Issuu

NOW OPEN! The Finest Selection of Oysters & Chops on The Hill • A Fifty-Foot Long Marble Oyster Bar • Twenty-Four Wines by the Glass • Sixteen Fine Ales on Draft

Open for Lunch, Dinner & Late Night Dining Lunch Daily: 11:30AM to 5PM Dinner: Sunday thru Thursday, 5 to 10PM Fridays & Saturdays, 5 to 11PM

Senart’s • 520 8th St. SE (202) 544-1168 • www.SenartsDC.com

EAST OF THE RIVER MAGAZINE | MAY 2011 | CAPITALCOMMUNITYNEWS.COM

NEIGHBORHOOD NEWS 08 ............Go See Do 10 ............East of the River Calendar 16 ............The Bulletin Board 20 ............Political Prisoner For Dc Voting Rights • by Maceo Thomas 24 ............Northeast Egypt Center...• by Virginia Spatz 26 ............The Power of Family • by Alice Ollstein 28 ............WACIF - Investing in DC’s Future • by Alice Ollstein 30 ............David Catania’s Letter 30 ............Former Youth Mayor Earns Scholarship • by John Muller

EAST WASHINGTON LIFE 32 ............DC Fire Dept. East of the River • by John Muller 34 ............Dr. Courtney Davis • by Sam Tyler

35 ............Critical Exposure • by Emma Scott

KIDS & FAMILY 37 ............Kids and Family Notebook • by Kathleen Donner

HOMES & GARDENS 42 ............The River East Condo Market • by Ernie Marcus 43 ............Changing Hands • compiled by Don Denton 44 ............The Classifieds 46 ............The Nose • by Anonymous

35 ON THE COVER: Artist: Gerald Griﬃn Medium: Oil on Cavas Size: 36 x 36”

Piece Description: This painting is from my series, The Black Box portfolio. The theme focuses on the historical position of women in the legacy of Black people. Originally Black culture was based on matriarchy and women were symbols of fertility and life. She was not only the element that balanced life but she was granted the vaulted position of being the vessel through which life entered the world... View more of Mr. Griffin’s work at http://www.griffingalleryandinteriors.com/

CAPITALCOMMUNITYNEWS.COM ★ 5

HILL RAG MIDCITY DC EAST OF THE RIVER FAGON COMMUNITY GUIDES

Capital Community News, Inc. 224 7th Street, SE, Suite 300, Washington, DC 20003 202.543.8300 • www.capitalcommunitynews.com EXECUTIVE EDITOR: Melissa Ashabranner melissaashabranner@hillrag.com EDITORIAL STAFF

HOMES & GARDENS

MANAGING EDITOR: Andrew Lightman andrew@hillrag.com CFO & ASSOCIATE EDITOR: Maria Carolina Lopez carolina@hillrag.com KIDS & FAMILY EDITOR: Susan Braun Johnson schools@hillrag.com ASSOCIATE EDITOR: Mary-Frances Daly maryfrances@hillrag.com

Rindy O’Brien - Hill Gardener • rindyob@mac.com Derek Thomas • derek@thomaslandscapes.com Judith Capen • judith.capen@architravepc.com

NEWS & NEIGHBORHOOD REPORTS

ARTS, DINING & ENTERTAINMENT ART: Jim Magner • jjmagner@aol.com DINING: Celeste McCall • celeste@hillrag.com LITERATURE: Karen Lyon • klyon@folger.edu MOVIES: Mike Canning • mjcanning@verizon.net MUSIC: Stephen Monroe • samonroe2004@yahoo.com THEATER: Brad Hathaway • brad@potomacstages.com TRAVEL: Maggie Hall • whitby@aol.com THE WINE GUYS: Jon Genderson • jon@cellar.com THE JAZZ PROJECT: Jean-Keith Fagon • fagon@hillrag.com

CALENDAR & BULLETIN BOARD HILL RAG, DC NORTH & EAST OF THE RIVER: Hill Rag & East of the River Calendar Editor: Kathleen Donner BULLETIN BOARD EDITOR: Mary-Frances Daly calendar@hillrag.com, bulletinboard@hillrag.com

GENERAL ASSIGNMENT Monica Cavanaugh • monica.cavanaugh@gmail.com Michelle Evans • invisiblecolours@yahoo.com Mary-Frances Daly • maryfrances@hillrag.com Celeste McCall • celeste@hillrag.com Heather Schoell • hschoell@verizon.net Tanya Synder • tanya.c.snyder@gmail.com Virginia Avniel Spatz • virginia@hillrag.com Peter Waldron • peter@hillrag.com Paul D. Shinkman - pdshinkman@gmail.com Melanie Sunukjian - melsunuk@gmail.com Shannon Holloway - holloway.shannon@gmail.com

