2023: The Year That Was

January

The beginning of the year started with historic firsts for Maryland and tragic deaths that continued the conversation for continued police reform in the country.

• 13-Year-Old Karon Blake Killed 
  • Karon Blake, a 13-year-old student who many describe as a lighthearted, charismatic being with a love for fashion, was killed during the early morning hours of Saturday, when a District resident allegedly shot him on the 1000 block of Quincy Street NE. The alleged shooter, later identified as Department of Recreation employee Jason Michael Lewis who called police after shooting Karon and performed CPR, approached Karon believing that the teenager was tampering with vehicles in the neighborhood. 
• Maryland Leadership Males History: Wes Moore and Aruna Miller 
  • Wes Moore and Aruna Miller made history on Jan. 18, beginning a historic term as Maryland’s first Black governor and first Asian-American lieutenant governor. With a star-studded inaugural ball and performances from the likes of Grammy-winning singer Maxwell and Club Quarantine’s DJ D-Nice, Moore didn’t hold back in throwing a major party before kicking off what he promised to be a term of hard work.
• Police Killings: Keenan Anderson and Tyre Nichols 
  • On Jan. 3, Keenan Anderson, a 10th grade English and Language Arts instructor at Digital Pioneers Academy PCS in Southeast D.C., died in a Los Angeles hospital hours after officers with the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) repeatedly shocked him with a stun gun and arrested him at the scene of a car accident. 
  • The devastating Jan. 7 video of Memphis police officers rehearsing their excuse for their deadly use of force, as Tyre Nichols’ lifeless body lay just steps away, painted a horrifying portrait of five cops who murdered a man for no apparent reason and then conspired to destroy his reputation. 
  • Both cases drew attention to the challenges with policing in the country and inspired continued calls for police reform.

February 

While Black History was certainly a major part of our coverage, we also reported on the D.C. Council, police killings, challenges facing Washingtonians, and the historic Black-quarterback meet-up at Super Bowl LVII.

• ASALH Highlights Black Resistance
  • ASALH, the organization that founded Black History Month, chose “Black Resistance,” as its theme.  In Black history, the continuum of resistance included establishing colleges and universities, hospitals, clinics, nursing schools, marches, demonstrations, boycotts, sit-ins and, creating songs, and lobbying elected officials. 
• Black Advisory Neighborhood Commissioners Discuss Challenges 
  • Advisory neighborhood commissioners, who pour hundreds of unpaid hours into representing their single-member districts, spoke out about a lack of guidance and support from city agencies. 
• D.C. Council Recognizes Black History Site in Georgetown 
  • Over the past few decades, as Georgetown grew in prominence as one of the District’s top tourist locations, the Mount Zion-Female Union Band Society Cemetery served as a reminder of the neighborhood’s rich African American history.  It also inspired the D.C. Council’s commemoration of the cemetery’s 215th anniversary with the passage of a ceremonial resolution, approved by the entire council on Feb. 6, recognized the cemetery’s national significance as a sacred site.

March 

With March being Women’s History Month, The Informer celebrated groundbreaking women, while also covering important issues in the District directly related to how D.C. approaches sexual harassment, statehood and policing protocols.

• Departure of Deputy Mayor Falcicchio  
  • On March 8, the Mayor and the Mayor’s Office of Legal Counsel received an email containing a letter with sexual harassment allegations against former Deputy Maryor John Falcicchio, who resigned shortly after. Later in June, after an internal investigation substantiated the sexual harassment claims against Falcicchio. In October D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser (D) signed an executive order that updates her previous mayoral order about sexual harassment in D.C. government. 
•  Revised Criminal Code Act
  • The Senate overwhelmingly approved a measure blocking the Revised Criminal Code Act (RCCA), which caused major conversations for Washingtonians surrounding D.C. statehood. 
• Dalaneo Martin Slain by U.S. Park Police
  • After 17-year-old Dalaneo Martin was shot and killed by U.S. Park Police on March 18, the teen’s family continued to ask a bevy of questions about the shooting.  The U.S. Attorney’s office, in coordination with the FBI Washington field office, opened a civil rights investigation into circumstances leading to the teen’s death.

