Election Survey

Dear Electors:

We have no election endorsements to make, but we do have a suggestion and a request. As Dorothy wrote in the last issue of themail, the DC Board of Elections and Ethics has established a hotline to deal with any problems at the polls on Tuesday. The suggestion is that you call that hotline, 727-2194, if you encounter any difficulties or witness any improprieties that can’t be resolved by your precinct captain. The hotline will be staffed by the BOEE’s general counsel, Ken McGhie, who can also be reached at ogc@dcboee.org. In addition, the US Attorney’s Office has named Howard Sklamberg, deputy chief of the fraud and public corruption section, to handle any complaints of election fraud or voting rights abuses. He can be reached at 514-6961.

The request is that you fill out our Citizen Precinct Survey, at http://www.dcwatch.com/election/survey.htm. Let us know how things went at your polling place by printing out the survey, filling it out at your precinct, and then by E-mailing or mailing your observations to us. As you know, there have been problems at the BOEE this year, especially with regard to the conduct of elections. We hope that your responses to this survey will help give the Board itself, the city council, the mayor, and the public a good overview of what voters experienced at the polls, and of how well the general election was run.

Gary Imhoff, themail@dcwatch.com
Dorothy Brizill, dorothy@dcwatch.com

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David Schwartzman Wins the At-Large (Foot) Race
Scott McLarty, scottmclarty@hotmail.com

On Saturday morning, at-large council candidate David Schwartzman (http://www.davidschwartzman.com) won his foot race from Adams Morgan to Anacostia, which took him about an hour and a half. Dave had challenged his at-large competition to the race, but no one else showed up. Except for Carol Schwartzman, all of the other candidates are younger than Dave, who turned 65 on Friday. Dave ran to win some publicity and support for his campaign and the DC Statehood Green Party and to promote his political agenda. Speaking of which, Loose Lips on Thursday (http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/display.php?id=36422) gave David Schwartzman some praise but dismissed his proposal to strengthen social services and reduce child poverty in DC with a progressive tax plan. Dave’s plan would modestly raise rates on DC’s millionaire bracket and grant some relief to working folks, who pay a higher percentage of their earnings than DC’s wealthiest pay. (Dave’s plan is actually quite close to Barack Obama’s.) The plan isn’t “untenable,” as Loose Lips called it, it’s simply unlikely to get passed as long as DC voters keep electing and reelecting Democrats devoted to powerful campaign contributors and cronies.

It seems to be a pattern that whenever Democrats enjoy one-party rule over a town like DC, many of them begin to turn into the worst kind of Republicans, as proven by Mayor Fenty’s dedication to privatization of public properties, including the land occupied by public schools, libraries, parks, shelters, etc. David Schwartzman, who like the rest of the DC Statehood Green slate (http://www.statehood4dc.com) accepts no corporate contributions, promises to make his council office an organizing venue for groups and individuals working for the interests of District residents. Dave recently received an endorsement from FixOurSchools.net for his defense of DC Public Schools and the needs of children. FixOurSchools.net called him “a staunch advocate for a more progressive tax system” and “an active participant in the social justice movement in the District for decades.” On October 8, Dave was given an A, the highest grade of the seven at-large city council candidates, in Loose Lips’ blog, based on his performance at an October 7 candidates’ forum (http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/blogs/citydesk/2008/10/08/ll-grades-the-at-large-candidates/). If you’d like to see a real counterbalance to the Fenty-Evans pro-Federal City Council faction in DC government, you can cast one of your two votes in the at-large council election for David Schwartzman. If you really want him to win, you can vote only for Dave.

