If this isn’t too much to ask, I would like The Informer to report more on Black people in South America. The only international places you cover is a few countries in Africa, and places in the Caribbean, but what about my folks in Panama, for example? Panama is a Black country with Black customs, culture and traditions straight from Africa. The mainstream media will never show this about Panama, so Washington Informer, I charge you to cover Black life there, too.
Jimmy Costa
Washington, D.C.
WI Bridging Generations
The WI Bridge has to have won some awards by now. Every month, I am blown away by the photography, the stories and the people they feature. I always learn something new and it keeps me to hip to younger audiences and how they’re impacting the city. I also loved the homage to Nipsey Hussle. Excellent work.
Paris Johnson
Washington, D.C.
Mayor Has Teachers’ Backs
I’ve seen firsthand that the quality of our schools depends on the quality of the educators in them.
As an elementary school teacher at the Wheatley Education Campus, the strength of my relationship with students affects the impact I can have in the classroom. I’m like an uncle or a parent to many of my students. They depend on me around the clock.
I already spend long days at school. I often don’t get home until after 9 p.m., because my commute takes more than one hour. I’ve always wanted to buy a home in Washington, but for the last several years, living outside of the District has been my only affordable option. I’d like to be closer to my school and students.
The mayor’s 2020 budget proposal sets aside $20 million to help people like me — teachers and others who play a critical role in our city — so that we can afford to live close to where we work. Many D.C.-area residents are cost-burdened, meaning we pay more than 30% of our income on housing. Faced with high incomes and mortgages, we have to make tough tradeoffs, like paying for medical care versus saving for retirement.
The Workforce Housing Fund would ease some of that burden by setting up an initiative to subsidize housing for middle-income families like mine. I love being a teacher and being there for my students. The Workforce Housing Fund would help me be more present in my community, and ultimately make me a better teacher for my students.
If you can influence a thought, you can change a mind. If you can change a mind, you can change a world.
Gary Hamilton