By Christina Sturdivant Sani, Special to the AFRO My son turned 10 years old last month, which means I’m a whole decade into this mom life. And truth be told, sometimes I’m still shocked that I’m responsible for an entire little person. After getting pregnant unexpectedly in college, my life shifted and I was forced to […]
Category: Washington D.C. News
Posted inNEWS
Marvin Gaye Recreation Center Opens with Fanfare
By Lenore T. Adkins, Special to the AFRO Patty Robertson lives just two blocks away from the new Marvin Gaye Recreation Center in Ward 7 and she predicts it’ll become a second home of sorts. She’ll be bringing her niece and three grandchildren there often to enjoy the playground, learn arts and crafts, play games and […]
Posted inNEWS
Making DC a Better City for Whom?
By Hamzat Sani, Special to the AFRO In order to address the fears of underserved D.C. communities facing gentrification and displacement the government must embrace a new “operating system” emphasizing openness, collaboration and coordination across its agencies and external institutions. This was the premise put forward by the panelists at the “A Better City for Who?: […]
Posted inNEWS
D.C. Teen Hoping to Win Google Contest
By Lenore T. Adkins, Special to the AFRO When 15-year-old Laila Holsendorff realized Google chose her octopus drawing to represent D.C. in the nationwide Doodle 4 Google contest, she buried her face in her hands and cried. She then quickly composed herself to pose for photos at Brookland Middle School. For three weeks, the eighth grader’s […]
Posted inDistrict of Columbia Government
Black Candidates Are Missing in Ward 6 D.C. Council Race
By James Wright, Special to the AFRO, jwright@afro.com One of the District of Columbia’s most active political and cultural wards has a Black population over one-third and yet there are no Black candidates for that council seat this year. Ward 6 encompasses the U.S. Capitol, the popular Eastern Market, gentrifying Shaw and the booming Southwest Waterfront that includes the […]
Posted inDistrict of Columbia Government
Need a Job in Ward 5? Find the WOW Truck.
By Lauren E. Williams, Special to the AFRO MidCity Financial Community Affairs Director Dr. Robert Johns says he is committed to bringing services to D.C.’s NE Ward 5 neighborhood. By partnering with the District of Columbia Department of Employment Services (DOES) Workforce on Wheels (WOW) program, he is getting closer to doing just that. The DOES […]
Posted inD.C Sports
District Sports Teams Living up to ‘Scandal’ Series
By Stephen D. Riley, Special to AFRO Sex, bigotry and racism—Washington, D.C., has it all, and I’m not even talking about politics. If you’re a sports fan trapped in the District I don’t know who you’re more ashamed of after the first week of May, the Wizards or the Washington football team. If allegations from the […]
Posted inINTERNATIONAL
Afro Cubans Abound at Kennedy Center Festival
By Lenore T. Adkins, Special to the AFRO A two-week festival at the Kennedy Center highlighting Cuba’s vibrant cultural arts scene in music, dance, visual arts, cinema, theater, fashion and other disciplines includes Cuban artists of African descent. “Artes de Cuba: From the Island to the World” will showcase more than 400 Cuban and Cuban-American artists […]
Posted inENTERTAINMENT
D.C. Brings the Funk
By Hamzat Sani, Special to the AFRO It’s official: Washington, D.C. keeps it funky. The 5th Annual Funk Parade will take place on May 12 despite concerns that the event would be cancelled. Instead of cancellation, this year’s parade has grown with a full day of events leading to a fuller night of musical showcases spanning […]
Posted inDistrict of Columbia Government
Marvin Gaye Recreation Center Opens May 5 in D.C.
By Lenore T. Adkins, Special to the AFRO The District of Columbia Department of Parks and Recreation will launch its first-ever Marvin Gaye Day on May 5 by opening the new recreation center that bears the late singer’s name and following that up with a street festival for the community, according to DPR. Members of Marvin […]
Posted inDistrict of Columbia Government
DC Council Limits School Suspensions
By Micha Green, AFRO Washington, D.C. Editor, mgreen@afro.com When last year’s Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE) released data revealing Black students are eight times more likely to be suspended than their White counterparts, Council member David Grosso (I-At Large), Chairman of the Education Committee, immediately began working to reverse those statistics. Grosso’s advocacy […]
Posted inDistrict of Columbia Government
Racine is Running Hard, Even with No Opponent
By James Wright, Special to the AFRO, jwright@afro.com Karl Racine is running for re-election as the District of Columbia’s attorney general but faces no opponent in the Democratic Party primary or even in the Republican, DC Statehood Green and Libertarian parties. Nevertheless, Racine is making appearances at Democratic club meetings and participating in organization’s endorsement processes. “I […]
