By Katrina Avila The enduring mission of Serve Your City/Ward 6 Mutual Aid (SYC/W6MA) remains unchanged: to provide resources to Black and Brown youth and families across DC that others may already possess. Whether it’s offering after-school enrichment and tutoring programs or vital support, SYC/W6MA has played a crucial role […]
Scholarship Celebration Honors Southwest Students and Supporters Paying It Forward
Courtesy of SWNA ESTF. By Paula Young Shelton For the past 50 years, the Southwest Neighborhood Assembly (SWNA) has supported students in our community by providing scholarships to college and graduate school. On Sunday, August 6, donors, supporters and recipients past and present gathered at St. Matthew’s Lutheran Church to […]
New Jefferson Academy Principal Aims for Consistency, Community
Allecyn Howard. Courtesy of Allecyn Howard. By Guy Aldridge Jefferson Middle School Academy is getting a new principal this fall. Allecyn Howard joins the school with decades of experience in Special Education, literacy coaching, teacher training and more. Howard told The Southwester she has a series of educational goals she […]
Young Readers Book Review: Black Was The Ink
By Paula Young Shelton This historical fiction young adult novel takes the reader on an adventure through time and America’s political history. Centered on a young African American teen from Washington, DC, Black Was The Ink leads Malcolm on an exploration of himself, his family, and the forgotten history of […]
Young Readers: No Book Shaming
By Kitty Felde I just got back from the American Library Association annual conference in Chicago. It was the perfect place to ask the experts about how to get a kid to pick up a book. Librarian Arlene LaVerde from Queens, New York says kids have been inundated with school […]
DC STORM Visits Hampton Roads for Educational, College Tour
Jefferson Middle School students read about the Emancipation Oak Tree on the campus of Hampton University while on a DC STORM college tour. Courtesy of the Author By Jay Shorter On the weekend of June 23, the non-profit organization DC STORM, Inc (Students Taught Organization and Respect through Mentoring) took […]
Summer Book Clubs Abound for Young Readers
By Kitty Felde There will be those days this summer when venturing outside in 90 degree heat with 90% humidity is too much to imagine. Even your kids refuse to go outside. How do you keep them off the gaming devices? Sign them up for a book club. Summer is […]