Record Snow
Dear Record Keepers:
Okay, so we now have had the most inches of snow in any winter since
weather records have been kept. And the bulk of the snow has come in
just three snowstorms, the last one coming on the tail of the second. I’m
impressed; but what caused it? Was it my article saying that, while I
don’t like cold weather, I actually like huge snows (http://www.dcwatch.com/themail/2009/09-12-20.htm)?
Or was it Robert Kennedy’s column in the Los Angeles Times on
September 24, 2008 (http://www.robertfkennedyjr.com/articles/2008_sep_Los_angeles_times.html),
lamenting that because of global warming the Virginian suburbs of
Washington would never again see cold winters with snowfalls deep enough
for sledding? I blame Kennedy, the dope; never taunt the forces of
nature.
What kind of job did DC government do with this record snow? The
usual mayoral apologists are praising Fenty, and the usual critics are
saying he as badly as Barry did in his worst storms. The most balanced
evaluations are coming from the commentators on a Washington Post thread,
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/dc/2010/02/how_have_the_mayor_and_council.html#comments.
People whose residential blocks have been plowed and salted tend to rate
the snow removal efforts higher than those, like me, whose blocks haven’t
been touched since Friday (check out the pattern for your neighborhood
and other neighborhoods on the interactive map, http://snowmap.dc.gov).
But most people come to the same conclusion: DC workers did an okay job,
considering the fact that it would make no sense for the city to have
enough equipment to handle a snow storm that comes perhaps once a
century. But Fenty and Rhee did a terrible job by over promising what
the city could actually deliver and by making excessive demands on DC
government employees and public school students.
What was Fenty thinking when he said over the weekend that DC
government would be open on Monday, and when he demanded that all, not
just essential, employees show up for work? What was Rhee thinking when
she demanded that school kids show up for school under impossible
conditions? On Monday, Fenty responded to an interviewer on Channel 5
who asked him whether any DC employees had told him it was a bad idea to
open DC government on Monday with a scornful and dismissive, “No.”
And I’ll bet no one did; that Fenty made it clear that he didn’t
want to hear any opposition. When Rhee was asked what made her change
her mind, and finally call off school on Monday, she made it clear that
what parents and teachers said had no influence over her decision. But
why would it be a source of pride to Fenty and Rhee that they didn’t
listen to anyone but themselves, that they ignored advice from everyone
else? This is just the latest example of how personality flaws — in
this case arrogance — that are often dismissed as minor can lead to
major mistakes in governance.
One anonymous reader asked several people at high levels in District
government two questions, and shared this summary of what they said: “Q1:
Why do you think the DC government was open on Monday when the federal
government was closed? A1: Mayor Fenty wanted to show how tough he is
and that he is in charge. He wants to prove to the nation that DC can
function through anything. He pretends to be able to do it all, given
the people who work for him are going to do as he expects them to. He
sees himself as a trailblazer, going where no mayor has gone before. His
arrogance and need to be perceived as independent, insightful, and
confident actually showed his failure to use common sense. Opening the
government with limited bus service and people having to walk in the
middle of the streets shows how detached he is from the general public.
And because his administration fires people for the most trivial
offenses (real of perceived), some defied the odds and tried to get to
work. There was no regard for public safety. Does he think everyone who
works for the District lives in the District? He seriously
underestimated the amount of snow, and we were casualties of war. He
went on TV (where he speaks to his subjects) with a premature
announcement, and is too self absorbed to admit he made a mistake. Who
pays the price for that?
“Q2: Why was DCPS originally on a two hour delay? A2: He never
recovered from the levity from President Obama last year regarding the
closing of schools with the minimal snowfall, so this year he decided he
would show them. The barrage of parental phone calls, E-mails, blogs,
etc., let him know it was a huge mistake to open schools at all; hence
the change of plans. Not that he considered the danger to children
walking to school over unplowed sidewalks on in traffic, that some of
the snow was taller than some of the kids, or that when they got to
school how cold and wet they would be, or that there would not be
sufficient staff to supervise them or aftercare services to take them in
after school. It has been suggested that Rhee knew staff would not be
able to get to school and that she could then point out that they really
didn’t come to work as she has stated. And the schools were put on a
two-hour delay while the government was put on a one-hour delay. What
should we have done with the children for that hour? Send them to school
and hope someone is there to receive them? Or tell them to stay in the
house for an hour and hope for the best?”
