Don D. Davis, 42, a homeowner in Ward 8, has been unemployed about a year and a half. Hopeful that a job fair hosted by U.S. Rep. Eleanor Holmes Norton would be different from the others he had attended, he prayed it would be so. Norton’s job fair which billed more than 100 employers drew […]
Author Archives: Valencia Mohammed
Special to the AFRO
Posted inNational News
Walter Fauntroy, Feared Dead in Libya, Returns HomeGuess Who He Saw Doing the Killing
Former U.S. Congressman Walter Fauntroy, who recently returned from a self-sanctioned peace mission to Libya, said he went into hiding for about a month in Libya after witnessing horrifying events in Libya’s bloody civil war — a war that Fauntroy claims is backed by European forces. Fauntroy’s sudden disappearance prompted rumors and news reports that […]
Posted inHealth
Alopecia
KZ, as she prefers to be called for this article, is a well-known beautician in the District of Columbia, who suffered for years with a condition known as alopecia or hair loss. More than 80 million Americans suffer from this hair and scalp condition that affects children as well as the elderly of all races […]
Posted inWashington D.C. News
Homeless Exhibit Resiliency under Hurricane Irene’s Wrath
The first major hurricane for this season cruised through the Caribbean and up the east coast demanding respect from every city in its path. The District of Columbia got lucky with its head slightly bloody but unbowed. Mayor Vincent C. Gray noted that Washington came through Irene relatively unscathed at an Aug. 28 press conference. […]
Posted inHealth
Parents Summer Camp for Healthy Living a Big Hit
First lady Michelle Obama has become a household name in many African-American households across the country because of her stance to combat obesity. Obama’s national campaign has sparked changes in school diets, menus at fast food chains, restaurants and millions of family dining room tables. Inspired by the first lady’s efforts, former president of the […]
Posted inWashington D.C. News
Community Angry at Prospect of Possible Post Office Closures
Outside the Brightwood post office in northwest Washington, a long line of customers wait in line for stamps, money orders, passport services, mailings and packages. As the customers approach the counter, almost all of them remarked, “Don’t close this post office.” A proposal that would close a number of local post offices in District neighborhoods […]
Posted inWashington D.C. News
Planting Good Seeds for a Lifetime
Before a rapt audience of Trinidad residents, Eden Good cofounder Bonita Bolden meticulously demonstrated the making of natural strawberry jam. A dedicated advocate for healthy, vegan nutritional choices, Bolden stressed the importance of finding substitutes for standard, processed sweeteners like sugar. Eden Good cofounders Bolden and Patricia Patterson Johnson conceived of Good Seed to address […]
Posted inWashington D.C. News
Shoppers Claim Brentwood Retailers Ignore Parking Lot Security
When on July 9 Dr. Mary A.T. Anigbo shopped at the Home Depot at the Brentwood Shopping Center in northeast Washington, she never expected to lose her vehicle. The charter school pioneer was unwillingly recruited into an expanding group of victims when her 1997 Dodge Caravan was stolen from the parking lot in broad daylight. […]
Posted inWashington D.C. News
Businesses, Neighborhood Brace for Walter Reed Closing
The signs of the economic impact on businesses near the Walter Reed Medical Center, which is slated for complete closing in September, have already caused panic and anxiety for local establishments. The Walter Reed Inn, a popular motel directly across from the hospital has been closed for months and relied heavily on business from the […]
Posted inWashington D.C. News
Heat Puts Wealth Gap into Stark Relief
John Summers, 69, in a drunken stupor, slept on a park bench under a tree on the Fort Lincoln Recreation Center grounds. His sister Helen Summers, 65, begged someone to call for an ambulance to get him out of the unbearable sun. “He has an apartment, but it doesn’t have air conditioning, so he thinks […]
Posted inWashington D.C. News
Educators, Libraries Differ on Teen Use of Internet
The growing popularity of Washington, D.C.’s libraries among youth raises concerns about the system’s policy to not monitor Internet usage that exposes teens to violence. “Speech about violence, including videos on social media, is considered constitutionally-protected speech,” said George Williams, media relations manager, DC Public Library. “The Supreme Court overturned California law banning the sale […]
Posted inWashington D.C. News
Trail Grows Cold Tracking Columbia Heights’ Missing TIF Funds
Eight years and three mayoral administrations after the Columbia Heights neighborhood began its redevelopment, merchants along the 14th Street corridor wonder if the price of progress will be their demise. The minority business owners aren’t giving up, however. Led by Sheila Reid, owner of Avanti Realty, the owners are still demanding to know what happened […]