WINNER OF SIX SOCIETY OF PROFESSIONAL JOURNALISTS D.C. AWARDS FOR 2022 Don't Miss the WI Back To School Supplement Center Section Vol. 57, No. 44 • August 18 - 24, 2022
2022 BACK TO SCHOOL SUPPLEMENT
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Howard University Welcomes Freshman Class during ‘Bison Week’
Sam P.K. Collins WI Staff Writer
5 Hundreds of freshmen students moved into Howard University’s campus last week with the help of parents and University volunteers. (Anthony Tilghman/The Washington Informer)
Stacy M. Brown WI Senior Writer
ARBERY Page 44
BISON WEEK Page 25
Decades after James Meredith, Black Students Forge Communities at Mostly-White Colleges
Life Sentence Verdict for Men Convicted of Ahmaud Arbery Murder Met with Mixed Emotions More than two years ago, Transformative Justice Coalition President and Founder Barbara Arnwine and Board Chair Daryl Jones put their arms around Ahmaud Arbery’s family. Both lawyers, Arnwine and Jones didn’t seek to represent the family legally but to offer encouragement and help strengthen the resolve they needed to pursue justice for the 25 year old shot to death in Brunswick, Georgia. “When we first interacted with the family, they were hesitant to get involved,” Jones told NNPA Newswire following the sentencing of Travis McMichael, Greg McMichael and William Bryan.
Members of Howard University’s (HU) incoming freshman class spent the last few days learning about one another, meeting professors, administrators and student leaders and getting acclimated to campus life during what’s touted as “Bison Week.” Long before stepping foot in a classroom, they took part in various activities that touched on aspects of the HU experience and compelled them to reflect on issues of significance to young Black people attending college in a major U.S. city. For HU freshman Naika Belizaire, such activities affirmed her desire to attend the university. Belizaire, an 18-year-old student from Las Vegas, spent half the day traveling across the country with her family last week to start a new chapter of her life in a region she said better aligns with her personality. On Wednesday, August 10, she and several other freshmen converged on 4th Street and Bryant Street in Northwest to check into their dorms. Even with a lack of sleep after a day of travel, she expressed excitement and enthu-
In 1962, Meredith Became First African American Admitted to Racially-Segregated ‘Ole Miss’ Sam P.K. Collins WI Staff Writer
5 At George Mason University in Fairfax County, Virginia, Curtis Brooks has immersed himself in extracurricular activities like club football and an affinity group for Black male students. (Courtesy photo)
Civil rights activist James Meredith recently expressed plans to commemorate the 60th anniversary of his matriculation to the University of Mississippi with a visit to every county in his home state. In 1962, Meredith became the first African American admitted to the racially-segregated university known to many as "Ole Miss." Inspired
MEREDITH Page 40
SPELLING BEE Page 12 Celebrating 57 Years of Service / Serving More Than 50,000 Readers Throughout The Metropolitan Area