Mayor's Office on African Affairs Joins Mayor Bowser at MLK Jr. Parade
On Monday, January 15, 2018, the Mayor's Office on African Affairs joined Mayor Bowser at the 12th Annual MLK Jr. Parade. The annual parade was first organized in 1979 by Ralph Waldo “Petey” Greene, Dr. Calvin W. Rolark, and former Ward 8 Council member Wilhelmina J. Rolark. This year’s theme was "Where Do We Go From Here": Community or Chaos. “Each year, Martin Luther King Jr. Day is an opportunity for us to come together as a country and honor the life and legacy of Dr. King. Today, we remind ourselves and our communities of the values Dr. King lived for and we recommit to continuing the fight for justice and equality,” said Mayor Bowser.
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Join the Mayor's Office on African Affairs and the Mayor's Office on African American Affairs for the 2018 Black History Film Festival
The Mayor’s Offices on African American and African Affairs, along with Urban Film Review will host the 2018 Black History Film Festival in commemoration of Black History Month. The event will take place on Friday, February 16, 2018 at the Historic Lincoln Theater.
When: Friday, February 16, 2018 | 6:00 pm – Sunday, February 18, 2018 | 9:00 pm
Where: Lincoln Theatre | 1215 U Street Northwest | Washington, DC | 20009
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Join the MOAA on January 20, 2018 for the 2018 Bilingual Education Fair
Join the Mayor's Office on African Affairs and the DC Language Immersion Project for the 2018 Bilingual
Education Fair. The event will feature over 40 exhibitors and multilingual programs for parents, educators and community members to discover multi-lingual education options, personalized technologies and linguistic resources.
Where: Thurgood Marshall Center for Service and Heritage | 1816 12th St NW, Washington, DC 20009.
When: Saturday, January 20, 2018 | 1pm- 5pm.
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Mayor Bowser Celebrates MLK Jr. Day at Events Across the District
On Monday, January 15, 2018, Mayor Bowser kicked off Martin Luther King Jr. Day at the National Action Network’s (NAN) 2018 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day Breakfast. Each year, NAN commemorates Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day with a breakfast in Washington, DC to honor King’s legacy and celebrate the work being done to carry on his dream. Mayor Bowser spoke at the breakfast, where NAN recognized four honorees: Director of National Partnerships for Airbnb Janaye Ingram, Baxter Leach of the 1968 AFSCME Local 1733 Strikers, Joe Madison human and civil rights activist and SiriusXM host, and American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten.
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Mayor Bowser Announces $4.7 Million Investment in Kingman and Heritage Islands
On Friday, January 12, 2018, in honor of the Year of Anacostia Mayor Bowser announced significant conservation and investment commitments for Kingman and Heritage Islands. The Mayor directed the DC Department of Energy and Environment (DOEE) to designate portions of both islands as a State Conservation Area and the southern area of Kingman Island as a Critical Wildlife Area. The State Conservation Area designation mimics the federal covenant for the islands, restricting their use to environmental, educational, and recreational purposes. In addition, the Mayor also announced a new $4.7 million investment for educational and recreational improvements on the islands.
“Our goal is a fishable, swimmable Anacostia River, and over the past few years, we have made tremendous progress toward that goal. However, there is more to do, and these conservation designations and this new funding will help us get that work done,” said Mayor Bowser. “Efforts and investments like these are how we will become the healthiest, greenest, and most sustainable city in the world.”
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Mayor Bowser Announces a Win in Affordable Housing Preservation
On Thursday, January 11, 2018, Mayor Bowser announced that the DC Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) closed a $2.5 million loan agreement that will help preserve 49 affordable housing units in Ward 5. This achievement is a result of a tenant association’s use of the Tenant Opportunity to Purchase Act (TOPA) and funding made available through the Housing Production Trust Fund (HPTF).
“We know that getting in and staying in the middle class requires residents to have access to safe and affordable housing,” said Mayor Bowser. “By continuing our historic investments in the Housing Production Trust Fund and using laws like the Tenant Opportunity to Purchase Act, we can preserve our existing housing stock while getting more Washingtonians keys to their own home.”
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Mayor Bowser Celebrates “Topping Out” of the New Entertainment & Sports Arena at St. Elizabeths East Campus
On Thursday, January 11, 2018, Mayor Muriel Bowser celebrated the topping out of the Entertainment and Sports Arena at St. Elizabeths East with Smoot-Gilbane construction workers and the Ward 8 community, signifying that the 4,200-seat arena and sports facility has reached its final construction height.
“Today, we put the top on a one-of-a-kind facility that is already bringing jobs to Ward 8, and there is still so much more to come,” said Mayor Bowser. “This project is bigger than basketball – it is about building pathways to the middle class and expanding prosperity by bringing jobs, entertainment, affordable housing, and more to every corner of our city.”
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This Week's District Minute
Click on the image to view the full video.
African Immigrants Are More Educated Than Most — Including People Born in U.S.
