Almost nine months into the pandemic, some local coffee shops have hit a plateau in their businesses. Others have not survived.��

, 2020 will be the first year since 2011 that the number of coffee shops across America will decrease.��

Yahya Sardari is one of the many coffee shop owners in Columbia Heights. His coffee shop, Coffy Café, has been around for seven years. It’s known for its ‘60s theme atmosphere and savory crepes. When the pandemic hit in March, Sardari, like all other business owners in D.C., was forced to close down.��

Sardari said when the Coffy Café reopened in May, there was a spike in service. But customers were only allowed to take their beverages and meals-to-go at the time. Now, the coffee shop’s business is moving at a steady pace.��

“Once we had the confirmation from D.C., to be able to have 50% capacity, then we went up,” Sardari said, referring to an increase in business during the summer. “Now we are in a plateau. I guess people don’t feel comfortable coming in.”

Sardari said he thinks people drink more coffee at home now.��

detailing coffee consumer data and how Americans have changed their routines in how they go about getting their coffee during the pandemic.��

According to the report, Americans have purchased fewer coffee products inside stores while increasing online purchases instead. The use of apps to order coffee has increased by 63% and drive-through orders have increased by 13%.��

Now with the shops and businesses reopening to a limited capacity, Sardari still worries about the possibility of having to close down his coffee shop again.

Over the past two weeks, COVID-19 cases have been continuously rising in D.C. After celebrating the election results, On Nov. 14, there were 2321 COVID-19 cases reported in Maryland, according to the Maryland Department of Health. On the same day in Virginia, there were 970 cases, but on Nov. 16., the number jumped to 2071 new cases.

again, such as shutting down indoor dining and limiting indoor gatherings. Iowa has started a mask mandate. Some people are saying this is only the start of what is soon to be a second lockdown, one which many businesses can’t afford.��

Coffy Café, like many other local businesses, received aid from the (PPP), a loan designed to help small businesses pay their employees. But that program ended on Aug. 8.

“I’m not worried about Starbucks, they are not going to close down,” Sardari said. “I’m worried about here because we can go under like that,” Sardari said, snapping his fingers to emphasize how quickly his business can go under if he is forced to shut down his establishment again.

Like the Coffy Cafe, Tynan’s Coffee & Tea is also experiencing a steady, yet slower business. Some customers decide to sit inside but more often they take their drinks and meals to go.��

The owners, two twin brothers, John and Thabo Richardson, 34, have noticed their customers are taking their orders to go while also purchasing coffee beans so they can make their coffee at home.

“There’s just not a huge demand for people to be hanging out in coffee shops in the afternoon,” John Richardson said. “We used to see teachers after school, students after school or tutors doing tutoring sessions or impromptu group meetings. None of that is happening now.” 

Coffee shops usually have a quiet atmosphere aside from the tinkering of a barista fixing drinks or prepping meals. But now, some coffee shops are experiencing ghost-like qualities with little to no customers at all. Sankofa Video Books & Cafe, a D.C. based African coffeehouse, hasn’t reopened their coffee shop. Customers are only able to enter to purchase books and videos.��

Local coffee chain ‘Philz Coffee’ in Adams Morgan has also experienced an increase in their app.��

Abie Siegal, 35, the store leader at Philz Coffee, said Philz isn’t allowing customers to sit inside right now which has had a significant impact on the relationships between the service provider and the customer.��

But for Siegal, she doesn’t want to put anyone at risk of getting sick.

“I just worry about people,” Siegal said. “I worry about the humans first before the business.” 

Megan Reilly, a team leader also working at Philz Coffee, has noticed more customers lately. Reilly said that when Philz Coffee reopened, customers were waiting outside in lines. Reilly said she thinks the long lines were from people desperate to get out of their house after being cooped up for so long. They needed a break.��

Now, Reilly is concerned about how a second shutdown might change that. People may not feel comfortable leaving their homes as much as they did the first time.��

“I’m definitely a little bit afraid of how shutting down will impact people wanting to come out again after a second time.” 

The post DC coffeeshops ‘can’t afford to close again’ amid pandemic first appeared on 91����.

National TPS Alliance is an advocacy organization geared toward promoting the rights of immigrants and TPS holders.��

Before the rally, organizers and TPS recipients were seen driving through the Columbia Heights neighborhood honking and waving dark blue flags with the words “Save TPS!” Local TPS recipients living in the area waved the El Salvadorian flag in salute.��

National TPS Alliance organizers and recipients were seen stepping out of a big colorful bus named “La Libertad.” D.C. is the last stop for the riders, who originally started their trip in Los Angeles in late September. They drove through other cities around the United States to protest the Trump administration’s strict immigration policies and to educate people about the “Save TPS” movement.

Trump supporters weren’t too far away from the BLM Plaza, as they were preparing for their own rally and march on Saturday to protest the election results and demand a recount for all states.��

Last Saturday, multiple media outlets announced Biden won the presidential election with 284 votes, defeating President Trump who had 219. Biden’s win gave hope to many TPS and DACA recipients who face deportation if their statuses and programs are not extended or renewed.��

On Biden’s , his platform for immigration states that he will “immediately review every TPS decision made by the Trump administration and overturn all those that do not appropriately consider the facts.” 

