Issuu

Amid Pirro’s Announcement, Mural Unveilings Highlight Power of Art and Community

Anacostia Mural Festival Honors D.C. Culture, The Washington Informer, NeeNee Taylor

By Sam Plo Kwia Collins, Jr.

WI Senior Writer

Education and Youth Affairs, As Explored by Some Democratic At-large Council Candidates

By Sam Plo Kwia Collins, Jr. WI Senior Writer

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.

“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

EDUCATION Page 21

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

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

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.

Black woman-owned publication that, in the midst of DEI rollbacks and attacks on free speech, continues to tell Black stories unabashedly.

MURAL Page 9

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) WOODLAWN Page 8

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)

Building Wealth Beyond the Dollar Sign

Local Advocates Redefine Where Preservation Meets Profit

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

5 Artist Handirubvi Herring in front of her mural honoring The Washington Informer on Marion Barry Avenue SE. (Ja’Mon Jackson/ The Washington Informer)

THE WASHINGTON INFORMER NEWSPAPER (ISSN#0741-9414) is published weekly on each Thursday. Periodicals postage paid at Washington, D.C. and additional mailing offices. News and advertising deadline is Monday prior to publication. Announcements must be received two weeks prior to event. Copyright 2016 by The Washington Informer. All rights reserved. POSTMASTER: Send change of addresses to The Washington Informer, 3117 Martin Luther King, Jr. Ave., S.E. Washington, D.C. 20032. No part of this publication may be reproduced without written permission from the publisher. The Informer Newspaper cannot guarantee the return of photographs. Subscription rates are $96 per year, two years $168. Papers will be received not more than a week after publication. Make checks payable to:

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In Memoriam Dr. Calvin W. Rolark, Sr. Wilhelmina J. Rolark

PUBLISHER

Denise Rolark Barnes

STAFF

Micha Green, Managing Editor

Ron Burke, Advertising/Marketing Director

Shevry Lassiter, WIN-TV Producer

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Lafayette Barnes, IV, Editor, WI Bridge DC

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Mable Neville, Bookkeeper

Angie Johnson, Office/Circulation Manager

Jada Ingleton, Content Editor

REPORTERS

Stacy Brown, National Reporter

Sam Plo Kwia Collins, Jr., Political/Education Reporter

Brenda Siler, Lifestyle Reporter

Ed Hill, Sports Reporter

Richard Elliott, Reporter

Skylar Nelson, Sports Reporter

Mya Trujillo, Environmental and International Reporter

PHOTOGRAPHERS

Shevry Lassiter, Photo Editor

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Roy Lewis, Jr.

Robert R. Roberts

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wi hot topics

STACY M. BROWN, WI SENIOR WRITER; BRENDA C. SILER, WI CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Trump’s White House Fight Night Draws Fire Over Money, Access and Presidential Spectacle

President Donald Trump’s plan to stage a UFC fight card on the White House lawn is drawing sharp criticism from Democrats, ethics advocates and government watchdogs who say the presidency is being transformed into a corporate entertainment platform.

This idea comes as Republicans push forward with proposals tied to Trump’s costly White House ballroom ambitions.

The event, dubbed “UFC Freedom 250,” is scheduled for June 14 — Trump’s 80th birthday and Flag Day — and will feature an open-air stadium setup complete with the UFC’s signature Octagon cage and a massive arch stretching over the fighting ring, according to official renderings released by organizers.

Fans are expected to gather on the Ellipse outside the White House to watch the fights on giant video screens as part of the administration’s broader programming tied to the nation’s upcoming 250th anniversary celebration. The

5 Bassist Buster Williams performs at Blues Alley on May 16 for the “Miles Davis Centennial Celebration.”

Williams was in Davis’ band in 1967. (Brenda C. Siler/The Washington Informer)

announcement has generated enormous hype among Trump supporters and UFC fans while fueling growing political backlash in Washington.

“It’s going to be the biggest event we ever had,” Trump declared during a White House appearance with UFC fighters and the promotional company’s president Dana White, one of Trump’s closest political and business allies.

Critics say the deeper issue is not simply the fight itself, but what they view as the growing merger between political access, corporate money and presidential spectacle. The controversy intensified as Senate Democrats moved to corner Republicans over proposals tied to Trump’s planned White House ballroom expansion, a project expected to carry enormous security and infrastructure costs even as Republicans demand spending cuts elsewhere.

“That is what today’s Republicans have become,” Sen-

Jazz Legends Celebrate Miles Davis at Blues Alley Former Bandmates Share the Influence of the Trumpeter’s Imprint

Musicians are honoring legendary trumpeter, flugelhornist, composer, and bandleader Miles Davis at Georgetown’s historic Blues Alley during May as part of the Miles Davis Centennial Celebration. With Davis born on May 25, 1926, the Blues Alley observance continues a year-long global look at the man through concerts, lectures, and reflections on the trumpeter’s influence on jazz from bebop to fusion.

D.C. native drummer Billy Hart, who played with… Top of second column: Delete quote

mark after ‘early May.’

“Miles Davis is the great teacher. He would just say things to you, and I would say, ‘Yes, sir,’” Hart, whose most significant works with Davis can be heard on the jazz legend’s albums: “Miles Davis On the Corner” and “ Miles Davis Big Fun,” said in a National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) Jazz Masters interview. Both Davis and Hart were NEA Jazz Masters, in 1984 and in 2022, respectively.

“He just had so much to do with forming the musical language,” Hart, who graduated from McKinley Tech High School and attend-

‘This is Not Democracy’: New Southern Redistricting Push Ignites Voting Rights

Republican lawmakers across the South are moving rapidly to redraw congressional maps, dismantle Black voting districts, and reshape political power before the 2026 midterm elections. These moves are triggering a sweeping legal and civil rights battle that advocates say threatens some of the most important gains secured since passage of the Voting Rights Act in 1965.

Civil rights leaders say the push accelerated immediately after the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling in Louisiana v. Callais, which weakened protections against racial vote dilution and handed Republican-controlled legislatures broader room to redraw maps under the banner of partisan politics.

“The court has essentially put the death knell into our nation’s most singularly important federal civil rights law,” Kristen Clarke, former assistant attorney general

for civil rights and current general counsel for the NAACP, told Capital B following the ruling.

From Louisiana to Tennessee, Mississippi to South Carolina, Black-majority districts are now targets in what voting rights groups describe as a coordinated effort to weaken Black political representation before voters head to the polls in 2026.

In Louisiana, Republican Gov. Jeff Landry stunned voting rights advocates and election officials by suspending the state’s ongoing congressional primary elections after the Supreme Court struck down the stat’s second majority-Black congressional district. Early voting had already begun. Ballots had already been mailed. Some votes had already been cast.

Landry defended the extraordinary move during an REDISTRICTING Page 16

ate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) wrote in a letter to Democratic senators. “Ballroom Republicans, asking working families to pay the price while Donald Trump pockets the perks.”

Lisa Gilbert, co-president of the consumer advocacy group Public Citizen, told NBC News the White House UFC spectacle may not necessarily violate the law but raises troubling questions about influence and access surrounding Trump’s presidency.

“It is unsavory if once again there is a connection to access to the president to do something special, to be seen as an insider,” Gilbert said. “What makes it more suspect in this moment is how clearly aligned with industry, whether

it’s the ballroom money or arch money or the ‘Please come to my meme coin dinner.’ Over and over, we’ve seen how they pander to corporate donors and how they engage with the K-Street class.”

The White House event is expected to include corporate sponsorships, celebrity appearances and premium viewing access for invited guests, donors and political allies.

Reports surrounding the event have described sponsorship packages reaching into seven figures while organizers prepare what supporters describe as an unprecedented collision of sports, politics and entertainment.

healthy food for all

TRUMP from Page 4

black AROUND THE REGION

May 21

11862 – Mary Patterson becomes the first Black woman in U.S. history to be awarded a master's degree. She earned it from Oberlin College in Ohio.

1969 – Police and National Guardsmen open fire on student demonstrators at predominantly Black North Carolina A&T University, leaving one student dead. Five policemen were injured.

2009 – A Black man — James Young — is elected mayor of Philadelphia, Mississippi — a town that, during the 1960s, had the nation's most racist reputation. Ku Klux Klan members dominated the town and it was known for the mistreatment and unpunished killings of Blacks. One of the most brutal events in the city was the 1964 murder of three civil rights workers. In his 2009 election victory, Young captured 30 percent of the white vote.

May 22

1863 – The War Department establishes the Bureau of Colored Troops and begins to aggressively recruit Blacks for the Civil War. The Black troops would play a major role in turning the tide of battle against the rebellious Southern slave states.

1966 – Entertainer Bill Cosby becomes the first African American to receive an Emmy for Best Actor in a dramatic series for his role in the 1960s television series "I Spy."

May 23

1921 – "Shuffle Along," the first of a succession of widely popular Black musicals performed for white audiences, opens at the 63rd Street Theatre in New York City becoming the first African American Broadway musical. The musical comedy combined the talents of the legendary team of Eubie Blake and Noble Sizzle

May 24

1854 – Anthony Burns, one of the most celebrated

fugitive slaves in American history, is captured by deputy U.S. marshals in Boston.

1944 – Legendary singer Patti LaBelle is born Patricia Louise Holte in Philadelphia.

May 25

1878 – World-renowned dancer Bill "Bojangles" Robinson is born in Richmond, Virginia.

May 26

1799 – Famous Black Russian writer Alexander Sergeyevich Pushkin, known as the "father of Russian Literature," is born in Moscow.

1949 – Pam Grier, one of the premier Black actresses and top sex symbols of the 1970s, is born in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.

May 27

1958 – Ernest Green graduates from Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas, becoming the first Black to do so. Green was a member of the "Little Rock Nine," the group of Black students who first integrated the high school with the aid of federal troops. WI

"Suffle Along" by Eubie Blake and Noble Sizzle

Pam Grier (left)

Bill Robinson (center) Patti LaBelle (right)

AROUND THE REGION view P INT

BY RICHARD ELLIOTT

With Memorial Day around the corner, what are some of your summer goals?

DWAYNE RENAL SIMS / BOWIE, MARYLAND

“I’m looking forward to the families across generations to come to a free day at the ball park. The Negro League Legends' Hall of Fame Game has free admission and free parking, in partnership with The Washington Informer. E-tickets for the game will be available June 1.”

JILL DUDLEY COHEN / PIKESVILLE, MARYLAND

“This summer, I am studying for the Enrolled Agent (EA) exam. It is a three-part test administered by the IRS. I have already passed part one. Only two to go! Passing it is the primary requirement to become an Enrolled Agent, granting me federally authorized tax practitioner status with unlimited rights to represent taxpayers before the IRS. EAs have the same representation rights as CPAs and tax attorneys, but they specialize entirely in taxation and can practice in all 50 states.”

ALEJANDRA IVANOVICH/ ROSEDALE, MARYLAND

“My main goal for this summer is to focus on personal happiness and prioritize intentional, quality time with my children, my partner, and the close friends who support me. I want this season to be about slowing down, strengthening those core relationships, and creating lasting loving memories that I will cherish a lifetime!”

JUWAN BLOCKER / BRYANS ROAD, MARYLAND

“This summer, I’m locked in on one mission: Building ‘The Meet Up Podcast’ into a space where people who are struggling right now can find both inspiration and real direction. A place where you don’t just feel seen you get access to conversations, experts, and tools to help you move forward. Because in Maryland, we’re seeing some of the steepest federal job losses in the country."

MEL SPRUILL / BOWIE, MARYLAND

“One of the things I’m most excited and grateful for is finally visiting the Outer Banks after the flooding that devastated our Maryland home last summer. After enduring over $200,000 in damage and such a long road of repairs, seeing our home restored and life returning to normal feels like an incredible blessing. I truly cannot wait to relax, make new memories with my family.”

Our staff is made up of writers, just like you. We are dedicated to making publishing dreams come true. Trusted by authors for nearly 100 years, Dorrance has made countless authors’ dreams come true.

AROUND THE REGION

“In our cemetery, we probably have some of the most prominent historical figures,” White-Richardson, president of the Woodlawn Cemetery Perpetual Care Association, told The Washington Informer. “We may be the only existing cemetery in city limits where Black Civil War affiliation remains.”

White-Richardson is on a mission to make sure that the legacies and stories of those buried at the Ward 7 historical site are unearthed and remain alive for generations to come.

“Woodlawn Cemetery is not only D.C. history; it is an integral part of the 250 years of American history,” she said in a February statement when the cemetery received $125,000 from the District’s Paul E. Sluby, Sr. Historic Burial Grounds Preservation Program. “The saying ‘ties that bind’ is at the heart of my dedication to preserving Woodlawn, for my grandfather is buried in this place of historic significance.”

The association president’s grand-

father is one of thousands of African Americans buried at Woodlawn who contributed to the District’s fabric and nation overall. Others include Blanche K. Bruce, a former U.S. senator from Mississippi and the first Black register of the Treasury, and Lindsay Muse, who is known as the first messenger for the Navy Department.

Born enslaved in North Cumberland County, Virginia, Muse was an abolitionist as well as charter member and officer at Nineteenth Baptist Church who worked more than 50 years for the secretary of the Navy.

While people like Muse and other D.C. changemakers of the past may not appear in history books, Woodlawn— which officially opened on May 13, 1895— keeps parts of their narratives alive.

“As long as America has [its] government documents, we will never be lost,” White-Richardson said about the cemetery, which is generally closed to the public but will be open on Memorial Day from 10 a.m.- 1 p.m.

“[Woodlawn shows] up in legal documents [and] wills ... [so] you can’t lose people that you have so intertwined in your government documents.”

Preserving Woodlawn’s History

Located in the Benning Ridge neighborhood of Southeast, D.C., Woodlawn Cemetery was created as a solution to a problem.

The decomposition of bodies from Graceland Cemetery, built in 1871, began polluting the nearby water supply and creating a health hazard. With the District government planning to close Graceland, five white men created the Woodlawn Cemetery Association in January 1895 and purchased a 22.5 acre plot of land adjacent to Payne Cemetery.

3 The historic Woodlawn Cemetery is open to the public five days this year, including Memorial Day (May 25) and Juneteenth (June 19). (Ja’Mon Jackson/The Washington Informer)

A portion of the site was Fort Chaplin during the Civil War.

