By Chrisleen Herard, Special to the AFRO DaVon Fuller was a promising defensive back when he played football for Dunbar High School and then the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth. In other words, Fuller was able to think fast, adjust and defend a position–he was good at it. Fuller made plays on and off of the […]
Category: District of Columbia Government
Washington DC — The Nation’s Capital
Posted inWashington D.C. News
Mayor Muriel Bowser speaks with D.C. Kingman Park neighborhood about the future of the RFK Stadium
By Gene Lambey, Special to the AFRO Mayor Muriel Bowser spoke at a public community meeting hosted by St. Benedict the Moor Catholic Church and the Friends of Kingman Park community group on Oct. 18 to discuss the future of the old RFK Stadium and its surrounding areas. The community meeting took place at St. […]
Posted inWashington D.C. News
D.C. awaits city council’s confirmation of acting police chief Pamela Smith
By Tashi McQueen, AFRO Political Writer, tmcqueen@afro.com Pamela A. Smith was nominated as the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) police chief in July by D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser and recently began the official confirmation process through the D.C. Council. Smith would become the first African-American woman to be D.C. police chief– if she is fully confirmed […]
Posted inWashington D.C. News
Mayor Bowser’s National Maternal Infant Health Summit connects mothers to community resources
By April Quevedo, Special to the AFRO D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser hosted the sixth Annual National Maternal and Infant Health Summit at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington D.C. on Sept. 19. The event featured panel discussions, community spaces, breakout sessions and a virtual resource expo with a focus on working women. “No […]
Posted inWashington D.C. News
Resource fair at Randall Recreation Center hosted by National Association for the Advancement of Returning Citizens
By AFRO Staff On July 29, the National Association for the Advancement of Returning Citizens (NAARC), held a cookout for people who were previously incarcerated. The event took place at Randall Recreation Center on South Capitol and I Street. Food, vendors and entertainment was available for the guests while Eric Weaver, director of NAARC, welcomed […]
Posted inWashington D.C. News
Incarcerated Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner transferred out of Washington, D.C.
By Myles Walker, Special to the AFRO Leonard Bishop, an incarcerated citizen serving as an elected official for D.C. residents was transferred from D.C.’s Correctional Treatment Facility to an unknown location on July 20, ending his term as Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner (ANC) prematurely. The transfer removed Bishop from the city, making him ineligible and unable […]
Posted inWashington D.C. News
D.C. Council passes legislation in favor of pre-trial detention for juveniles and adults
By Khira Moore, AFRO Intern Legislators struggle to find a solution as crime rates continue to rise in the District. There have been 134 reported homicides over the past seven months, a 17 percent increase from 2022. “This change responds to serious problem of revolving door in which too many people commit serious crimes are […]
Posted inWashington D.C. News
Mayor Bowser unveils strong public safety measures to address rising street violence in D.C.
By Tashi McQueen, AFRO Political Writer, tmcqueen@afro.com Amid a surge of street violence in the nation’s capital, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser has announced new public safety legislation. “The legislation I will send to the council is common sense legislation,” said Bowser at a live-streamed news conference. “For example, we know that addressing violence in D.C. […]
Posted inWashington D.C. News
Councilwoman Brooke Pinto addresses District’s outdated air conditioning codes as weather is impacted by climate change
By Tashi McQueen, AFRO Political Writer, tmcqueen@afro.com Councilwoman Brooke Pinto, Ward 2, called for the D.C. Construction Codes Coordinating Board (CCCB) to reconsider the time frame on which building owners must turn on communal air conditioning for residents in the District. Pinto argues that the current time frame does not address the temperature irregularities of […]
Posted inWashington D.C. News
D.C. council members fight food insecurity in schools as pandemic measures for K-12 students expire
By Hadiya Presswood, Special to the AFRO D.C. Council members introduced a bill to provide “free universal school breakfast, lunch and after-school snacks to students in public, charter and participating private schools in the District of Columbia” earlier this year. The Universal Free School Meals Amendment Act of 2023, or B25-0035, proposes that public charter […]
Posted inOpinion
Is D.C. moving closer to recreational equity with next year’s budget?
By Kimberly Perry and Rev. Wendy Hamilton Mayor Bowser has proposed $750,000 to retrofit underused basketball and tennis courts for pickleball in her 2024 fiscal year budget. She has also boosted funding for recreational facilities and programs throughout the city–significantly so in Ward Eight. At face value, that’s excellent news. However, shockingly wide disparities currently […]
Posted inWashington D.C. News
Free Spring Break activities for D.C. teens and youth
By Ashleigh Fields, AFRO Assistant Editor Due to the recent rise in juvenile violent crime, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser has pushed for more free recreational activities for teens and youth in the District. As a result, The Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR) centers are offering music classes, volleyball clinics and video gaming over the […]