WARD 1: Mark Johnson • ward1@hillrag.com WARD 2: Amanda Abrams • ward2@hillrag.com WARD 4: Tanya Snyder • ward4@hillrag.com ANC6A: Tanya Snyder • tanya.c.snyder@gmail.com ANC6B: Kyle Johnson • kylejoh@gmail.com ANC6C: Kyle Johnson • kylejoh@gmail.com ANC6D: Roberta Weiner • rweiner_us@yahoo.com WARD 7: Virginia Spatz • ward7@hillrag.com WARD 8: Virginia Spatz • ward8@hillrag.com BARRACKS ROW: 202-544-3188 H STREET LIFE: Elise Bernard • inked78@hotmail.com THE NOSE: thenose@hillrag.com

PRODUCTION/GRAPHIC DESIGN LEAD DESIGNER: Jason Nickens 202.543.8300 X17 • jason@hillrag.com GRAPHIC DESIGNER: Jason Yen 202.543.8300 X21 • jay@hillrag.com

ADVERTISING & SALES SENIOR ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE: Deborah Bandzerewicz 202.543.8300 X13 • deb@hillrag.com ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE: Kira Means 202.543.8300 X16 • kira@hillrag.com CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING: Maria Carolina Lopez 202.543.8300 X12 • carolina@hillrag.com MARKETING ASSISTANT: Giancarlo Fagon gbfagon@gmail.com

DISTRIBUTION DISTRIBUTION MANAGER: Andrew Lightman DISTRIBUTORS: David Sledgister and Southwest Distribution DISTRIBUTION INFORMATION: distribution@hillrag.com

BEAUTY, HEALTH & FITNESS

WEBSITE

Patricia Cinelli • fitmiss44@aol.com Ronda Bresnick Hauss, LCSW • www.quietwaterscenter.com quiet_waters_center@yahoo.com Peter Sherer • Peter@expmatters.com

WEB MASTER: Jason Nickens 202.543.8300 X17 • webmaster@hillrag.com

KIDS & FAMILY Mary-Frances Daily • kidsnotebook@hillrag.com Susan Johnson • schools@hillrag.com

DEADLINES & CONTACTS ADVERTISING: sales@hillrag.com DISPLAY ADS: 15th of each month CLASSIFIED ADS: 10th of each month EDITORIAL: 15th of each month; submissions@hillrag.com BULLETIN BOARD & CALENDAR: 15th of each month; calendar@hillrag.com, bulletinboard@hillrag.com

We welcome suggestions for stories. Send queries to andrew@hillrag.com. We are also interested in your views on community issues which are published in the Last Word. Please limit your comments to 250 words. Letters may be edited for space. Please include your name, address and phone number. Send Last Word submissions to lastword@hillrag.com. For employment opportunities email jobs@hillrag.com.

capitalcommunitynews.com 6 ★ EAST OF THE RIVER MAGAZINE

| MAY 2011

ALL OF US WILL LEARN Join the KIPP DC family! KIPP DC is now enrolling Pre-School through 11th grade! Apply online at www.kippdc.org today! KIPP DC schools are tuition-free, public schools open to all students living in Washington. At KIPP DC, we approach education differently. We have an extended school day and year, Saturday enrichment programs, and teachers who are available by cell phone to answer questions after school. We offer rigorous, college-preparatory instruction and believe that all of our students will attend and graduate college. We have been DCâ€™s highest performing network of charters schools since we started in 2001 and together with our students and their families, we are proving the possible in public education.

CAPITALCOMMUNITYNEWS.COM â˜… 7

GO.SEE.DO. 2011 Twilight Tattoo at Fort McNair Wednesdays, May 11 and 25; June 1 and 8. 7:00 PM. Members of the 3rd US Infantry (The Old Guard), the US Army Band “Pershings Own,” Fife and Drum Corps and the US Army Drill Team will perform an hour-long sunset military Pageant. Over 100 Old Guard soldiers dressed in period uniforms will provide a glimpse of Army history from colonial times to the soldier of the future. Historic Fort McNair, Fourth and P sts. SW. usarmyband.com

Summer Concerts in the Yards Park Come out to the Yards Park for two different Capitol Riverfront Summer Concert series this summer. The lunchtime concerts occur every Wednesday, beginning May 11, 11:00 AM-1:00 PM. Friday evening concerts kick off on Friday, May 13, 6:00-8-00 PM. The Friday concert series will feature a wide range of live musical performances including jazz, salsa, reggae, and more. Food options will be provided by Devine Foods and Smokin Somethin BBQ, and a beer/sangria garden will be run by Mie N Yu. Whether you’re picnicking on the lawn, enjoying sangria in the beer garden or playing with your kids in the Kids Activity Zone, the Yards Park Friday Concerts have something for everyone to wind down their week. All the concerts are free. Be sure to check out the full summer line-up on capitolriverfront.org. Yards Park, 10 Water St. SE. (one block south of N and Third sts. SE ). Photo: Courtesy of Capitol Riverfront BID.