“Some Civil War officers were buried there...[but] there was a period of time when they were moving people from one cemetery to the other,” White-Richardson told The Informer. “They put a stone out there at Woodlawn honoring the Civil War soldiers, but we don’t know their names. It’s kind of like a mass grave.”

Today, Woodlawn— which was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1966— contains approximately 36,000 burials and nearly all African American. However, maintaining a 131-year-old cemetery takes work.

“Other than military, all cemeteries are privately owned, and that is some of the problems that we run into,” the Woodlawn Cemetery Perpetual Care Association president explained. “[We’ve] got to keep raising money and funds.”

The breadth of Black history buried at Woodlawn is why the site was one of two cemeteries selected for a $250,000 grant that was distributed in February as part of centennial Black History Month celebrations.

“D.C. history is Black history. And we know that it is the responsibility of each generation to preserve that history and to pass it on, and that is why we are proud to award these grants that will help protect and preserve historic Black cemeteries in our city,” said D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser in a statement. “We are a city that represents Black excellence in everything we do – from the arts to medicine to technology; and that is something we celebrate year-round because it is such an important part of our city’s history and culture.”

Looking Back: The 2026

Anacostia Murals Festival

From May 1 to May 18, the Capital Hill Boys Club Artist Gallery created open-air art museums across portions

5 Washington Informer Publisher Denise Rolark Barnes with artist Handirubvi Herring, who honored the legacy of The Washington Informer in a mural on Marion Barry Avenue SE. (Ja’Mon Jackson/The Washington Informer)

of Northeast and Southeast where artists conducted live mural paintings, public art tours and artist talks, youth workshops and live performances.

On Saturday, the gallery unveiled more than 30 murals during a community function at 3935 Minnesota Avenue NE hosted in collaboration with The Chocolate City Experience, Minnesota Avenue Main Street, H Street Main Street, Deanwood Heights Main Street, and Marshall Heights Community Development Organization.

As art gallery co-founder Mark Garrett explained, the collaboration was a testament to a bond that he and Dietrich Williams have created with Dee Dwyer of The Chocolate City Experience at their inception as a hub for creatives.

“We've been rocking with Dee for a long time, and it’s important for us to continue to do that,” Garrett told The Informer. “We are a part of a growing niche of community members that give a damn and activate. That's why this whole thing is important. When we all work together, we can create a lot of great things.”

In 2021, Garrett and Williams used the D.C. Arts Commission on the Arts and Humanities’ East Arts Grant to launch their community murals program, which at the time funded projects on Minnesota Avenue NE and Hayes Street NE. Another infusion of funds allowed them to open the Capital Hill Boys Club Artist Gallery at its Marion Barry Avenue SE location, where they’ve since conducted a bevy of programming.

One of those programs was the Anacostia Murals Festival, which started in 2024 with 74 artists.

This year’s art festival builds upon the inaugural event with more than 100 murals across five corridors, under the purview of 100 artists. Since October, Garrett and Williams have organized artists hailing from the District, as well as various parts of the U.S. and world. They’ve also conferred with local businesses, main street organizations, advisory neighborhood commissions, churches, and other entities in what they’ve called a real-time revitalization of historically neglected communities.

“One of the things we wanted to do was create a mural festival to build off inclusion … because most of the murals festivals that's going on aren't run by artists,” Williams told The Informer. “They aren't run by artists who're currently practicing, so we wanted to do something inclusive that was artist and community-forward.”

By the time of the May 16 mural unveiling near Minnesota Avenue NE, close to 100 murals total had been completed, including that bearing the image of NeeNee Taylor, co-founder of Harriet’s Wildest Dreams and the Free DC Project.

Taylor’s mural, painted by veteran artist Jay F. Coleman, currently sits on a wall on the back of 3919 Benning Road NE, facing the parking lot where The Chocolate City Experience took place. Her image stands alongside refurbished paintings that other

from Page 1 MURAL Page 36

MURAL

AROUND THE REGION

CAPTURE THE MOMENt

“We

Kwesi Baucum, a member of the Universal Negro Improvement Association and African Communities League (UNIA-ACL), reads The Washington Informer. (Roy Lewis/The Washington Informer)

The Capitol Hill Boys Club Arts Foundation (Capitol Hill Boys Club) hosted the ribbon-cutting ceremony for Anacostia Murals Festival 2026 on Sunday, May 17. The event served as a signature closing weekend celebration for the second annual festival, an 18-day event that transformed Wards 7 and 8 into a massive open-air gallery featuring 100 artists and 100 new murals. (Ja'Mon Jackson/The Washington Informer)

Malcolm X Day Returns to Anacostia Park

Photos by Ja’Mon Jackson/WI Assistant Photo Editor

Malcolm X Day returned to Anacostia Park on Sunday, May 17 for a fun-filled day celebrating the life of a legendary freedom fighter. Organized by Pan-African Community Action (PACA) alongside local organizations, this grassroots festival not only honored Malcolm X, who was born on May 19, 1925, but also revived a legendary District tradition that originally ran for 23 years starting in 1972. WI

5 Volunteers give free fresh produce to attendees.

5 Malcolm X Grassroots Movement-DC Chapter provides attendees with pamphlets and newspapers dedicated to defending human rights, promoting Black self-determination, and advocating for the liberation of Black and New Afrikan people through mutual aid, political education, and community-based self-defense.

PRINCE GEORGE'S COUNTY

Darryl Barnes Announces Resignation as Chair of Maryland-National

Park and Planning

By Richard Elliott WI Contributing Reporter

Darryl Barnes is no longer head of the Maryland-National Capitol Park and Planning Commission (MNCPPC) board, after resigning on May 17 and effective the next day, following the publication of a Baltimore Banner story on alleged misconduct during his term as chair.

According to the Banner, Barnes allegedly violated ethics and procurement laws.

In addition, Debra Borden, who is on extended leave from her role as general counsel for the MNCPPC, accused Barnes of operating beyond his roles as planning board chair and the presiding officer in an 11-page complaint filed in February. Among other complaints, she accused Barnes of reprimanding her multiple times.

“I

“I take these allegations seriously and recognize the weight they carry and how they affect our organization, our employees, and the communities we serve,” Barnes said in response to the allegations on May 16. “While I do not agree with the characterization in the reporting, I understand the importance of accountability and transparency in moments like this.”

Jamar Creech, who is serving as legal counsel for Barnes, denies the allegations and said the former board chair has not used his office for personal enrichment, directed staff to award contracts to friends, family members, personal businesses or affiliated entities, or instructed anyone to violate the commission’s procurement rules, ethics requirements, personnel policies, bond covenants or state law.

“Chair Barnes has acted in good

was proud to vote in support of Darryl Barnes as the next chair of the Park and Planning Commission,” said Councilmember Wala Blegay (D-District 6) shortly before she voted in favor of Barnes last year.

faith in his role as Chair,” Creech said. “He is focused on improving accountability, transparency, effectiveness, and service to Prince George’s County residents.”

Formerly a state delegate representing District 25 and past chair of the Legislative Black Caucus of Maryland, Barnes was unanimously appointed to his role by the Prince George’s County Council shortly after the inauguration of County Executive Aisha Braveboy (D) last year.

“I was proud to vote in support of Darryl Barnes as the next chair of the Park and Planning Commission,” said Councilmember Wala Blegay (D- District 6) shortly before she voted in favor of Barnes last year. Blegay represents the same area on the County Council that he did while in Annapolis.

During a May 4 hearing, Councilmembers serving on the Planning, Housing, and Economic Development committee questioned Barnes and other MNCPPC leadership on tax assessments and budget items.

“If there was no conversation

with the county executive, how did you know this would be a one-time tax increase,” asked Councilmember Krystal Oriadha (D-District 7)."

‘Pattern and Dysfunction’

Barnes’ resignation follows three of the commission members voting to remove vice chair Manuel Geraldo (R) and replacing him with Billy Okoye (D), who was appointed during Barnes’ term as chair. Brittany Jenkins and Lori Matthews were also appointed during his term.

“We serve the public,” Geraldo said in an interview with the Banner on May 15. “That’s why there is an Open Meetings Act. It’s so that the public can be aware of what the board is going to do or consider. And so the fact that you violate that, my question is, what else are you willing to violate?”

There are currently two vacancies on the planning board, and the planning board lacked a quorum to meet for much of his term.

Greg Holmes, who is running

for county executive in the upcoming Democratic primary, has criticized the frequent changes in leadership as “musical chairs.”

“The county executive appointed Darryl Barnes as chairman. Now she’s removing him. She forced out former chairman Peter Shapiro before that. Five Council Chairs in three years. County Council seats reshuffled without a single vote from residents,” Holmes told The Informer. “High taxes, increasing food costs, rising monthly energy bills and spending taxpayer money on a slumber party during the snowstorm. At some point, this pattern and dysfunction has to end and this government held accountable.”

Barnes was originally scheduled for a May 22 virtual hearing by the County Council to discuss his potential removal.

“They’ll hear all of the information and make the decision that makes the most sense based on everything that’s presented,” Oriadha said, prior to Barnes’ early resignation.

BARNES Page 13

5 Darryl Barnes is now former chair of the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission, after his resignation on May 16, following allegations of violating ethics and procurement laws. (WI File Photo/Robert R. Roberts)

BARNES from Page 12

‘Hold the Line’: Ensuring Accountability Matters

During the legislative session, Barnes was a prominent supporter of legislation to separate the Montogmery and Prince George’s planning departments, which had been tied together since the founding of the MNCPPC in 1927. This legislation was unsuccessful.

Language added to the state budget has also banned the transfer of additional MNCPPC funds to the county’s general budget, following at least $13 million in transfers during the current administration.

Prince George’s Councilmembers

Sydney Harrison (D-At Large) and Jolene Ivey (D-At Large) were the only two members of the legislative body who voted against transferring MNCPPC funds to the county budget.

Del. Ben Barnes (D- District

21), the chair of the Appropriations committee, was a supporter of adding a “guardrail” to MNCPPC funds.

“I think it’s just a matter of good governance,” Del. Barnes said. “If you’re going to take money from park and planning, let’s make sure it happens during the budget process and make sure it goes to a good use.”

Holmes is supporting a ballot measure to create a local inspector general, a position that exists in most of Maryland’s large counties.

“That’s why I’m running for county executive, and precisely why I’ve put forth a ballot initiative to permanently embed an independent Office of Inspector General in the Prince George’s County Charter to investigate the misuse of taxpayer resources and government failures,” he explained. “Accountability is how to restore trust, not the usual suspects.” WI

PRINCE GEORGE’S COUNTY

• Lane Manor Splash Park

• Ellen E. Linson Splash Park

• Hamilton Splash Park

• Glenn Dale Splash Park

• J. Franklyn Bourne Memorial Pool

• North Barnaby Splash Park

Visit pgparks.com/pools to learn more about our fabulous pools and splash parks. Now hiring deep water and shallow water lifeguards and slide attendants!

Outdoor pools open on May 23!

5 Darryl Barnes is denying the allegations of misconduct in his role as head of the MNCPPC board. (WI File Photo)

BUSINESS

the issues, to transform our communities, to break the cycles of trauma, poverty, etc., and I think [it’s] building solidarity,” Shakur, 28, told The Informer. “Community wealth building as a means … to right all those systemic wrongs … to change how we interact with one another, how we think of community itself.”

Backed by data from Harvard University-based research hub Opportunity Sights (OI), disparities in economic mobility are steep, but not immutable.

According to OI’s July 2024 “Quarterly Journal of Economics,” divergent trends in economic mo-

bility were most strongly linked to differential changes in childhood environments, such as exposure to neighborhoods with higher outcomes and lower race gaps –– both of which can increase outcomes and produce smaller disparities in the next generation.

To that point, Shakur emphasized where communal empowerment and betterment meet in the middle.

“Imagine you step out and in every resource that you use –– the grocery store, the bookstore cafe, everything you do day to day is not owned by some big boss up in the sky, [but] the actual workers themselves,” he continued. “It builds a sense of connectivity, a sense of camaraderie, it builds

a sense of ownership and stake. You want your neighborhood to survive [and] everything in it, you can see yourself in.”

Among roughly 200 local organiz-

The National Coalition of 100 Black Women, Inc., Metropolitan Washington, DC Chapter

STRENGTHENING OUR FAMILY

Vendor marketplace

Exhibitor booths

Live demonstrations

Family-friendly activities

Expert panel discussions

Saturday, May 30, 2026 Saturday, 30, 2026 10AM - 2PM 10AM - 2PM

Martha’s Table Martha’s Table 2375 Elvans Street, SE 2375 Elvans Street, Washington, DC 20020 Washington, 20020 20020

Be inspired to take charge of your health!

ers fueled through the CWB coalition, Shakur said his drive stems from his own upbringing, bearing witness to an inequitable ecosystem.

After his family was priced out of the District, the then-preteen moved to Baltimore, where the realities of living in an impoverished neighborhood meant opportunity was defined by access, and economic injustice was the status quo for minorities.

Now, at the tip of the mission for the 28-year-old is redesigning the terms and conditions in which residents can thrive––one that puts wealth back in their own hands.

“On the one hand, we have: how can we just create more avenues— more mechanisms for folks to make money, to actually build wealth. The other component, to me, feels more like … the cultural element of this goal,” he said. “When I look back at where I come from, the number one issue on anybody's mind is: ‘How am I going to pay my bills, how am I going to survive economically?’ And there is a way for those of us who are focused on change … to answer that question.”

Investing in Wealth

‘Outside the Paradigm of Dollars and

Cents’

Piggybacking on the Community Wealth Building mission, Shakur highlighted alternative economies as a clear first step to shape wealth for underserved areas across the DMV.

The D.C. native touted a model that prioritizes long-term sustainability over corporate growth, all the while

pouring into its own residents and the spaces that uphold the city’s roots.

“We have the means to make it easier to survive just by knocking on each other's door,” Shakur explained. “You can knock on your neighbor's door because Beau works on carpentry and plumbing, and I have my own skills….there’s the old classic example of [borrowing] a cup of sugar. We can help each other that way.”

