Neighbor,
This week made me hopeful for our city and our country's future. On Wednesday, President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris were sworn in and their administration has already begun to take shape. Kamala Harris, a fellow Howard alumna, became both the first Black and female Vice President. In his speech, President Biden spoke repeatedly about rooting out systemic racism and hearing the cry for racial justice. President Biden also indicated his support for statehood and I urge Congress to send HR 51, the DC statehood bill, to his desk within the first 100 days of his term.
On Monday, we commemorated Martin Luther King Jr. Day and officially launched the Council Office of Racial Equity (CORE), the first step to enacting the REACH Act that I authored in 2019. This office will advance racial equity across the District, provide equity impact assessments for future Council legislation, create equity tools to eliminate racial disparities in government as well as the budget, and ensure all Council staff undergo equity training. The Racial Equity Achieves Results Act (REACH Act) is a comprehensive measure designed to guide government work through a racial equity lens and reduce existing disparities between Black residents and everyone else.
Visit dcracialequity.org and see all the ways CORE will help us advance racial equity throughout District government.
In service,
Kenyan
|
|
In this issue of the Ward 5 Report:
|
|
|
Councilmember McDuffie was prominently featured in the news the last two weeks for his advocacy on equitable vaccine distribution, DC Statehood, a reparations task force, and a safe inauguration.
Councilmember McDuffie was interviewed by the Washington Post, City Paper, DCist, ABC7, WUSA9, and NBC4 after demanding more vaccines be made available for residents in the hardest-hit Wards. On Friday, two days after his calls for more vaccines, the Department of Health announced an additional 4,309 vaccine appointments for residents in Wards 1,4,5,7,8. Read his full statement regarding vaccine distribution here.
|
|
Councilmember McDuffie also shared his thoughts on the January 6th insurrection, a safe inauguration, and DC Statehood with The Atlantic, NPR's The Takeaway, Bloomberg, Washington Post, USA Today, and NBC4.
Lastly, Councilmember McDuffie spoke with WAMU about the significance of reintroducing his reparations task force legislation.
|
|
|
Watch Councilmember McDuffie celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King Jr’s birthday and the 40th MLK Parade with a special performance from Black Alley here.
|
|
Ward 5 Community Spotlight
|
|
The Department of Parks and Recreation is hosting a meeting on Monday, February 8th at 6:30 PM to get your input for their new parks and recreation master plan, "Ready2Play. This meeting will provide an opportunity to discuss the unique parks and recreational needs and desires of Ward 5 residents.
You can sign-up to attend this meeting here.
For more information about Ready2Play, visit ready2playdc.com
|
|
|
|
Today, Main Street America and Brother International partnered to introduce the "At Your Side" small business grant program worth $75,000 in total funding. To learn more about the program and apply, visit their website. Applications will be accepted until Thursday, January 28th at 7:59 PM.
|
|
|
The Department of Small and Local Business Development (DSLBD) is accepting applications for the 2021 Robust Retail Citywide grants. DSLBD intends to award up to $7,500 per business to 106 businesses from the total $800,000 in available funding for Fiscal Year 2021. This grant will be operated as a reimbursement grant, awarded via lottery, to DC retail businesses that have met all eligibility requirements by the final deadline.
Click here to learn more and apply.
|
|
COVID-19 & Vaccine Update
|
|
To date, DC residents 65 and older and/or health care professionals are eligible to receive the Covid-19 vaccine. Appointments are made available as DC continues to get vaccine doses from the federal government. When appointments open up, you can schedule your vaccine at vaccinate.dc.gov or by calling 855-363-0333.
Starting on January 25th, vaccine appointments will become available for in-person school staff and MPD officers.
You can subscribe for real-time updates on the vaccination rollout here.
Information from the Mayor's situational updates is included below, the full presentation is available here.
|
|
|
|
