What started with more than 15,000 votes and 2,000 nominations culminated in a night of honor on Sunday for the first-time winners of The Washington Informer’s Best of the DMV (BOTDMV).
Hosted at Busboys and Poets Anacostia, the Dec. 21 inaugural Winners Celebration brought holiday cheer and regional pride to Southeast D.C., as scores of supporters, finalists and voters gathered to cheer on who they deem the top culture shapers in the District, Maryland and Virginia.
“We really wanted to give the power to the people to allow them to tell their stories,” said Ra-Jah Kelly, chief officer of technology and grants at The Washington Informer, ahead of the event. “There is a lot of negative narration [about] the DMV, and…as someone who’s lived here my entire life, traveled other places, lived other places – I know this is an amazing, welcoming community with… amazing people doing [transformative work]…every day.”
With the support of Washington Informer Publisher Denise Rolark Barnes, and sponsorship from Safeway, Kelly spearheaded what he considers a timely charge to highlight the depth of positive impact coming out of the metropolitan region.
Among the winner’s circle announced at Busboys and Poets are: The Spotlight DMV (Best Digital Creator); Anacostia BID (Best Business Improvement District); Creative Designs by Jamila Boddie (Best Event Planner); Eastern Market (The Best Main Street and Best Farmers Market); The StoreHouse (Best DMV-based Nonprofit), and H Street Festival, which earned recognition as the Best Cultural Festival.
“People are judging [Black people] by our challenges, we have to judge us by our strength,” Anwar Saleem, executive director of H Street Festival, said while accepting the honoree. “We have to begin to show people what we’re all about…that there’s a lot of good in us. Nobody else is going to do that but us.”
With a performance from JoGo Project that catapulted people straight to the dance floor and sounds from DJ Lance Reynolds, the event highlighted the footprint of Black leaders, creatives and institution across more than 200 categories.
As audiences enjoyed food and drinks from Busboys and Poets, Rolark Barnes and Washington Informer Managing Editor Micha Green lauded Black-led and centered enterprises such as: the Northern Virginia Black Chamber of Commerce, Rent The Dress DC, and Noble Integrative Health, the latter earning the top rank in acupuncture and Black-owned businesses overall.
Kelsey Nicole Nelson swept in multiple categories, including Best Community Journalist and Best Social Media Influencer, while the historically Black Morgan State University was celebrated for its alumni organization, and Howard University won Best DMV HBCU and Best HBCU Homecoming.
For the locally revered sports reporter, the wins served a full circle moment.
“To be honored by a hometown paper I read in my home growing up, it’s special— I’m still taking it all in,” Nicole Nelson told The Informer. “Even more humbling is that this award was a community vote.”
As for Tomika Anderson, founder of Manifest Greatness Media, celebrating the prime of the nation’s capital means recognizing the Black entrepreneurial talent at its core, exemplified by many of the leaders honored Dec. 21.
“D.C. is Chocolate City. Our Black businesses…are the heart and soul of this community, and have always been,” she told The Informer following her slam-dunk in Best PR or Marketing Firm. “To be honored in this category, in this city, means everything.”
The James L. Wright Memorial Scholarship
An evening marked by celebration for Black businesses offered a fitting backdrop to officially announce The Washington Informer Charities’ James L. Wright Memorial Scholarship Fund, dedicated to the late longtime WI staff writer whose funeral was held Dec. 19.
Known and celebrated for his business reporting, Wright marked a more than three-decade career championing untold stories with passion and consistency, said Green. In his wake lies a footprint to be emulated across generations of truth-seekers resisting in the face of injustice.
“You all are here making sure that we are able to do the work every day. Your stories matter. Your journeys as we navigate this very challenging time matters,” Green told the room on Sunday. “This [scholarship] is just so appropriate for him, and, I believe, how he’d love his legacy to be carried on.”
Kelly added the scholarship was created to seed early career journalists with Wright’s similar knack for “telling about the community” and lifelong learning.
For Nicole Nelson, the deep roots of storytelling and courageous reporting thrives not only through the late reporter’s legacy, but all beneficiaries of the Black press, including herself.
“I would read and learn from Black writers who led with distinction and empathy as they were the entrusted standard bears of our history. Papers like The Washington Informer were my introduction to the possibilities into the world of journalism,” she said. “I see my role as a journalist, as a way to give back to the community and tell their stories. Thank you to everyone for seeing me, my brand and what I hope to continue to build.”
Winners Tout Mission, Importance of Preserving Black Spaces
Sunday was a night masked in as much recognition as rejuvenation for a bevy of local innovators.
Some winners – including Tee Wright, owner of Rent The Dress DC – noted the particular importance of uplifting spaces where Black ownership thrives with opportunities to forge communal connections and partnerships.
“We know what’s going on in the world, and it’s important for our community to support one another. And we have what we need right here,” she told The Informer.
After taking home Best Black-Owned Boutique, the humbled and admittedly speechless entrepreneur shared her reason for the culture: “Right now, we need us.”
“It just takes us being here, being a part,” Wright continued, “and supporting and patronizing our Black businesses.”
In a year marked by federal pushback against Black narratives and contributions, Sharece Crawford jumped for joy when the National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC) was announced as Best Black Art Gallery.
One of NMAAHC’s founding members, the native Washington reflected on the moment as a parallel of the resilience that built the cultural institution nearly 10 years ago, and still reflects a lack in the current state of American progress.
“The reality of it is, there was not enough education on our history and culture, and we were not celebrated enough for the evolution of not only the struggle that we had come from, but the present day reality that we’re still navigating,” Crawford told The Informer. “Our history and story continues.”
To that point, Andy Shallal, owner of Busboys and Poets, touted the inaugural event as a stepping stone to shape transparency and invest in local media.
The multicategory winner highlighted his own mission in scaling the staple franchise, and referenced his vision of an environment flourishing in the ideals the nation is meant to represent.
“Maybe this is a good metaphor for this kind of a gathering — that we’re heading toward light, toward openness,” he said, addressing the crowded room. “We’re heading toward a time where truth can be uncovered. Thank you, Informer, and thank you all for being here to support it.”
With Best of the DMV set to return in 2026, Kelly told The Informer he hopes to elevate the campaign by developing more partnerships and underscoring the value of celebrating community, especially in times when it can make all the difference.
As for potential supporters, nominees and voters, the chief officer touts an opportunity to ensure the region’s legacy is one fueled by the changemakers who make it what it is.
“What we need to say is that the DMV is amazing, and we’re going to keep saying it,” Kelly told The Informer, “and if we do that, whether you’re on a screen somewhere or you’re right here [in the region], I think you’ll be able to feel it.”
For the full list of BOTDMV winners, click here.