A series of avenues to create more cooperatives include: increased ownership for employees and tenants, as well as more spaces for small businesses to thrive right within the communities they serve.

Aside from prompting systemic change, Shakur said the method aims to restore the mutual aid work that has historically spurred progress among D.C.’s most vulnerable, including the historic Barry Farm neighborhood in Ward 8.

What started as an opportunity catalyst for newly freed African Americans post-Civil War, and later became Barry Farm Dwellings for affordable housing, now stands as a blueprint for forging Black excellence and economic empowerment across generations of D.C.

“I mean, they built that [community] with their own hands,” Shakur said. “There's a legacy there, and it's a legacy that has been anchored in D.C.’s Black community, specifically, through things like Barry Farm. The time [was] probably worse than it is now, but [policymakers] did not value what that was and…what it meant to the people there. I think there's defi-

5 As an organizer and part-time manager of the DC Community Wealth Builders (CWB) coalition, Abi Shakur, 28, works to advance the alternative economies that put wealth back in the hands of Washingtonians. (Courtesy Photo/Abi Shakur)

5 Empower DC housing organizer and staff historian Corey Shaw Jr., during the Feb. 21 screening of “Barry Farm: A Conversation Across Generations,” held at the DC History Center in Northwest. (Robert R. Roberts/The Washington Informer)

nitely a parallel here to today.”

With the Barry Farm legacy comes the voices of African American leadership –– from figures like Frederick Douglass and Dr. Georgiana Rose Simpson, one of the first Black women to get her Ph.D, to the civic activism in the 1950s and 60s that led to the integration of D.C.’s public schools.

displacement. And we're going to get to a place where the folks that have been in place for 10,15, 20,30, years, they will be gone, and there won't be much of anything.”

Where Narrative Meets Policy –– and Progress Happens

these films extract their stories from,” said the award-winning storyteller.

“I dream that young people in Barry Farms see … they don't have to be served up to the developers, they don't have to be served up to the members of the [D.C. Council]. They can take back and build on the legacy that was there…make Barry Farms whatever they think it should be.”

Thus, CWB is pushing for local leaders to implement a land bank––allowing the city to invest its own property in community use, such as partnering with a local land trust to develop affordable housing–– or a public bank, where decisions from interest rates to financial investments can be made “in the best interest of the residents themselves.”

have to look outside of the paradigm of dollars and cents to really recognize and value it for what it is.”

In the meantime, the organizer said the future of the city depends on communities as a whole learning how to lean into one another and build the sort of wealth that can’t be counted in dollars.

While local organizations work to drive policy and engagement, Joseph Green, CEO of LMSvoice Productions, is emphasizing the power of storytelling to shape what communal wealth looks like.

This article is part of a national initiative exploring how geography, policy, and local conditions influence access to opportunity. Find more stories at economicopportunitylab.com/. WI WEALTH from Page 14

Now seven years into a decade-long redevelopment project, which prompted a mass relocation of residents in 2019, the mission to preserve historic neighborhoods like Barry Farm is a two-prong cause for Empower DC’S Corey Shaw Jr.

“This is still an isolated incident of a better-than-other-folks developer coming in and doing some work ––because there are, in fact, communities across the city that have been displaced, and likely will see some kind of displacement force, unfortunately, visited upon them,” said the staff historian. “We have to get back to this notion of what community development looks like. What does it mean to have community at the table?”

What usually starts with stipulations to boost morale too often results in injustice and gentrification, Shaw continued, either dwindling District neighborhoods by race or reinforcing the cycles advocates aim to obstruct.

“Wards 5, 7, and 8 are all we have as it relates to strongholds of Black folk, and that’s by design,” he told The Informer. “We really have to center community voices in the development process, because if we don't, all we're going to continue to see is this

Green, who helped lead the 2025 documentary “Barry Farm: A Conversation Across Generations,” in partnership with Empower DC, told The Informer the tool lies in using art to not only revisit history, but depict the resilience that captures its essence.

“For all of those who may be cynical because of what the world has been, there have been moments in time where certain things have come together and people have been able: to take care of each other,” said the CEO, “to lean on their neighbors, to seek careers that [they] were told, ‘people who come from where you come from don't get to do all of that.’”

When it came to creating the short film, and his passion for professional storytelling overall, he shared one goal: to build something for the next generation to “live a little better than we did.”

“We, as filmmakers, need to understand that what we are dealing with isn't a commodity of pretty pictures on screen, but an opportunity to invoke conversation and create tangible change in the communities that

Following a screening of the Barry Farm documentary earlier this year, Shakur reflected on the realities of a historic trend where big corporations come in and “sell out” the longtime residents who, evidently, keep the local economy flowing.

“We want people to be able to start their own businesses, to chase their own dreams…in the neighborhoods they claim as their homes, and serve the people who are there with them,” Shakur told The Informer. “We have a ton of power already here, but you

“It takes trust, it takes love, it takes hope, really,” he said, “we're trying to bring that back.”

Request for Proposals Announcement

Solicitation No.: DCHFA-26-0012

Title: Security System RFP

The District of Columbia Housing Finance Agency (the “Agency” or “DCHFA”) requests proposals from qualified companies to remove the Agency’s existing security system and furnish, install, configure, and maintain a security camera system and key card access tied to the security system at the Agency’s facility located at 815 Florida Avenue, N.W. A mandatory site visit will be held on June 2, 2026, at 11:00 a.m. at 815 Florida Avenue, N.W.

Interested parties are invited to review the full RFP details and submission requirements at: www.dchfa.org/about/business-opportunities

Proposal Due Date:

June 30, 2026, by 2:00 p.m.

For questions or additional information, please refer to the instructions provided in the RFP.

Invitation for Bids Announcement

Solicitation No.: DCHFA-26-0061

Title: HVAC/ General Services

The District of Columbia Housing Finance Agency (the “Agency” or “DCHFA”) requests bids from qualified companies to provide Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning (“HVAC”) and general labor services. A site visit will be held on June 3, 2026, at 10:30 a.m. located at 815 Florida Ave NW, Washington DC 20001.

Interested parties are invited to review the full IFB details and submission requirements at: www.dchfa.org/about/business-opportunities

Bids Due Date:

June 30, 2026, by 2:00 p.m. EST

For questions or additional information, please refer to the instructions provided in the IFB.

5 Joseph Green, CEO of LMSvoice Productions, at the Feb. 21 screening of “Barry Farm: A Conversation Across Generations.” (Robert R. Roberts/The Washington Informer)

NATIONAL

from Page 4

appearance on CBS’s “60 Minutes,” where he argued the state could not continue elections using maps the court had rejected. Asked whether racism is less of a factor in modern America, Landry replied, “I would agree with that,” before adding, “Barack Obama was elected twice as the United States president.”

Voting Rights

Advocates Fight Back

The backlash from civil rights

groups was immediate.

“The Supreme Court today struck down Louisiana’s congressional map and issued a ruling that eviscerates Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act and opens the door for states to enact discriminatory maps with impunity,” the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund said in a statement after the ruling.

3On their final stop on the “Blackest Bus in America,” tour activist march for voting rights in Washington, D.C. Civil rights leaders are pushing back against Republican lawmakers across the South moving to redraw congressional maps and dismantle Black voting rights.

The legal and political aftershocks are now spreading across the South.

On Wednesday, Mississippi Republican Gov. Tate Reeves announced plans for a special legislative session

Voting rights attorneys quickly sued to stop Landry’s election suspension. In a lawsuit filed by Elias Law Group, attorneys argued the governor unlawfully canceled “an election already underway,” disenfranchising voters after the electoral process had already started.

tied to redistricting following the Supreme Court ruling. Mississippi lawmakers are already under pressure involving the state Supreme Court judicial districts after lower courts found the maps diluted Black voting strength.

I will be running on my record and America’s promise.”

The effort ultimately stalled after five South Carolina Republicans broke ranks and voted with Democrats to block the proposal.

At the same time, Republicans in the state are weighing whether to redraw the state’s congressional map in a way that could threaten longtime Democratic Congressman Bennie Thompson, one of the most powerful Black lawmakers in Congress and former chair of the January 6 Committee.

Mississippi Today reported that President Donald Trump has urged Republican states to redraw districts before the midterms as part of a larger effort to protect GOP control of the House.

Still, voting rights advocates say the temporary defeat does little to slow a broader regional effort already underway.

In Tennessee, Republicans approved congressional maps that carve up Memphis, the state’s largest Black population center and longtime Democratic stronghold. Civil rights groups say the maps intentionally fracture Black voters into multiple Republican districts to eliminate Democratic representation from western Tennessee.

South Carolina Republicans launched a similar effort aimed directly at longtime Democratic Rep. James Clyburn, one of the most influential Black lawmakers in modern American politics. Republican legislators attempted to extend the legislative session to redraw the congressional map in ways critics said could effectively dismantle Clyburn’s district.

“Republicans in the South Carolina state legislature began the process of extending their session to allow for the redrawing of the state’s congressional map — with one goal in mind: eliminating the state’s only Democratic House district that is occupied by a Democrat,” Clyburn said.

During an interview on CNN, Clyburn warned Republicans that their strategy could backfire politically.

“I don’t know why people think I could not get reelected if they redistrict South Carolina,” Clyburn said.

“I have a district that’s about 45% African American. I have no idea what the number will be after the legislature finishes, but whatever that number is,

The American Civil Liberties Union filed suit challenging the maps, while Democratic state Rep. Justin Pearson blasted the redistricting effort as “racist tools of white supremacy.”

The Tennessee lawsuit argues the state is attempting to dismantle “the only majority Black Congressional district,” language civil rights groups say carries chilling echoes of earlier Jim Crow-era voter suppression tactics.

Voting rights advocates warn the South is now entering its most volatile redistricting period in decades.

“This is not democracy,” voting rights activists told The Guardian as Southern legislatures rushed to redraw maps after the Supreme Court ruling.

Civil rights leaders say the current wave of redistricting battles represents the most serious threat to Black voting representation since the Supreme Court gutted key portions of the Voting Rights Act in Shelby County v. Holder in 2013.

“This is exactly what we warned would happen,” voting rights advocates said after the latest round of redistricting fights. “Once protections are stripped away, states move fast.”

(WI File Photo/ Anthony Tilghman)

MIDDLE AND HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS

FAME SUMMER MUSIC PROGRAM

For additional information visit: FAMEmusic.org email: Summer@FAMEmusic.org call:

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Ebola Returns: Recent Outbreaks in DRC, Uganda Considered Global Health Emergency

By Mya Trujillo WI Contributing Writer

For the 17th time since 1976, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is experiencing an Ebola outbreak.

With 10 confirmed cases, 336 suspected cases, and cases, and 88 deaths in DRC, and two confirmed cases and one death in Uganda since May 5, the World Health Organization (WHO) has deemed this epidemic a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC) as of May 17.

This particular outbreak is caused by the Bundibugyo virus, a species of orthoebolavirus that can cause severe viral haemorrhagic fever. These fevers can harm the walls of small blood vessels to the point of leakage and can stunt blood clotting. The Bundibugyo virus, for which there are no approved vaccines, is spread through direct contact with the blood or other bodily fluids of someone who has been infected.

“WHO will continue working to support the DRC to bring this Ebola outbreak under control, and will deploy resources and work with and mobilize partners across the region to contain its spread and care for those affected,” said Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the director-general at WHO, during a May 15 media briefing.

So far, WHO experts have been working alongside DRC health authorities to respond to and contain the outbreak. WHO deployed medical supplies to Bunia, the capital city of the affected Ituri Province. On May 15, Ghebreyesus released $500,000 USD from the organization’s contingency fund for emergencies to support the response efforts.

The director-general said priority actions include the following: risk communications and community engagement, detecting active cases, contact tracing, infection prevention and control, expanding access to safe clinical care, and increasing laboratory testing capacity.

“The outbreak is a reminder of the persistent threat to human health of

disease outbreaks and the importance of cooperation and solidarity to continually strengthen global health security,” Ghbreyesus continued.

Instability in Ituri Could Put Response Efforts at Risk

Since both DRC and Uganda are affected by the virus, the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) is required to assume leadership in coordinating a response to the outbreak that includes regional and continental collaboration.

“The affected area is characterised by high population mobility, insecurity, and intense cross-border connectivity with neighbouring countries, including Uganda,” said Dr. Jean Kaseya, the director-general at Africa CDC, in a May 17 statement. “This alert underscored the urgent need for coordinated continental action to prevent further spread and safeguard regional and continental health security. Health professionals are concerned about containment efforts, given that the affected area is a business hub and migratory hotspot, as it borders Uganda and a small portion of South Sudan. The region has been riddled with insecurity and conflict since the beginning of the second war in DRC

in August 1998, as fighting over control of the province has contributed to a large presence of armed groups. Violence and instability in the area could hinder people’s access to medical treatment. Dr. Craig Spencer, an emergency medicine physician who has worked in DRC and contracted Ebola before, shared on X, formerly known as Twitter, that moving through the area is difficult due to transportation issues and the ongoing conflict.

“My initial reaction here is that this isn’t good, at all,” Spencer wrote. “I'm glad Africa CDC is on it, as is WHO. But delayed recognition means this has already gotten big, at a confluence of borders with a lot of instability, and for a strain that we don’t have any vaccine treatments for.”

While WHO has said the virus does not meet the criteria to be considered a pandemic, there are still warnings that it is an event of high regional risk due to the high population in the area.

The large number of suspected cases means that the virus had been spreading long before it was initially detected in early May. This could create an even more dire situation as it continues to spread throughout the urban area.

“This makes it harder to find contacts and all cases,” Spencer wrote. WI Read more on washingtoninformer.com.

HEALTH

Local Health Care Tech Helps Abolish $12M in Medical Debt for D.C. Residents

‘It’s Not a Scam’ says IdeaCrew, Washingtonians’ Debt Disappears

By Zerline Hughes Spruill WI Contributing Writer

For more than 100,000 Washingtonians, medical debt weighs on household finances, decreases credit scores, leads to challenges with access to wellness care and results in health disparities that overwhelmingly affect Black D.C. residents.

When IdeaCrew got wind of the medical debt crisis, the local health care tech company used its charitable giving arm in March to pay $12 million in medical bills for 12,000 residents in need of support.

