of pregnancy-related deaths occur among Black residents, with the highest risk concentrated in Wards 7 and 8.
Despite federal workforce depletion and the proliferation of vacant storefronts, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser and members of her cabinet remain confident in the District’s economic health. Even so, they’ve presented the Fiscal Year 2027 budget as a roadmap to spurring revenue growth and scaling back on what they deem unsustainable programs. Some of those programs include universal paid leave, a Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) employment program, substance use disorder community support, and rapid rehousing. Bowser also keeps emergency rental assistance at its current funding level while eliminating “duplicative” family
Earth Month 2026
Local Organizations Address Inequities Through Programming, Partnerships, Community Engagement
5 Families at the Community Baby Shower on April 13 in Southwest, D.C., hosted by Wellpoint District of Columbia. (Shevry Lassiter/The Washington Informer)
WI Sustainability Supplement Center Section
In Lead Up to Curfew Vote, Nature-Wise Lead Instructor Calls for Investments in Young People’s ‘Intellectual, Social and Emotional Growth’ By Sam Plo Kwia Collins, Jr. WI Senior Writer 5 NaQuan Shepherd, a student at Anacostia As District leaders mull how best to reHigh School in Southeast is one of 12 students who spond to mass youth gatherings in comcontributed to the release of “From Anacostia with Love: mercial areas, at least one young person has An Ecological Journey.” (Courtesy Photo/University of the District of Columbia) ANTHOLOGY Page 22
Celebrating 61 years. Your credible and trusted source for Black news and information. APRIL 16 - 22, 2026 1
WWW.WASHINGTONINFORMER.COM / THE WASHINGTON INFORMER