Air Show at Andrews Make a day of it. Depending on the weather, watch the Air Force Thurderbirds at 2:00 PM and the Army Golden Knights Parachutists at 3:00 PM. There will be a hundred static displays of aircraft and tanks with crews on hand, live entertainment in hangars, food vendors and according to the organizers “something in the air all day.” Free parking with shuttle to the event at Fed-ex Field and Branch Avenue Metro. Andrews Air Force Base. Saturday, May 21 and Sunday, May 22, 8:00 AM-5:00 PM. For more information, call 301-981-9692 or visit jsoh.org. Photo: Courtesy of United States Air Force

DC Public Outdoor Pools Open Memorial Day Weekend All DC public outdoor pools will be open on Saturday, Sunday and Monday of Memorial Day weekend and weekends thereafter until school is out and then daily through the summer. Every outdoor pool is closed one day a week for cleaning and maintenance. All DC public pools are free for DC residents. East of the River outdoor pools are Anacostia Pool, 1800 Anacostia Dr. SE; Barry Farms Pool, 1230 Sumner Rd. SE; Benning Park Pool, Southern Ave. and Fable St. SE; Douglass Pool, Frederick Douglass Ct. and Stanton Ter. SE; Fort Dupont Pool, Ridge Rd. and Burns St. SE; Fort Stanton Pool, 1800 Erie St. SE; Kelly Miller Pool, 4900 Brooks St. NE; Oxon Run Pool, Fourth St. and Mississippi Ave. SE. dpr.dc.gov Courtesy of DC Department of Parks and Recreation.

Taste of Mount Vernon Triangle On Saturday, May 14, 2:00-5:00 PM, explore the new restaurants of Mount Vernon Triangle by dining around the neighborhood tasting appetizers, entrees, drinks, and desserts from eight different establishments. A ticket to the event is $15 in advance; $20 at the door. Tickets can be purchased in advance online at mountvernontriangle. org or 5th Street Ace Hardware, 1055 Fifth St. NW. Dayof tickets can be purchased at Fifth and K sts. NW. Take Metro to Gallery Place-Chinatown or ride the X2, 80, D4, or P6 bus. 202-216-0511. mountvernontriangle.org Mandu, the neighborhood’s newest restaurant, will be featured in Taste of Mount Vernon Triangle on May 14th. CAPITALCOMMUNITYNEWS.COM ★ 9

CALENDAR

Photo: Maurice Fitzgerald

AROUND THE NEIGHBORHOOD

Ward 8 Farmers Market Open Saturdays, 9:00 AM-2:00 PM beginning June 4 at a new location, THEARC, 1901 Mississippi Ave. SE. Thanks to a grant from Wholesome Wave Foundation, Ward 8 Farmers Market now will double the value of SNAP, EBT, WIC or senior food vouchers. ward8farmersmarket.com

Growing Up Gullah. Saturday, May 7, 2:00 PM. Dorothy Browner-Hubler, retired professor of education and foreign languages foreign languages, recalls growing up in various Gullah/Geechee households in South Carolina and Maryland. Hubler also recounts early fond childhood memories and continues to hold dear such Gullah customs as the significance of the “praise house”, the use of natural herbs, and cooking traditions. Anacostia Community Museum, 1901 Fort Pl. SE. 202-633-4820. anacostia.si.edu Southeast Christian Fellowship Women’s Tea. Saturday, May 7, noon-2:00 PM. $15. 3140 Q St. SE. 202-581-3387. Health Fair. Saturday, May 7, 10:00 AM-2:00 PM. Screenings for hearing, diabetes, feet, sight, dental, HIV, blood pressure. Information sessions on diabetes, stroke, asthma and nutrition. Also, Ask a Nurse, teen outreach, Yoga demonstration, cooking demonstrations with food sampling, insurance help and activities for kids. Fair organized by Community of Hope Health Services and Covenant Baptist United Church of Christ and held at Covenant Baptist UCC, 3845 S. Capitol St. For more information, call Belinda at Covenant Baptist 202-562-5576 Congress Heights Day Parade and Festival. Saturday, May 14,