“The beauty is, it’s all done,” said IdeaCrew President Trevor Garner. “If you’re fortunate and got a letter, there’s nothing you need to do. It’s not a scam. You can check your credit report and you will see the debt is gone as we speak. We saw this as an injustice – when you’re trying to take a step forward, but anytime you need your credit report for a home or car, you have an anchor of debt there.”

IdeaCrew collaborated with Undue Medical Debt, a nonprofit organization that buys medical debt and partners with donors who want to pay the debt of residents around the country. The nonprofit has relieved medical debt in all 50 states, including cities and counties in New York City; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; Lexington, Kentucky; and San Antonio, Texas.

“Because we’re in the health care space, I happened to be reading about Undue Medical and how they did something like this in another state,” recalled Garner. “I said, ‘We’ve got to reach out and see if this is something we can participate in.’ We found out they aggregated 12,000 residents with over $12 million in medical debt. All they needed was someone to support it

and make it all go away.”

Undue Medical purchases the debt the same way for-profit debt collectors do — in bulk portfolios for often a penny or less on the dollar. They use donor funds to buy the debt and instead of collecting, they eliminate it. The debt is then completely erased.

There’s no application, no red tape and no tax consequences for residents, and credit reports will state the debt is paid. Undue Medical sends a letter to residents stating there is no longer a balance due and mentions the name of the sponsor, including contact information in the event residents want to offer their thanks.

Through the partnership with IdeaCrew, the average debt relief paid for each D.C. resident was $1,023.68.

“It’s no coincidence that this is in the ballpark of an average deductible in D.C. for people with insurance through work — many of the people we help have insurance but simply can’t afford the out-of-pocket costs,” said Anna Roberts, corporate partnerships lead for Undue Medical. “Most Americans don’t have $500 on hand for an unexpected medical expense, which means a $1,000 medical bill can be disastrous.”

Community Citizenship and ‘Working Together to Make a Difference’

Based in Northwest, D.C., IdeaCrew is a Certified Business Enterprise (CBE) offering full service IT and clinical consultancy.

The 70-employee company creates websites for health care agencies around the country, including DC Health Link, D.C. Behavioral Department of Health and Maryland Behavioral Health Services.

Garner said running his business in D.C. means adopting a community citizenship model.

“We do a lot of our business in D.C., so it was a very logical target to help the residents of D.C.,” said Garner who hopes to hear from residents that received a zero-balance notice.

“Even though we’re not a behemoth business, we have got to take care of our community. It’s understanding the challenges of your community and try-

ing to solve them. My dad taught me you can only be as strong as the community around you.”

In 2025, about 20% of D.C. adults experienced medical debt, according to Tzedek DC, a nonprofit whose mission is to safeguard the legal rights and financial health of low-income D.C. residents who fall prey to abusive debt collection practices and other consumer related issues. It found that the District’s medical debt disproportionately

impacts Black residents, people with disabilities and mothers.

In 2024, $42 million of medical debt was canceled for more than 62,000 D.C. residents after Tzedek DC lobbied District Mayor Muriel Bowser (D) to use the government’s public dollars investment fund to offer relief in partnership with Undue Medical. WI

EARTH OUR

Braveboy and Westbrook Horse Farm Host Youth Equestrian Expo

Photos By Cleveland Nelson/WI Photographer

As the 151st Preakness Stakes kicked off in Laurel on May 16, families took to Upper Marlboro for the Youth Equestrian Expo,

presented by Prince George’s County Executive Aisha Braveboy and the Brian Westbrook Foundation.

PUBLIC NOTICE

The day included entertainment and getting youth to have fun outdoors through exposing youth to equestrian related sports and activities such as fence jumping, western reigning and choreographed musical rides.

For more than 20 years former NFL player and DMV native Brian Westbrook has owned Westbrook Horse Farm, and uses the facility to teach young people about the history of equestrianism and the African American contributions to the sport and culture in Prince George’s County.

During the Saturday event, Braveboy toured the Upper Marlboro facility and engaged with students from the Brian Westbrook Foundation Equestrian Program. WI

NOTICE TO CLASS MEMBERS OF PROPOSED SETTLEMENT AGREEMENT

A settlement agreement has been proposed in Salazar v. District of Columbia, Civil Action No. 93-452 (TSC), in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia, that may affect the rights of certain District of Columbia residents who are or have children who are 20 years of age or younger and are eligible for or enrolled in D.C. Medicaid.

The settlement may affect the rights of certain people in the District who are eligible for or enrolled in D.C. Medicaid and are under the age of 21. The Settlement Agreement is not final. In order for the settlement to be final, the judge in this case, the Honorable Tanya S. Chutkan, has to decide that the settlement is fair, reasonable, and adequate. If this notice applies to you, you will have an opportunity to tell the judge what you think about the settlement before the judge decides whether or not to approve it.

This lawsuit was filed in 1993 to compel the District of Columbia to comply with the federal Medicaid law concerning the child health benefit known as Early and Periodic Screening, Diagnostic and Treatment (EPSDT) services benefit. Since 1999, the Parties have been bound by a Settlement Order entered by the federal court.

Plaintiffs and the District have reached a preliminary Settlement Agreement. The settlement is NOT FINAL. The settlement will be final only after the judge approves it after holding a public hearing called a “fairness hearing.” The Settlement Agreement will end the Court’s oversight of Medicaid benefits for children and adolescents in the District, and will require the District to take several steps over the next two years to end the case entirely. Approval of the Settlement Agreement will also end the provision of free legal services by Class Counsel Terris, Pravlik & Millian, LLP to members of the Plaintiff class. Unless an enforcement motion is filed, the Settlement Agreement will expire two years after it is signed. A. The Settlement Agreement contains more detail about the District’s commitments and includes an enforcement provision.

The full Notice and a copy of the entire Settlement Agreement can be found on DHCF’s website at www.dhcf.dc.gov.

PLEASE READ THE NOTICE CAREFULLY AND COMPLETELY.

The full Notice will help you determine if this notice applies to you, and will contain the key terms of the Settlement Agreement, instructions and key deadlines.

A final fairness hearing will be held on August 13, 2026, at 10a.m. before the Honorable Tanya S. Chutkan of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, at the E. Barrett Prettyman United States Courthouse. The courthouse is located at 333 Constitution Avenue, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20001. The hearing will be held in Courtroom 9. At the fairness hearing, the judge will consider whether the settlement is fair, reasonable, and adequate. The judge will consider any objections that were made according to the procedures described in the Notice. Plaintiffs’ and the District’s lawyers will be available to answer any questions that the judge may have.

DO NOT CALL THE COURT. THE COURT WILL NOT ACCEPT PHONE CALLS ABOUT THIS.

5 Students from the Brian Westbrook Foundation Equestrian Program showcase their skills.

5 Students from the Brian Westbrook Foundation Equestrian Program and Prince George’s County Executive Aisha Braveboy handle one of the horses.

5 A young participant with his cowboy hat and boots on the ground, as part of the Youth Equestrian Expo.

3 Families could engage with farm animals in addition to horses throughout the day.

5 A young person feeds one of the horses at Westbrook Farm.

5 Former NFL player Brian Westbrook encourages a student with a high five.

EDUCATION

EDUCATION from Page 1

one of nine candidates vying for a seat currently held by District Councilmember Anita Bonds, said he jumped into the council race inspired, in part, by his tenure as principal of Ron Brown College Preparatory High School in Northeast.

As the lifelong D.C. resident recounted to The Informer, that’s where he learned how to include young people in policy decisions, particularly that involving what they put in their stomachs.

“They would come to school late [with] Takis or Hot Cheetos, and I was like ‘I’m gonna write a policy that says you can't bring this stuff into school [or] it's going to be taken,’” Davis said. “Then I had this idea: ‘Why don't you just talk to the kids?’ So I go down to the cafeteria, every morning and every afternoon, and I started to ask students, ‘Hey, why are you always bringing the Takis? It's not healthy,’ and they said ‘Mr. Davis, the food's not good.’”

Davis said what followed was his embrace of outside forces.

“We get a new chef [who] lives around the corner, so all he has to do is walk down the hill,” Davis told The Informer. “He was making oatmeal with peaches. The menu was totally just transformed to the point where…I was eating breakfast every morning, I was eating lunch every lunchtime because the food was good.”

Such a change, Davis said, led to the students’ acquiescence to his leadership.

“Students started coming to school on time. Students started to eat more food. Students stopped roughhousing during lunchtime,” he said. “When I say ‘Get quiet,’ everybody got quiet because if we did have seconds, they could go and get seconds.”

Earlier this year, Davis left the education sector after more than two decades. His experience included a foray into philanthropy where he conceptualized the idea for a sport and leadership academy. He said that experience sparked questions about how to improve current systems to District youth’s benefit.

If elected, Davis aims to spur college and career development at the middle school level and compel greater collaboration between the education sector, local businesses and the University of the District of Columbia to expand young people’s access to college and career options.

“I'm not sure we're utilizing the infrastructure that we have now to ensure that students know what the path is or where the path is and then to get them on it,” Davis told The Informer.

“There are tremendous opportunities to work with organizations. The question is how do we create these opportunities? How do we work with schools? How do we have this robust conversation to make this happen?”

Throughout much of the election season, Davis has graced forum stages alongside: labor organizer Dyana Forester, U.S. Shadow Representative Oye Owolewa, gun violence prevention guru Greg Jackson, Jr., educator and entrepreneur Leniqua’dominique Jenkins, longtime Democratic Party operatives Kevin B. Chavous and Candace Tiana Nelson, former State Board of Education (SBOE) representative Lisa Raymond, and former D.C. Board of Zoning Adjustment chair Fred Hill.

In response to questions about public safety, transportation, senior-related issues and the like, Davis has relied on what he calls his experience as a community leader and bridge builder. If elected to the D.C. Council, his priorities are workforce housing that he said would reduce average median income in advancement of the District’s affordable housing goals. Davis also expressed a desire to connect with families and determine what resources and programming is needed to address the root of public safety issues.

Realizing that vision, Davis said, requires legislation, agency oversight and budget management to create a city where “children are the greatest economic engine.” As he noted, a standalone education committee wouldn’t hurt either.

“I don't think we have a conversation that is robust enough to say, ‘Hey,

5 Dwight Davis, a lifelong District resident, father of D.C. Public School and D.C. public charter school students, is one of nine candidates vying for a seat currently held by D.C. Councilmember Anita Bonds. (Courtesy Photo)

5 As Lisa Raymond campaigns for her return to the John A. Wilson Building, she has the backing of D.C. Councilmember Charles Allen (D-Ward 6), former Ward 3 D.C. Councilmember Mary Cheh, former SBOE President Laura Slover, and former SBOE member and D.C. council member Sekou Biddle, among several others. (Courtesy Photo)

5 Democratic D.C. Council At large candidate Leniqua’dominique Jenkins hits the campaign trail while reading her award-winning book “Mirror, Mirror on the Wall” and visiting child care centers and learning centers. (Courtesy Photo)

5 If elected to the D.C. Council, Fred Hill plans to leverage what he calls his more than 5,000 hours clocked in zoning adjustment board deliberations in an effort to bring together divergent voices and advance policy of benefit to all Washingtonians. (Courtesy Photo)

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Trump’s Tone-Deaf Dismissal of Americans’ Economic Pain

Voters Who Trusted Him on the Economy Are Now Questioning His Priorities

For millions of Americans struggling to keep food on the table, fill their gas tanks, and stay ahead of mounting monthly bills, President Donald Trump’s recent declaration that he is “not concerned” about Americans’ financial anxieties landed with stunning disregard. At a time when families are being squeezed by rising grocery costs, volatile gas prices, and economic uncertainty, the comment came across not merely as politically tone-deaf, but profoundly insensitive to the daily realities facing working people across the country.

What makes the comment especially galling is that Trump returned to the White House in 2024 largely because he successfully connected with voters’ frustrations about the economy in ways former President Joe Biden did not. Trump campaigned relentlessly on inflation, grocery prices, and the shrinking buying power of working families. He spoke directly to the anxieties of Americans who felt ignored by Washington elites.

Now, less than two years later, many of those same voters are hearing from a president who

seems detached from their daily struggles.

Across the country, families are feeling squeezed. Gas prices have surged again amid escalating instability and war in the Middle East involving Iran. Grocery bills remain painfully high. Rent, insurance, and utility costs continue to climb while wages struggle to keep pace. Americans are not looking for lectures or indifference from their leaders. They are looking for empathy and solutions.

“Food costs are hitting every income level, and it’s changing how people spend. Nearly half of Americans are struggling to afford food, and even higher earners are feeling the pressure,” said Matt Schulz, chief consumer finance analyst at LendingTree.

Presidents are not expected to solve every economic problem overnight, but Americans do expect their leaders to acknowledge their pain. Democratic President Franklin Roosevelt did so during the Great Depression, and Republican President Ronald Reagan did so during difficult economic times in the 1980s. Even presidents facing political headwinds under-

stood the importance of compassion.

Trump’s comments risk creating the impression that the very voters who helped return him to power are now being taken for granted. The real question is how Americans will respond at the ballot box this November. Economic pain often reshapes political loyalties. If voters conclude that Washington no longer hears them — even from a president they once trusted — they may choose to send a message of their own.

Now, less than two years later, many of those same voters are hearing from a president who seems detached from their daily struggles.

Remembering Brown v. Board of Education:

‘What

Would Thurgood Marshall Say Today?’

in the Declaration of Independence 72 years ago, when the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) unanimously ruled that racial segregation in public schools is unconstitutional.

As the lead attorney for the NAACP, Thurgood Marshall and his team ushered in the modern-day civil rights movement with their victory in the landmark 1954 case of Brown v. Board of Education.

And because the Supreme Court, despite public sentiment, ignored prevailing partisan notions and ruled based on the tenets of the Constitution, the doctrine of “separate but equal”— which the Court had previously affirmed in the 1896 Plessy v. Ferguson case— was declared unconstitutional.

Marshall long believed the

courts should be proactive in protecting individual rights, correcting historic injustices, and advancing equality rather than just interpreting the law. So, it should come as no surprise that after President Lyndon B. Johnson appointed him to the Supreme Court in 1967, as a staunch liberal and the first African American to serve on the Court, Marshall frequently dissented as SCOTUS became increasingly conservative.