You may have received issues of themail since January 31 in which
special characters like typographical (curly) quotes are replaced with a
box-like character. The company that sends themail is aware of the
problem. It has affected some of their other customers, too, and they’re
trying to identify what has caused the problem and to rectify it. Please
be patient.
Gary Imhoff
themail@dcwatch.com
###############
Wednesday Morning: the District of Columbia is back to square one
with snow removal, and residents are going to have to be patient a while
longer. Some streets haven’t been plowed from the last storm and now
there are additional inches with which to contend. Then, there are the
sidewalks that residents are expected to clear — again. Multiple
complaints have been posted on listservs; some have been justified, but
it is the lack of communication between the executive and city employees
that has me concerned. The same is true for poor communications among
the Schools Chancellor, DCPS administrators, teachers, and parents.
There has been a flood of E-mail alerts from the National Weather
Service and the Emergency Management Administration, but the decision to
close the DC government came at 10:55 p.m. Tuesday evening; an alert
announcing the shutdown of Metro came at 11:00 p.m.; and the decision to
cancel all but essential DCPS personnel came at 1:15 a.m. Wednesday
morning. When these alerts were issued, most of these employees had
already made child care arrangements and retired for the evening.
Your lack of prior proper planning and inability to execute a timely
decision was evident Sunday evening when the announcement to close DC
Public Schools came at 8:30 PM — when the Super Bowl was underway;
and, an earlier alert had stated schools would open Monday morning two
hours late.
Mayor Fenty and Chancellor Rhee: residents, parents, and city and
school employees deserve better. The federal government made a timely
decision to close on Wednesday, the District should follow their lead
rather than create a atmosphere of anxiety!
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It’s Tuesday and I wanted to say that snow removal here in NE has
been pretty lousy. The snowplows seem to be roaming around looking for
something to do but the side streets remain covered with snow.
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Probably it’s time to have the real estate tax applied according to
the service we get, and with credits for houses on streets where the
snow has not been removed and residents are losing money because they
cannot attend their businesses, while others, in nearby streets, can go
around, drive, and do their jobs.
Last December I got my street cleaned after a week and after calling
city hall four times.
Now, after three days and one call, I’m still a prisoner in my own
house, losing money by the hour.
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On Sunday, I received an E-mail from the mayor’s office on the Ward
7 listserv, announcing that on Monday morning the mayor would have a
press conference to provide an update on renovation efforts at Bald
Eagle Recreation Center. It reminded me of the old saying, “While Rome
was burning. . . .”
###############
Washington Post,
Inside the Messy Collapse of a Great Paper
Phil Shapiro, pshapiro@his.com
The cover story of the New Republic magazine for February 4 is
“The Washington Post in Winter: Inside the Messy Collapse of a
Great Paper” (http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2431937/posts).
Most interesting quote? “But none of these developments, however
promising, changes the fact that the Post remains a newspaper in
distress — in late October, (executive editor) Brauchli had to
physically intervene when an editor punched a writer in the newsroom. .
. .“ The current publisher, Katharine Weymouth, says her job is “to
make sure the Post is here for generations to come.” She gave
it her best shot. Honest, she did.
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The dust is settling a bit now after all the excitement of the St.
Charles, Illinois, meeting from November 11 through 22. During that
meeting, dubbed “Continental Congress of 2009,” the work of Mr.
Robert Schulz and the “We The People Foundation for Constitutional
Education, Inc.” produced as a capstone of over fourteen years of
activism and research, the document called “Articles of Freedom,”
the purpose of which is essentially education. The page you will find at
http://www.articlesoffreedom.us/ArticlesofFreedom/Summary.aspx
summarizes the fourteen articles that were produced detailing various
violations of the Constitution, and they are a prelude to holding the
government, at all levels, accountable if a sufficient number of
Americans agree with each other that it should be done.
Toward that end, plans are now underway to present these articles on
April 19 to begin a process of holding the Government accountable. If
you want to help, then your help is needed. It would be helpful at this
point if you would simply schedule a time in your busy day to look over
this summary on the net, and understand what the articles found. This
material was largely produced over the last fourteen years by WTP
Foundation and Bob Schulz, but everything thus produced has now been “filtered”
and “consolidated” by a very intense effort over eleven days in
Illinois by over one hundred Americans who were elected by fellow WTP
members and others in the public, who came, many at their own expense or
with the support of others who believed in them, and volunteered their
time to meet, debate, and work together toward producing this
magnificent work: http://www.articlesoffreedom.us/ArticlesofFreedom/ReadtheArticlesFlash.aspx
I would urge every American to get a copy at http://www.articlesoffreedom.us,
and if you have not yet done it, sign on the dotted line to join with
the rest of us in holding our government accountable. You can do that at
the “Pledge” tab at the same web site. The effort you may direct
toward this end is entirely voluntary, as is whatever contribution you
may or may not choose to make. This is bedrock activism by Americans who
do not wish to see the United States of America submerged into an
amorphous international amalgamation of “whatever,” but rather to
see America stay alive as a beacon of hope and inspiration to all of the
people of the world. The choice, as has always been the case, is ours.