Trump supporters and pro-life advocates stuck around to see TPS recipients and activists chanting “What do we want?! Residency! When do we want it?! NOW!”

‘We love you but go find your own country!’

A few Trump supporters were seen having tense conversations with allies of the TPS and immigrant community.��

Katherine Spivak, a 52-year-old Trump supporter, drove from Clearwater, Florida, with her family to Columbia, South Carolina, to ride with the “Stop the Steal” caravan to D.C., to protest the election results.��

At the TPS rally, she told the crowd “we love you but go find your own country!” 

Spivak said she doesn’t want immigrants to come to the U.S. if they are going to “bring communism with them.” 

“Some of these other groups are spreading violence and their messages are to hurt Americans,” Spivak said. “But we aren’t backing down.” 

While Trump supporters watched the TPS rally from afar, speakers and musicians took turns to share their personal stories, chant or sing songs in unison.��

Will Biden keep his word?

Lenda Esmaralda, a 19-year-old TPS holder from El Salvador, came from Virginia to attend the rally. She recently lost her mother due to COVID-19, leaving her with her dad, who also has TPS, and her brother, who is a U.S. citizen. Esmaralda hopes Biden keeps his word because if not, her and her father could risk being deported, which would leave her younger brother in the U.S. alone.�� 

Esmaralda, like all other TPS recipients, is waiting anxiously to see what Biden will do.��

“He said on his first day he’s going to make a pathway for undocumented immigrants,” Esmaralda said. “But I have to wait to see what he’s going to do.” 

, the TPS status for El Savadoreans will end on Jan. 4, 2021. Biden is scheduled to take office two weeks later, which would force the recipients into an “undocumented” status or without protections, meaning Trump could still deport them as one of his last major actions.��

Like Esmaralda, Melissa, 24, who only gave her first name to protect her identity, also has temporary protected status, but she’s from Haiti. Melissa is part of the National TPS Alliance’s Executive Committee and Youth Committee. She said she hopes Biden will give permanent residency to both TPS holders and DACA recipients. Melissa said former administrations have said they wanted to help TPS recipients and immigrants but they never followed through.��

“We’ve always lived in fear,” Melissa said. “It’s stressful. People have said things but they’ve never actually done it.” 

Members from the National TPS Alliance don’t plan on stopping their movement after Biden is in office. They will continue to put pressure on the future administration and Congress to create legislation protecting recipients and a pathway to citizenship.��

Arnoldo Diaz, 57, who is an organizer and member of the Executive Committee on the National TPS Alliance, said his organization is planning a march in February. Diaz said his organization is also planning on going to Georgia for the run-off election.

Diaz came to the U.S. from El Salvador in the ‘80s. He was granted political asylum at the time and is now a U.S. citizen fighting for the rights of other immigrants. “I knew how hard it was for me to go through all that,” Diaz said. “I’ve always been involved in immigration issues.”

TPS recipients will have to wait until Jan. 20, 2021, to see if Biden will keep his promise of creating a pathway to citizenship.��

The post TPS recipients push Biden to permanent residency first appeared on 91����.

Bologna-native Valentina Fabbri, 20, studies in the university in Milan, Italy. She studies public relations and corporate communications. Fabbri said that even though this year’s U.S. election is “a little weird” she continues to watch the news because she knows it’s important.

“Up to this point, I think Biden will win,” Fabbri said. Before Barack Obama and President Trump were candidates, she didn’t pay much attention to American politics. But this year is different.

“I feel like this is a very particular election,” Fabbri said. “It’s very difficult to decide because everything can change in a minute.” 

Fabbri has tried to inform other Italians about the political events happening in the United States but she said they aren’t interested.��

“What happens in America has consequences all over the world. And some Italian people that say ‘Oh we’re Italians, we don’t care about this,’” she said. But “like no, what the U.S. does, affects you and affects the entire world,” Fabbri said she tells her peers.

Like Fabbri, Nelly Harutyunyan, 21, is also a student. But she lives in Yerevan, Armenia, a country in the middle of a war with Azerbaijan over a territory called Nagorno-Karabakh.��

Harutyunyan, lived in Iowa for one year in 2016 during an exchange program. She said she was very disappointed when she heard Trump won Iowa, her host state during her stay in the U.S.

“I had very high hopes for Iowa,” Harutyunyan said.��

Harutyunyan said she doesn’t keep up with politics much but because the U.S. election results can affect Armenia, she tries to keep up with current events happening in the U.S. She said she believes Biden will replace Trump as president.��

“Between the candidates, of course, I’m anti-Trump. And I think a lot of people are just voting for Biden,” Harutyunyan said. “Trump has been providing a lot of support to Turkey and Azerbaijan which affects Armenia in a very bad way.”  

In early October, Senate Democrats sent a to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo urging the president to suspend aid to Azerbaijan and call for an immediate ceasefire.��

Other students are closely monitoring the election, as well. Change-min Kim is a graduate student from Daegu, South Korea. Kim studies political science and international relations. Kim hopes Biden will win.

“I think Biden may win because he is getting more votes in Wisconsin and Michigan,” Kim said. “But there are some variables like Nevada I’m worried about.” 