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10:00 AM-6:00 PM. Parade at 11:30 AM. Parade starts at Malcolm X Elementary School (Alabama Ave. and Congress St. SE) and finishes at Old Congress Heights Elementary School (Alabama Ave. and Sixth St. SE). The festival is at Old Congress Heights Elementary School, Alabama Ave. SE, between Randle Pl. and Fifth St. SE. Congress Heights Community Association, 202-691-6944. Clear New Daze at Honfleur Gallery. Through May 20. The New Clear Daze exhibit is an exploration of similarities and differences in the work of four emerging Baltimore visual artists. David Fair, Matt Bovie, Eamon Espey, Andrew Liang focus heavily on color and pattern in their work, yet each has a unique and visceral approach. The media employed by these artists ranges widely, from textile-based to illustration and mixed media to painting. 1241 Good Hope Rd. SE. 202-536-8994. honfleurgallery.com Destino: the inexorable journey across Mexico to El Sueño Americano. Through June 3. “My project, Destino, meaning both “destination” and “destiny” in Spanish, portrays Central American migrants who endure a host of adversities in a desperate, gauntlet-running journey across Mexico. In a wandering odyssey, they travel on foot and by rail, often relying on the network of freight trains lurching across Mexico in an attempt to enter the United States illegally.” Vivid Solution Gallery, 2208 MLK Ave. SE. 202365-8392. vividsolutionsdc.com

Join us for a day in the life of NAT”KING”COLE

. <NXM >TZ 1T[J written by DOMINIC TAYLOR

directed by LOU BELLAMY

The Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, Inc. and Penumbra Theatre Co. present

A fundraiser, in support of our Visual and Performing Arts Scholarships

Wednesday June 15, 2011 at The Kennedy Center Reception 6:00pm - Performance begins 7:15pm Individual Ticket Prices: $150 For Tickets and Sponsorship Opportunities Please Contact Ayah Wilson at awilson@cbcﬁnc.org / www.cbcﬁnc.org

CAPITALCOMMUNITYNEWS.COM ★ 11

CALENDAR De Florida A Coahuila (video). Tuesday, May 10, 10:30 AM. De Florida A Coahuila combines African American, Native American, and Mexican history to tell the enduring story of the Black Seminoles. Arriving in Mexico from Oklahoma in 1850, the Mascogos or Black Seminoles still speak a language spoken by the Gullah 200 year ago. This film tells the story of the present-day ranchers in Texas and Mexican communities through historical documents and interviews and focuses on their history and daily lives. Anacostia Community Museum, 1901 Fort Pl. SE. 202-633-4820. anacostia.si.edu Family Secrets: What’s in Your Pockets? Saturday, May 14, 10:30 AM-12:30 PM. Come join the group for a fun way to explore personal history through your pockets. We all carry pieces of “home” around with us every day—attached to key chains, stuffed or folded in wallets and bags. Family historian Maria Goodwin helps you explore those special bits and pieces that we all carry around. Free. Anacostia Community Museum, 1901 Fort Pl. SE. 202-633-4820. anacostia.si.edu A Night of Broadway Stars at THEARC. Thursday, May 19, 6:00-9:00 PM. This unforgettable evening which benefits Covenant House and celebrates that work, kicks off with a festive cocktail reception with hearty hors d’ oeuvres, followed by an energetic show featuring incredible performances of songs and show tunes you know and love. The festivities will end with a champagne-dessert reception where you can meet and mingle with the Broadway stars. THEARC Theater, 1901 Mississippi Ave. SE. Individual ticket, $250. 202-610-9600. covenanthousedc.org or call Black Seminoles: The Gullah That Got Away. Saturday, May 21, 10:30 AM. Did you know that the Black Seminoles -- who live now in three countries -- were originally Gullah people who fled South Carolina and Georgia into Florida? Come and join Alcione Amos, curator of the exhibit Word, Shout, Song: Lorenzo Dow Turner Connecting Communities through Language and editor of The Black Seminoles: History of a Freedom Seeking People, as she tells the story of a people who throughout the flight from slavery were able to keep their language and traditions. Free. Anacostia Community Museum, 1901 Fort Pl. SE. 202-633-4820. anacostia.si.edu Family Across the Sea (video). Sunday, May 22, 2:00 PM. Family Across the Sea traces the connection between the Gullah people of South Carolina’s Sea Islands and the people of Sierra Leone as uncovered by linguist Lorenzo Dow Turner. The film illustrates how African Americans, through speech, songs, and customs, maintained ties with their homeland over centuries of oppression. Free. Anacostia Community Museum, 1901 Fort Pl. SE. 202633-4820. anacostia.si.edu

Kenilworth Park and Aquatic Gardens is a dream for artists and photographers when the water lilies are blooming.