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Republican Party on Strauss and Absentee Ballots
Paul Craney, press@dcgop.com

The DC Republican Committee made the following statement in regard to breaking news of Senator Paul Strauss’s arrest for driving under the influence, driving while intoxicated, and operating while impaired — three offenses with different definitions under District law, yet routinely charged together after drunk-driving arrests: “Senator Strauss should resign today. First the DC Auditor made recommendations that tainted Strauss’s leadership as Chairman of the DC Board of Real Property Assessments and Appeals (BRPAA) and now we learn that he was arrested for drunk driving. DC residents need real leadership and Senator Strauss has failed his voters.” Nelson Rimensnyder is the Republican candidate for US Senator. Rimensnyder is a Vietnam veteran, former House Hill staffer to the Committee of the District of Columbia. Currently, Rimensnyder lives in Capitol Hill and his son is returning for his second combat tour in Iraq.

On November 30, the DC Republican Committee made the following statement regarding a number of DC registered Republicans who have not received their absentee ballots only days before the November General Election: “First we saw a Ward 2 registered Republican receive an absentee ballot without the Ward 2 Council race included (Christina Culver is the Republican candidate who was missing) and now we have heard from numerous DC Republicans who have not received their absentee ballots. This election is a matter of days away and this latest example of incompetence is utterly inexcusable.” The DC Republican Committee has a list of DC registered Republicans who have not received their absentee ballot, per their request.

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Ballpark Developers Blame Economy, Not Their Planning
Ed Delaney, profeddel@yahoo.com

From http://washingtontimes.com/news/2008/oct/29/economy-strikes-out-developers-plans-at-ballpark/, “Economy Halts Developers’ Ballpark Plans”: “A slowing economy and the collapse of credit markets have halted the much-anticipated development of retail, restaurants, and other projects in the area around the Washington Nationals’ new stadium in Southeast.” What a contrived spin job designed to cover up horrible planning that stuck a ballpark that has generated precious little development on its own in an area that was already being reshaped as an office park even when the economy was doing much better. The lack of coordinated planning by the city, which was totally unprepared to build a ballpark and was rudderless even after the process started, is what led to the development debacle. Did the economy bury the city’s designated revenue-generating land adjacent to the ballpark by two massive garages that dominate all flesh who enter the ballpark and gaze towards the outfield? Uh, no. Did the economy make such a rush job of the park that the anticipated retail development that was still able to come online on Half Street, SE, was waylaid for the first season and who knows how much longer? Again, no.

“Monument plans 340 condominiums, a boutique hotel and 50,000 square feet of retail just one block from the stadium, but work on the project is on hold because of the difficulty of borrowing money.” If the plan were solid, the money would be there. It’s the fact that the area is suspect already for anything other than office use and going directly in and out of the ballpark in ten to twenty-five thousand numbers (we’ll see how that holds up for non-Mets and Phillies games). “To the east of the ballpark, the economy and credit crunch also have affected the pace of Forest City’s ‘The Yards’ project, which calls for the reuse of several buildings at the site of the old Southeast Federal Center. The company pushed back the opening of the Foundry Lofts condominium complex to spring 2010 from the end of 2009, and officials are still seeking restaurant tenants to fill the old Boilermaker Shop portion of the development. Meanwhile, development of office space at 401 M Street, SE, can’t start until tenants are in place.”

What a bloodbath. The point of putting a ballpark “near downtown” at a spot so poorly laid out for ingress/egress if a thirty-thousand-plus crowd came to town was to use it as a driving force for development even against adverse factors such as the real and imagined stench that Anacostia late at night presents to suburbia. The ballpark has done none of that, so we can make the call this shortly after the greenhouse opened that all of the compromises and overpayments for land and cut-rate steps done to stick it at the current spot rather than the RFK Stadium site appear to be completely for naught. I wonder if anyone saw this coming.

