MLK Day
Dear Holiday Celebrants:
Monday is Martin Luther King, Jr., day — an official United States
holiday whose meaning has changed dramatically in the decades since it
was first officially recognized. The holiday was quite controversial
when it was first proposed, and there was a good deal of resistance to
it, although Congress passed it by an overwhelming majority. The
resistance was understandable, because King was a revolutionary figure,
an oppositional figure, an outsider. It’s hard for those who didn’t
live through the civil rights movement to understand, but the so-called
radicals of the time, people like Malcolm X and Stokely Carmichael, were
much less revolutionary than King. Malcolm X and Carmichael preached a
doctrine of permanent racial division, and worked for an American
society that would still be dominated by race and racial separation,
that would differ from the past only in that black Americans would have
more power with respect to white Americans. King, on the other hand,
foresaw and worked for a quite different end, for racial reconciliation
— a post-racial society in which racial differences would not be
important to whites or blacks. That is the real revolutionary change.
King was never a man of the establishment, never a friend of
government. The meaning of his life has been domesticated and tamed by
government’s claiming him, and later by the federal government’s and
local governments’ declaring the holiday in his honor to be a “day
of service,” on which governments encourage people to work at
officially organized and approved service projects. But even after
decades of reshaping and reinterpreting and ignoring King’s message,
the subversive core remains. And that’s what inspires us.
Gary Imhoff
themail@dcwatch.com
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The Washington Teachers’ Union Can Do Better
Candi Peterson, saveourcounselors@gmail.com
Last Saturday, 120 people gathered together at the invitation of
Washington Teachers’ Union (WTU) General Vice President Nathan A.
Saunders to celebrate his graduation from the National Labor College in
Baltimore, Maryland. What was significant about this event was that
Saunders announced that he would run for the WTU President seat when
elections are held in May 2010. With a campaign slogan of “We Can Do
Better,” Saunders shared his vision of building an organizing union
that is proactive and embraces members ideas, encourages the
participation of teachers, parents, and community working collectively
to improve teaching and learning conditions.
The gathering included community members, parents, teachers, and
school personnel, many of whom remarked throughout the night that there
were excited and interested in working to fight for meaningful education
reform that doesn’t exclude critical stakeholders. Saunders’ speech
focused on the obvious — that teachers have not had a contract for
three years and many of our teachers have lost their jobs in part due to
our union’s being reactive to Chancellor Rhee’s five year education
plan which seeks to terminate a significant share of the teaching force.
In a recent press release, Saunders stated, “Teachers are more
besieged today than ever. The collective bargaining agreement is expired
by three years, working conditions have deteriorated, and teachers are
working harder for less money under greater pressure.”
Saunders’ announcement for WTU President 2010 was covered by Washington
Post writer Bill Turque on the DC Wire blog, in which he wrote, “Saunders’
candidacy raises at least the possibility that if Chancellor Michelle A.
Rhee fails to secure a new contract with the WTU before spring, she
could be dealing with a union president who qualifies as her worst
nightmare” (http://voices.washingtonpost.com/dc/2010/01/saunders_to_announce_for_wtu_p.html).
After all, many remarked at the recent campaign gathering that we are at
war in this city as teachers and other government workers are in a fight
to save their jobs. Turque’s quote got me to thinking that teachers
are desperately in need of a union president who will stand up to Rhee
and be willing to fight.
On The Washington Teacher blog, I often read comments from teachers
who are sick and tired of our union’s current state of apathy and
unwillingness to lead us in the fight of our lives. As we sit and watch
as more DC teachers and school personnel are unjustly terminated and
laid-off, imagine a future with even more terminations with an IMPACT
evaluations that are unfair. I know we can do better. As Saunders’ web
site states — We Must Do Better! For everything there is a season; it
is the season for all of us to gather stones because it is time to
fight. I strongly encourage you to check out Saunders’ campaign web
site for WTU President 2010 and read about his platform. Visit http://www.votesaunders2010.com
to get more information. If you are interested in working on Saunders’
campaign for WTU President 2010, please feel free to sign up via his web
site or by E-mail, votesaunders2010@gmail.com.