Kenilworth Park and Aquatic Gardens Take a guided tour of the gardens Saturdays and Sundays, May 29 through Sept. 5, 9:00 AM and 11:00 AM. Appropriate for all ages. SAVE THE DATE on Saturday, July 17, 10:00 AM-3:00 PM, for the annual Waterlily Festival. Free. Kenilworth Park and Aquatic Gardens, 1550 Anacostia Ave. NE. 202-426-6905. nps.gov/keaq done in the 1930s by Lorenzo Dow Turner, an African American linguist who heard the song from Amelia Dawley, who lived in a remote Georgia fishing village. Free. Anacostia Community Museum, 1901 Fort Pl. SE. 202-6334820. anacostia.si.edu Sister Act: Back in the Habit. Thursday, May 26 and Friday, May 27. 7:00 PM. Arts & Technology Public Charter school proudly presents an exciting rendition of “Sister Act: Back In The Habit,” the story of an ex-nun who is called to help a school from closing by helping their choir achieve new heights. You will be sure to enjoy great musical numbers including “Joyful, Joyful” and “Oh, Happy Day” along with lighthearted fun, thanks to charming acting, singing and dancing from a most talented cast of elementary school students. $10. THEARC, 1901 Mississippi Ave. SE. 202398-6811. artstechacademy.org Ranger Bike Ride. Saturday, May 28, 11:00 AM. Join a Ranger led 5 mile mountain bike ride to visit a number of forts and take in the history and the views. Free. Fort Dupont Park. 202-426-7723. nps.gov/fodu

The Language You Cry In (video). Wednesday, May 25, 10:30 PM. The Language You Cry In tells an amazing scholarly detective story that searches for, and finds, meaningful links between African Americans and their ancestral past. The film traces the memory of a family to their ancestral roots through a Mende funderal song. The story owes much to the research

Folktales from Africa to the Americas. Saturday, May 28, 10:30 AM. Baba-C, D.C. griot and master storyteller, will share his unique blend of interactive storytellings, featuring West African, Afro-Brazilian and Gullah tales. Tales spiced with remarkable animals and life

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lessons feature Anansi the Spider, Bossy Elephant, and other memorable characters. Free. Anacostia Community Museum, 1901 Fort Pl. SE. 202-633-4820. anacostia.si.edu Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens Summer Tours. Saturdays and Sundays, May 29 through Sept. 5, 9:00 AM and 11:00 AM. A guided walk around the garden to experience the seasons of summer. Appropriate for all ages. Free. Kenilworth Park and Aquatic Gardens, 1550 Anacostia Ave. NE. 202-426-6905. nps.gov/keaq Tour the Frederick Douglass House. Visitors may not enter the Douglass house without a Ranger. Tour tickets are available by reservation or on a first-come, first-served walk-in basis. Visitors are strongly encouraged to make a reservation to guarantee their place on the tour. Tours last approximately 30 minutes. Tours in May are 9:00 AM, 12:15 PM, 1:45 PM, 3:00 PM, 3:30 PM and 4:00 PM. 1411 W St. SE. 202-426-5961. nps.gov/frdo A Self-Reliant People: Greater Deanwood Heritage Trail. Discover, or see with new eyes, this traditionally African American enclave in Far Northeast when you follow “A Self-Reliant People: Greater Deanwood Heritage Trail.” Fifteen poster-sized street signs combine storytelling with historic photographs and maps to transport you back to the days before Deanwood was Deanwood. To pick up the trail go to Nannie Helen Burroughs Ave. and Division

Ave. NE. Walk one block south to Foote Street, at the edge of Marvin Gaye Park. The 90-minute, self-guided tour will bring you along Nannie Helen Burroughs Avenue, up 49th St. and along Sheriff Rd. back to Minnesota Ave. and the Metro station. Walk the trail at your own pace and take time to enjoy this small town in the city. Don’t forget to pick up a free trail guide from businesses along the way. 202661-7581. www.culturaltourismdc.org

PATRIOTIC Marine Barracks Evening Parade. Friday evenings in summer, through Aug. 26. Guests admitted starting at 7:00 PM. Guests should be seated by 8:00 PM. Program begins at 8:45 PM. The Evening Parade has become a universal symbol of the professionalism, discipline and Esprit de Corps of the United States Marines. The story of the ceremony reflects the story of Marines around the world. The ceremony begins with a concert by the United States Marine Band. Free. It is wise to have reservations that can be made online at mbw. usmc.mil. Marine Barracks (front gate), Eighth and I sts. SE. 202-433-4073. mbw.usmc.mil GI Film Festival. May 9-15. The GI Film Festival is the nation’s only film festival dedicated to celebrating the stories of our nation’s armed forces. The festival will take place at the United States Navy Memorial will feature