Vietnamese tech worker: Trump not going away

Jill Nguyen, is a 27-year-old professional working in the tech field. Nguyen, who is from Hanoi, Vietnam said there are intersections between her work in technology and political campaigns.��

“Let’s say if Biden does win, I don’t see Trump going away,” Ngyuen said. “I do see his followers, his supporters, and even himself and his family continue using social media to create misinformation and chaos.” 

Nguyen said she is “cautiously optimistic” that Biden will win. “It’s very close.” 

Michael Heaven, is a 36-year-old working in the music industry in London. Heaven, originally from Liverpool said he was up all night just to watch the election and see the outcome. He, like many others from the international community, are awaiting the results.��

“I think Biden is going to win,” Heaven said. Heaven says he is confident that Biden can get the 270 votes he needs to win the election.

 “I think Biden can get there without Pennsylvania,” said Heaven. “If he holds Nevada, Arizona, Wisconsin, Michigan, it’s over.” 

The post World watches as US keeps counting, and counting first appeared on 91����.

Nov. 3 has been an important day for Americans, as historic numbers of people turn out to vote either in favor of Trump receiving a second term or vote in support of his challenger, Democratic candidate and former Vice President, Joe Biden.��

This comes at a time where the country is facing an ongoing battle with COVID 19, which continues to take American lives every day.��

Aligning with the party platform

Stacy Washington is a decorated Air Force Veteran, conservative columnist and currently the co-chair on the Advisory Board for Black Voices for Trump, an organization that encourages the black community to support President Trump. During the 2016 primaries, Washington originally supported Ben Carson then made the decision to vote for Ted Cruz.��

Washington said before Trump won the GOP nomination back in 2016, she spoke to Trump supporters in her local community to find out why they were voting for him. They told her that he wasn’t a politician. Washington took that into consideration as she searched his campaign’s website to learn more about his stances on issues that were important to her.��

“I don’t vote blindly,” Washington said. She compared Trump’s platform to the Republican Party’s platform to see if they were closely aligned. And voting for Hillary Clinton wasn’t even an option.��

“I took a chance knowing that at the very minimum he would be adhering to the platform which was very important to me,” Washington said.��

Marie Stroughter, a 56-year-old from California, like Washington, was not a supporter of Trump at first. She worked for the Ted Cruz campaign in 2016.��

In 2016, Stroughter said she voted for President Trump but before doing so, she was a “pretty staunch Never Trumper,” a term stemming from a group of Republicans who tried to prevent Trump from receiving the Republican Party nomination, but failed.��

Stroughter is the co-founder of a blog site called African-American Conservatives (AACONS) and is a mother of three. She is also on the advisory board of Black Voices for Trump.��

“He won me over with the fact that he kept his promises. He made a lot of promises and I was very skeptical, I think at first, but I started seeing the achievements rack up and pretty quickly became a fan,” Stroughter said.��

Pro-life and defunding planned parenthood

If President Trump is reelected, Washington said she would like to see the Trump administration defund Planned Parenthood, a nonprofit organization that provides sexual healthcare services and administers safe and legal abortions. The organization often faces heat from the Republican Party for their support in women having the right to choose whether or not they want to have an abortion.��

“I would like to see him fully defund Planned Parenthood. He partially defunded them but I would like to see them fully defunded,” Washington said.��

In 2019, the Trump administration made changes to , a federal grant program to help low-income families receive reproductive health services. This change, which would prohibit Title X health care providers from referring patients for abortion services, caused Planned Parenthood to back out of the program and lose funding.

Both Washington and Stroughter are staunch pro-life supporters. Stroughter said she wants to see President Trump in the White House for another four years because he is pro-life like she is, in addition to other reasons.

“I think he is the first sitting president in decades to actually appear at the March for Life in January in Washington,” Stroughter said. President Trump is the first sitting president to speak at a March for Life event.��

Trump for the next four years

If President Trump is reelected, which may not be decided for days or even weeks due to the large amount of mail-in ballots, Washington and Stroughter both said they would like the Trump administration to tackle immigration.��

“I know that there are a number of things that have been proposed but I want to see the border wall completed,” Washington said. “I want to see a deal with Mexico.” 

For Eric Carter, a 48-year-old United States Marine Corps veteran from Alabama, his main concern is for the Trump administration to control COVID-19, a virus that has killed over . As of Saturday, Carter had planned to vote in-person at his local voting site on Election Day. He said he had plans to take his mask and hand sanitizer.��

“First of all, we need to work on this COVID thing,” Carter said. “For our nation.” 

Once COVID-19 is handled, Carter said he hopes Trump will work on trying to fix the economy.��

Carter voted for Trump in 2016, too. Reflecting back to that time, Carter said Trump was “charismatic” and a supporter of veterans, which was important to Carter who served four years in the Marines.

Carter, who was once a Democrat, said he was lied to by the Democratic Party which made him want to change parties. Trump, Carter said, doesn’t look at Black people as a statistic or a victim.��

From Democrat to Republican

Scherie Murray, a Jamaican-born New Yorker, said she became a Republican while in college after learning about the Republican Party’s principles and history. Murray recalled the time when she had to read an American history book for one of her college classes.��

“I was fascinated and learned about the perceptions of both political parties,” Murray said.

