Serving Our Community in the DMV
Vol 61 No 32
May 21 - 27, 2026
Education and Youth Affairs, As Explored by Some Democratic At-large Council Candidates
By Sam Plo Kwia Collins, Jr. WI Senior Writer
5 Artist Handirubvi Herring in front of her mural honoring The Washington Informer on Marion Barry Avenue SE. (Ja’Mon Jackson/ The Washington Informer)
Amid Pirro’s Announcement, Mural Unveilings Highlight Power of Art and Community
The debate about how to respond to mass youth gatherings is unfolding during one of the most consequential election seasons in the Home Rule Era. As the Trump administration gears up to prosecute parents of curfew breakers, there remains the question of whether to embrace punitive measures or take on a holistic approach. For Democratic D.C. Council atlarge candidate Dwight Davis, the answer lies with the youth.
As the District grapples with federal interference in local affairs, residents, business owners, and everyone else
in between will be able to enjoy the sight of new murals depicting various aspects of District culture and history. One of those murals, located on Marion Barry Avenue SE, pays homage to The Washington Informer, a
Black woman-owned publication that, in the midst of DEI rollbacks and attacks on free speech, continues to tell Black stories unabashedly.
Preserving Woodlawn Cemetery: ‘An Integral Part of the 250 Years of American History’
MURAL Page 9
As the United States nears its semiquincentennial and marks 161
years since formerly enslaved people hosted the first Memorial Day parade in Charleston, South Carolina, native Washingtonian Anntoinette “Toni” White-Richardson is considering the wealth of history at Woodlawn Cemetery in Southeast, D.C.
WOODLAWN Page 8
EDUCATION Page 21
Building Wealth Beyond the Dollar Sign Local Advocates Redefine Where Preservation Meets Profit
Historic Site Open to Visitors Memorial Day, Honoring Ancestors Year-Round Through Community Clean Ups By Micha Green and Mya Trujillo WI Managing Editor and WI Contributing Writer
“Why can't we form a committee and talk to the kids about the issues?” said Davis, a former D.C. Public Schools (DCPS) principal. “What are we willing to engage them [about] and what does that engagement look like? We aren’t going to be able to legislate our way out of an adaptive problem. We really got to connect. We got to care about these young people. We got to see them.” Davis,a father of DCPS and D.C. public charter school students, and
3 DC Community Wealth Builders (CWB) is among the local organizations amplifying cooperative economics and community groups to build wealth across the nation’s capital, including hosting the Cooperative Festival at Edgewood Community Farm in October 2025. (Courtesy Photo/Abi Shakur)
Anacostia Mural Festival Honors D.C. Culture, The Washington Informer, NeeNee Taylor
By Sam Plo Kwia Collins, Jr. WI Senior Writer
Our Earth Page 20
5 As president of the Woodlawn Cemetery Perpetual Care Association, Anntoinette “Toni” White-Richardson is working to preserve the Southeast, D.C. historic site, with approximately 36,000 burials that are nearly all African American. (Ja’Mon Jackson/ The Washington Informer)
By Jada Ingleton WI Content Editor In a tumultuous year of redevelopment and transition, preservation efforts are pointing to the economic structures that once anchored D.C.’s historic communities. Among the local advocates cham-
pioning the vision is DC Community Wealth Builders (CWB) organizer Abi Shakur, who says the work starts with reinvesting in the residents themselves, especially the city’s most vulnerable. “I've been asking myself…what is the actual pathway forward to solve all
WEALTH Page 14
Celebrating 61 years. Your credible and trusted source for Black news and information. MAY 21 - 27, 2026 1
WWW.WASHINGTONINFORMER.COM / THE WASHINGTON INFORMER