31 film premieres celebrating our country’s servicemen and women. $12, screening. gifilmfestival.com Memorial Day Concert (and dress rehearsal). Sunday, May 29 (rain or shine). Concert at 8:00 PM. Gates open at 5:00 PM. Full Dress Rehearsal, Saturday, May 28 (rain or shine). Concert at 7:30 PM. Gates open at 5:00 PM US Capitol (west lawn). Featuring the National Symphony Orchestra and many name entertainers. Bring a blanket, folding chair, water, food and be prepared to make yourself comfortable for a few hours. Alcohol may be confiscated. In the event of very inclement weather, the concert may be rescheduled for Monday. This happens rarely but you should check local news broadcasts if you think the concert may be cancelled. Rolling Thunder Motorcycle Rally. Sunday, May 29, 7:00 AM. North Pentagon Parking Lot, Arlington, VA. The run departs the parking lot at noon and takes several hours (from start to finish) to complete. For the route schedule visit rollingthundermotorcyclerally.com. “Flags-In” at Arlington Cemetery. Memorial Day Weekend, 8:00 AM-7:00 PM. Each year for the past 40 years, the 3rd Infantry (The Old Guard) has honored America’s fallen heroes by placing American flags before the gravestones and niches of service members buried both at Arlington National Cemetery and the U.S. Soldier’s and Airmen’s National Cemetery just prior to Memorial Day Weekend. Arlington National Cemetery (Virginia end of Memorial Bridge). 703-607-8000. arlingtoncemetery.org Memorial Day Wreath Laying at Arlington. Monday, May 30, 11:00 AM. Arrive much earlier. Expect heavy security. Arlington National Cemetery (Virginia end of Memorial Bridge). 703-607-8000. arlingtoncemetery. org National Memorial Day Parade. Monday, May 30, 2:00 PM. Beginning at Fourth St. and Pennsylvania Ave. NW and ending at 15th St. and Constitution Ave. NW. Expect a lot of music, color and old-fashioned patriotism. nationalmemorialdayparade.com Docent-Led Tour of Historic Congressional Cemetery. Saturdays at 11:00 AM. Free. 1801 E St. SE. 202-543-0539. congressionalcemetery.org

YARD SALES AND MARKETS Great Brookland Yard Sale. Saturday, May 7 (rain date, May 8), 10:00 AM-2:00 PM The Brookland Neighborhood Civic Association wants to bring you to Brookland to see what a great community they have while helping Brooklanders get rid of their stuff and make a little money. Over 25 families have already signed up. Individuals without yards will on the 12th St. sidewalk between Lawrence and Monroe. The Greater Brookland Garden Club is also having their annual spring plant sale this day, 10:00 AM-4:00 PM, in the Long and Foster parking lot at 12th and Newton sts. NE. Get a map at brooklandblog.blogspot.

com. North Lincoln Park Yard Sale. Saturday, May 14, 9:00 AM-2:00 PM. In the triangle park between the 1300 blocks of North Carolina Ave. and A St. NE (between 13th and 14th streets) 9th and U Flea Market. Saturdays and Sundays, 9:00 AM-5:00 PM. Ninth and U sts. NW. Mi Tierra (Latino) Market at Unity Park. Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays (weather permitting). 9:00 AM to 7:00 PM. Unity Park at Champlain St. Euclid St. and Columbia Rd. NW. Mi Tierra market has 18 approved vendors that sell foods and crafts from their native countries in the heart of Adams Morgan. Maine Avenue Fish Market. Open 365 days a year. 7:00 AM-9:00 PM. 1100 Maine Ave. SW. 202-484-2722. Eastern Market. Daily except Mondays and important holidays. Weekdays, 7:00 AM-7:00 PM; Saturdays, 7:00 AM-6:00 PM; Sundays, 9:00 AM-5:00 PM. Flea market and arts and crafts market open Saturdays and Sundays, 9:00 AM-6:00 PM. Eastern Market is Washington’s last continually operated “old world” market. On weekends the market area comes alive with farmers bringing in fresh produce, craft and flower vendors, artists, a flea market and street musicians. 200 block of 7th St. SE. 202-544-0083. easternmarketdc.com Marcatus Art Market. Sunday, June 5, 11:00 AM-6:00 PM. Live musical performances. 6 bands from Jazz, Rock and Japanese Pop. Fashion tents. Food vendors. Arts and Crafts. At Yards Park, 10 Water St. SE. (one block south of N and Third sts. SE ). 301-5678210. artwhino.com