But today, with the court having moved even further to the right, and unapologetically so, “what would Thurgood say?”

Of course, it’s impossible to determine what Justice Marshall would say because American society has changed so much since he retired from the Court in 1991 and died in January 1993.

However, most scholars agree

that his legacy reflects both his commitment to transforming the U.S. legal system into a tool for progress, and his dedication to ensuring that every individual, regardless of background, is entitled to the same constitutional rights.

During his tenure on the Supreme Court, Marshall proposed a “sliding scale” interpretation of the Equal Protection Clause in which he and his colleagues would weigh government objectives against the rights of affected, often disadvantaged, groups.

He also believed, unlike the Court’s majority today, that affirmative action was necessary to address the “sorry history of discrimination” and ensure the inclusion of minorities into the mainstream. Marshall saw this as being in the best interest of our states and the

TO THE EDITOR

“What stayed with me was the quiet shift from treating these cities as statistics to treating them as places people move toward for something livable. That framing adds needed dignity to a topic that is often flattened."

-Lowes Flyer (In reference to the article: “America’s 10 ‘Blackest’ Cities Revealed in New Report.”)

“As an Italian American, I’d much rather see a Viola Liuzzo Day than a Christopher Columbus Day.”

- Dan Perico (In reference to the article: “Remembering My Grandmother, Viola Liuzzo.”)

nation.

Finally, because he strongly believed in and fought for the protection of First Amendment rights, Marshall supported abortion access and advocated for the rights of the accused and prisoners. Marshall was a visionary, a strategist, and an optimist, among other notable qualities, who never wavered from his commitment to working through the legal system to ensure that all Americans had

equal access to civil rights and justice, race, gender, and other differences notwithstanding. What would Marshall say today? His decisions and stances while on the Supreme Court more than 35 years ago offers pretty clear insight as to what he would say as civil rights freedoms are threatened in 2026.

The Court just needs more justices willing to follow his lead. WI

OPINIONS/EDITORIALS

Christal Banks

Alabama’s CHOOSE Act: A Promise and a Responsibility

our kids using methods that work best for them.

As a homeschooling parent in Alabama, I've watched with cautious optimism as the CHOOSE Act takes hold across our state. For years, families like mine have taken on the responsibility of creating personalized education plans for our children because we believe in tailored learning, family-led instruction, and the freedom to teach

The Creating Hope and Opportunity for Our Students' Education (CHOOSE) Act signifies a major shift in Alabama's approach to education. For the first time, funds once limited to public or private school tuition can now support families who educate their children at home. Families may receive between $2,000 and $7,000 for curriculum, tutoring, therapy, enrichment classes and other approved expenses. This is more than a finan-

Guest Columnist

cial benefit. It is a statement. It tells homeschool families, "We see you. We value your work. And we are willing to invest in your success."

But with this opportunity comes understandable concern. Many in the homeschool community are asking what accepting Education Savings Account funds might mean for our autonomy. Will there be new regulations? Curriculum restrictions? Standardized testing mandates? These are fair questions, and I share them. Educational freedom is the reason many of us chose

this path. It allows us to meet our children's needs in creative, flexible ways that are often impossible within traditional systems.

As the CHOOSE Act is implemented and expanded, it is crucial to safeguard the independence that makes homeschooling effective.

The state must avoid one-size-fitsall standards that could stifle innovation or diversity in educational approaches.

I believe it is both possible and necessary to strike a balance. Lawmakers should engage with the ho-

When Supreme Court Gets the Facts Wrong, Democracy Pays the Price

"What [Supreme Court Justice Samuel] Alito doesn't mention is that since 2013, the racial turnout gap around the nation has exploded. It beggars belief that Alito was unaware of this fact. He reached back nearly 20 years to include the only two elections in American history in which Black and white turnout reached parity. Surely, he or one

What we are seeing in America today is something that Black people haven't experienced in a very long time — citizenship with no workable Voting Rights Act in place. Immediately after the Supreme Court's recent Louisiana v. Callais ruling, five southern states wasted little time in redrawing congressional voting maps that would

of his clerks checked to see whether they could update the Shelby County argument that racism in American elections was over by using more recent data. But the data is unambiguous: Roberts's assurances in Shelby County were spectacularly wrong."

— Kevin Morris, Brennan Center for Justice

What happens when the highest court in the land issues a decision based on faulty reasoning or inaccurate data?

The shameful Plessy v. Ferguson

decision in 1896 obliterated 30 years of hard-fought progress toward racial equality under the law and thrust the nation into the dark and violent era of Jim Crow.

Last month's decision in Louisiana v. Callais, like 2013's Shelby v. Holder, is destined to live in infamy alongside Plessy. We cannot and must not waste a single moment — let alone 70 years, as we did with Plessy — to rectify the court's mistake.

The court and Congress must acknowledge the Callais decision

was based on misleading data and restore the provisions of the Voting Rights Act that it overturned. The deluge of racially motivated voter suppression laws that Shelby unleashed made a mockery of Chief Justice John Roberts' claim that "current conditions" did not justify federal protection against discriminatory state voting laws. So, too, does the frenzy of states to enact racially gerrymandered congressional maps disprove the majority's assumption that states would not exploit Callais to dis-

meschooling community, listen to our input, and design policies that provide transparency and accountability without turning home educators into state-run classrooms.

As someone living this experience daily, I see great potential in what the CHOOSE Act represents. It opens new possibilities for children across Alabama, especially those who thrive outside traditional classrooms. With the right support, more families will be able to tailor

BANKS Page 41

guise discrimination as partisanship.

Even more egregiously, Justice Samuel Alito's opinion relied on a false claim — "copied almost verbatim" from a Trump administration filing — that Black voter turnout had exceeded white voter turnout in two of the five most recent presidential elections.

As The Guardian's investigation revealed, the administration's false claim rested on a misleading voter

eventually wipe out Black-majority districts.

We can't place all of the blame for the dilution of Black and Latino voting power through election manipulation at the feet of this one Supreme Court decision. Last July, President Trump ordered Texas Gov. Greg Abbott to redistrict his state to create an additional five Republican-leaning congressional districts.

The president intends to maintain political power and control by circumventing the will of voters

— eliminating fair congressional districting through partisan and racial gerrymandering. To have a president issue this type of order and then have a state governor carry it out is disturbing. The result is a "redistricting arms race."

This is what happens when America elects a robber baron as president. A robber baron is a term used to describe powerful 19th-century American industrialists and financiers who amassed enormous wealth through unethical and controlling practices. Their key tac-

tics included exploiting workers through extremely low wages and poor working conditions; forming monopolies and "trusts" to control entire industries and eliminate competitors; and corrupting government officials through lobbying or outright bribery to secure favorable land grants and subsidies. Critics focused on their greed and the unethical methods by which they created human suffering and extreme economic disparity. In the late 19th century, the top 1% owned roughly 51% of property

while the bottom 44% owned only 1.1%.

These robber barons included John D. Rockefeller (Standard Oil), Andrew Carnegie (Carnegie Steel), Cornelius Vanderbilt (railroads and shipping) and J.P. Morgan (finance and banking). When asked by a reporter how much money he needed to finally have enough, Rockefeller said, "Just a bit more." He was America's first billionaire and was ultimately forced by the

MARSHALL Page 41

Marc H. Morial

David W. Marshall

Guest Columnist

If discrimination cannot be measured, it becomes far harder to challenge — legally, politically or publicly. That is why the dismantling of federal economic data collection may become one of the most consequential civil-rights reversals of this era.

For generations, America's civil-rights framework has operated on a simple premise: inequality can be mea-

Guest Columnist

A New Economic Civil Rights Struggle: Disappearing Data

sured. Mortgage lending disparities. Redlining. Employment discrimination. Unequal access to capital. None of these were exposed because institutions voluntarily admitted wrongdoing. They were uncovered because data was collected, analyzed, and tested in courts.

The Civil Rights Act does not require proving that someone is personally racist. It requires proving that a policy creates a measurable, disproportionate harm to one group — a legal standard known as "disparate impact.” Without data, that standard becomes extraordinarily hard to meet.

This administration has moved aggressively to dismantle the federal data infrastructure that makes economic disparity visible. It proposed eliminating the EEO-1 form: the only federally collected source of business-level data on employment by race, ethnicity, sex, and job category. This would strip the EEOC of its primary tool for identifying discriminatory hiring patterns. An executive order moved to eliminate the Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA) entirely. This agency, which I led as Acting Under Secretary, was designed by law to function as the

Chatbots Cannot be Marketed as a Junior Jesus

There was a time when only the loonies were talking about walking on the moon, or tooling around in flying taxis, or robots not only playing soccer but changing the rules for their own pleasure.

All that was pure nonsense until it happened. And now something else once thought impossible is on the verge of being taken seriously.

The Washington Post recently featured an article in which Anthropic, a multibillion-dollar tech company, gathered Christian leaders together for help in considering whether their newly created morally sensitive chatbot could be considered a "child of God."

Their corporate intentions might have been good, but is this really happening — that a once seemingly impossible question is becoming normalized?

To hear a soulless machine treated as a junior Jesus stripped of divini-

ty, and to see technology become so overreaching that it tempts redefining humanity, is alarming.

Raising the question also requires us to consider what comes next. Has technology drained the sacred from religion to the point that God can be treated like ordinary merchandise — an unsettling prospect?

To many, the theological issues immediately reveal the incongruities.

Several versions of the Bible show Jesus equated his own incarnation as flesh and blood. God breathed life into humans, and no technologist

country's clearinghouse for minority business data, and in a single year facilitated $1.5 billion in capital access for minority-owned firms. Perhaps most notably, President Trump signed an executive order directing federal agencies to roll back the use of the disparate impact standard "in all contexts to the maximum degree" — across housing, lending, employment, education and healthcare. This represents a strategy, not a series of coincidences.

The May 1 rollback of Section 1071 of the Dodd-Frank Act follows this pattern. This provision required financial

institutions to collect and report data on small-business loan applications — specifically tracking the race, ethnicity and gender of business owners to ensure equitable access to credit. By measuring credit deserts and lending disparities, it created public accountability designed to detect and prevent discriminatory lending against minority-owned and women-owned businesses. House Financial Services ranking member Maxine Waters put it plainly: the updated rule "guts the very data small businesses

could ever do that, no matter how ingenious. No algorithm can substitute for God, and humans are governed by souls, not data nor code.

Adding to the controversy was the timing. It came at a time when the president was photographed posing as Jesus and criticizing Pope Leo for stating that he had "blood on his hands" for the bombing in Iran. Some in the White House, including Paula White, a senior adviser on religious affairs, compared her boss with Jesus.

The times were beginning to feel

like a dagger was being thrust into the heart of Christendom.

Several spiritual leaders — unlikely to be invited to a comfortable meeting at Anthropic — pushed back against the chatbot controversy. As a minister who authored an AI-focused book, "The Rise and Fall of the Techno-Messiah," the author sees this debate as another step toward an era in which technology could eventually write its own Bible, create its own religion, and attempt

Page 42

Are We Really in the Same Boat? South Carolina Redistricting and the Limits of Coalition Politics

Rainbow coalitions have a history of leaking on Black folks. There are tons of stories behind that claim; that's probably not relevant right now, but I digress.

In Southern politics, the Black electorate has been the engine of the Democratic Party for more than half a century. They've provided the votes, the grassroots infrastructure,

and the moral authority that's kept the party alive. That said, at this point, they know when they're being asked to provide the labor for a coalition that doesn't prioritize them.

So when Mayra Rivera-Vázquez, a Latina candidate, is running for Congress in South Carolina's 1st Congressional District as the state legislature carves up the only Black district in the state, the question isn't only if she's qualified. The first question is whether she's a legitimate option or, to be more direct,

are we really in the same boat?

Eight days after the Supreme Court gutted Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act in Louisiana v. Callais, South Carolina Republicans are moving to trash the June 9 primary and push it to August so they can redraw the congressional map. Democracy is just too risky unless they can guarantee the outcome. The South Carolina Senate is expected to vote on whether to authorize a special session for redistricting. President Trump says he will be "watching closely." The target is Jim

Clyburn's 6th District. He holds the state's only Democratic seat and is the only Black representative from South Carolina since Reconstruction.

This isn't the first time. In 2023, Republican lawmakers moved roughly 30,000 Black voters out of District 1 and packed them into District 6 to hit a specific racial target — 17% Black, to be exact. A federal three-judge panel called it an unconstitutional racial gerrymander. The Supreme Court overturned that ruling in 2024, calling the motive

partisan rather than racial, as if the two aren't the same thing in South Carolina. Now, the Callais ruling has given them permission to finish the job.

The numbers are the only thing that matters in this story. Before redistricting, Black voters made up 21.4% of District 1. Today, 17.8%. Hispanic voters went from 7.9% to 8.2%. One group diminished with precision. The other was statistically consolidated.

MARSHALL Page 42

REYNOLDS

Dr. Barbara Reynolds

Guest Columnist

Eric Morrissette

Greer Marshall

Guest Columnist

Washington Informer Weekend Checklist

WASHINGTON INFORMER'S

LIFESTYLE Things To Do, DMV!

By Jada Ingleton WI Content Editor

Memorial Day Weekend looks like plenty of opportunities to unwind, celebrate, and spread some joy with family and friends.

From phone-free experiences to themed parties, musicals, and the perfect kick-off to D.C. Black Pride, check out a handful of the many events happening in the DMV this weekend.

And don’t forget to keep up with all the fun through the Washington Informer Calendar.

Thursday, May 21

Here & Now: A Phone-Free Experience

6:30 p.m. - 9 p.m. | $25.00+

City-State Public House, 705 Edge-

wood Street NE, Washington, D.C., 20017

Here & Now is Kanso's flagship phone-free social experience –– part guided facilitation, part free-flow, designed around the neuroscience of real human connection.

This experience allows guests a full dive into nourishing the nervous system. Oxytocin is released upon real conversations with a stranger, while serotonin kicks in with feelings of belonging. Endorphins follow when a room full of people is genuinely present together.