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Report on Commercial Recycling Hearing,
January 13
Virginia Johnson, virginiamjohnson@verizon.net
If you live in a condo or apartment, you are not, in the eyes of the
DC Department of Public Works, part of the residential recycling
program. Rather, you are part of the commercial recycling program. On
January 13, I was the only resident testifying as a resident at the
commercial recycling hearing at the Wilson Building. My testimony
concluded with the paragraph, “A city that boasts that it is ‘liberal,’
‘progressive,’ or ‘Democratic,’ but does not have a reliable
recycling program in place and is in fact supremely indifferent to that
reality is a joke.” I debated with myself briefly whether or not to
include that harsh sounding paragraph, but as I first suspected, it just
reflects residents’ true level of interest. It is amazing to me that
in a city with so much supposed environmental awareness and enthusiasm,
not to mention the number of people with post graduate degrees in
environmental this or that, that there was a grand total of one person
showing up to represent people who live in condos and apartments on
recycling.
Reacting to my testimony, the chairman, Jim Graham, noted that he too
lives in a commercial building, and that his fellow residents are
Johnny-on-the-spot with the recycling and apparently keep an eagle eye
out for those who don’t. I felt like asking, “then where are they?”
I replied that people in my building are not nearly so avid, and the
reaction by both the board and management company when I brought to
their attention the lack of general compliance was underwhelming to say
the least. Because of this apparent unwillingness or indifference, the
changes that I heard are in the works are likewise weak.
Graham noted that last year he tried to get six investigators hired
at DPW but was not successful for a rather picayune budget reason. He
said he is going to propose something similar this year. Most of the
proposals I heard at the hearing (I didn’t stay until the bitter end)
are chipping away at the edges, and real overhaul and real improvement
is nowhere on the horizon, unfortunately. I wish I could put a cheerier
face on things, but until residents draw a line in the sand, and stand
firm, your DC recycling program will continue to limp along as the weak
one that it is. The bag tax is the lone bright spot on the horizon. I
wish the recycling program could be as bold.
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DPW Schedule for Martin Luther King, Jr., Day
Kevin Twine, kevin.twine@dc.gov
The Department of Public Works will be closed on Monday, January 18,
to honor Martin Luther King, Jr., Day. Most DPW services will be
suspended, including DPW trash and recycling collections. DPW also will
not enforce parking meters or other parking regulations.
Trash and recycling collections will slide one day citywide for the
rest of the week. For example, Monday trash and recycling collections
will be made on Tuesday and Tuesday’s collections will be made on
Wednesday. In neighborhoods with twice-weekly trash collections, Monday
and Thursday collections will be made Tuesday and Friday and Tuesday and
Friday collections will slide to Wednesday and Saturday. Trash and
recycling containers should be put out for collection no earlier than
6:30 p.m. the night before collection and removed from public space by
8:00 p.m. on the day(s) of collection. Residents can still dispose of
their holidays trees by placing them with the regular trash. Trees will
be collected as truck space permits.
The Ft. Totten transfer station will be closed to residential
customers on Monday. It will reopen Tuesday for residents to bring their
trash and bulk items. Holiday trees can be brought to Ft. Totten (1:00
p.m. to 5:00 p.m. weekdays and 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Saturdays) for
free tree chipping until Saturday, January 30. All DPW services will
resume on Tuesday, January 19. To view DPW’s 2010 trash and recycling
holiday schedule, visit http://www.dpw.dc.gov,
scroll down to DPW Highlights and select “View the 2010 Holiday Slide
Guide.”
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Environmentalists and Environmentalism
Thomas Grahame, tgrahame@mindspring.com
Gary, I’d suggest you look at environmentalism with a more nuanced
eye. We come in all shapes and sizes, some quite sane and agnostic when
it comes to environmentalism as a religion. Example: the Chesapeake Bay
once had far more wildlife and resources in it. The oyster population is
about 1 percent of what it used to be. The blue crab harvest is way
down. Once-abundant sea grasses can’t grow at depths they used to grow
in, because sunlight no longer penetrates more than the first few feet
of water in summer. This means that there is far less sea grass. Sun
doesn’t penetrate because algae now grow so prolifically that they
block the light. Algae are so prolific because of pollution (nitrogen
and phosphorus, plant nutrients, to be precise). The algae keep fish
levels down, because juvenile fish need grasses to hide from predators.
Do you think that efforts (not yet successful) to restore the
Chesapeake Bay so that the water is cleaner and clearer, and more fish
and oysters and sea grasses and crabs can grow are evidence of
delusional religion? Or do you think a reasonable society would want to
bring the Bay back (not that it will ever be pristine again, but just
better!) When the striped bass population was in a free fall about
twenty years ago, states (and DC) declared moratoria on catching them,
to enable recovery. And recover they did. Doesn’t this look like a
reasonable, and successful, environmental initiative?
