Opinion

The District has been unable to determine how at-risk children are performing in public schools because critical data “on attendance, dropout rates, in-school suspension rates, graduation rates, post-high school college and career success…

Over the past year, events have forced Americans to grapple with the legacy of white supremacy, policies of racial segregation and subjugation, and the systems that perpetuate racially inequitable access to resources and investment. These…

Talk about inopportune. Here we are in the middle of tax season, the middle of budget season, and the middle of a public health emergency that has wreaked havoc on DC’s economy — and the person responsible for managing those various…

Imagine you’re an elementary school student this year. Since last March, you haven’t been able to see your friends. You love your teacher, but it’s been hard to get one-on-one time with her since you’ve spent most of the year in a virtual…

When nine Black women were accepted into DC’s Home Purchase Assistance Program for first-time homebuyers, they believed they were moving to the next rung of the economic ladder through the acquisition of real estate while providing stable…

The District Task Force on Jails & Justice may have begun its work “examining questions” about building a new correctional facility in DC. However, the group of more than 55 individuals, representing a panoply of organizations, has…

What happens when a government, while attempting to address a health inequity in one community, creates an inequity in another? That question has plagued me for several weeks, as I have watched DC officials make a muddled mess of the…

The pandemic has highlighted the need to provide equitable technology access for all students as part of a 21st-century education. While DC made some progress last year in expanding computer and internet access, the city still lacks a…

At the turn of this new year, we witnessed hundreds of years of racist history and oppression play out on national television, as white supremacist insurrectionists seized the U.S. Capitol. We witnessed the unapologetic double standards…

As an early childhood educator in DC, I thought I would be eligible to sign up for a COVID-19 vaccine this week. It's a promise Mayor Muriel Bowser made earlier this month. Early childhood educators have been working to keep their centers…

The way the city funds our schools structurally underfunds educational operations for DC Public Schools (DCPS) relative to the charter sector to the tune of $40 million to $50 million a year. That claim may surprise you because…

Surely, I was not alone in popping a bottle of Champagne on Wednesday. I had been counting the hours until the inauguration of Joseph R. Biden Jr., 46th President of the United States, and Kamala Harris, the first woman to become Vice…

Living in our nation’s capital provides a unique perspective — we’re constantly exposed to policy and societal issues happening on a national scale, while also focused on improving our communities here in DC. From Takoma to Anacostia, H…

In truth, the signs of danger and harbingers of the assault on sanity, truth, democracy and the U.S. Constitution were glaringly present on Jan. 22, 2017 — two days after Donald J. Trump was officially sworn in as the 45th president of the…

DC elected officials, including Mayor Muriel Bowser and council Chairman Phil Mendelson, seemed roused by revenue estimates recently released by Chief Financial Officer Jeffrey DeWitt. The city had enough money in December to instigate an…

In 2020, 180 District residents passed away while homeless, a 53% increase from 2019. Twenty-three of them died of COVID-19. On Dec. 21, the annual Homeless Memorial Vigil — organized each year by the People for Fairness Coalition —…

DC Council Chairman Phil Mendelson may have outdone himself this time around with his proposed organization for the legislature as it enters its 24th session. Every two years, with the arrival of newly elected members and what is supposed…

With the end of DC Council Period 23, it’s time to consider the first votes legislators will take as Council Period 24 begins. On Day One, those votes will include adoption of the council’s own Code of Conduct, which needs real…

I have been a Catholic all my life. As far back as I can remember, the church has played an active role in my development, from my own first communion to preparing for my now 6-year-old son’s entrance into the community. During all this…

DC Council member Charles Allen’s Committee on the Judiciary and Public Safety held a public roundtable with advocates and experts last week to explore alternatives to traditional policing. It was an interesting conversation; as many as 30…