Stroughter, too, was a Democrat who changed political parties after going to college.

Washington said she became a Republican 20 years ago. Her first vote ever was for Bill Clinton when he was running for his second term in 1996.��

Murray, 39, announced her bid against Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) in 2019 but suspended her campaign ahead of the primary in May of this year. When asked if she would consider running again, she said “if the opportunity presents itself” but then said she couldn’t say either way.��

Murray, along with many other Black Republicans, said she is tired of being judged, ridiculed and “canceled” for not automatically voting for a Democrat.��

“I wish that people would be more receptive in why we support our president versus wanting to cancel us and demean us and call us names,” Murray said. “Because we don’t support the Democratic ideology.” 

Murray voted for Obama in 2012 and said she was disappointed that he did not create any policies to help African-Americans. She said President Trump has helped the African-American community more than any other president.��

“We’ve been conditioned as Black people by the leaders in the Democratic Party to think that Republicans are racist, Republicans are rich, Republicans are white, Republicans are old men,” Murray said.��

“And that’s just not true.”

The post Black conservatives want four more years of Trump first appeared on 91����.

Fatigue from teaching in front of the computer all day isn’t helping much, either.

They know this election isn’t a normal one. They are hanging in nevertheless – hoping to inform their students about how the democratic process works, what systems are in place to protect it and what rumors and propaganda might get in the way.

Clifford Turner, 46, teaches 8th grade history and civics at Jack Benny Middle School in Waukegan, Illinois. He has taught history for 20 years.��

After President Trump tweeted in early October that he had COVID-19, Turner decided to turn the breaking news into a history lesson. “What is a line of succession? What does the constitution say about it?” he asked his students.

Like others, he finds himself walking a fine line when moderating class discussions about hot-button topics. Neutrality can sometimes conflict with personal political beliefs.�� 

“My job as a teacher is not to make liberals. It’s not to make conservatives,” Turner said. “It’s to make citizens.” 

History relevant today

Turner said he lives in a conservative community but teaches in a liberal one.

 “As a teacher, I find that our students only take one side without looking at the whole and while I might lean liberal, I find that there is an ethics problem there,” he said.��

The fatal shooting of a young Black 18-year-old Marcellis Stinnette by a police officer in caused a stir in Turner’s community. Turner says he doesn’t like to shy away from discussing issues like race especially when many of his students are minorities.��

Race in America was one of the key highlights of the second presidential debate between President Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden. The candidates were asked to speak directly to Black families who fear for their children’s safety.

If police brutality and racism are happening in the Waukegan community, Turner likes to address issues head-on. Turner likes to use TEDx Talks as one of his main teaching tools.��

Not all conversations come easily.

Asia Bingaman, 22, a first-year teacher, is finding it harder to get her students to participate in classroom discussions due to the virtual learning environment.��

Her students aren’t required to turn on their computer cameras when they are learning from home. Because everyone’s home life is different, the use of cameras is an option. Most of the time, Bingaman says, she is teaching to small black squares on her computer screen.��

Bingaman teaches at Grimsley High School in Greensboro, North Carolina. Bingaman teaches three African American history classes with 97 students; they discuss the history of voter suppression and the lack of polls in low-income areas.

On Oct. 31, a crowd of around 200 people who were peacefully marching to the polls in Graham, North Carolina, were pepper-sprayed by city police without warning. Police officers claimed the protesters didn’t have permits to close off the area, according to . This isn’t the only time Alamance County has had a run-in with voters.�� 

The importance of voting comes up in class.

“We do talk about how important it is to vote and what voting meant from a time when you didn’t have any rights,” Bingaman said. Because Black history classes are inherently political, Bingaman said she is careful about the content. Sometimes her students challenge her about history.

“I’m like ‘there is nothing to disagree with. These are things that have happened. This is history. This is American history,”’ Bingaman added. “I welcome the debate to some degree because it teaches my students how to have these conversations in real life.” 

Avoiding personal politics

Like Bingaman, James Christensen, 23, is also a new history teacher. He is teaching American history and government at Putnam County R-I Schools in Unionville, Missouri. Christensen is teaching most of his students in person, although some are logging in from home and watching him teach from inside the classroom.�� 

“The biggest thing I want them to take away from my class is not that Mr. Christensen believes this way, but now you know how to develop your own thoughts on things and being an informed voter,” Christensen said.��

Many of his students, Christensen says, believe that Trump is going to be reelected on Nov 3.��

Christensen said he always tries to give neutral answers. He doesn’t want to persuade his students to have a certain viewpoint.�� “It’s not my job to say ‘here’s my political belief and now it’s going to be yours.’” 

Online presents extra challenges

Alexander Castro, a history teacher is in his second year at The Academy at Smith also located in Greensboro. He has struggled to get his students to engage in classroom discussions due to being online.��

Castro said that if he was teaching inside an actual classroom, he thinks students would be more willing to participate. Now that his online classes are shortened by 30 minutes, Castro must be strategic about what to include or not. Castro said he has been involved in teacher workshops encouraging students to vote.��

“I don’t lean towards any side, that’s what we’re taught to do. But I really stress the importance of voting,” Castro said.��

Casto, 23, who is Latino, encourages all of his students, who come from diverse backgrounds, to vote when they come of age. Castro has 14, 15 and 16-year olds students in his classes. Sometimes they tell him that their votes won’t matter but Castro stresses that it does.