Many people today want to do more for the environment, generally
speaking, but may not always know environmental issues in depth (few
have the time). One E-mailer noted that the bag bill probably won’t do
much to directly benefit the Anacostia because most floating plastic
debris seems to be bottles (I agree; I’ve canoed the Anacostia this
fall). It seems to be politically impossible to pass a bottle bill of
some sort, however. I do think there will be some incremental revenue
from the bill for fixing the Anacostia, and that is incrementally OK
with me. My sense is that the bill is “feel good” legislation that
probably won’t accomplish much, but which makes Tommy Wells look good
with his younger constituents, which may have been the point. Yet, to be
fair to Wells, we have to see how much revenue comes into a fund for the
Anacostia — I would be quite pleased if the funds were significant,
and if they could produce visible benefits. Yes, some environmental
ideas can be crazy, and some environmentalists can be crazy, but look at
the big picture, and make your judgment issue by issue.
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I have recently started a blog that, despite my intentions, has
mostly been about DC politics. You can find it at http://de-republica.blogspot.com/
###############
January InTowner Content Now Available
Online
P.L. Wolff, intowner@intowner.com
This is to advise that the January 2010 online edition has been
uploaded and may be accessed at http://www.intowner.com.
Included are the lead stories, community news items, editorials
(including prior months’ archived), restaurant reviews (prior months’
also archived), and the text from the ever-popular “Scenes from the
Past” feature (the accompanying images can be seen in the archived PDF
version). The Selected Street Crimes feature will be updated in the
coming days at which time we will send an advisory to our new content
upload notification list recipients.
The complete issue (along with prior issues back to January 2002)
also is available in PDF file format directly from our home page at no
charge simply by clicking the link in the Current & Back Issues
Archive. Here you will be able to view the entire issue as it appears in
print, including all photos and advertisements. The next issue will
publish on February 12 (the second Friday of the month as usual). The
complete PDF version will be posted by the preceding night or early that
Friday morning at the latest, following which the text of the lead
stories, community news, and selected features will be uploaded shortly
thereafter.
To read this month’s lead stories, simply click the link on the
home page to the following headlines: 1) “Champlain Street Reopening
Leaves Major Elements of Promised improvements Undone”; 2) “Columbia
Heights Homeowner Proves Slashing Pepco Bills Doable Without Sacrifice.”
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CLASSIFIEDS — EVENTS
Department of Parks and Recreation Events,
January 19-22
John Stokes, john.astokes@dc.gov
January 19, 6:30 p.m.-8:00 p.m., Fort Lincoln Recreation Center, 3100
Ft. Lincoln Drive, NE. Martin Luther King, Jr., tribute for all ages.
Youth will color and/or paint a picture or Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.,
to be displayed. For more information, call Ricky Davenport-Thomas, Site
Manager, at 576-6818.
January 20, 8:30 a.m.-4:00 p.m., Therapeutic Recreation Center, 3030
G Street, SE. Trip to Toby’s Dinner Theater. Adults registered in the
Leisure Life Skills Program will travel to Toby’s Dinner Theater in
Columbia, MD, to see a matinee performance of “Annie.” For more
information, call 698-1795.
January 21, 6:00 p.m.-8:00 p.m., Arboretum Recreation Center, 2412
Rand Place, NE. Martin Luther King Poetry Slam for all ages. The
community will have a poetry slam contest for the community, the best
poet will win a small prize and show off their talent. Light
refreshments will be served. For more information, call 727-5547.
January 22, 6:00 p.m.-8:00 p.m., Joseph H. Cole Recreation Center,
1200 Morse Street, NE. Crazy Hat Night for ages twelve and under.
Participants will be judged on the best hat and there will be first,
second, and third prize winners. For more information, call Andre
Pressey at 724-4874.
January 22, 12:15 p.m.-4:00 p.m., Lafayette Recreation Center, 5900
33rd Street, NW. Half Day Celebration for ages twelve and under.
Participants will partake in a fun filled half day celebration including
a movie, cookie making, arts and crafts, and refreshments. For more
information, call Mike Thompkins at 282-2206.