The Fool: A Tarot Card Comedy Show

7 p.m. - 9 p.m. | $18.00

Black Cat DC, 1811 14th Street NW, Washington, D.C., 20009

Whether someone needs to ditch

Academy of Hope Adult Public Charter School Request for Proposals Design-Build Services for 3-Year Master Plan

The Academy of Hope Adult Public Charter School in Washington, DC is seeking proposals for master planning and design-build services.

View the full RFP and submission details at https://aohdc.org/ get-involved/request-for-proposals/. Proposals are due June 2, 2026.

a situationship or is in need of a new job and a less toxic boss, join comedian Maddie and tarot reader Skye Marinda as they read themselves and guests –– and let the cards do the talking.

Friday, May 22

Rock the Block 6:30 p.m. - 9:30 p.m.| Free Old Town Square, 10415 North Street Fairfax, VA, 22030

This much-anticipated summer concert series takes place on the fourth Friday of each month from May to October, offering a chance to come together while boosting engagement among local businesses and thousands of attendees in a fun and unique way.

Bring a chair or blanket and kick back for good times, great tunes, and all the feel-good vibes!

Saturday, May 23

Treasures of American Cinema

2 p.m. | Free, registration required National Gallery of Art, 6th Street NW & Constitution Avenue NW, Washington, D.C., 20565

In commemoration of America’s 250th anniversary, join the National Gallery of Art for Treasures of American Cinema, a year-long series highlighting American cinematic history and excellence.

Saturday’s presentation will host one of the most acclaimed music documentaries of all time: “Say Amen, Somebody,” a joyous, funny, and deeply emotional celebration of Gospel music that features a line-up of Thomas A. Dorsey, Willie Mae Ford Smith, The Barrett Sisters, and The O'Neal Twins, among others.

The National Film Registry is a collection of films selected by the Librarian of Congress and the National Film Preservation Board every December in recognition of their importance for American film and cultural history.

Fight for Flight: Navigating Parenthood During Trying Times

3 p.m. | Free Westin DC Downtown— Black Pride Host Hotel, 999 9th St NW, Washington, D.C., 20001

From finding other parents in community, to navigating faith and extended family, this workshop combines real lived experiences with community resources, guidance, and a good helping of joy.

Join Rainbow Families, Rainbow in Black, and PFLAG National parents for a panel and community dialogue on navigating parenthood for same-sex and trans relationships, accepting children’s true identity without causing harm, and how to support the Black LGBTQ+ community.

Whether an LGBTQ+ parent or the parent of an LGBTQ+ child, or considering becoming a parent, folks won’t want to miss this important community discussion.

Sunday, May 24

‘90s All-White Party Noon - Midnight | Free 11147 Veirs Mill Rd, 11147 Veirs Mill Road, Wheaton, MD, 20902

Get ready to rock a fresh all-white outfit and vibe to the best hits from the 90's!

Join the daylong affair at 11147 Veirs Mill Road, promising an unforgettable event filled with great music, cool people, and awesome energy.

The Spongebob Musical 2 p.m.- 4 p.m.| $40.00 Workhouse Arts Center, 9518 Workhouse Way, Lorton, VA, 22079

When the citizens of Bikini Bottom discover that a volcano will soon erupt and destroy their humble

home, SpongeBob and his friends must come together to save the fate of their undersea world. With lives hanging in the balance and all hope lost, a most unexpected hero rises. An exciting new musical featuring irresistible characters and magical music, this deep-sea pearl of a show is set to make a splash with audiences young and old.

Monday, May 25

44th Annual Memorial Day Parade and Festival

9 a.m. - 5 p.m. | Free City Hall > Dogwood Room A and B, 300 Park Avenue, Falls Church, VA, 22046

Join The City of Falls Church in remembrance and community at the annual Memorial Day Parade and Festival!

Honor the nation’s fallen heroes and rich history while marking the 250th anniversary of the United States of America. Begin the morning with the spirited 3K fun run; then honor the community’s fallen military service members at the Veterans Memorial.

In the afternoon, dive into delicious food trucks, peruse local vendors, bounce around on the rides for children and inflatables, and check out the showstopping parade down Park Avenue.

5 Celebrate D.C. Black Pride this Memorial Day weekend with parties, panels and more geared toward uplifting the whole family and shaping better relationships for LGBTQ+ communities. (WI File Photo/Shedrick Pelt)

ed Howard University, continued.

Davis’ influence on “forming the musical language” is a theme that is heard from several of the artists participating in the Blues Alley celebration of the musician’s 100th birthday.

Guitarist and bandleader Mike Stern played in Davis’ band from 1981 -1983, then again in 1985. In the multi-Grammy nominated artist’s own composition “Wishing Well,” which Stern performed with his band at Blues Alley on May 14, audiences heard similarities to Davis’ 1986 title track from the album “Tutu.”

“Listening to him play every night and the way he rehearsed the band, it was so loose, but he got the concept that he wanted,” said the Alexandria, Virginia born artist, who performed on Davis’ 1981 album “The Man with the Horn,” “We Want Miles” in 1982, and “Star People” in 1983. “Sometimes, we weren’t totally rehearsed before we played, but we knew the direction, and he liked it like that.”

Bassist Buster Williams— who was recently named one of the Jazz Legacies Fellows by the Mellon Foundation and the Jazz Foundation of America— joined the Miles celebration with his two nights at Blues Alley from May 16-17.

He was with Davis for a few months in 1967, while he was on hiatus from working with vocalist Nancy Wilson. During those months, Davis and Williams— who had observed the artist and his group since 1963— primarily worked on live and session performances.

“Without democracy, the music cannot live,” said Williams, who explained he was ready to join Davis’ band because he “knew their work.” “So when I got up on the bandstand

with the guys, there was a tremendous feeling of support.”

Remembering An ‘Icon Who Changed Jazz,’ Upcoming Centennial Celebrations

As a teenager, legendary drummer Lenny White played on Davis’ “Bitches Brew” album.

The jazz fusion performances with Davis gave White visibility that connected him with the group Return to Forever, co-founded by NEA Jazz Masters composers, keyboardist Chick Corea and bassist Stanley Clarke.

“He had heard about me, and did not actually hear me play. Through word of mouth, I was one of the people he wanted to use to try to hear this new music that he heard,” said White in an interview from “Backstage Bay Area.” “He put different people together in a situation and asked them, ‘What is it that you hear? What is it that you are going to do with this?’”

Coming up next for the “Centennial Celebration” at Blues Alley is saxophonist and tour mate to Davis Bill Evans, who brings a jazz/funk tribute with his group Return of the VansBand May 21-22. On May 28, saxophonist and NEA Jazz Master Kenny Garrett wraps up a month-long observance of Davis’ 100th birthday. Garrett shared an influential mentor-protégé relationship from 1987 until Davis' passing in 1991.

White lauded the legendary artist as an “icon.”

“He actually changed jazz a few times in a few ways,” White continued.

For Blues Alley ticket information, visit bluesalley.com. WI

Black Business Owners Are Important To Our Community

Submitted By DC Black MBA

Bloomberg recently reported in an analysis on the state of entrepreneurship in America “that the corporate landscape is taking on the same distinctive K-shape as the country’s consumer market. The relentless profit and stock gains on Wall Street are bypassing Main Street, where an increasing number of small businesses are struggling.”

At the same time, author and business strategist Dr. Dennis Kimbro has consistently emphasized the importance of mindset and confidence in entrepreneurship, saying that one thing he would change to accelerate his own journey would be “belief.”

For many entrepreneurs, especially Black business owners, those two realities exist concurrently every day, economic uncertainty and unwavering belief.

Across the country, small business owners continue to navigate inflation, hiring challenges, rising operational costs and shifting consumer habits. Yet despite those hurdles, entrepreneurship remains one of the most powerful pathways to building generational wealth, creating jobs and making a lasting impact in local communities.

According to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Small Business Index, inflation continues to be the top concern for small business owners, while issues like employee retention and cash flow remain major challenges. Still, many entrepreneurs remain optimistic about growth opportunities and long-term sustainability.

That optimism is reflected in the stories of business owners like Alan Thompson and Daphne Valcin, who each built businesses rooted in purpose, discipline and adaptability.

For Thompson, a QSR franchisee who has been in business for seven years, entrepreneurship was about creating a different future for himself and for those around him.

“I wanted the opportunity to build wealth and make a greater impact in the community,” Thompson shared. “My business has offered me the opportunity to change the financial trajectory for my family and impact the lives of my employees and community members.”

That community-centered mindset reflects what many Black entrepreneurs have long understood, that small businesses are often more than a source of income. They become spaces of mentorship, employment, opportunity and neighborhood investment.

However, Thompson quickly learned that to sustain a business you need more than passion.

“The discipline it takes to effectively manage your P&L,” he said, was one of the most important lessons he learned after becoming a business owner. “Sales are important but profit comes from consistent management of expenses. You have to scrutinize every line of the P&L to ensure costs are effectively controlled.”

His perspective highlights a reality often overlooked in conversations about entrepreneurship. Social media frequently glamorizes business

ownership, but long-term success often depends on operational discipline, consistency and financial literacy.

Thompson credits the book Good to Great by Jim Collins as one of the resources that helped shape his mindset as a leader. “The concept of creating the flywheel with positive momentum helped change my mindset about building culture and systems to move the business forward,” he explained.

For Valcin, the founder of Valcin Strategic Solutions, entrepreneurship emerged through an unexpected pivot in life plans. In 2013, she planned to pursue an MBA at a top business school and eventually work for a major consulting firm. However, after some life changes and preparing to relocate to Florida, she began reconsidering what success and impact could look like.

“I decided that I would pivot to create something that could be more flexible than my initial path, but still allow me to make an impact that was aligned with what I envisioned with my original plan,” Valcin said.

That pivot led her into coaching and consulting work centered on helping people maximize their potential and ideas. She registered for her coaching certification the same month she took her third MBA course marking the beginning of her company, which has now operated for nearly 12 years.

Like many entrepreneurs, Valcin discovered that growth often requires moving before feeling completely prepared. “I learned that the ability to be courageous and take strategic risks before I feel I'm fully ready has been key to being able to thrive in business,” she shared. “Strategic risk-taking has been extremely important for me to pursue opportunities and approaches to business that have allowed my business to be successful.”

Her advice for aspiring entrepreneurs comes from Take the Stairs by Rory Vaden — a book centered on discipline, delayed gratification and consistency.

The journeys of Thompson and Valcin reflect two different paths to entrepreneurship, but both underscore a common theme, successful business ownership requires vision, resilience and the willingness to keep moving forward even in uncertain times.

As economic conditions continue to shift, small business owners remain critical to the strength of local communities and the broader economic landscape. Their stories serve as reminders that entrepreneurship is more than profit margins or growth charts, it is also about legacy, opportunity and the courage to believe in themselves.

5 Guitarist/vocalist Leni Stern and guitarist/bandleader Mike Stern perform at Blues Alley on May 14 for the “Miles Davis Centennial Celebration.” Stern was in Davis’ band in the 1980s. (Brenda C. Siler/The Washington Informer)

review wi book

"A

Soldier's Wife: My Mother, the Marvelous Mrs. Marilyn A. Underwood"

By Blair Underwood with Ylonda Gault

c.2026, Amistad

$28 / 208 pages

Terri Schlichenmeyer WI Contributing Writer

I'm telling Mom!

When you were small, those words were often enough to send a chill down your spine. One quick tattle to the woman who bore you, and you were in trouble. That simple phrase always kept you in line, at least until you were grown. By then, as in the new book, "A Soldier's Wife" by Blair Underwood with Ylonda Gault, Mom had something to tell you.

Marilyn Underwood had kept every scrap of paper that ever passed through her fingers.

That, says her son, author and actor Blair Underwood, is how it seemed. After her death from multiple sclerosis nearly six years ago, Mrs. Underwood's children found piles and piles of notes, notebooks, lists, random thoughts, and memories she'd written down. Paper was everywhere.

She'd said many times that she was "putting together a memoir of sorts," and after looking over what she'd left, Underwood thought the collection would make a good children's book. He was later convinced that his mother's story was bigger than that.

Marilyn Ann Scales Underwood was an only child, and was raised to be independent. Born and reared in Buffalo, New York, she attended an all-girls school with a big dream to work in the fashion industry. She indicated that her mother was brave to let her go, but Underwood knew that her career was really in New York City. She was right; she thrived there.

Laser-focused on her work, Underwood was in no hurry to get married as most late-1950s women did; though friends urged her to date, it was not a priority until she met the love of her life, Frank. She loved him instantly. They were engaged three weeks after meeting, and married three months later.

"One thing about me," she wrote. "When I set my mind on something, you can believe it's as good as done."

There are really two ways to look at "A Soldier's Wife."

On one side, it feels almost random. Marilyn Underwood was a strong, independent woman, an inspiration to those who knew her — but most of us didn't. While the writings author Blair Underwood compiles here are wise and funny, they're not earth-shattering and there may be times when they won't hold your interest.

But they're exactly what you need, exactly when you need them.

Reading this book is like getting a letter from your grandma. The essays here are warm, with reminders to pray to a purposeful higher power, that life's a struggle but it's worth living, and that suffering happens. There's love in this book — lots of it! — gratitude, gentleness, and old-fashioned values. It's sweetly quaint, but firm. And yes, it's random, but consider it as a hug from somebody's mom when you're down, because that's rather what it is.