 “Our voices matter as well,” Castro said.��

The post Teaching history through the fog of pandemic and politics first appeared on 91����.

LAYC is an organization geared toward helping youth transition to adulthood by providing them with a variety of bilingual resources, services and opportunities.

In a recent October update from LAYC on its website, clinicians have provided 1,756 counseling sessions and 683 case management sessions to 274 youth — 109 of whom are newly enrolled.

Before the pandemic, LAYC only recorded the number of youth enrolled in their sessions.��

91���� spoke to four people associated with LAYC to get a better sense of how young people are adjusting to virtual counseling during the pandemic: two mental health clinicians, a parent of two children participating in counseling as well as a client currently attending virtual counseling sessions during COVID-19.��

‘A��������������������ٲ�’

Taylor Pinckney is one of the therapists at LAYC. She, along with the other school-based mental health counselors, work in the public school system to provide individual and family services to students and the school community.��

“I’m super happy to know that our numbers went up because people are actually seeking out services during this time of need,” Pinckney said.��

Pinckney provides therapeutic services to staff, students and families at Woodrow Wilson High School, a partnership created by LAYC as part of a 2019 initiative.��

At that time, the Department of Behavioral Health (DBH) identified schools in the D.C. area with the highest need for mental health services and partnered with organizations like LAYC to help meet the growing needs of students.

LAYC has partnerships with seven schools in D.C.: Cardozo Education Campus, Woodrow Wilson High School, Anacostia High School, Paul Public Charter School, Ballou High School, Brightwood Education Campus and Kramer Middle School.

Pinckney said she thinks the increase in youth participation is due to the “accessibility” of the services now that telehealth is the only option for clients.��

“Because students and clients don’t have to leave their home, it’s more accessible to them,” Pinckney said.��

Before the pandemic, LAYC was only seeing clients from ages 12-21. But LAYC has since decided to expand their age group, now offering services to youth as young as 6. Youth who are uninsured or covered by medicaid qualify for the mental health services as long as they are D.C. residents.��

‘It feels more robotic’

While there are some clients who prefer virtual counseling and have adapted to telehealth services, the transition for others has not been easy. Henry is an 18-year-old college student studying liberal arts.��

91���� is only reporting first names of clients receiving counseling in order to protect their identities.��

Henry discovered LAYC’s counseling services when he was in high school. At the time, he was looking for an outlet to express himself.

“I still get to hear someone’s voice, I still get to see someone’s face but it doesn’t feel real,” Henry said about his video sessions. “It feels more robotic.” 

Henry said he understands the importance of following social distancing guidelines and wearing masks. But he’s struggling with not being able to go out in public and talk to his friends in person.��

“I do feel more lonely.”

While he is grateful he can still interact with people virtually, Henry said he misses his in-person counseling and craves the physical experience of sitting down and speaking face-to-face. “It feels more interactive because you get to do things with the person instead of sitting around and staying in one place,” he said.��

, many young adults’ social, emotional and mental health has been impacted by the pandemic. The CDC lists changes in routines, breaks in the virtual classroom, missing significant life events and loss of resources as having a tremendous effect on the lives of children and young people.��

Pinckney, the school-based therapist at Woodrow Wilson High school, said there are times when case managers may go out and provide in-person services while also respecting social distancing guidelines. But since most of the counseling sessions are conducted through a video call, counselors are trying to find ways to make sessions more creative and interactive.��

Like Pinckney, Anna D’Avanzo is also a member of the Social Services team at LAYC. D’Avanzo is a bilingual mental health counselor who, before the pandemic, would regularly see clients at the LAYC office in Columbia Heights.��

D’Avanzo agreed with Pinckney that the accessibility of virtual counseling sessions is more appealing to clients. It can be easier for some children to do online counseling sessions from home because parents might not be able to take their children to the appointments. Before the pandemic, D’Avanzo said she observed a higher “no show” rate.��

She has found more ways to keep her clients engaged during virtual sessions through the use of online games like Connect Four, UNO and using visual aides like a “feelings wheel” to help youth communicate their emotions. D’Avanzo had one client make a fidget object to help him concentrate in class.

‘An opportunity to connect’

D’Avanzo said the pandemic has affected the coping skills of some of her clients. Many of them are 12 to 16-year-old students stressed from virtual learning and not being able to attend school. Parents have also grown frustrated due to their children not performing well in class.

“They don’t have access to their normal coping skills, you know, aren’t seeing friends regularly, they don’t have the routine of getting up and going to school,” D’Avanzo said. “I think there’s just a lot of frustration with doing online learning. Just learning in general is more difficult and they are not engaged in their schoolwork.”