Somali immigrant Khadar Ducaale, left, helps Ahmed Omar look for a job in Fort Morgan, Colo. Ducaale runs a small business that caters to new immigrant arrivals. (RJ Sangosti / Denver Post)
The Pew Research Center reported that
African immigrants are most likely to settle in the South or Northeast, and
that the largest numbers — at least 100,000 — are found in Texas, New York,
California, Maryland, New Jersey, Massachusetts and Virginia. The center
also mentioned that any African refugees have also relocated to or have been
resettled in states such as Minnesota and South Dakota. The Refugee
Act of 1980 made it easier for people fleeing war zones to resettle in the
U.S., and today there are tens of thousands of refugees from Somalia, Sudan and
Congo. About 22% of African immigrants are refugees, according to Andrew Lim,
associate director of research at New American Economy.
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more
Young African Women Turn to Coding
Software developers at Andela's Nigeria headquarters in Lagos. / Andela/Rotimi Okungbaye
At Kwame Nkrumah
University of Science and Technology, Angela Koranteng was an accomplished
student with a special dream. At a time when few women were breaking the gender
barrier in male-dominated studies, Ms. Koranteng had her heart set on health
sciences—but instead of treating patients, she wanted to be an engineer and
build hospitals. After a round of courses
in computer programming, civil engineering and coding, Ms. Koranteng today has
earned a degree and a title: professional African coder.
Coding is what makes it
possible to create computer software, apps and websites. Your browser, your
operating system, the apps on your phone, Facebook, and websites—they’re all
made with code.
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SBRC
One-On-One Session: Basic Steps to Obtaining a Business License
The Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs
(DCRA) is hosting training on the basic
steps to obtaining a business license. During this session, the DCRA Small Business Resource
Center (SBRC) staff will provide one-on-one assistance with navigating through
the regulatory process. You will gain in-depth knowledge of registering with
corporations (i.e. Limited Liability Company, Corporations, Non-Profit, etc.)
and with the basic steps of obtaining a business license. Additionally, you
will receive assistance with the zoning application process (i.e. Certificate
of Occupancy and or Home Occupancy Permit).This opportunity is geared towards
future and current business owners looking to conduct business in the District
of Columbia.
When: Thursday, January 25, 2018 | 3:00pm - 3:30pm
Where: 1100 4th St SW E268 |
Washington, D.C. | 20024
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ABC Licensee
Orientation Training
New and existing ABC
licensees are invited to attend Alcoholic Beverage Regulation Administration
(ABRA) orientation
training to review: District ABC laws and regulations (including any
recent changes to the law); tips for working effectively with the community; settlement
Agreements; expectations of ABC licensees; best practices and noise abatement
and sound management.
Attendance
for this class is strongly recommended for new ABC license holders. Training is
free of charge. Requests for interpreters may be made; however, they must be
submitted by the RSVP deadline. Register online or
contact ABRA Community Resource Officer Sarah
Fashbaugh to RSVP at (202) 397-3971.
When: Thursday, January 25, 2018 | 2:00pm - 4:00pm
Where: 2000 14th Street, NW | Suite 400 South
| 4th Floor | Washington, D.C. | 20009
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2018 Mayor Marion S. Barry Summer
Youth Employment Program Employer Forum
Join Haptic DC to support youth
programs in DC. As the Department of
Employment Services (DOES) launches its 2018 Summer Youth Employment
Campaign, Haptic DC will be working with the Office of Youth Programs
at DOES to promote the Summer Youth Employment Program within the private
industry. This meeting will be an opportunity to
become involved with DOES, learn more about the program, its benefits and discuss
your ideas for working with youth this summer.
The mission of HAPTIC DC is to empower communities
and develop sustainable economies through collective bargaining and cultural
awareness.
When: Wednesday, January 31, 2018 |10:00am - 12:00pm
Where: 4058 Minnesota Avenue
Northeast | Washington, D.C. | 20019
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more
DC Health Link, the District’s Online Marketplace
for Health Insurance is Open
DCHealthLink.com, the District’s state-based
health insurance exchange established under the Affordable Care Act, provides
health insurance to approximately 18,000 residents through the individual
marketplace and more than 76,000 people through the small business
marketplace. Despite the federal marketplace limiting its open enrollment
period to six weeks, DC Health Link remains open until January 31, 2018.
Learn more
Extended
Deadline for FLAS Fellowships Applications
The Center for African Studies at
Howard University is accepting applications for
the Foreign Language and Area Studies (FLAS) Fellowships. There are
options for Academic Year programs and Summer programs. The deadline for FLAS Fellowships has been extended to Thursday,
February 15, 2018.
The Center for African Studies
provides Foreign Language and Area Studies (FLAS) Fellowships through funding
from the U.S. Department of Education Title VI program. FLAS Fellowships
support students taking African languages (Amharic, Arabic, Somali, Swahili,
Wolof, Yoruba and Zulu) and area studies coursework. The fellowships support
intensive for-credit study of an African language and to promote the
development of competency in African Studies either in the United States or
abroad.
Learn more
Want Your Event Featured in the African Beat?
'The African Beat' is distributed to over 8,000 subscribers every other Friday. If you would like your event to be featured in our newsletter, please submit the following details: what, when & where, and provide a link to where readers can go for more information. Submission deadline for the next edition is Wednesday, January 31, 2018 by 5:00 pm. Send all materials, along with any questions, to oaa@dc.gov.
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