###############
“A Citizens’ All Hands on Deck”
Peter Tucker, pete10506@yahoo.com
DC Mayor Adrian Fenty and Police Chief Cathy Lanier get quite excited
when deploying their “All Hands On Deck” tactic, which brings to
bear all available police on an area of concern at a particular time
(for example, the Trinidad neighborhood on a Friday night). This
made-for-TV policing strategy has little, if any, effect on crime.
Questions: what if, instead of interrupting people’s lives in
Trinidad, the “All Hands” tactic was deployed to City Hall? And what
if the “Hands” belonged not to the police, but to the civic-minded
residents of DC? While citizen involvement in the political process is
always critical, the next few weeks offer unique opportunities. Over
these next weeks, each city agency will testify at a public hearing held
by the city council committee responsible for its oversight, and the
public may testify (whether or not you live in the District).
Why bother testifying? It is hard to go anywhere in DC without
hearing about the problems of the District government, yet these
important critiques are often missing or downplayed at council hearings.
That needs to change. Testifying on an issue not only brings it to the
attention of the councilmember who bears oversight responsibility, but
the hearings are televised on channel 13 and reach into the homes of
thousands of fellow District residents, and this helps to put the
government on notice.
My mom likes to tell the story of a seesaw with a big bucket on each
end, one empty, the other filled with heavy rocks. Armed only with
spoons and a desire to tip the balance of power, we get to work. Each
spoonful of sand placed in the empty bucket high above is, in and of
itself, more of an act of faith than a practical solution. Yet, taken
together, our spoonfuls can lift the rocks. With regards to the upcoming
oversight hearings, it may be that none of us alone can tip the balance
of power, but each of us has a unique voice — a spoonful — and if we
put them together, who knows what may happen? On the other hand, if we
do nothing, the outcome is certain. Howard Zinn, the historian who
recently passed away, wrote, “I am totally confident not that the
world will get better, but that we should not give up the game before
all the cards have been played. The metaphor is deliberate; life is a
gamble. Not to play is to foreclose any chance of winning. To play, to
act, is to create at least a possibility of changing the world.”
Whatever local issue(s) you are most passionate about, the coming
hearings present an opportunity to take a civic gamble by raising your
voice. All the hearings are held at the Wilson building at 1350
Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, and their dates and times, as well as how to
sign up, can be found at http://dccouncil.us/media/2010%20Budget/FY092010AgencyPerformanceOversightHearing.PDF.
The obstacles to realizing a more just city are great, but many hands
make for light lifting. It is time for “A Citizens’ All Hands On
Deck.” See you at the council, and on channel 13.
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I love gardening and think it is very fine when children learn to
garden and come to enjoy it. But I wonder about the costs of the school
gardens program in the DC Council’s Healthy Schools Act of 2009.
School gardens must first be constructed. This may be the easy part at
schools that have an active parents association that will raise the
needed funds and provide the construction labor. And some schools may
get one of the new DCPS grants “to support the development of school
gardens,” from the grant program to be created by this legislation.
But what about the ongoing staffing costs for working with students to
plant and grow the vegetables and, most important and time-consuming, to
integrate their garden experiences into classroom curricula and
learning? Will DCPS be adding Garden Instructors to the payroll of
schools with gardens? Or will the classroom teachers be expected to add
this task to their already very full workloads?
Just today, a teacher at the Bancroft Elementary School of White
House vegetable garden fame wrote of this serious problem in the DC blog
The Slow Cook. Her title says it all: “Behind the White House Photo
ops, School Gardens Desperate for Help.” (http://tinyurl.com/ydtp3s6)
The successful school gardens I have seen depend on the labor of a few
willing teachers and a number of parent volunteers, at least some of
whom are knowledgeable gardeners. Other school gardens I’ve seen were
nothing but bare dirt and a few weeds. This what happens to school
gardens that never were or no longer are supported by willing teachers
and volunteers and have no paid gardening/teaching staff.