“Still, signs of life are evident, particularly in residential development. The Velocity Capitol Riverfront Condos at 1001 First Street, SE, are expected to generate 200 new units by next summer. JPI’s 909 at Capitol Yards building, with 237 units, is scheduled to open on New Jersey Avenue in the spring. EYA’s Capitol Quarter, at the site of the former Capper/Carrollsburg public housing complex, will be completed early next year. Although sales are not nearly as brisk as they were a year ago, development officials said, they are excited by the nearly 3,000 residential units that will be added to the area in the next 12 months. ‘We’re very pleased with the residential market,’ Mr. Stevens said.” This joker really loses it when he tries to spin the residential market down there as a positive counterbalance. He casually ignores the conversion of most of the inventory from condos to apartments and puts as a good sign the fact that these units are coming online but not saying how many have actually sold or rented! They must think we’re as stupid as the people that stuck the ballpark at the current site! “‘Nobody’s abandoning this area,’ Mr. Hines said.” As if you had a choice, now that you’re holding onto land and empty buildings there that you can’t get financing for.

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SOS, Call for Help
Candi Peterson, saveourcounselors@gmail.com

Washington Teachers Union Executive Board members, in a statement of disapproval and as an official reprimand, passed a motion to censure the Washington Teachers’ Union President George Parker last week. The motion passed overwhelmingly, 9 to 4. Six members of the board were absent and two board members positions remain vacant. In DCWire.com, WTU President George Parker stated that the board’s censure was “another one of WTU General Vice President, Nathan Saunders, ploys.” Mr. Parker is kidding himself if he thinks that the WTU General Vice President is the only one concerned about how our teachers’ union is being run. In December 2007, executive board members requested that the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) step in and lend assistance, due to the muddled management of the WTU’s day-to-day operations and other affairs by President Parker. Elected board members are becoming increasingly anxious, concerned, and more vocal now that AFT has provided technical assistance and not a lot has changed with the management of our local. It’s little wonder that board members passed a motion to warn our union president to change his behavior.

Board training has yet to be arranged by our president. In addition, board members complain that Mr. Parker arbitrarily cancels meetings without consulting with or getting consent from them, as required by a recent motion that passed. Not only have board meetings been canceled, but also WTU Representative Assembly meetings have not been scheduled in the months of September or October, as required by the union constitution. Parker’s “willful failure” to comply with the board’s directives includes an unwillingness on his part to consult with elected union representatives, provide written president’s reports, and schedule general union membership meetings. Not to mention that teachers and board members alike continue to lodge complaints that E-mails to our union president often go unanswered.

As a Board of Trustee member, I spoke in support of the motion to censure our president because our union should be a democracy and not a dictatorship. President Parker’s ship has gotten way off course, and it is incumbent upon our elected union representatives to signal him with a distress call to alter his course — SOS. The motion to censure the WTU president is simply a warning for him to adhere to the rules of our constitution and by-laws. I remain cautiously optimistic.

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What’s Up with the Tenleytown Public/Private Project?
Sue Hemberger, Friendship Heights, smithhemb@aol.com

In Thursday’s Examiner, Ward 3 Councilmember Cheh claims “It’s finished.” But in Friday’s Washington Business Journal, Deputy Mayor Neil Albert and LCOR both say the project is “moving forward.” Loose Lips declares that it’s now “officially a pissing match.” For those who haven’t been following the story, Mayor Fenty pulled the plug on DCPL’s long-delayed reconstruction of the Tenley-Friendship branch library last July. At that point, DCPL had already spent a year (and about $1 million dollars) for demolition, design, and approvals and was on track (and within budget) to break ground in three months and reopen the library by early 2010.

So why did Fenty, essentially, yank the shovel out of Ginnie Cooper’s hands as she was finally ready to rebuild our library? To enter into exclusive negotiations with LCOR that would enable private residential development on the parcel of public land that houses both the branch library and Janney Elementary School. Ostensibly/originally, the rationale for this project was that it would speed Janney’s modernization. It was always clear that there was nothing in the deal for the library, whose airy design will be riddled with columns to support the apartments above and whose reopening will most likely be delayed until 2013 (it was closed in 2004). Janney was supposed to get new and better facilities sooner, yet none of the proposals that emerged from the competitive bidding process were able to effect that outcome. At this point, it looks as if all that the LCOR proposal will do for Janney is take away some of its campus and delay its modernization. As a result, the Janney SIT (which includes the school’s principal) has called for an end to PPP discussions. And Councilmembers Cheh and Brown (Chair of the Council’s Committee on Economic Development) have written a letter asking the mayor to let the library reconstruction move forward independently of any public-private deal.