D’Avanzo’s said because many of her clients don’t see people during the day, the youth she works with are struggling with loneliness and lack of motivation to participate in normal day-to-day activities. Now that the pandemic has taken away opportunities to play sports or hangout with friends, it’s becoming harder for children and young adults to go for a walk or do activities that would normally appeal to them.��

“I think that I’m one of the only people they talk to regularly. So I think it just gives them the opportunity to connect with someone,” D’Avanzo said.��

Because of the pandemic, some of D’Avanzo’s counseling sessions have been shortened to fit the needs of her clients. A few of her clients who have attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), struggle with concentrating during virtual learning and online counseling sessions.��

Unlike Pinckney, who has noticed improvements in her clients, D’Avanzo has not, instead pointing to a slight regression.��

“It’s just harder for them to engage in things that were helping them before,” D’Avanzo said.��

A parent’s perspective

Lisa is a single African-American mother of two girls, Lauren, 16, and Kendall, 13. Both daughters receive counseling sessions from LAYC.��

Lauren has been going to counseling for a few years while Kendall has been going for almost a year. Sometimes Lisa will sit in on the counseling sessions.

At the time, Lisa didn’t take Lauren’s request to go to counseling seriously enough. Lauren had told her mother she wanted counseling because she needed to speak with someone — someone who wasn’t her mother. But Lisa had told her daughter that she didn’t need counseling, that she was fine.

Counseling sessions have now revealed to Lisa that Lauren was suffering from depression, anxiety and panic attacks.

“Honestly I feel bad now looking back because me being busy and a single parent, I didn’t really take her seriously and I really just kind of brushed her off,” Lisa said.

Misunderstanding and fear can lead to judgment and prejudices when someone is unfamiliar with the mental health challenges people face. , people who experience mental health conditions often face rejection, bullying and discrimination.�� 

It was only when Lauren broke down in front of her mother that Lisa began to look for counseling options, which is how she discovered LAYC’s community-based mental health services.

Later, Lisa observed a shift in her youngest daughter’s attitude, Kendall, who had become more quiet and began to stay in her room more often. Lisa then decided it was best to reach out to LAYC about Kendall potentially receiving services too.��

Lisa said because of her daughters going to therapy, she now understands the negative stigmas associated with the mental health community and she would encourage anyone to go to counseling. “I grew up thinking that, you know, if you needed counseling, you were crazy,” Lisa said.�� She had been taught that if she was struggling internally with something, she should “just deal with it.” 

Lisa saw an improvement in both Lauren and Kendall’s moods from going to counseling. Lauren became more open about the internal struggles she was dealing with. “Counseling has helped her become more confident and come out of her shell,” Lisa said, about Lauren. Meanwhile, Kendall’s outgoing personality has returned.��

But since the pandemic, and the need for virtual counseling and virtual learning, Lisa has seen a split between her daughters. Lauren, who Lisa said had always wanted to be homeschooled, has adjusted well to being home full time and keeping up online. But Kendall is still struggling with the transition.

“Kendall is the opposite of Lauren. She’s been going out of her mind being stuck at home every day. She wants to see her friends. She hates going to school from home,” Lisa said.��

LAYC will continue to offer telehealth services for students and families throughout the pandemic. When D.C. starts to fully reopen, there is the possibility of returning to in-person counseling sessions but LAYC will wait for the city to signal that it is safe to do so.

The post How DC youth are adjusting to online counseling during the pandemic first appeared on 91����.

Women, men and young children wore masks as they marched together from Freedom Plaza to the National Mall. Protesters were seen shouting “Black Lives Matter” and “Vote Him Out” as they walked past the Trump Hotel on Pennsylvania Avenue.��

After the passing of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg on Sept. 18, supporters of the late justice began to organize rallies and marches across the country in response to President Trump and Republicans moving quickly to replace her.��

Jasmine Clemons, an advocate and volunteer for the Planned Parenthood Action Fund took the stage before the march to share her personal story about her abortion experience.��

“I am proud of my abortion…with everything in me, I know that my decision was the right choice for me,” Clemons said.��

91���� talked to five marchers about their reasons for participating in the Women’s March. Some wanted to support women’s rights. Others marched to protest Barrett’s confirmation to replace Ginsburg.

Dori Tomlin said she cried when Ginsburg passed away. Tomlin said she’s afraid if Barrett is confirmed to a seat on the Supreme Court , a 1973 landmark decision that protects a woman’s right to choose to have an abortion, could be overturned.��

“I’m not really sure what she’s going to do. She has written her opinions on things and she’s also said in this process that she’s not here with an agenda,” Tomlin said about Barrett.��

‘Pack the court’ 

Vice President Biden has been urged by Republicans and reporters to reveal if he would “pack the court,” by adding more justices to the Supreme Court if he wins the election. Biden’s move will depend on how quickly Barrett’s nomination is rushed, a position he signaled at last week’s ABC News town hall.��

Denise Martzall, a protester from Pennsylvania who attended the march, said she supports legislators packing the court. Martzall said Republicans became hypocrites after not voting on President Obama’s nominee, Merrick Garland, back in 2016 because it was an election year, but trying to rush Barrett’s confirmation now before the current general election.

 “It feels like the rules of the game are changing and I feel like we can’t play fairly if they change the rules,” Martzall said. “Pack the court.”

Next week, the Senate will hold its first vote to confirm Barrett, a judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit. She has been praised by conservatives while many liberals question her ability to judge based on the law and not her conservative views.