How much would it cost for professional staffing of the school garden
program? On this question, it is instructive to read about the first New
York City affiliate of the Edible Schoolyard program started by
restaurateur Alice Waters of Chez Panisse fame, in the January 19 New
York Times (http://tinyurl.com/ybtmmos).
This garden will be much more elaborate than any likely to be created in
DC, but not necessarily larger. Staffing costs for this garden are
estimated at $400,000 a year! Certainly this is far more than the likely
staffing cost of a DCPS school garden. However, this article makes the
point that staffing is not free. If the DC councilmembers supporting
this legislation believe school gardens are an important addition to our
public schools, they should provide funding in the Healthy Schools Act
of 2009 to staff them.
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Objection to a Vulgarity
Kathi Sullivan, kathims@aol.com
I feel that I must object to this E-mail (“Schools Open Monday?,”
themail, February 7). While I understand the frustration a parent must
have felt when it appeared that DCPS was going to open, I see no reason
why one feels they can use this language. What kind of a role model is
this parent? Not a great one in my book. I for one, do not use language
like this and, surprisingly enough, my kids and their friends don’t
either. As the editor, I think you can take a stance here and refuse to
print expletives.
[Let me restate my policy for themail. I rely on the good taste and
judgment of contributors to keep expletives to a minimum. There are
three good reasons to refrain from using them in published materials:
many people feel it is bad manners and in bad taste to use them; many
people feel that vulgarities weaken the force of an argument; and people
whose E-mails are monitored by censorship programs may not receive an
entire issue of themail because of a single expletive in one message. On
the other hand, Chancellor Rhee was saying that DC schoolchildren would
have to make their own way to schools through deep snows covering
streets and making sidewalks impassable, without any public
transportation available. Considering the provocation, any parent who
did not at least think a long and colorful string of expletives would
have shown superhuman restraint. — Gary Imhoff]
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Even though the recent poll found that the majority of District
residents would vote to support same-sex marriage, it still doesn’t
change my opinion that people’s rights are not to be left to the whim
of the majority. Thankfully, DC law is quite clear on this, and the
Board of Elections and Ethics and DC Superior Court have on multiple
occasions made clear that same-sex marriage is not proper material for a
referendum or initiative.
As for Kathyrn Pearson-West’s criticism [themail, February 7] of
Eleanor Holmes Norton’s defense of the same-sex marriage bill on the
Hill, I can only remind her that Delegate Norton is only being
consistent. One of Del. Norton’s tasks on the Hill is to protect the
right of the District’s elected officials to make local decisions. In
speaking on behalf of the same-sex marriage bill, Del. Norton is being
consistent in her defense of Home Rule.
On a related matter, I was fascinated to see the news that the
campaign to stop same-sex marriage in the District is anything but
local. According to campaign finance forms, no District resident but
Bishop Harry Jackson has given money to the cause, and he only gave
$100. Every other cent of the close to $200,000 collected to fight
marriage equality has come from national groups. I’m not saying that
national funds shouldn’t make their way into local fights, only that
it says something that no District resident has given money to help the
fight to defend “traditional” marriage.
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Last November I was elected the president of the Congress Heights
Community Association, the oldest and largest civic association in Ward
8. The next month, on December 12, I presided at my first official duty:
the Christmas tree lighting ceremony in the park at Martin Luther King,
Jr., and Malcolm X Avenues, SE. I had arranged for the community to have
cake at Georgena’s Restaurant and Bar, a few blocks from the park. I
went with some friends to the restaurant, and after an hour of being
there went outside to smoke a cigarette. A man that I did not know
followed me outside, came up behind me, called me a “fucking faggot,”
and punched me in my face, causing me to lose my balance and nearly
fall. He reached in his pocket to get something but ran into the parking
lot when he saw some people approaching the restaurant. The police were
called, came quickly, and showed much understanding and sensitivity in
taking my report. The officers informed me that my incident would be
reported as a hate crime and they have contacted me several times since
the assault. Last year the MPD reported that hate crimes based on sexual
orientation had risen dramatically in Wards 7 and 8. The Washington
City Paper reported this at http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/blogs/citydesk/2009/12/04/sexual-orientation-hate-crimes-jump-in-wards-7-8/.