SPORTS, DANCE AND PHYSICAL FITNESS DC United Home Matches. May 7, 14 and 22. $23-$52. RFK Stadium. 202-587-5000. dcunited.com Washington Nationals Baseball Home Games. May 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 27, 28, 29, 30 and 31. 7:05 PM (Sunday games at 1:35 PM). $5, up. South Capitol and N sts. SE. washington.nationals.mlb.com DC Builds: Build It and They Will Ride. Wednesday, May 11, 6:30-8:00 PM. Washington, DC has increased the number of bicyclists riding for transportation by creating bicycling infrastructure throughout the city. A panel of experts discusses future plans for Washington, D.C.’s bicycle infrastructure as well as potential challenges for implementation. $20. National Building Museum, 401 F St. NW. 202-272-2448. nbm.org Dance Workshop at Anacostia Community Museum. Thursday, May 12, 10:30 AM. Audience members will learn dance movements inspired by the cultures of the Gullah/

CAPITALCOMMUNITYNEWS.COM ★

Geechee, Brazil, and Sierra Leone. This workshop is led by Carol Foster, the executive/artistic director and founder of the DC Youth Ensemble. School groups welcome. Free. Reservations required. For reservations, call 202-633-4844. Anacostia Community Museum, 1901 Fort Pl. SE. 202-633-4820. anacostia.si.edu Kung Fu and Tai Chi at the Historical Society of Washington, DC. Every Saturday (rain or shine). Kung Fu, noon; Tai Chi, 1:00 PM. Suitable for all ages. Kung Fu is a broad term that is used to describe all martial arts of Chinese origin. The ancient art of Tai Chi is a style of Kung Fu that emphasizes internal energy. Free. No RSVP required. Historical Society of Washington, DC, 801 K St. NW (Mount Vernon Square). 202-383-1850. historydc.org Race to Donate Life 5K. Saturday, May 7, 8:30 AM. Celebrate the gift of life during Mother s Day weekend. Enjoy a timed 5k run/walk and fun team challenge. Post-race party will include food, music, face painter, activities for kids, awards ceremony, prizes, and more. No race day registration. Limited number of participants. Adults’ fee, $25. Kids’ fee, $7. Rock Creek Park, Picnic Grove 24, 4850 Colorado Ave. NW. 571-228-5150. beadonor.org Congressional Cemetery Dead Man’s Run 5K. Sunday May 8, 8:00 AM. The Congressional Cemetery Dead Man’s Run starts on the grounds of Historic Congressional Cemetery at 1801 E St. SE. Participants gather inside the main gate for registration. The run starts/ends at the chapel. The course traverses the cemetery grounds out onto the RFK Access Road along the Anacostia River where it loops along the river and back to the cemetery and back to the cemetery chapel. 5K Run limited to 1,000 runners. These are narrow private roads, so no strollers, baby carriages, skates, bicycles, or pets are allowed on race day. $20. Email staff@congressionalcemetery.org for more information! 202-543-0539. congressionalcemetery.org Mother’s Day 5K Dash. Sunday, May 8, 8:00 AM. Capital Sprints kicks off Mother s Day with the Dash 5K. The Dash 5K is a challenging, chip-timed 5K through scenic Rock Creek Park benefiting the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society s Team in Training. Rock Creek Park. 202-2711633. capitalsprints.com Capitol Hill Classic 10K & 3K. Sunday, May 15, 7:30 AM. Event offers ChronoTrack timing for a fast certified course through Historic Capitol Hill. Cash prizes offered to top finishers along with awards in 5 year age-groups. All participants receive a colorful t-shirt, refreshments and are eligible for random prizes. Race proceeds benefit the Capitol Hill Cluster School. $10-