So what’s it going to be? Will Mayor Fenty sacrifice our public facilities’ needs to line developers’ pockets? Councilmember Cheh’s odds of reelection hinge on his decision. After all, if she can’t protect a fully-funded branch library project and an award-winning but severely overcrowded elementary school from Neil Albert’s depredations, what good is she to Ward 3 residents? Cheh may have proven prescient last spring when, after receiving an award from the Humane Society, she said “if cats and dogs could vote, I’d be in great shape.” Pets don’t vote, but taxpayers, library users, and the parents of schoolchildren do. And it’s not just Cheh’s future that’s at stake. If the rest of the council fails to back up Cheh and Brown in this fight, all of the councilmembers are likely to see their power reduced to that of glorified ANC commissioners (albeit with six-figure salaries!). Already the pattern is establishing itself. Fenty listens to the council when its members tell him what he wants to hear. So Cheh and Brown’s first letter on this project, which endorsed putting this piece of public land on the auction block, was embraced. Their second letter, pointing out that none of the submissions received in response to the RFP was acceptable, was ignored. Fenty chose one of those proposals anyway. When they reiterated that LCOR’s proposal was unacceptable, Albert ignored them once again. And when they asked the mayor to pull the plug on the deal, Albert went to the media to trumpet his refusal. Long story short, unless there’s a real backlash from the council, the moral of this story is that the council can and will be ignored with impunity. Thus far, the only prerogative I’ve seen this council stand up for is their baseball tickets. It’s time — way past time — for councilmember to reclaim their role as stewards of public land.

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More Attitude
Wenzell Taylor, Wink12@juno.com

Gary Imhoff wrote [“Improving Attitudes,” themail, October 15] that RCN isn’t giving Comcast enough competition to make it clean up its act. It can’t. Several years ago we left Comcast for RCN because of poor service and high cost; you know, jumping from the frying pan into the fire. For more than a year now, RCN hasn’t even had a menu channel, not to mention dropping channels without notice. And why would I want to talk to customer service representative in the Philippines about my cable problem here in DC? RCN starts you off with high prices and low service. If I understand correctly, when the DTV thing happens in February with broadcast TV, even if you have cable service with RCN you won’t be able to see it unless you rent a digital box from them, since they are going all digital. Even if you already have a cable ready television. More cost. I may be wrong, don’t know for sure.

We tried to drop RCN last Friday. Made about a dozen calls all day over and over again to customer service, which claims it is not authorized to process disconnections. They transfer you to customer care, where you listen to elevator music and promotions until you fall asleep and drop the phone from your ear. Customer service has no contact information for RCN other than the one 800 number you called them on. In this area, the web site has a street address for the corporate office in Herndon, VA, and one in Lanham, MD, where you can probably write a letter to them if they’ll admit they got it. I wanted to be disconnected Friday, not weeks from now. There is one phone number listed on the web site for a PR/media department representative. You know that it had a voice mail, which said leave a message, but if this is an emergency call my cell number — the cell number had the same voice mail message. I didn’t leave a message. Three minutes later my phone rang and a young teenage-sounding girl asked if someone called that number. I asked for the rep by the name given in the message, and she said it was the wrong name and hung up. I’m hoping the Office of Cable Television can help.

Someone, please, am I living in slow motion or does the District government take too long to get things done and screw things up? What do I mean? Baseball. Oh, and now the District gives the baseball owners taxpayers’ money to pay the rent on the stadium they won’t pay rent on. And, although I haven’t read it, I’ll bet the FIOS proposal is taking so long partly due to the government trying to tax the whole deal to death. I’m guessing FIOS will be around $100, if it comes in my lifetime. But when Verizon gets finished with its tricky add-ons and bundles, with unseen costs and conditions and then taxes, will I be able to afford it?