Just remember that no book has to be read cover to cover. You can skip around, and you'll be fine with this one, whenever you need its comfort. "A Soldier's Wife" could be meaningful or meaningless to you at various times, only you can tell. WI

horoscopes

LIFESTYLE

MAY 21 - 27, 2026

ARIES A decision you've been sitting with has reached its expiration date — act on it before inaction becomes the decision. Someone in your orbit is watching how you respond to a setback more closely than you realize; the response matters. A financial opportunity that arrives midweek is worth a second look rather than a reflexive pass. Lucky Numbers: 7, 31, 58

TAURUS The version of yourself you’ve been performing is due for a renegotiation with the version you actually are. A collaboration you dismissed too quickly still has a working door; try it before you file it away permanently. Someone offers perspective this week that stings on arrival and clarifies by Thursday — hold both reactions. Lucky Numbers: 4, 29, 63

GEMINI The thread you’ve been pulling on is about to yield something — resist the impulse to tie it off early before you see what it connects to. A relationship that’s been operating on assumption needs a fresh conversation with current terms. You’ve been performing certainty you don’t fully feel; the people worth keeping can handle the honest version. A short-term inconvenience is doing longer-term work than it looks. Lucky Numbers: 17, 36, 69

CANCER The momentum you’ve been building in quiet is about to require a more public posture — prepare for that shift rather than be caught off guard by it. Someone asks for help this week in a way that doesn’t look like asking; look for it anyway. A commitment you made casually has become more significant to the other party than you registered. The creative work you’ve been protecting from exposure is ready for one trusted set of eyes. Lucky Numbers: 2, 44, 70

LEO The edge you’ve been sharpening is ready to be used rather than continuously refined. A conversation you’ve been postponing because the timing never feels right has run out of better moments — this week is sufficient. Someone you’ve written off still has something to offer in a context you haven’t yet considered. The fatigue you’re carrying is real, but it’s not the whole story of where you are. Lucky Numbers: 13, 47, 72

VIRGO The structure you built around a problem has outlasted the problem — dismantle what you no longer need to maintain. A piece of feedback you received weeks ago is still sitting unprocessed; it’s worth one more look before you close the file. Someone peripheral to your usual circle offers information this week that reframes a decision you thought was settled. Lucky Numbers: 20, 40, 68

LIBRA The hesitation you’ve been calling wisdom is starting to look like avoidance — there’s a distinction worth examining. A project that stalled over a single unresolved issue has been waiting for you to name the issue rather than route around it. Someone asks more of you this week than feels fair; the request is legitimate even if the timing isn’t. Lucky Numbers: 8, 35, 65

SCORPIO The clarity you’ve been waiting on isn’t arriving before the decision — it arrives because of it. A relationship running on old grievances needs one honest exchange to either resolve or finally release. You’ve been more affected by a recent development than your public composure suggests; someone close has already noticed. A plan you’ve been calling preliminary is more complete than you’re allowing. Lucky Numbers: 5, 49, 76

SAGITTARIUS The opportunity in front of you is real, but the version of it you’ve been imagining is larger than what’s actually on offer — the actual version is still worth taking. A difficult conversation you’ve been scripting in your head is simpler live than in rehearsal; start it before the script gets longer. Someone you haven’t spoken to in a while has been thinking about you for good reason. Lucky Numbers: 23, 53, 79

CAPRICORN The standard you hold privately is higher than the one you’ve communicated — the gap between them is where the frustration lives. A resource you’ve been hoarding for a better moment is depreciating; deploy it now. Someone you’ve trusted to figure things out on their own has reached the point where they need you to ask directly. The long view you’re famous for is an asset everywhere except when the next step requires simply taking it. Lucky Numbers: 15, 42, 82

AQUARIUS The isolation that felt protective has started to feel limiting — it’s time to let more of the current work be visible. A disagreement that went quiet didn’t resolve; it’s still there, waiting for whoever moves first. Something you’ve been treating as a personal failing is more accurately described as an inherited pattern — the distinction changes what you do with it. Lucky Numbers: 26, 51, 74

PISCES The energy you’ve been putting into maintaining the appearance of calm is available for something more useful once you stop requiring the performance. A decision that feels too large to make whole can be made in parts — start with the portion you’re already clear on. Someone close is asking for less than they need this week; meet what they’re not saying. What looks like an ending from where you’re standing has a different shape from the other side. Lucky Numbers: 11, 57, 85

Celebrating

151st Preakness Stakes at National Harbor

Photos By Cleveland Nelson/WI Photographer

As Maryland leaders, residents and special guests flocked to Laurel Park Race Track for the 151st Preakness Stakes on May 15, others went to Oxon Hill to take in the action at National Harbor.

While the main event was in Laurel, people gathered along the Prince George’s County waterfront location to enjoy equestrian-themed art, curated drinks such as the Jewel and the Black-Eyed Susan, dishes like oyster platters, and see the 2026 Preakness races for free on the large, outdoor screen. WI

4 An oyster platter with

CAPTURE the moment

The banks of the Anacostia River transformed into a sprawling civic festival that celebrates community, culture and connection on Saturday, May 16. Thousands of Washington-area residents gathered in Southeast, D.C. for the 12th annual Anacostia River Festival— a signature spring event presented by 11th Street Bridge Park, the National Park Service, and National Cherry Blossom Festival— that blends music, environmental stewardship, neighborhood pride and cultural history. (Robert R. Roberts/The Washington Informer)

RELIGION

In the Black Church, Women’s Hats Still Testify

For Generations, Church Hats Have Blended Faith, Dignity, Resistance, and Cultural Pride

By Rev. Dorothy Boulware Word in Black

This article was originally published online with Word In Black, a collaboration of the nation's leading Black news publishers (of which The Informer is a member) and slightly edited for clarity.

The Apostle Paul’s mandates toward women in church have often caused more fury than faith, but not the one about women needing

to cover their heads. In the Black Church, hats have, for generations, held a prominent place in Sunday worship — one that continues to block the view of even the tallest worshipers.

Before the first hymn is lifted or the opening prayer is spoken, a quiet procession tells its own story. Women enter the sanctuary with heads held high, adorned in hats that are as varied as they are meaningful — with or without brims, sculpted felt, delicate

5 The Parade of Hats as part of the AFRO American Newspaper’s D.C. High Tea in September 2024. In the Black Church, hats have, for generations, held a prominent place in Sunday worship. (WI File Photo/Robert R. Roberts)

netting, bold colors. They are not simply accessories. They are testimony.

Rooted in History

In Black church tradition, women’s hat-wearing has long stood at the intersection of faith, culture, and dignity. What may appear to outsiders as fashion is, for many, an act of reverence — a visible expression of inward devotion shaped by scripture, history, and lived experience.

The most often cited biblical passage comes from 1 Corinthians 11, which addresses the covering of women’s heads in worship. While interpretations vary across denominations, many Black churches have embraced the practice as a sign of honor and respect in the presence of God. Over time, that theological framework merged with cultural expression, giving rise to what is now widely known in the Black community as the “church hat” tradition.

Black women’s church millinery also traces back to the post-Emancipation era, when formerly enslaved Black men and women sought to redefine themselves in public and sacred spaces. Clothing became a language of freedom. For Black women in particular, dressing for church was a way to assert dignity in a society that routinely denied it.

Back then, Sunday worship offered one of the few spaces where Black women could freely express themselves. Hats signaled care, creativity, and self-worth. In communities where resources were limited,

a well-kept hat could transform an outfit and, more importantly, affirm identity.

Defiant Self-Expression

The larger ones were often greeted with the inquiry, “Trying to catch God’s eye?” according to artist Clara Nartey, who gave her well-known 2020 creation that same title.

“I learned that wearing a hat is a form of creative expression. Enslaved Africans were not allowed to dress the way they wanted,” Nartey said. “The only times they got to express themselves in clothes was when they got the rare occasion to congregate at church.”

Sunday worship “was just as much a form of social gathering.

Hats, Nartey said, are a critical form of expression for Black women, rooted in tradition.

“To Black women, making and wearing elegant hats was a fusion of fashion and faith,” she said. “Their tall hats have a striking resemblance to African headdresses.”

Fashion stylist Michael Andre Settles, owner of Michael Andre Clothier in the metro Baltimore area, is well aware of the importance of hats to a woman’s overall look. He says he can judge which woman is suited for a particular hat when he first sees it.

”When a woman is well dressed, she stands apart; the hat is a crown, heads turn, and she is remembered,” Settles says. “When a woman feels extraordinary, everyone feels it.”

The right choice of hat is “the

crown of glory, brings it all together,” says Settles, who recently styled a few women for the annual AFRO tea in Baltimore. “It needs to match their personality, their persona, and their silhouette. It’s the final touch.”

Declaration of Self-Worth

There is also an element of quiet resistance embedded in the tradition of Black women and Sunday hats. In a world that has frequently sought to diminish Black women’s presence, the act of dressing with care and distinction for worship asserts worth. It declares that entering the house of God is not casual, and neither is the person entering.

As churches continue to navigate changing times, the future of the hat tradition will likely reflect the same adaptability that has sustained the Black church itself. It may look different from one generation to the next, but its meaning — rooted in reverence, dignity, and community — endures.

And on Sunday mornings, before a word is preached, that meaning is already on display.

It sits in the pews, tilts in greeting, nods in agreement with the sermon. It is lifted in praise and bowed in prayer. We have seen it and, more importantly, understand it.

Easter Sunday and Mother’s Day in particular, but in many churches, hats rule every Lord’s day with great prominence.

Because in the Black church, even what is worn can testify.

— Proverbs 16:3

Amid its 30th anniversary — a "banner year" serving the Washington metropolitan community — Bennett Career Institute (BCI) stands as a powerful testament to this truth, a beacon of hope, restoration, and economic empowerment.

Under the phenomenal, faith-led leadership of CEO Chet Bennett, BCI is once again answering the call to uplift the next generation. Building on the massive momentum of last year's unforgettable summer programs, BCI is bursting into the season with an explosive lineup of life-changing educational opportunities designed to spark your creativity and launch your career into the stratosphere!

The excitement kicks off immediately with an absolute game-changer for aspiring beauty and grooming professionals. BCI is turning dreams into reality right now with its legendary, high-octane "We Slay in May" scholarship initiative. This exclusive, golden opportunity provides powerful financial backing specifically for passionate new cosmetology and barber students who are ready to claim their destiny.

"Receiving a scholarship here didn't just pay for my schooling; it validated my divine calling," shares recent graduate Marcus Vance, who now owns a thriving local barbershop. "BCI taught me that mastering my craft was the key to unlocking the doors God opened for me." The clock is ticking on this incredible breakthrough opportunity, so you must take a leap of faith and enroll by May 31, 2026, to secure your funding and start your journey toward industry excellence.

For established pros and ambitious creators looking to supercharge your

WITH LYNDIA

GRANT

Faith, Fashion and Future: Bennett Career Institute Marks 30 Years With Summer Lineup the religion corner

skills, get ready for the ultimate handson experience. BCI proudly presents "The Summer Series 2026: All Hands On!" This year, the campus will transform into a buzzing hub of intense, high-energy learning packed into an ultra-convenient, schedule-friendly weekend format. Running exclusively on Saturdays, Sundays, and Mondays, this dynamic series delivers master-level training across four powerhouse industries. Students will immerse themselves in cutting-edge hair styling techniques, flawless makeup artistry, precision barbering, and even savory culinary arts, learning directly from top-tier industry giants.

But the transformation doesn't stop with adults. Back by popular demand and hotter than ever before, the sensational Summer Teen Bootcamp is officially open for enrollment! This legendary six-week powerhouse program invites youth ages 13 to 17 to trade their ordinary summer break for an extraordinary, high-value career head start. Running daily from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., this immersive experience equips teens with professional-grade skills, confidence, and their very own mannequin and toolkit.

For an all-inclusive tuition of just $660, your teenager will gain elite mentorship, unlock their creative genius, and build a profitable foundation for a brilliant future. "Sending my daughter to the bootcamp last year was the best decision I ever made,"

says proud parent and former student Alisha Brooks. "She entered the program looking for a hobby and walked out with a professional mindset, a spirit of excellence, and the confidence to start earning her own income."

The Bible tells us in Proverbs 14:23 that all hard work brings a profit, but mere talk leads only to poverty. God honors the sweat, the dedication, and the late nights we invest in perfecting our God-given talents. The doors to your divine breakthrough are wide open, but these high-demand roster spots fill up incredibly fast. Do not let this season of opportunity pass you or your children by.

When we align our daily work with divine purpose, we can rest assured that extraordinary transformation will certainly happen. Another Scripture reminds us in Ecclesiastes 9:10 to do our work with all our might, viewing our hands as tools for God's glory. Hard work is not merely a secular hustle; it is a form of worship and a spiritual discipline that shapes our character and unlocks the abundance God has stored up for us.

Pick up the phone today, activate your faith, and contact the wonderful Theresa Washington at 202-526-1400 to lock in your registration, claim your scholarship, and step boldly into your God-given purpose! Stay tuned — Bennett Career Institute will be rolling out its 30th anniversary celebration starting in the fall. WI

Commit your actions to the Lord, and your plans will succeed.

547-8849

Service and Times

Person Worship: Sunday @ 9:30 A.M.

Sunday @ 9:30 A.M. www.pilgrimbaptistdc.org

& Study: Wednesday @ 12 Noon and 7:00 P.M.

Church with a past to remember – and a future to mold” www.mtzbcdc.org

Mount Carmel Baptist

Rev Kevin A. O'Bryant Pastor

401 Van Buren St., NW, Washington D.C. 20012 Office (202)-882-8331

Service and Times Sundays: 10 a.m. Holy Eucharist with Music and Hymns Wednesdays: 12:10 p.m. - Holy Eucharist www.stmarysfoggybottom.org Email: stmarysoffice@stmarysfoggybottom.org

Email: Froffice@firstrising.org Website: www.firstrising.org “Changing Lives On Purpose “ The Rev. E. Bernard Anderson Priest Foggy Bottom - Founded in 1867 728 23rd Street, NW - Washington, DC 20037 Church office: 202-333-3985 - Fax 202-338-4958

All are welcome to St. Mary’s to Learn, Worship, and Grow.

Service and Times Sunday Worship 10:30 am Zoom: zoom.us/;/2028828331 Bible Study: Wednesday 7:00pm Communion Every First Sunday "Serve, teach and Live by precept and example the saving grace of Jesus Christ."

Website: Theplbc.org Email: churchclerk@theplbc.org

Sermon On The Mount Temple Of

Mt. Horeb Baptist Church

Rehoboth Baptist Church

First Rising Mt. Zion Baptist Church

Historic St. Mary’s Episcopal Church

Promised Land Baptist Church

artists completed of D.C. Mayor Marion Barry, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Malcolm X, Mary Mcleod Bethune, Madame C.J. Walker, and W.E.B. Dubois.

“The teens could not recognize [any] face on this wall when they were redone other than Malcolm X, MLK, and NeNe,” Williams said as he described an encounter he had with young people during the earlier part of May. “It's big for us to make sure that we honor people who are still alive, because it’s our opinion and our vantage point that when we wait until people die, we lose people who don't die in the fray, who are just as equally as important.”

