Habari gani? (What's the word?) - UMOJA! (UNITY!) Happy Kwanzaa to neighbors gathering to light the kinara today.

Merry Christmas! I am wishing bright and joyful celebrations to neighbors in Ward 5 and beyond today.

With the final nights of Hanukkah this weekend, Christmas and Kwanzaa next week, and the approaching New Year, my office is wishing happy holidays to neighbors in Ward 5 and beyond!

The Season 2 Finale of the Ward 5 Wave Podcast and the latest edition of the Ward 5 Weekly Newsletter are available now! You can read at ward5.us/news, listen at ward5.us/podcast, and subscribe to get the newsletter straight to your inbox at ward5.us/newsletter.

DC child poverty spiked by 11% in 2024, a number that will increase with continued cuts to DC and Federal budgets. The CTC is one of the best tools we have to help alleviate it. We're grateful to @cmzparker5.bsky.social and all his colleagues who are pushing for this important legislation.

The child tax credit is one of the single-most effective anti-poverty measures of the last half-century. That's why 10 of my colleagues are joining me in sending a letter to Mayor Bowser requesting that she maintain funding the Council secured for this policy in her upcoming budget proposal.

Happy Hanukkah to neighbors across Ward 5 and the District beginning their celebrations this evening! 🕎 I mourn alongside the world following the horrific attacks in Australia earlier today, and believe that these 8 days of gathering will be a reclamation that darkness will not overcome light. 🕯️

The latest Ward 5 Weekly Newsletter is out now! You can read it at ward5.us/news and subscribe at ward5.us/newsletter.

Note the new location for tonight’s meeting! 👇🏾

Two important hearings are coming up this Thursday and there is still time to sign up to testify and/or submit written testimony! 👇🏾 🌳 Ivy City Climate Resilience - lims.dccouncil.gov/Hearings/hea... 🏛️ CFSA Director Tanya Torres Trice Confirmation Resolution - lims.dccouncil.gov/Hearings/hea...

Join us for caroling in the park this Friday! 🎄 📍18th St & Bunker Hill Rd NE ⏰ Friday, 12/12/25, 6:00 - 8:00 p.m.

Thrilled to move the PrEP DC Amendment Act of 2025 out of the Committee on Health. Next up? The Committee on Business and Economic Development. Let them know you want this bill to keep moving forward to the full Council as we continue our work driving down rates of HIV and AIDS!

I'm joining this hearing now to ask questions about trash and recycling collection in Ward 5, including frequently missed collections, overflowing public bins, and cans that get damaged by DPW staff during collections. Tune in! 👉🏾 www.youtube.com/live/vycjWNU...

The latest Ward 5 Weekly Newsletter is available now! You can read it at ward5.us/news and subscribe to get it straight to your inbox every Friday evening at ward5.us/newsletter.

SOUL is a youth-driven, new permanency goal for older youth in foster care. SOUL legally recognizes the circle of loving adults in an older youth’s life who are committed to their future. We are excited to keep moving this key legislation forward! @cmzparker5.bsky.social

🚦 Today and Saturday! Join us for the third round of community engagement on the South Dakota Ave Corridor Safety Project. Details 👇🏾 💻 Virtual: December 4, 6:00 - 8:00 p.m. Sign up here: ward5.us/sdasafety 👋🏾 In-person: December 6, 10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. @ Sojourner Truth PCS (1800 Perry St NE)

Wishing a Happy Thanksgiving to neighbors in Ward 5 and the District! I hope you're gathering w/ loved ones & taking a moment to count your blessings. I am forever grateful to be in service of this community that I love. 🍁 🗞️ Catch a shortened holiday edition of the Ward 5 Weekly at ward5.us/news

The latest Ward 5 Weekly Newsletter is out now! You can read at ward5.us/news and subscribe at ward5.us/newsletter.

Today, @chmnmendelson.bsky.social and I sent a letter to DYRS expressing our deep concerns about educational service gaps and operational deficiencies that continue to plague the Youth Services Center and requesting answers to critical oversight inquiries. 👉🏾 zacharyparkerward5.com/wp-content/u...

If you or a Ward 5 neighbor you know is in need of groceries this holiday season, please sign up for my office's Annual Thanksgiving Giveaway. We'll distribute grocery bags full of non-perishable holiday food items this Thursday from 12-5pm at Turkey Thicket Rec. 👉🏾 ward5.us/thanksgiving2025

Always a joy to bike in Ward 5! @cmzparker5.bsky.social

The latest edition of the Ward 5 Weekly Newsletter is available now! You can read at ward5.us/news and subscribe at ward5.us/newsletter.

This Saturday!! Gather: Michigan Pk Community Playground (Wynton St NE) @10:30am ➡️ End: Lost Gen Brewing featuring Silver & Sons BBQ 🍗

Today, we are testifying at the DC Council in support of the SOUL Act introduced by @cmzparker5.bsky.social. Right now, more than half of young people in DC's foster system age out of foster care without a permanent plan, such as family reunification, adoption, or legal guardianship.