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Above Reproach
Charles T. Cureton, charles_cureton@bellsouth.net

It appears that Richard Rothblum [themail, October 29] views himself as some type of a spokesperson for a mayor who wants to tell the citizens, “Don’t do as I do, do as I say.” For his information, this is still America, and even though Fenty was elected by the people, he is still accountable to them. It appears Fenty and some of his associates view themselves as kings, dictators, or at least as above reproach.

Rothblum said to let Fenty lead. Fine. However, Fenty needs to understand that leading is not the same as dictating and running over people for his own gains. Fenty needs to understand that, as Americans, we still have our freedom of speech. He also needs to understand that elected officials can be removed from office. (Remember ex-mayor Barry?) Wonder if they have ever heard the saying “lead, follow, or get out of the way?”

Anytime an elected official thinks he or she can do whatever they desire with no consequences, they are mistaken. Anytime elected officials think or feel they do not have to listen to the citizens, they are in for a rude awakening. This kind of thinking by certain politicians can make one wonder, just who and what is the real threat to our country?

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Bag Search on Metro
Carolyn Long, carolynlong@earthlink.net

Since 9/11, Washington, DC, has become so security-conscious that you cannot enter a museum, a library, or any city or federal government building without a bag search, and you are often required to show ID. I don’t think there’s a choice of refusing; if you don’t comply you don’t get in, and I assume that if you made a fuss you’d be arrested. The process for getting on an airplane has become so complex, with having to remove half your clothes, everything from your pockets, and taking your laptop out of the case, that it gives me an anxiety attack even though I’m doing nothing wrong. So now they’re going to do random bag searches on Metro. Big deal. It’s just one more thing. It will certainly be an inconvenience if you’re in a hurry, but if all you have in your bag is the usual innocuous stuff, just let them look and be on your way. This is probably not going to deter any smart would-be terrorists, but it might winnow out some petty thug with a weapon. If we were going to get all huffy about infringements on our freedom, we should have started in 2001.

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Different Responsibilities of DCPS and OSSE
Tonya M. Butler-Truesdale, attytmbt@aol.com

The candidacy [for Ward 7 member of the State Board of Education] of Mr. Poles (with whom I am completely unfamiliar) may not be a conflict of interest as defined by our courts [themail, October 29]. If indeed, he or his employer is a contractor with the District of Columbia Public Schools, it is possible that he or his employer has no contractual relationship with the Office of the State Superintendent for Education. These two offices have separate contract and procurement offices. While the mission of both offices are interrelated, they supposedly have different operations, one being a local education agency (DCPS) and the other being a state education agency (OSSE). A review of the cryptic OSSE and DCPS web sites reveal the following responsibilities.

OSSE responsibilities are listed as follows:

DCPS supposedly only retains the responsibilities of a local education agency which would be analogous to a county school district’s implementation of state policy if we were a state. This reader could find no information on the DCPS web site defining what the administration considers to be the local education agency responsibilities as distinguished from OSSE. If the deliverables of the contract Mr. Poles or his employer has with DCPS are unrelated to the above state functions, it is conceivable that there is no conflict of interest. The most dispositive document to resolve the question of conflict would, of course, be the related RFP or Bid Solicitation detailing the companies performance obligations or deliverables.

Of further interest, you may note as I did that the mandate of the board seems to be abundantly more broad than the published/public mandate of OSSE. However, the state board of education is allegedly responsible for advising the State Superintendent of Education on educational matters, including state standards; state policies, including those governing special, academic, vocational, charter, and other schools; state objectives; and state regulations proposed by the mayor or the State Superintendent of Education. The OSSE web site enumerates the responsibilities of the State Board below:

While I would be interested in knowing more about the possible contractual relationships which could equate to a conflict of interest, I am more curious about the reality and clarity between the operations and responsibility of the state education agency and the local education agency. To avoid future accountability lapses we need more public information about the operational relationship and comparative objective functions of the two agencies before the relationship crashes and they begin to play the blame game.

