An annual back-to-school community health fair scheduled for Saturday in Southeast D.C. provides help to a lot of people who need it. Participants can get laptops, school supplies, medical care, dental care, eye exams, fresh produce and assistance with school health forms.
But organizers are worried some people will skip the event and miss out on free services out of fear of the heavy federal police and military presence in D.C.
“We’re hearing that people are afraid. Parents are afraid to come out. Our Latino communities are especially afraid of coming out with potential of being stopped and harassed by police,” said Rev. O. Jermaine Bego of The CenterPoint Baptist Church.
The Community Day Health & Wellness Fair is a major effort by the D.C. Department of Health through its places of worship advisory board. It’s being held for its ninth year. But this year Bego said people are not registering in the numbers they did in past years.
Organizers asked around, trying to figure out why, and learned the likely answer is fear. Many who attend are Latino families, he said.
The health and wellness fair will be held Saturday, Aug. 23, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Pennsylvania Avenue Baptist Church at 3000 Pennsylvania Ave. SE. Organizers promise a day of “wellness, connection and celebration.” Go here for more info.
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