Unfortunately here in DC too many African Americans feel that
homophobia is an acceptable form of bigotry. Hate speech is tolerated in
the school yards and in many pulpits. The current controversy
surrounding marriage equality in DC is causing homophobia to percolate
even more in the Black community in our city. It should be
understandable that when you have an orchestrated campaign led by people
referring to Gays as abominable sodomites and comparing the quest for
equal human and civil rights for same-sex couples as the first step to
the promotion of incest and pedophilia that some fringe elements will
display their intolerance virulently and sometimes violently. I can only
imagine and shudder at what a sustained campaign of homophobic bigotry
would be like in this city if marriage equality is put to a vote.
I am proud to live in a city that has a human rights law that
understands the consequences of permitting plebiscites involving the
basic civil and human rights of unpopular minorities. The more that I
listen to the proponents of a vote on marriage equality, the more I feel
that their objectives involve more than affecting public policy. In my
opinion, they yearn for the opportunity to give full cry to their
intolerance and hatred under the guise of promoting participatory
democracy. The tragedy is that people like me may become collateral
damage in the midst of their collective catharsis. This is not paranoia
on my part because on December 12, 2009, I became a hate-crime
statistic. If there is an upside to this continuing Sturm und Drang
around marriage equality, it is that the haters are finally coming out
their closets and letting the LGBT community know who our enemies are.
Gary, I commend you and themail for giving them a forum to express and
expose themselves.
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CLASSIFIEDS — EVENTS
A Joint Hearing, Indeed, February 11
Peter Tucker, pete10506@yahoo.com
On Thursday, February 11, at 10:00 a.m., in the Council Chamber of
the Wilson Building (1350 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW) there will be a
public hearing on the “Legalization of Marijuana for Medical Treatment
Initiative Amendment Act of 2010.” The hearing is being co-chaired by
Councilmembers David Catania (chair of the Health Committee) and Phil
Mendelson (chair of the Committee on Public Safety and the Judiciary).
The notice for the hearing correctly — in more ways than one —
describes it as “a Joint Public Hearing.”
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Department of Parks and Recreation Events,
February 12-14
John Stokes, john.astokes@dc.gov
February 12, 9:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m., various locations. DPR play day for
ages six through thirteen. DC Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR),
in coordination with the District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS),
offers DPR Play Day, a full day of programs for DCPS students in grades
K – 8 throughout the District. DPR Play Day programs begin at 8:30
a.m. and continue until 5:00 p.m. Breakfast, lunch, and snack will be
available for all registered youth. For more information, call Gerren
Price, Play Day Coordinator at 445-3562.
February 12, 4:00 p.m.-6:00 p.m., Volta Park Recreation Center, 1555
34th Street, NW. Valentine Day for ages five through twelve.
Participants will exchange Valentine cards, make valentine hearts, dance
to music and will be served refreshments. For more information, call
Shirley Debrow at 282-0379.
February 12, 6:00 p.m.-8:30 p.m., Benning Stoddert Recreation Center,
100 Stoddert Place, SE. Black History Month Youth Ball for ages eight
through fifteen. The Youth Ball will be a place where the youth can
display their grace and style and enjoy an evening of dance with fellow
friends. For more information, call Richard Evans or James Battle.
698-1873.
February 12, 2:30 p.m.-5:00 p.m., Turkey Thicket Community Center,
1100 Michigan Avenue, NE. Black History Valentine’s Day Masquerade
Ball for ages six through twelve. Youth will enjoy Black History Play
follow by ball. For more information call Lesley Long, Site Manager, at
365-6983.
February 12, 5:00 p.m.-7:00 p.m., Langdon Park Recreation Center,
2901 20th Street, NE. Valentine Dance for ages thirteen and under. Kids
will have a valentine dance in the gym. The staff will provide food,
music, and beverages. For more information, call T-Jai Farmer, Site
Manager, at 576-6595.
February 12, 5:00 p.m.-7:00 p.m., North Michigan Park Community
Center, 1333 Emerson Street, NE. Youth Valentine Sock Hop for ages seven
through twelve. Youth will come together in a fun filled atmosphere to
show off their latest dances in an old school sock hop dance way. For
more information, call Joe Clark, Site Manager, at 541-3522.
February 12, 2:00 p.m.-5:00 p.m., Lamond Recreation Center, 20
Tuckerman Street, NE. Valentine’s Day Sweetheart Dance for ages six
through thirteen. Youth will enjoy food, games, and music. For more
information, call Kim Campbell at 576-9541.
February 12, 6:30 p.m.-7:30 p.m., Hillcrest Recreation Center, 3100
Denver Street, SE. Black Art Night for ages six through eighteen. Youth
will participate in creating art for Black History Month and Valentine’s
Day. For more information, call Orvin Wright, Site Manager, at 645-9201.