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Rumbler
Chris Anderson, chris@chrisandersonphoto.com

I think the rumbler [themail, October 26] is a great thing. I have experienced it once or twice while in my car. It got my attention and made me look around to see what was happening and I immediately saw the police car on a call. I live in a ground-level apartment right off Rhode Island Avenue, which is where I felt/heard the rumbler in my car, but I’ve never noticed it in my apartment. Even so, I prefer a low frequency rumble to the high pitched wail of typical sirens. Those really bug me. I’m glad the police found an effective way to use new technology. Rumble on.

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CLASSIFIEDS — EVENTS

Education Reform Forum, November 5
Margot Berkey, Parents United for the DC Public Schools, margotdc@gmail.com

What does education reform look like? Teachers and Parents for Real Education Reform and the Washington Teachers’ Union (WTU) invite you to find out! Wednesday, November 5, 6:30-8:00 p.m., Nineteenth Street Baptist Church, 4606 16th Street, NW (16th and Crittenden Streets, NW). Limited parking in church lot and on-street parking after 6:30 p.m. Accessible by S1, S2 and S4 buses on 16th Street.

Around the nation, reforms aimed at dramatically improving the quality of teaching and learning are underway. Reform is being done in collaboration with local teacher unions to build the profession of teaching. What can DC learn from these reform efforts, and how might DC improve teacher quality and the conditions for teaching? Join the newly elected president of the AFT, the innovative Superintendent from neighboring Prince Georges’ County, and a teacher leader from neighboring Montgomery County to learn more! Ms. Randi Weingarten is president of the American Federation of Teachers, the UFT in New York City, and is a recognized national education reform leader. Dr. John Deasy is Superintendent of Prince George’s County Public Schools and the architect of their intensive effort to focus the workforce on good teaching practice. Ms. Jennifer Whitman is Lead Consulting Teacher in the Montgomery County Public Schools’ Peer Assistance and Review Program, with a teacher’s view of reform.

For more information, visit Teachers and Parents for Real Education Reform, http://realeducationreformdc.blogspot.com/.

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Department of Parks and Recreation Events, November 8, 11
John Stokes, john.astokes@dc.gov

Canned food drives through November 20, at various locations. Fort Lincoln Recreation Center, 3100 Fort Lincoln Drive, NE; for more information, call Clifton Chisley at 576-6818. Lamond Recreation Center, 20 Tuckerman Street, NE; for more information, call Tiffany Johnson at 576-9541. Marie Reed Recreation Center, 2200 Champlain Street, NW; for more information, call Ludie Baker, Site Manager, at 673-7768. Lafayette Recreation Center, 5900 33rd Street, NW; for more information, call Ricky Davenport at 282-2206. Fort Stanton Recreation Center, 1812 Erie Street, SE; for more information, call Valarie Arnold at 645-3970. Kalorama Park Recreation Center, 1875 Columbia Road, NW (November 17-24); for more information, call John Borges, Site Manager, at 673-7606.

Saturday, November 8, 3:00 p.m.-5:30 p.m., Turkey Thicket Community Center, 1100 Michigan Avenue, NE. Fall boxing showcase, ages 8-21. A showcase of the DPR boxing program and future Olympians. For more information, call Marshall Cunningham, DPR Boxing Coordinator, at 258-6513.

Tuesday, November 11, 11:00 a.m., Harry Thomas, Sr., Community Center, 1743 Lincoln Road, NE; Riggs LaSalle Community Center, 501 Riggs Road, NE; and Fort Davis Community Center, 1400 41st Street, SE. 2008 Girls Flag Football, ages 9-15. The 2008 Girls Flag Football Season will begin. The first games will be held at three recreation centers. The league will last for five weeks, with a round robin tournament on the last day at Coolidge High School field on December 13.

