Category: Washington D.C. News

Barbara Lett Simmons, a long-time District of Columbia activist and a champion of civil rights died on Dec. 22 at age 85, closing the book on a 63-year storied public service career. A long-time Democratic Party activist, she made national news in 2000 after, as a member of the Electoral College, she withheld her previously […]

Members of Delta Sigma Theta sorority are celebrating their 100th anniversary with a series of events, including a Founders’ Day weekend scheduled for Jan. 11-13 in Washington D.C. The centennial celebration touched off New Year’s Day when the sorority, which was founded in 1913 on the campus of Howard University, presented a float in the […]

One-hundred and fifty years ago, on New Year’s Day, 1863, the Emancipation Proclamation was issued by President Abraham Lincoln, freeing enslaved people in states that were at war with the Union. To commemorate the anniversary, the National Archives is offering the public a rare opportunity to view the document. From Dec. 30-Jan. 1, the proclamation […]

Jeffrey Collins, fidgeting as only a 3-year-old can three days before Christmas, was crying, twisting and turning in line as he and his mother, JoAnn Gilchrist, waited to take a picture with Santa Claus. They were part of the crowd at the World Mission Society Church’s Annual Toys for Needy Kids Give Away Rally at […]

Students at the Ideal Academy Public Charter School were given VIP tickets to the lighting of the National Christmas Tree as their reward for designing ornaments for the tree. “It was amazing to be that close to the President and his family,” said Micah Stewart, one of the student ornament designers. “We know that most […]

WASHINGTON – With casino approvals expanding down the East Coast into the Mid-Atlantic, two jurisdictions remain resistant to their financial allure – D.C. and Virginia – and that’s not likely to change anytime soon. Maryland’s sixth casino, expected to be built in National Harbor, would only be about a mile from the borders of both […]

WASHINGTON– On the day following their second inauguration, President Obama and Vice President Joe Biden will participate in the National Prayer Service, 10:30 a.m., Jan. 22 at Washington National Cathedral. A tradition dating back to President George Washington, the National Prayer Service will include prayers, readings, blessings and hymns delivered by religious leaders from across […]

Charlie Young, coordinator of jazz studies at Howard University was recently named the artistic director and conductor of the Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestra (SJMO). He will assume the role in 2013 and replace jazz maestro David Nathaniel Baker Jr. Young has been a member of the SJMO since 1995 and has served as the ensemble’s […]

They were known for their immaculate appearance and steadfast detail to doing a job well. They were comprised mostly of African-American men, initially former slaves, who were hired starting in the 1860s by industrialist George Pullman to staff the train sleeping cars he had invented. Though the hours were long and the pay was a […]

Hundreds of friends and relatives gathered at Good Will Baptist Church in Northwest Washington on Dec. 15 to celebrate the life of civil rights activist and Washington D.C. statehood advocate Lawrence T. Guyot.  He died Nov. 23 at 73. The gathering of those who wanted to say goodbye included politicians, journalists, civic leaders, educators and […]