Center Section
August 2022. Volume 8. Issue 8.
Don't Miss this Month's WI Bridge
Unearthing Gems in a Goldmine
WINNER OF SIX SOCIETY OF PROFESSIONAL JOURNALISTS D.C. AWARDS FOR 2022
Vol. 57, No. 45 • August 25 - 31, 2022
D.C. Parents Gear Up for Start of the School Year
Celebrating National Black Business Month
Sam P.K.Collins WI Staff Writer
5 FAMU recent graduate, Elijah Rutland, has made his gift for drawing and designing a business enterprise. (Photo courtesy Elijah Rutland)
Artist/Designer Elijah Rutland, 23, Takes D.C. Sneaker Con by Storm HBCU Graduate Chosen as National Brand Ambassador for Pohanka Automotive D. Kevin McNeir WI Senior Editor Georgia native Elijah Rutland, 23, has reason to celebrate given his recent graduation from Florida A&M University (FAMU) in Tallahassee, where he majored in graphic engineering. But there’s a lot more for which this talented artist and budding entrepreneur can also be proud – from securing deals with Nike, Beats by Dre and Xfinity to his latest coup – being named National Brand Ambassador for the Pohanka Automotive Group. In his role with Pohanka, Rutland will collaborate with the corporation’s leadership to generate content on social media for increased brand awareness – doing something that he’s done for as
long as he can remember – creating. “I’ve been drawing for my entire life and use my art to say things that I probably wouldn’t say out loud,” he said. “With art, I’m able to create a visual representation of my thoughts – now I can do that on an even larger scale in my new relationship with Pohanka.” Rutland paused and chuckled – explaining that his unplanned laughter came after remembering that he had received the news about being chosen to represent Pohanka just days before graduation earlier this year in April. And then being further surprised with a gift – a brand new automobile. “The car was the best news of all because I had
ELIJAH Page 44
Monday, August 29 marks what some describe as the start of a school year closely resembling what District students experienced before the pandemic. As families complete back-to-school shopping and students prepare to enter the classroom once again, some parents, like Nierria Jones-Cooper, have their eye on increasing parent involvement and augmenting aspects of school culture. Jones-Cooper, a member of the Local School Advisory Team (LSAT) at Phelps Architecture, Construction and Engineering High School in Northeast, kept her ears to the street as students last academic year demanded accountability, transparency, more
SCHOOL Page 31
5 DC Public Schools Chancellor Dr. Lewis Ferebee recently conducted a town hall during which he and others encouraged Pre-K parents to download an online toolkit. (WI File Photo)
Nearly a Century Later, Historians Recall Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters with Awe Stacy M. Brown WI Senior Writer
5 (Photo courtesy International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers)
On a relatively comfortable 84-degree day in Harlem 97 years ago, a group of hard-working Pullman porters gathered to discuss changing working conditions, including receiving fair pay and claiming their dignity. Organized by A. Philip Randolph and Milton Webster, the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters (BSCP) began on Aug. 25, 1925. The historic launch of the union
PORTERS Page 35
SPELLING BEE Page 12 Celebrating 57 Years of Service / Serving More Than 50,000 Readers Throughout The Metropolitan Area