Opinion

Beyond the tragic toll of fatalities, intensive-care intubations and infections that have forced a radical rethink of daily life, the coronavirus has brought a halt to the District’s strong economy and the revenue it generates. To…

The reopening of our school doors will serve as a symbol of our city’s recovery. How we invest in our school system in the upcoming school year will serve as a symbol of our city’s priorities. It's critical that we fully invest in our…

The budget is a reflection of our values as a community, and so is the process that guides its creation. Yet, in a time of pandemic when government resources are a literal lifeline to local residents, the DC Council is significantly…

Perhaps we should have recognized much earlier the large ambitions of Karl Racine. After all, he had been a White House counsel and was one of the first African Americans elected as managing partner of Venable LLP, a top firm in the city.…

Like many people, I have been thinking about the most compelling needs our community faces in the midst of this pandemic and where we can do the most good in our individual efforts to help. The Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.’s compelling…

In the month and a half since DC began coronavirus mitigation, I’ve seen more children learning to ride bikes than I had before in the 11 years I’ve lived in the Washington region. The joyous rite of passage is happening more these days…

We recently celebrated Emancipation Day in Washington, DC, the nation’s capital — also known as Chocolate City due to the strong and vibrant Black community that has lived, worked and shaped the culture of the city on both sides of the…

It is heartbreaking — and perhaps unsurprising — that the rate of confirmed COVID-19 cases is now 16 times higher for people incarcerated in DC’s jails than in the general District population. That disparity is not acceptable and not…

If anyone running for elective office this year in DC promises to expand existing government programs, turn and walk away. Do not give a second thought to marking your primary or general election ballot for such a fantastical thinker. The…

I spent last week exploring the disturbing connection between COVID-19, race and class, and speaking with experts about how it could be broken. Doing so won’t be easy, that’s for sure. Recent statistics from New York City, Chicago,…

For nearly a decade, DC officials have promised to construct a purpose-built building for the District’s archives. Despite appropriating millions five years ago, they have not delivered, endangering the irreplaceable physical materials…

Late last month Congress cheated DC out of its fair share of federal relief aid, and now we learn that the District faces an anticipated $607 million revenue shortfall due to the impact of COVID-19. Congress saddled Washingtonians with a…

The DC Council mandated last week in its COVID-19 Response Supplemental Emergency Act of 2020 that the DC Board of Elections mail a ballot request form to every eligible voter for the June 2 primary and the June 16 Ward 2 special election.…

Here in the District of Columbia and across the nation, we have upended normal life to combat the coronavirus — insisting on social distancing, for instance, and transferring learning from school to home, much of it online. This should not…

“It seems like August,” I said recently to a Lyft driver who was taking me to my retina specialist for yet another of those God-awful injections. “What do you mean?” she asked. Many drivers of for-hire services don’t live in the city; they…

Last week started on a hopeful note for the DC government and its more than 700,000 residents, with the city seemingly on track in addressing the public health emergency and potentially covering the financial costs. That’s not the way it…

Even before the U.S. Senate could settle on its nearly $2 trillion stimulus package as a bulwark against the coronavirus’s ravaging of the national economy, the DC Council had offered its own relief that relied on drawing millions of…

I've been addicted to Revel's shared electric scooters almost since the operator debuted in DC last autumn. My experiences with the micromobility vehicles and my work as a local transportation journalist have demonstrated to me the power…

The truest test of any society is how its most marginalized members fare during times of crisis. We at the Bainum Family Foundation ― like many others in philanthropy and across the nonprofit field here in DC ― have particular concern for…

Last summer, Washington Post columnist Colbert King wrote a tribute to the late Don Fraser, an eight-term congressman from Minnesota. While we do not disagree with the sentiment in the headline — “The District is a better place because of…