UDC celebrates new Anacostia Urban Waters Federal Partnership Ambassador and Kingman Rangers launch
UDC celebrates new Anacostia Urban Waters Federal Partnership Ambassador and Kingman Rangers launch
UDC President Ronald Mason Jr. joined Department of the Interior Assistant Secretaries Tanya Trujillo and Shannon Estenoz and District Department of Energy and Environment (DOEE) Director Tommy Wells on the shores of the Anacostia River on April 5 to announce the new Anacostia Urban Waters Ambassador (Community to Career C2 Academy Director), inaugural Justice40 internships and the launch of the District’s new Kingman Rangers program.
Now celebrating its tenth anniversary, the Urban Waters Federal Partnership (UWFP) brings together 15 federal agencies working collaboratively with local communities to restore urban waterways and surrounding lands, boost recreational opportunities, help local economies and protect the health of Americans. The Anacostia River watershed is one of 20 Urban Waters locations supported by this partnership. UDC collaborates with Urban Waters in the Anacostia neighborhood in Ward 8 to increase students’ science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) career opportunities.
Newly appointed to the dual role of the Anacostia Ambassador/ C2 Academy Director Xavier Brown will work with UDC, D.C. Public Schools, DOEE and UWFP to rethink the education pipeline, including developing internship and project-based learning opportunities for students at Anacostia High School and their communities. His work will be a part of the UDC Developing America’s Workforce Nucleus (DAWN) initiative to help students of color and economically disadvantaged students reach their highest human potential.
“I am humbled and excited to be a part of the amazing work these partners are doing in Anacostia,” Brown said. “There is so much potential in Ward 8, and our goal is to find it and help enable these students to excel.”
“UDC’s Equity Imperative strategic plan outlines our focus to identify and deliver talent, starting with the DAWN initiative in Ward 8,” said UDC President Ronald Mason Jr. “Our collaboration with UWFP allows us to drive the partners’ complementary objectives of increasing the pool of STEM talent coming from economically disadvantaged communities and restoring waterways, such as the Anacostia River. With the addition of our new Anacostia Ambassador and C2 Academy Director to lead the effort, we are one step closer to achieving our collective vision.”
Anacostia High School’s Principal William Haith was also in attendance and thanked the federal partnership and UDC for allowing them to leverage its resources, including providing professional development for his staff and free tuition to students.
“We are excited about where we are going. We will equip our students to disrupt oppressive systems so that they can become stewards in their community,” said Haith. “We know that they can change the world, and we are preparing them to do that.”
Using funding from the American Rescue Plan Act, Mayor Bowser launched the Kingman Rangers program as part of her recovery budget that provides a Fair Shot. Administered by DOEE through a grant to the Living Classrooms Foundation and with support from the Department of Employment Services, the Kingman Rangers program will train and employ three full-time rangers, four adult seasonal Rangers, and ten student seasonal rangers to conduct ecological restoration and environmental education efforts on Kingman and Heritage Islands.