April 

• Street Vendor Advancement Act 
  • Local street vendors celebrated a victory with the passage of the Street Vendor Advancement Amendment Act, which decriminalizes street vending, sets up vending zones and spaces and streamlines a licensing process that had been criticized as expensive and complicated. This milestone was a major relief for many vendors.
• Eastern High School Celebrates 100th Anniversary 
  • In commemoration of Eastern High School’s centennial, students, parents, faculty and alumni celebrated the launch of an exhibit that chronicles 100 years of the school’s rich history. The permanent exhibit, located in the lobby of Eastern High School, represents a collaboration between Eastern students and faculty and The Story of Our Schools, a local nonprofit dedicated to showing how local schools have accentuated D.C.’s history.   
• The Justins and the Tennessee General Assembly  
  • Four months after an expulsion vote thrust the pair into the national spotlight, Democratic state Reps. Justin Jones of Nashville and Justin Pearson of Memphis were reelected to the Tennessee General Assembly in August. Republicans voted to remove Jones and Pearson from the legislature in April for disrupting House proceedings with a gun control protest. But the two were quickly reappointed to the seats until this summer’s special elections. In Nashville, Jones defeated Republican opponent Laura Nelson with nearly 80% of the vote for the House District 52 seat. In Memphis, Pearson defeated Republican Jeff Johnston with more than 90% of the vote for the House District 86 seat.

May 

Despite challenges District residents faced – from housing to an uptick in gun violence– May came with exciting and historic moments such as the Greater Washington Urban League celebrating 50 years and The Informer’s founders being memorialized with an honorary street renaming.

• Dr. Ben Vinson III Tapped as 18th President of Howard University 
  • A yearlong search for the next president of Howard University culminated in the selection of Dr. Ben Vinson III as the institution’s 18th president. In November, Vinson III was officially inaugurated and celebrated for his visionary leadership and dedication to bringing people together.
•  Talbert Terrace Residents Fight for Community Park
  • In a Ward 8 neighborhood, a much-loved green space previously owned by the community faced development threats after the District sold off the property in a tax sale.
•  Rolark Way
  • The late Calvin and Wilhelmina Rolark, co-founders of the Washington Informer Newspaper, were honored with an honorary street renaming in Ward 8. The ceremony took place on May 18, which would have been Calvin Rolark’s 96th birthday, and was attended by several local leaders and activists.

June

June was dominated by environmental concerns as smoke from Canadian wildfires made its way to D.C., and a major retail village opened in the Congress Heights neighborhood of Ward 8.

• Canada Wildfire Compromises Air Quality 
  • Wildfire smoke made it difficult for Washingtonians to breathe when stepping outside, causing particular health concerns for residents with respiratory challenges.
• Maurice D. Edington Named UDC’s 10^th President
  • Maurice D. Edington was announced as the new president of the University of the District of Columbia.
• Open-Air Mall in Congress Heights Opens with 13 Local Businesses
  • Sycamore & Oak open-air mall debuted with 13 local Black businesses.

July  

While school may have been out for the summer, the District government didn’t slow down, with major announcements about affordable housing, public safety and city leadership. 

• River Terrace Breaks Ground on Affordable Housing
  • Developers, government officials and residents recently broke ground on what will soon become dozens of affordable housing units in the heart of the River Terrace community in Northeast. The construction of this new building, known as 34Fifty, culminates years of meetings, zoning commission hearings.
• Council Moves on Emergency Public Safety Legislation
  • The D.C. Council’s Committee on Public Safety and the Judiciary, hosted a committee hearing about D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser’s Safer, Stronger legislation. The 12-hour hearing inspired three emergency bills: the Prioritizing Public Safety Emergency Amendment Act, Law Enforcement Vehicular Pursuit Clarification Emergency Amendment Act, and Office of Unified Communications (OUC) Transparency and Accuracy Emergency Amendment Act. 
• Pamela Smith Tapped as MPD Chief
  • On July 17, Bowser announced Smith as acting MPD chief during a public safety meeting at Martin Luther King Memorial Library in Northwest. In November, the D.C. Council unanimously approved Smith as chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

August

As summer reached its apex, Washingtonians celebrated important events and institutions that defined the city historically and culturally.

• Vice President Harris Reveals Capital Readiness Program in Southeast
  • In a visit to Sycamore & Oak in Southeast D.C., Vice President Kamala Harris unveiled plans to provide grants to non-profit and community-based organizations as part of the $125 million Capital Readiness Program (CRP) and announced 43 organizations selected as winners of the CRP.  Funded through the American Rescue Plan, the CRP represents the largest-ever direct federal investment in small business incubators and accelerators.  
• 60^th Anniversary of the March on Washington
  • Thousands of people gathered in D.C. to commemorate the 60^th anniversary of the March on Washington.
•  Ben’s Chili Bowl Turns 65
  • The iconic Ben’s Chili Bowl celebrates its 65th anniversary. Later in the year, on Dec. 14, Virginia Ali, the co-founder of Ben’s Chili Bowl, had a 90th birthday celebration at the Lincoln Theatre.