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Calling Ward 1 Organizations, January 22
Susie Cambria, susie.cambria@gmail.com
In 2010, service providers and community-based organizations will to
be asked to do more with less as the recession continues to impact our
clients and donors. Programs and whole organizations that provide
services to Ward 1 residents have been (or will be) cut back or
eliminated. We all know how hard this makes our work. But our work would
be easier if everyone knew what services were still available so we
could make quality referrals and avoid unnecessarily duplicating
efforts. Unfortunately, collecting all this information and keeping it
updated is extremely time consuming and redundant if each organization
tried to do it individually.
So why don’t we come together collectively to identify service
gaps, evaluate communication options, and generally take stock of our
current situation? Councilmember Jim Graham will help introduce a social
service database and SWOT blog as tools to make tracking Ward 1 services
and communication across service providers easier.
This is only the beginning, so if you’re concerned about current
condition of our Ward 1 safety net and how we as a community can improve
our work, please set aside 9:30 a.m., January 22, at the Columbia
Heights Youth Club (1480 Girard Street, NW) for the SWOT Kickoff (go to http://swotdc.blogspot.com/2010/01/strengthening-ward-one-togehter-kickoff.html
for additional details).
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Wine Tasting Event, January 26
Jacqueline Marie Dudas, dudasjm@email.wofford.edu
Celebrate the grand opening and enjoy tasting a selection of fine
wines at the District Restaurant and Lounge — 2473 18th Street, NW —
on Tuesday, January 26, from 6:30-8:30 p.m. District is the newest
addition to Adams Morgan and the DC restaurant scene.
Red and white wine selections will complement the appetizer
selections served from the District’s upscale surf and turf
contemporary style menu theme. Washington DC wine connoisseur of Taste
DC will also host — Charlie Adler will also promote his upcoming book,
I Drink on the Job. Two lucky wine enthusiasts will be able to
win a copy of the book, due to come out in February.
Admission is $25 per person; all proceeds go to the Adams Morgan Main
Street Group, a 501(c)3 nonprofit. RSVP to Volunteer@ammainstreet.org or
call 232-1960.
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Mayor’s Arts Award Nominations, February 5
Victoria Joy Murray, events@dc.gov
The DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities invites you to submit
nominations for the twenty-fifth annual Mayor’s Arts Awards. The Mayor’s
Arts Awards are the most prestigious honors conferred by the city on
individual artists, organizations, and patrons of the arts. Cash prizes
will be awarded in each category. Join Mayor Adrian M. Fenty as he
presents the awards!
The Mayor’s Arts Award categories are Excellence in an Artistic
Discipline, Outstanding Emerging Artist, Excellence in Service to the
Arts, Outstanding Contribution to Arts Education, and Innovation in the
Arts. The Mayor’s Award for Arts Teaching categories are Excellence in
Teaching Performing Arts, Excellence in Teaching Visual Arts, Excellence
in Teaching Language Arts. The submission deadline is Friday, February
5, 7:00 p.m. Click http://www.dcarts.dc.gov/dcarts/frames.asp?doc=/dcarts/lib/dcarts/pdfs/2010_maa_guidelines.pdf
for a nomination form. For more information, contact Victoria Joy
Murray, DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities, 1371 Harvard Street,
NW, Washington, DC 20009, 724-5613 (voice) or 727-3148 (TDD), E-mail events@dc.gov.
Please note nominees must be residents of the District of Columbia.
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CLASSIFIEDS — VOLUNTEERS
DPR Seeks Volunteers for the 24th Annual Black
History Invitational Swim Meet
John A. Stokes, john.astokes@dc.gov
The DC Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR) and the United Black
Fund, Inc., will host “Dive Into History,” the twenty-fourth annual
Black History Invitational Swim Meet, February 12-14, at the Takoma
Aquatic Facility, 300 Van Buren Street, NW. DPR is seeking volunteers to
participate in this annual event. The Black History Invitational Swim
Meet was established to provide urban youth nationwide with a positive
outlet for exposure to strong competition, a forum to meet positive role
models, and the opportunity to visit the nation’s capital. The Black
History Invitational Swim Meet has been hailed by USA Swimming, the
national governing body for the sport of swimming, as the “premier
minority swim competition in the United States and the world.” Over
850 youth from across the nation will attend this event.
Those interested in volunteering should visit http://www.dcblackhistoryswim.com
or contact Jennifer Nguyen by telephone at 673-7662 or by E-mail at jennifer.nguyen@dc.gov
by January 29.
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