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CER26-0084 • 2025

Colbert I. King Recognition Resolution of 2025

Colbert I. King Recognition Resolution of 2025

Enacted

This bill passed the Legislature and reached final enactment based on the latest official action.

Sponsor
Bonds
Last action
2025-10-03
Official status
Approved
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

Checked against official source text during the last sync.

Resolution Honoring Colbert I. King

This resolution recognizes DC native Colbert I. King for his contributions to journalism, public life, and civic conscience.

What This Bill Does

  • Honors Colbert I. King on the occasion of his retirement from The Washington Post in September 2025.
  • Acknowledges King's role in shaping the District of Columbia’s Home Rule Act as a Senate staffer.
  • Praises King for his insightful political commentary and accountability journalism over 35 years at The Washington Post.
  • Recognizes King's receipt of a Pulitzer Prize in Commentary in 2003.

Who It Names or Affects

  • Colbert I. King
  • The residents of the District of Columbia

Terms To Know

Home Rule Act
A law that gave Washington, D.C., more control over its local government.
Pulitzer Prize
An award given to journalists for outstanding work in various categories of journalism and literature.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The resolution does not provide any financial benefits or official titles.
  • It is a ceremonial recognition without legal consequences.

Bill History

  1. 2025-10-03 Council of the District of Columbia LIMS

    Resolution ACR26-0084, Effective from Sep 17, 2025 Published in DC Register Vol 72 and Page 010662

  2. 2025-09-17 Council of the District of Columbia LIMS

    Retained by the Council

  3. 2025-09-17 Council of the District of Columbia LIMS

    Legislative Meeting

  4. 2025-09-17 Council of the District of Columbia LIMS

    Approved with Resolution Number ACR26-0084

  5. 2025-09-16 Council of the District of Columbia LIMS

    CER26-0084 Introduced by Councilmember Bonds at Office of the Secretary

Official Summary Text

Colbert I. King Recognition Resolution of 2025

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
ENROLLED ORIGINAL
1

A CEREMONIAL RESOLUTION

26-84

IN THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

September 17, 2025

To recognize and honor DC native and longtime Washington Post columnist Colbert I. King on
the occasion of his upcoming retirement in September 2025.

WHEREAS, Colbert “Colby” I. King was born in September 1939 and grew up in the old
Foggy Bottom section of Washington, DC;

WHEREAS, Mr. King attended Thaddeus Stevens Elementary School, Francis Jr. High
School, and graduated from Paul Laurence Dunbar High School in 1957, where he was a
member of the ROTC and Dunbar’s championship drill team and earned his BA degree in
government from Howard University in 1961;

WHEREAS, prior to his distinguished career as a journalist with the Washington Post,
Mr. King played a pivotal role in shaping the future of the District of Columbia through his
involvement as a Senate staffer in the development of the Home Rule Act, helping lay the
foundation for self-governance and greater civic autonomy for the residents of Washington, DC;

WHEREAS, Mr. King joined the Washington Post in September 1990 and remains, until
his pending retirement in September 2025, a beloved and insightful contributor to the
publication;

WHEREAS, through his decades of sharp political commentary, Mr. King has
consistently held elected officials accountable, lent moral weight to critical policy debates, and
offered feared and fearless endorsements of local candidates for political office and critiques that
shaped public understanding of local, national and international issues;

WHEREAS, Mr. King’s columns, rooted in both historical knowledge and personal
integrity, have examined the character of political leadership in the District and addressed
movements for social and economic justice;

WHEREAS, Mr. King received many accolades for his work, including a Pulitzer Prize
in 2003 for Commentary, with the Columbia University Graduate School for Journalism citing
his “against-the-grain columns that speak to people in power with ferocity and wisdom”;

ENROLLED ORIGINAL
2

WHEREAS, his retirement after 35 years as a Post journalist marks the conclusion of an
extraordinary chapter in American journalism;

WHEREAS, his willingness to ask tough questions and confront uncomfortable truths
leaves a journalistic legacy that will be last well beyond his retirement.

RESOLVED, BY THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, That this
resolution may be cited as the “Colbert I. King Recognition Resolution of 2025.”

Sec. 2. The Council of the District of Columbia recognizes and honors DC native
Colbert I. King for his invaluable contributions to public life, to journalism and to the civic and
moral conscience of the United States and the District of Columbia and extend to him our
deepest gratitude and abiding respect for his work.

Sec. 3. This resolution shall take effect immediately.