February 12, 7:00 p.m.-9:00 p.m., Benning Park Recreation Center,
5100 Southern Avenue, SE. A Dinner from the Heart for all ages. Staff
will serve meal to participants at center including soft music and
fellowship. For more information, call 645-3957.
February 12, 11:00 a.m.-2:30 p.m., DC Center for Therapeutic
Recreation, 3030 G Street, SE. Red and White Dance for adults with
special needs. A Valentine’s Day celebration including dancing, games,
and light refreshment. For more information, call Rita Robinson,
Recreation Therapist, at 698-1794.
February 12-14, 6:00 p.m.-9:00 p.m., 9:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m., 9:00
a.m.-12:00 p.m., Southeast Tennis and Learning Center 701 Mississippi
Avenue, SE. “Sweetheart” Open Tennis Tournament for ages sixteen and
under. This is the Southeast Tennis and Learning Center’s Annual “Sweetheart”
Open Tennis Tournament. This tournament opens competition up to other
youth in the DC metro area. This is another tool to prepare young tennis
players to competitive play. For more information, call Keely S.
Alexander at 645-6242.
February 12-14, Takoma Aquatic Center, 300 Van Buren Street, NW. 24th
Annual Black History Invitation Swim Meet for ages six through sixteen.
The DC Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR) and the United Black
Fund, Inc., will host the 24th Annual Black History Invitational Swim
Meet. Over three exciting days, from February 12-14, over eight hundred
youth from across the country will compete at “Dive Into History,”
the 24th Annual Black History Invitational Swim Meet. This national
event draws hundreds of swimmers each year to be part of the “premier
minority swim competition in the United States and in the World,” as
described by USA Swimming. More information about the meet and the
complete schedule is available on our web site.
February 13, 3:00 p.m.-5:00 p.m., Trinidad Recreation Center, 1310
Childress Street, NE. Cougars Competitive Cheerleading Pep Rally for
ages five through sixteen. Each team (Tiny Mites, Jr., Pee Wee, and
Seniors) will display their cheer routine for the season with parents
and special guests while enjoying games, food, contests, and more. For
more information, call Tameka Borges, Recreation Specialist, at
412-0305.
February 13, 5:30 p.m.-8:30 p.m., Bald Eagle Recreation Center, 100
Joliet Street, SW. Black Entertainers under the Stars Talent Show for
ages eight and under. Youth and staff will put on performances of famous
Black entertainers or historians. For more information, call Margie
Robinson at 645-3960.
February 14, 8:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m., University of Delaware Indoor
Sports Complex, 609 South College Avenue, Newark, DE. First State Indoor
Track Classic for ages eighteen and under. A premier track and field
meet held in Newark, Delaware, for athletes eighteen and under to
compete in a number of track and field events. For more information,
call Edgar Sams, Track and Field Coordinator at 425-2859.
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DC Federation of Democratic Women State
Convention, February 27
Hazel B. Thomas, thomashazelb@aol.com
Mark your calendar today to attend the DC Federation of Democratic
Women State Convention and Forum. The theme of the convention is “Evolving
Legislative Priorities for Women and Families.” We will have expert
speakers who will present hot topics under four broad issue areas:
Health Care, Housing, Employment and Education. Please plan to attend
and bring a friend. Your input and presence are needed to help evolve
our legislative priorities.
The DC Federation of Democratic Women Annual State Convention,
Saturday, February 27, 8:30 a.m.-l:00 p.m., Fourth Floor Council
Chamber, 1350 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW. Topics: Health Care Reform and
How It Relates to Women in the Metropolitan Area; presenter, Dr. Cam
James, Senior Policy Analyst, Race, Ethnicity and Health Care and
Director of Barbara Jordan Health Policy Scholars. Housing: A Global
View of the Current Market, Programs, Resources, Incentives and
Outreach; presenter: Ms. Leila Edwards, Director, Department of Housing
and Community Development. Women in the Workforce, Current, Short, and
Long Term Potentials; presenter, Ms. Connie Spirmer, Associate Dean of
Workforce Development, University of the District of Columbia Department
of Workforce Development. Comprehensive Education in the District of
Columbia for Children and Adults; presenter, Ms. Sumeira Kashim,
Research and Partnership Coordinator, DC Voice, Representative from the
University of the District of Columbia, The Community College. Please
come out and let your voice be heard. Be a part of setting a progressive
agenda for women and families in the District of Columbia.
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