On day three of Barrett’s committee hearing, Sen. Chris Coons, D-Del., told Barrett that he would vote against her.��

“I’m concerned, in fact, that you will take the court in a very different direction and so with all due respect, I will be voting against your confirmation,” Coons during the hearing.��

‘Allies support allies.’

Nathan Sullivan and his friend John Bracken decided to attend the Women’s March to support women and women’s rights. Sullivan said Barrett is qualified and competent but he doesn’t think she is a good fit for the Supreme Court.��

“I think that she is probably not fit for the Supreme Court because she is clearly very biased in one direction,” Sullivan said.��

During last week’s confirmation hearing in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Barrett admitted that she signed two anti-abortion rights advertisements that criticized Roe v. Wade.��

“Whether or not we believe abortion is right or wrong, it really shouldn’t be up to our government to decide that. It should be up to an individual woman and her own beliefs about what is right for her own body,” Sullivan said.

Brackens said women are some of the biggest supporters of the LGBTQI+ movement. He wanted to return the favor by showing his support by marching.

“As a gay man that is so important.,” Bracken said. “Allies support allies.”

‘100% not fit’ 

Christina Johnson, who flew to D.C. from Los Angeles, strategically planned her trip so she would have time to attend the Women’s March. Like Sullivan, Johnson said Barrett is “100% not fit” to be the next Supreme Court justice.��

 “She’s not fit to be a judge on any court let alone the highest court,” Johnson said.��

Johnson said replacing Ginsburg two weeks before the election was the wrong move. When she returns to California tomorrow, she plans on working with her community to educate people about voting this election cycle.��

Some protesters dressed in costumes from The Handmaid’s Tale — the popular Hulu series known for its controversial themes focusing on the use of women’s bodies as objects and gender roles in a totalitarian society. The red outfit symbolizes fertility, a central element in the series.��

Some demonstrators also wore costumes resembling the late justice, Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

The march ended on the National Mall where a “text-banking telethon” began. The goal, was to contact over 100,000 voters through text-messaging to encourage people to vote.��

The Senate will most likely confirm Barrett, as Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said .��

The post Marchers rally in DC against Trump’s Supreme Court nominee first appeared on 91����.

“I’m using the drop boxes because it’s super convenient,” Yu said. “This is the way I think it should always be done.”

The D.C. Board of Elections released a of drop box locations Oct 5.

“Essentially, we determined that it was a good dispersal and that it covered the city in a fairly effective way by putting them in front of libraries where everyone knows where that is,” Public Information Officer for the D.C. Board of Education Nick Jacobs said.

This is the first time that D.C. has used drop boxes. The D.C. Board of Elections decided to add the drop box option due to the coronavirus pandemic. Residents voiced concerns about how they could vote while also following social distancing guidelines.

Jacobs said that drop box ballots will be counted as they are received but no official tallies will be released until Election Day.

91���� talked to seven District voters in the Columbia Heights neighborhood. Some, like Yu, would like the drop boxes to become a staple of elections to come. Others utilized the option due to health concerns. Yet, there are still some that prefer going to a polling station and voting on Election Day.

A safer option for some

, voters should prepare for long lines on election day and consider alternatives to voting in person at voting places.

COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus, spreads via respiratory droplets released when people talk or breathe, which is why the CDC cautions against spending time in small, enclosed spaces with many people.

If voting in person, the CDC encourages voters to wear a mask and keep good social distance from other voters.

Although many voters cited the pandemic as a reason they were using the drop boxes to cast their ballots, Yu said it was overall a more convenient option.

He’d like to see the process of voting become easier. He said Election Day should be a national holiday, voters should have more time to vote and he’d like to see drop boxes become a staple of future elections.

Maria Foust, a divorced ex-military spouse, also decided to use the ballot drop boxes for convenience and for safety precautions. Originally from Zacatecas Mexico, Foust became a U.S. citizen 20 years ago.

“The drop boxes are convenient,” Foust said. “For me, it’s important to vote, especially now.”

Other voters prefer using the drop boxes because of pandemic related concerns.

“I think the lines are going to be really long and I don’t want to be inside an enclosed space with a bunch of people for a long, long time,” said Jennifer Parker, who is a nurse and Columbia Heights resident. “I feel like that’s when you get coronavirus.”

Parker was casting her ballot with her husband, Matthew Parker, outside the Mount Pleasant Library in Ward 1. This is not the first time Jennifer Parker has voted absentee, but it is her first time using a drop box.

The pair said they preferred the drop boxes due to recent cutbacks to the U.S. Postal Service. According to a created by the New York Times, mail delays are becoming more apparent across the country. According to The Times’ reporting, even mail over short distances, which usually takes two days to deliver, is being delayed a day on average.

The delay is why Matthew Parker said they were concerned their ballots wouldn’t reach polling stations in time to be counted if they submitted by mail.��

“Every vote counts,” Matthew Parker said.

‘I want to go in and press the button’

Although many residents are using the drop box option, others see in-person voting as an important ritual — one they would like to take part in.

Armonte Butler, who is 25, has not decided if he’s going to vote in person or use the drop boxes.

“But I’m thankful to have both choices,” Butler said.

Butler, who currently works for a nonprofit organization, said that he voted by mail when he was in college, but wants to experience going in-person to vote.