Tomorrow, six of the bills in the C.A.R.E. for Youth Plan will get a joint hearing. I'm looking forward to hearing testimony from dozens of public witnesses and from government witnesses on how we can strengthen these bills to improve youth wellbeing in the District. 🧵👇🏾

Tune in tmrw as @cmzparker5.bsky.social & @cmbrookepinto.bsky.social hold a hearing on a bill to establish SOUL, a new permanency goal for older youth in foster care. Individuals w/ experience in care will share why SOUL is needed & how they developed the bill with government agencies & partners.

The latest Ward 5 Weekly Newsletter is available now! You can read at ward5.us/news, listen at ward5.us/newsletter, and catch up on previous episodes of the Ward 5 Wave Podcast at ward5.us/podcast.

DC is set to become the first city in the U.S. to implement a local child tax credit. It stands to transform lives + reduce child poverty by 25%. When we lift families out of poverty, we see outcomes across their lives improve: from education, to health, to employment, and more. 👉🏾 wapo.st/3XaOyEK

Kept a promise to DCI students to come back for a Dragon TV interview about public service and what I love about Ward 5 and the District. It was a good time!

Join me in celebrating a huge victory for working-class families across the District: we secured the first-ever District Child Tax Credit and an acceleration of the Earned Income Tax Credit expansion. 🎉

I'm dogged about alleviating poverty in the District for families and children. That's why I've championed the Child Tax Credit, shown to be the single most effective anti-poverty measure in the past 60+ years. Tomorrow, I'm moving an amendment alongside 9 of my colleagues to finally secure it.

The latest Ward 5 Weekly Newsletter is available now! You can read at ward5.us/news and subscribe at ward5.us/newsletter. Happy Halloween! 👻 🎃 🧌

Reminder about tonight's meeting! Hope to see Brentwood/Brookland Manor neighbors there as we discuss a number of community concerns. ⏰ October 30, 6:30 p.m. 📍 Brentwood Rec Center (2311 14th St NE)

If you actually live in DC you should submit testimony for this initiative. BCBS has tried to do copay or testing fees for regular PrEP testing.

The District has made progress driving down rates of HIV and AIDS, and we need to continue our efforts. I invite you to come testify in support of a bill I introduced earlier this year, the PrEP DC Act of 2025, at the Committee on Health's hearing this Thursday at 9:30 a.m. Sign up at ward5.us/prep.

Tomorrow! Reminder to register at ward5.us/publicsafetycall

The latest editions of the Ward 5 Weekly Newsletter and the Ward 5 Wave Podcast are available now! You can read at ward5.us/news, listen at ward5.us/podcast, and subscribe at ward5.us/newsletter.

While the District continues to see encouraging declines in crime, we know there is more work to do and that ongoing federal surge presents challenges. Join us on October 29 for the next Ward 5 Public Safety Call to get updates and ask questions. Register at ward5.us/publicsafetycall

The latest edition of the Ward 5 Weekly newsletter is available now! You can read at ward5.us/news and subscribe at ward5.us/newsletter. You can also catch up on episodes of the Ward 5 Wave podcast at ward5.us/podcast.

Everyone has the constitutional right to protest, gather peacefully, and make their voices heard. Today, we are releasing guidance to make clear what is and what is not permitted under federal and local laws for protests in the nation's capital. Know your rights, DC:

The CARE for Youth Plan includes a bill addressing absenteeism and truancy in the District. Yesterday's hearing in the Committee of the Whole on absenteeism and today's hearing in the Committee on Youth Affairs brings these issues to the fore. See coverage from @washingtonpost.com - wapo.st/4heWRJ1

Last week @cmzparker5.bsky.social introduced the SOUL Amendment Act, which will help older youth in foster care leave the system with legal, caring relationships and lasting supports as they take on adult responsibilities. Thank you CM Parker for bringing this important bill to the Council!

Reminder: the deadline to sign up for the October 16 Roundtable on Overcrowding at YSC is tomorrow at 10:00 a.m. 👉🏾 lims.dccouncil.gov/Hearings/hea...

The latest editions of the Ward 5 Weekly Newsletter and Ward 5 Wave Podcast are available now! You can read at ward5.us/news, listen at ward5.us/podcast, and subscribe to get the newsletter straight to your inbox every Friday at ward5.us/newsletter.

There's been a lot of talk about youth and crime in D.C. since President Trump retook office. But Ward 5 Councilmember Zachary Parker (@cmzparker5.bsky.social) says he has a new plan that is actually aimed at addressing the root causes of violence. More here, in his opinion piece:

The C.A.R.E. for Youth Plan is one small step and a call to action. 👉🏾 Check out my op-ed in @51st.news 51st.news/dc-juvenile-...

My team & I visited Dunbar HS today to hear students' thoughts on policies in the C.A.R.E. for Youth Plan I introduced this week, along with other relevant issues including the recently enacted cell phone ban at DC Public Schools and public safety incidents among high school students.

My office has two tickets to give away to the Capital's home opener tonight against the Boston Bruins! Must be a Ward 5 resident to enter. Email [email protected].

Happening now - the Council's Legislative Meeting. Tune in here: dc.granicus.com/MediaPlayer.... Make sure you're subscribed to the Ward 5 Weekly for a recap of the meeting happenings in my newsletter this week: ward5.us/newsletter

DC's juvenile detention center has been over it's 98-bed capacity every day since April 22, 2025. This is unacceptable. Join the Committee on Youth Affairs for a Public Roundtable on Overcrowding at YSC, October 16. Sign up at ward5.us/oct16.