September 

The start of fall had Washingtonians remembering the past and addressing issues that its governmental institutions and businesses will be dealing with for years to come.

• Continuing the Legacy of the Four Little Girls Killed in Bombing
  • Through the lens of a native of Birmingham, Alabama present for the bombing at Sixteenth Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama, death of four Black girls in a Birmingham, Alabama church is remembered in the September 15 edition.
• D.C. Council to Address Sexual Harassment in Government Agencies
  • The D.C. Council announced sweeping to address the problem of sexual harassment in the government. The District government is still grappling with the issue of sexual harassment and how to combat effectively within its ranks.
• Tackling Shoplifting at Giant 
  • The Giant on Alabama Avenue SE receives public backlash for limiting products for sale to combat shoplifting. Customers at the Giant presently have to deal with bag checks by security and offering limited brand names.

October 

In the midst of spooky season, The Washington Informer highlighted important undertakings to raise awareness around Breast Cancer and Domestic Violence, while also sharing important community efforts. 

• Shootings During Homecoming Festivities: Morgan State and Bowie State Universities
  • Five students were shot and injured on the campus of Morgan State University following a homecoming program on Oct. 3, and university President David Wilson canceled classes and festivities for the remainder of the week.  Then, on Oct. 6, a shooting at Bowie State University that injured two 19-year-olds during homecoming festivities, resulted in canceled classes for the entire following week.
• Black Biking
  • In October, the Informer highlighted Black Washingtonians riding bikes and e-bikes, as well as advocacy efforts to improve bicycle and pedestrian safety on Ward 8 streets. 
• Residents Unhappy about Shoplifting a CVS Columbia Heights
  •  Shoppers at CVS in the Northwest D.C. neighborhood of Columbia Heights, were disappointed by the many bare shelves due to the high level of shoplifting that has taken place. The Ward 1 CVS serves as an acute example of the shoplifting activity gripping the District. In the District, Capitol One Shopping, a branch of Capitol One that examines retail data, revealed that in April, retailers in the city lost an estimated $108 million in annual revenue to theft — 26.3% less than the national average of retail theft per capita.

November

Ward 8 celebrated major events that will add to its character as a bastion of Black history and culture. Plus, a historically based cultural ceremony at Georgetown focused on the evils of slavery.

• Marion Barry Ave 
  • Good Hope Road SE officially became  Marion Barry Avenue on Nov. 18, celebrating D.C.’s former mayor and Council member, affectionately known as “Mayor for Life.”
• Groundbreaking of The Go-Go Museum
  • The groundbreaking for The Go-Go Museum, a museum celebrating the musical genre born in D.C. and culture surrounding it, took place on Nov. 15.
• Georgetown University Commemorates 272 Enslaved People Sold by Institution
  • A libation ceremony commemorating the 272 slaves sold by Georgetown University for the benefit of the institution was held by a student group dedicated to remembering the slaves and their ancestors on Nov. 5.

December 

As the year wrapped, news about possible transitions for Washington sports teams rocked the city, while residents of the D.C. jail made a historic decision about local leadership.

• Bowser, Council Chairman Fight to Keep Wizards, Capitals in D.C.
  •  Ted Leonsis, CEO of Monumental Sports & Entertainment and majority owner of the Washington Capitals and Washington Wizards, announced an ongoing deal that would move the teams from Capital One Arena to Potomac Yards in Alexandria, Virginia. D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser (D) and D.C. Council Chairman Phil Mendelson (D) united around a last-ditch effort to keep the teams in the District with legislation that supports the renovation and modernization of Capital One Arena. If passed, the legislation, titled the Downtown Arena Modernization and Downtown Revitalization Act of 2023, will infuse a half-billion dollars into the creation of an arena that public officials hope will attract economic activity to Gallery Place-Chinatown, and downtown D.C. at large.  
• Whitman-Walker Max Robinson Center Receives $22.5 Million in Federal Funding
  • The Whitman-Walker Max Robinson Center, located on the St. Elizabeths East Campus in Southeast, D.C. has been approved for $22.5 million in federal funding by the U.S. Department of Treasury, city and federal officials announced on Dec. 11.
• In Special Election, Shameka Hayes Elected as D.C. Jail Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner
  • Shameka Hayes, a resident of the D.C. Department of Corrections and Georgetown University prison scholar, defeated 10 other candidates to become the new commissioner of single-member district ANC 7F08. She is the first woman to serve in that position.