Taylor, a Ward 7 resident who grew up in Stoddert Terrace, co-founded Harriet’s Wildest Dreams in 2021 after serving with Black Lives Matter DC and Black Lives Matter Global Network. She often describes herself as a modern-day Harriet Tubman, primarily due to her role as a conductor for “direct action, rapid response, and community aid.”

During both Trump presidencies, Taylor stood among those who have organized protests and provided resources to the District’s most marginalized. On Saturday, as she looked

at her likeness on the back wall of 3919 Benning Road NE, Taylor said the image, and its placement next to Barry, represented the continuum of a generations-long struggle for Black self-determination.

“I found out that I was the only living person on this mural, and that hit me like a ton of bricks,” Taylor said. “That’s a heavy load to carry, but I want to make each one of [the ancestors] proud, and to be able to pass the torch to the next young generation because I don’t believe that we’ll be to-

The

tally liberated in my lifetime.”

Of significance to Taylor was the manner in which Coleman memorialized her late brother, John F. Cotten.

“I did ask ‘You all can put my brother up and get me next time,’ and the mural had got started already, so it was too late,” Taylor said. “Then I asked, ‘Can you put my brother's name on my mural?’ and, so on the bottom of my earring, they wrote, ‘Rest in Peace, John,’ so he can still be with me.” WI

TWENTY-FOUR (24) HOUR CAMPUS SECURITY SERVICES REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL (RFP) - BID #25-S-043

The Washington Convention and Sports Authority t/a Events DC is soliciting proposals from qualified firms to provide Twenty-Four (24) Hour Campus Security Services at designated Events DC venues.

Interested parties can view a copy of the RFP by accessing Event DC’s e-Procurement website at https://eventsdc.com/about/procurement.

Key Dates

RRFP Release Date: Wednesday, May 20, 2026

Pre-Proposal Conference: 2:00 PM EST, Tuesday, June 2, 2026

Question & Answer Ends: 04:00 PM EST, Friday, June 5, 2026

Proposal Due Date: 03:00 PM EST, Friday, June 19, 2026

Primary Contact

Name: Jaylah Dawson / Senior Contracts and Procurement Analyst

E-mail: Jdawson@eventsdc.com / Phone: (202) 249-3072

EDUCATION from Page 21

if students are coming to school and they're having an engaging experience, economic opportunity goes up.’” Davis told The Informer. “That helps the business community. It decreases crime. It raises the graduation rate, which helps this over here. Sometimes it just feels like some of the conversations we're having in the Committee of the Whole are one-offs and we’re not making those strategic connections to other issues.”

Lisa Raymond Aims to Leverage Education Policy Experience in Council Run

As Lisa Raymond campaigns for her return to the John A. Wilson Building, she has the backing of D.C. Councilmember Charles Allen (D-Ward 6), former Ward 3 D.C. Councilmember Mary Cheh, former SBOE President Laura Slover, and former SBOE member and D.C. council member Sekou Biddle, among several others.

Raymond also has, as she noted, the experience necessary to focus on an issue of significance to District families.

“I don't see another champion for education at the moment, and especially one who is pushing for accountability for outcomes,” Raymond told The Informer. “There's some postCOVID improvement that's better than what we're seeing across many cities, but…if you look at the bottom 10% [of students], we're barely moving the needle.”

If elected as a Democratic at-large council member, Raymond will continue a career in education policy that started with her service as chief operating officer at Cesar Chavez Public Charter Schools for Public Policy, and continued with her stint as a Ward 5 and Ward 6 SBOE representative.

As senior education advisor for thenD.C. Council Chair Kwame Brown, Raymond oversaw the public school budget, and drafted legislation intended to increase career and technical education funding, prevent residency fraud, and ensure every student could take the SAT and apply to college and technical programs.

“The most important role for council members is to focus on what we want from kids, what they deserve,” Raymond said, “ and then really relentlessly push the mayor and the agencies on how they are delivering.”

Since launching her bid, Raymond has attended forums and spoken with community members about her vision

for the District. She counts among her education priorities: expansion of quality Pre-K3 and Pre-K4 seats and full funding of early childhood educator compensation; and investments in career and technical education and apprenticeships.

Raymond also set her sights on the full staffing of every classroom; acceleration of school modernization; and the assurance of safe water, functional HVAC systems and fully functional learning spaces.

Amid discussion about youth delinquency, Raymond said that her goals spill into other policy areas, including public safety where she aspires to expand youth programs, mental health support, and job opportunities while directing resources to those most at risk of dropping out of school.

“Some of it is just really starting with making sure we're meeting the basic needs of our youth, that they have safe housing, that they are engaged in quality education, that they see a pathway to their future,” Raymond told The Informer. “Some of them are not feeling like they have opportunities. Do they have things to do on a Saturday night? Do they have positive programming? Do they have opportunities to engage in activities that allow them to be social and have fun?”

As the D.C. Council sifts through D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser’s final budget proposal, Raymond also aims to set herself apart from the pack as an elected official who can compel positive education outcomes. Though she didn’t specify legislation that will help her advance that goal, Raymond said that she can guide discussions about programmatic effectiveness and investments in workforce development and early childhood education well before budget season.

Raymond, a mother of DCPS alumni, also noted that her experiences as a parent best position her to serve as a bridge between parents, the Executive Office of the Mayor, SBOE and other entities.

“I have a son who, frankly, was failed by the system, and it took constant advocacy by me to try to get him what he needed,” Raymond told The Informer. “It really wasn't until the very end when he ended up at Jackson Reed [High School] his last few years, that he was able to get the support to help him graduate from high school. He's now in college, and he's doing well, but one of the things that motivates me to run is to make sure that no other families have to go through that.” WI

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education to their children's interests, abilities and values. This can lead to stronger outcomes academically, emotionally and socially.

Empowering parents is one of the most effective ways to improve education. Alabama's leaders should continue to recognize the value of home education and ensure this new chapter unfolds in a way that honors the diverse needs of families across the state.

MORIAL from Page 24

turnout calculation: The administration calculated turnout using the entire adult population — including non-citizens, disenfranchised individuals and others ineligible to vote — which artificially inflates turnout figures, particularly for Black voters. The generally accepted standard for calculating voter turnout is the Voting-Eligible Population (VEP). By the common standard, Black voter turnout in Louisiana has consistently trailed white turnout in every election since at least 2012.

In fact, the racial turnout gap not only widened nationwide since Shelby, it grew twice as fast

MARSHALL from Page 24

government to dissolve his monopoly. Vanderbilt was known for ruthlessly eliminating competition in transportation.

Jay Gould was among the worst of them. A railroad magnate who founded the Gould business dynasty, he repeatedly used deception, manipulation and political corruption to extract wealth from others rather than create it. His pattern was to rig markets, water stock, bribe officials and crush labor — leaving investors and workers ruined while he walked away richer.

Many Gilded Age tycoons were ruthless but also associated themselves with major productive achievements or philanthropy. Gould was notorious for enriching himself through schemes that even contemporaries called socially destructive. During labor conflicts in the 1880s, he was quoted as saying he could "hire one half of the working class to kill the other half" — a line that captured his willingness to set groups of workers against each

Empowering parents is one of the most effective ways to improve education.

in counties previously covered by the preclearance requirement that Shelby overturned.

Instead of acknowledging the truth of the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg's observation that "throwing out preclearance when it has worked ... is like throwing away your umbrella in a rainstorm because you are not getting wet," the majority blithely ignored the wreckage Shelby left in its wake and used its own willful delusion to justify even further destruction.

Constitutional law cannot rest on false facts. Hard-won civil rights protections cannot be snatched away on the basis of manipulative sleight of hand.

The Supreme Court itself has ex-

other. Even during his lifetime, Gould considered himself the most hated man in late 19th-century America, and contemporary press, clergy and politicians depicted him as the very embodiment of greed.

What we have today in the White House is a modern-day Jay Gould. The way observers saw Gould deliberately run companies into the ground and then rebuild them in ways that benefited him is the same tactic Trump is using with the federal government. The unfair advantage of congressional representation gained through unethical racial and political gerrymandering parallels the monopoly tactics of the 19th-century robber barons. Robber barons never totally went away. We have them in modern tech moguls such as Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos and Mark Zuckerberg. We simply never had one as president.

Even King Charles III has noticed a different and alarming America under the current administration. Speaking before a rare joint meeting of Congress, he

plicitly recognized that precedents resting on demonstrably false or fundamentally outdated factual assumptions warrant reconsideration or overruling. In his concurrence in Ramos v. Louisiana, Justice Brett Kavanaugh wrote, "A precedent that is egregiously wrong ... or based on a demonstrably false factual premise should not continue to bind the Court."

The Supreme Court has the power to shape political power and voter representation for generations. Plessy, to the nation's everlasting shame, grotesquely distorted that power. This generation has the opportunity — and the responsibility — to steer the nation back toward justice. WI

offered a subtle warning regarding the need to uphold democratic traditions, specifically highlighting the importance of checks and balances on executive power.

It has been a while since Black America has experienced a Jay Gould-type robber baron as president — particularly one whose goal is to ruthlessly destroy Black political power and prosperity.

Gould was notorious for enriching himself through schemes that even contemporaries called socially destructive.

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MORRISSETTE from Page 25 and the public need," not by streamlining compliance, but by shielding bad actors and limiting transparency.

This data is critical to solving the problem of disparity. I saw this dynamic when running the MBDA. Capital access for socially and economically disadvantaged groups was a binding constraint to their growth and success. Reliable data showed that, when everything else was held equal, women and people of color were charged more for capital and received less of it. The solution to that problem is not suppressing its evidence.

In effect, eliminating the data can functionally eliminate the claim.

According to 2024 Federal Reserve data, 39% of Black-owned business loan applications result in denial — more than double the rate for whiteowned businesses, and the highest rejection rate of any demographic

REYNOLDS from Page 25 to take God's sacred place.

In an interview, Dr. Felix Njeh, an engineer, researcher and author of "The AI Reckoning," described the chatbot issue as "pure nonsense. We are dealing with the complex issue of soul versus systems. Man was formed by God's hands, filled with God's breath, and functioning as a living soul. AI is coded by human minds. AI has processing power, but no breath of life. AI has input and output, but no impartation from God."

Dr. Ralph Martino, pastor of a multicultural church in Washington, D.C., and co-host of Gospel Access, a YouTube spiritual news hour, asked: "Can a chatbot receive salvation? Never. Salvation is not a software upgrade, regeneration is

group tracked. If race data is no longer collected in meaningful detail, proving that disparity is the product of discrimination requiring enforcement action becomes exponentially harder. That is why the scale of the Section 1071 rollback carries far-reaching implications. It changes the ground on which future economic civil rights cases will stand or fall.

This is happening at the precise moment courts, following a series of conservative rulings, are demanding more rigorous evidence of disparate impact to justify policy intervention.

I experienced this firsthand when a federal court struck down a portion of the MBDA Act in Nuziard v. Minority Business Development Agency, citing insufficient evidence of disparate impact — principles amplified after the Supreme Court's decision in Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard that ended race-conscious affirmative

not a system update, and being born again is not downloading new data. It is receiving divine life."

He added that we're living in a time where intelligence is increasing, intimacy with God is decreasing and information is multiplying. "That is what AI does. But transformation is missing. Instead of listening and relying on God, too many are depending upon technology. And here is the deception."

The deeper issue is also not whether AI can rise to our level, but whether we are letting ourselves fall to theirs.

Harvard researchers report that one in eight adolescents and young adults use AI chatbots for mental health advice at unexpectedly high rates, often using the tools for guidance and comfort rather than turning to their religious leaders.

Nevertheless, religious leaders

action in college admissions.

The people expediting disparity are simultaneously being told to prove more and stripped of the tools to prove anything.

Data does not predetermine outcomes. It does not guarantee that discrimination claims will succeed. It just allows society to see. And increasingly, that visibility itself appears to be what is under attack.

We have likely all had this nagging question at some point — is it just me? When we suspect something that feels like more than coincidence. The ability to look critically at the data around us helps maintain our bearings and our sanity. You are not losing it. This thing is happening to you. With that knowledge, you can adjust, seek redress, demand accountability. But only if the data still exists to prove it.

like Njeh and Martino are cautioning against strictly regarding AI and other technologies as evil. Martino added: "We must understand that AI is not the enemy. It is not a god nor a devil. If there is evil involved, it is not technology, but the people and corporations behind it."

Now that the chatbot role is bubbling to the surface, technology deserves much more scrutiny from religious soul-tenders. They should carry the message that tools are meant to serve us, not replace the relationships and spiritual grounding that sustain us.

As AI advances, we must resist the insidious temptation to assign divinity to machines.

The Word itself offers a helpful guide for caution and clarity: "Test everything; hold fast what is good" (1 Thessalonians 5:21). WI

John Morgan, a Republican map consultant, testified before the House panel that the proposed map was drawn to deliver a 7-0 Republican sweep of the state's congressional delegation. If you don't believe me, he said that on the record. The cost of this latest maneuver, according to state Election Commission Director Conway Belangia, is at least $2.2 million in taxpayer money — and that doesn't include county costs. It also renders the military ballots already in the mail dead on arrival.

And that's where the public conversation starts telling on itself.

The poetic hypocrisy is hard to

miss in South Carolina politics. Nancy Mace, the Republican who held the seat Mayra is running for, wrote in a New York Times op-ed that women in her own party are stuck in "the token slots," claiming they are boxed in while the real power operates behind closed doors. But Mace backs the same anti-DEI crusade that South Carolina Republicans have used to dismiss Black achievement and the credentials of women of color as unearned. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, white women were the largest beneficiaries of DEI initiatives. Mayra says that to be taken seriously by state lawmakers, she practically has to carry her three advanced degrees like a permission

slip at all times, "just because of the fact that I am Latina and a woman."

District 1 in 2026 is a different beast from the one Mace first won. Mount Pleasant is 90% white with a median household income of $124,000. Kiawah Island's median income exceeds $213,000. The new math isn't designed to care for the deeply specific, land-related issues facing the Gullah Geechee people in places like St. Helena, Wadmalaw and Johns Island. This is the ghost map Mayra is running against — an algorithm engineered for the wealthy and for suburban developments, drawn to erase Black districts. WI

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