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Historical Society of Washington, DC, November 9, 11
Ed Bruske, euclidarms@yahoo.com

Sunday, November 9, 2 p.m.-4 p.m., Historical Society of Washington, DC, 801 K Street, NW, at Mt. Vernon Square. Free admission. Unbuilt Washington: The City as it Might Have Been. Our lecturer, Don Hawkins, is probably better known locally for his avocation as a historian of early Washington and its topography. He has drawn and published dozens of maps and illustrations showing how our area looked to early European settlers and how it evolved over the years. In this presentation, he will relate how some of Washington’s major roads, used by thousands of drivers every day, still follow the same routes established by Native Americans who traversed the region for thousands of years. In the 18th century, with three chartered towns nearby and three ferries across its rivers, this area was well served by roads and well known to travelers long before it was declared the site of the new Federal City. Don Hawkins grew up in Arlington, studied architecture at the Architectural Association in London, the Carnegie Institute of Technology in Pittsburgh, and Catholic University, where he also received a master’s degree in urban design. He is a frequent lecturer on DC history at the Smithsonian, local historical societies, and at most of our area’s universities. RSVP@historydc.org or 383-1828.

Tuesday, November 11, 12:00 p.m., Historical Society of Washington, DC, 801 K Street, NW, at Mt. Vernon Square. Free admission. High Noon Film: Men of Bronze: The Black American Heroes of WWI, 60 minutes, dir. William Miles. Men of Bronze is the definitive story of the black American soldiers of the 369th combat regiment, known as the “Harlem Hellfighters,” who served with the French Army in World War I. Although relegated to non-combat duty by the US Command, the 369th was sent to France and spent more time in front-line trenches than any other American infantry unit. Fighting alongside French, Moroccan and Senegalese soldiers at the campaigns of Champagne-Marne and Meuse-Argonne, the courageous men of the 369th distinguished themselves in some of the fiercest battles of the Great War. Men of Bronze uses photographs, interviews with veterans, and film from the French and American National Archives to recount the sage of the “Harlem Hellfighters,” offering an inspiring tribute to these unsung heroes and an unforgettable look at World War I. For the entire family. RSVP@historydc.org or 383-1828.

Tuesday, November 11, 2 p.m.-4 p.m. Historical Society of Washington, DC, 801 K Street, NW, at Mt. Vernon Square. Free admission. Forgotten Soldiers: The District’s Black Dough Boys of WWI. On the 90th anniversary of the end of the First World War, the “war to end all wars,” learn about the lives and reflections of African Americans in the nation’s capital during one of its most turbulent periods from two fascinating perspectives. Gretchen Roberts-Shorter will discuss the career and read excerpts from the diary of her uncle, Dr. Roy Plummer. This historically significant document remains the only one known to have been authored by an African American soldier during the war. The Smithsonian Institution called Plummer’s diary “a very intimate and important artifact.” C. R. Gibbs will provide a probing look at the origins and exploits of the First Separate Battalion, District of Columbia National Guard. Such was the unit’s renown that it was called up before the official declaration of war to guard the White House and other important government buildings. In brutal combat in France, the battalion, which practised drill and ceremonies at the True Reformers’ Hall at 12th and U Streets, was cited several times for valor. Amazingly, the unit was attached to the French army and more than a dozen of the battalion’s men won the coveted Croix de Guerre, the French war cross for distinguished gallantry in action. Plummer and the men of the battalion also battled stateside Jim Crow as well as inequality in the trenches of “no man’s land” but managed to maintain their dignity and humanity. Following each presentation, Roberts-Shorter and Gibbs will open up the discussion and take Q & A from the audience. RSVP@historydc.org or 383-1828.

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