His great-grandmother, who is 82, told Butler recently that she is going to go to the polls to vote on Election Day.

“She told me she’s going in-person because at one point due to stigma, discrimination, and racism she was not allowed to vote,” Butler said. He has noticed a “generational voting pattern” in his family.

Butler said his mother also will be voting in person, though she has received an absentee ballot.

“She doesn’t trust the drop box,” he said. “She told me ‘I want to go in and press the button.”’

This year’s election cycle has made Butler more aware of his family’s voting habits and the importance of black people participating in elections. Butler now checks in with his friends and family members to make sure they are registered to vote.

Like Butler, ANC representative for 1A05, Cristine Miller prefers the option to vote in person but is unsure if she will go to the polls this year. She said she also doesn’t feel comfortable using the U.S. Postal Service.

“I don’t want to take any chances of it getting mixed in or lost or sent to the wrong address,” Miller said.

Miller spent most of her life living abroad and often used the mail-in option which is why she wants to experience the tradition of voting in person. She said that her international experience has greatly shaped the way she participates in voting.

Dotti Love-Wade, the Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner for 1A11, also decided to vote by using the drop box system. She and her husband submitted their ballots in a drop box in front of the Columbia Heights Shopping Center on 3100 14th Street NW.

“I wanted to get my vote out early and set an example for my community,” Love-Wade said.

Love-Wade said by using the drop boxes, she feels it is a secure way to vote and it takes the pressure off of the postal service and lines on election day.

Love-Wade said she knows a few young people who will not vote this year and doesn’t understand why they are not voting.

“They don’t see how it matters.” she said . “But they do believe in Black Lives Matter and I asked them ‘how can you separate the two?’”

Love-Wade was able to persuade her daughter’s boyfriend to register to vote this year. She said she’s trying to talk to more young black people about the importance of voting but they “seem so disconnected.”

Today is the last day for D.C. residents to register to vote online, by mail and to update their voter registration. Early voting will begin on Oct. 27, which also happens to be the last day residents can request for an absentee ballot.

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Robert Athmer is a 10th grade geometry and special education teacher at Columbia Heights Education Campus (CHEC). He is four weeks into distance learning and his students are participating and engaged more than when they were in physical classrooms before the pandemic.

“I think we’re tapping into a lot of kids and reaching more kids than we could inside the building where we’re scramming around the floors and running room from room,” Athmer said.

With the high participation from his students, Athmer said he feels like he’s in a physical classroom.��

“I’m very proud of our kids for showing up and logging on. I’ve seen about 85% to 90% attendance rates which are phenomenal.”

Laura Freshley, another CHEC teacher, agrees with Athmer.

“I’ve had more engagement, higher work quality, better student turnout in terms of attendance,” Freshley said. “It’s all been better for me since we’ve done virtual learning these last four weeks.” 

A teacher since 2010, Athmer and other teachers weren’t provided with resources to help ease the transition of online instruction when the pandemic hit. They were required by CHEC to adapt to the transition on their own.��

“They relied on us, the experts and the teachers to come up with a ‘virtual game plan’ for students,” Athmer said.��

Most of his summer consisted of creating schedules and modifying lesson plans to gear up for the school year.��

On Sept. 17, Mayor Muriel Bowser held a press conference announcing she expects students to return to public and charter schools starting Nov. 9, according to .��

Athmer said his students enjoy the virtual learning model but the main challenge right now is “bringing to life” the learning process and keeping the students interested in the lessons.��

Some SPED students need tactile tools, paper-based materials or videos to watch so they can better interpret lessons, Athmer said. If students need smaller items like pencils, paper or highlighters, he usually sends them in the mail.

“It simply depends on what teachers need to provide students. Mailing a letter or a few altered worksheets is easy, but if a student needs a laptop, or a hotspot or bigger things like notebooks or calculators, a drive-by is maybe best, especially if you live close to a student,” Athmer said.��

CHEC provides teachers $200 for supplies every year but the money was not adjusted for distance learning, Athmer said. With the money, Athmer bought envelopes, rulers, protractors, pens and highlighters.��

Freshley said her students have mild to moderate learning disabilities.

 In addition to more engagement, Freshley believes her students have easier access to their instructors and health advisors through the click of a button.

“In terms of accessibility, my students have been able to have access to not only me, their special education teacher but to their social workers, therapists and speech-language pathologists.”

Transportation used to be one of the main issues when students were in physical classrooms, Freshley noticed. Some students didn’t have transportation to school and were often not able to attend class because of it.��

“Now students don’t have to worry about missing class or being late,” Freshley said.��

But not all teachers are seeing the same results and not all teachers are enjoying virtual learning. Michael Dettloff, a teacher at Jefferson Middle School Academy is sometimes stuck creating lesson plans till 9 or 10 p.m.

Dettloff said teaching online is “a little more stressful.” He teaches math and science to seventh and eighth-grade students and is also a mentor for two teachers.

“I think the students that I teach are not getting the full benefit of online learning but we are starting to see some success with assessments,” Dettloff said.��

Dettloff said some of his students are thriving in the virtual learning environment. However, he would still prefer an in-person learning environment to virtual.

“But only when it’s safe,” Dettloff said.��

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