14 ★ EAST OF THE RIVER MAGAZINE

| MAY 2011

$30. Peabody School, Stanton Park, Fifth and C sts. NE. 202-546-4789. capitolhillclassic.com Bike to Work. May 20, 7:00-8:30 AM. The region’s biggest bicycling event is around the corner! Join thousands of cyclists from around the area in a healthy, non-polluting, and fun commute to work. Downtown Anacostia. Run For Freedom 5K. Saturday, May 21, 9:00 AM. Proceeds benefit the Bridge to Freedom Foundation which works to end human trafficking. Course is flat and shaded. Prizes for top finishers. T-shirt for every participant. C&O Towpath at Fletcher’s Cove, 4940 Canal Rd. NW. 202-413-7847. Fort Dupont Ice Arena. Closed for the season for maintenance. Will re-open July 5. 3779 Ely Place, SE. 202-584-5007. fdia.org Roller Skating at Anacostia Park. Skate any time. This is a covered, outdoor skating pavilion. Free. From Penn. Ave., just before the bridge, south on Fairlawn Ave. and right onto Nicholson and then into the park. 202-472-3873. Southeast Tennis and Learning Center. Open daily; Monday through Saturday, 9:00 AM-9:00 PM; Sunday, 9:00 AM-6:00 PM. Four indoor courts. Six outdoor courts. Summer hourly fees at $6 to $10 for adults. Kids 17 and under play for free. 701 Mississippi Ave. SE. 202-645-6242. www. dpr.dc.gov/dpr African Dance Class. Every Monday, 7:15-8:30 PM. For adults. No prior experience necessary. Walkins welcome. THEARC. $10. 1901 Mississippi Ave. SE. 202-889-5901. www.thearcdc.org Yoga Class. Every Saturday, 10:0011:15 AM. For adults. No prior experience necessary. Walk-ins welcome. THEARC. $10. 1901 Mississippi Ave. SE. 202-889-5901. www.thearcdc. org Free public tennis courts in Wards 7 and 8. Fort Davis Community Center, 1400 41st St. SE; Hillcrest Recreation Center, 3100 Denver St. SE; Kenilworth-Parkside Recreation Center, 4300 Anacostia Ave. NE; Randle Highlands Tennis Courts, 31st St. and Pennsylvania Ave. SE; Anacostia Park, 1900 Anacostia Dr. SE; Bald Eagle Recreation Center, Martin Luther King, Jr Ave. and Joliet St. SW; Congress Heights Recreation Center, Alabama Ave. and Randle Pl.SE; Fort Stanton Community Center, 1812 Erie St. SE. All courts are open daily, dawn to dusk. Some are lighted for extended evening play. Courts are available on a first-come, first-served basis for one-hour intervals; extended use of tennis courts requires a permit. Proper shoes and attire is required.

202-671-0314. www.dpr.dc.gov/dpr East Potomac Driving Range. Open daily except Christmas, 5:30 AM to 9:30 PM. Tuesdays open 10:00 AM to 9:30 PM. The East Potomac Driving Range features 50 covered and 50 uncovered stalls for year-round golf practice. $6 for 51 balls. East Potomac Golf Course, 972 Ohio Dr. SW. 202-554-7660. www.golfdc.com Langston Driving Range. Open every day except Christmas, sun-up to sun-down. In addition to the driving range, Langston has an 18 hole course, snack bar, pro shop and offers golf lessons. 45 balls, $4.75. 180 balls, $14.25. $2, golf club rental. 26th and Benning Rd. NE. 202-397-8638 www.golfdc.com

CIVIC LIFE Ward 7 2012 Budget Briefing. Saturday, May 7, 11:30 AM. Mayor Vincent C. Gray invites you to a town hall meeting on the FY2012 budget. Hillcrest Recreation Center, 3100 Denver St. SE. For more information, contact Kenyon Churchwell at 202-727-2822. Big Chair Breakfast Bunch. Saturday, May 14, 10:00 AM-noon. Big Chair Coffee n’ Grill (upstairs). All are welcome to attend and discuss what’s happening East of the River. 2122 Martin Luther King Jr. Ave. SE. 202-525-4287. “I Serve DC” 2011 Volunteer Conference. May 25, 8:00 AM-3:00 PM. The 2011 “I Serve DC” Conference connects nonprofits with experts from the region’s most renowned volunteer-driven organizations. Learn best practices to attract and maintain diverse, talented volunteers from across the Washington, DC Metro area. Free and open to anyone who lives or works in the District. George Washington University, Marvin Center, 800 21st St. NW. 202-727-7925. serve.dc.gov Congresswoman Norton’s SE District Office. Open weekdays, 9:00 AM-6:00 PM. 2041 MLK Ave. SE, #238. 202-678-8900. norton. house.gov Councilmember Alexander’s Constituent Services Office. Open weekdays, 10:00 AM-6:00 PM. 2524 Penn. Ave. SE. 202-581-1560. Councilmember Barry’s Constituent Services Office. Open weekdays, 9:00 AM-5:00 PM. 2100 MLK Ave, SE, #307. 202-698-2185. Ward 7 Democrats Monthly Meeting. Fourth Saturday, noon-2:00 PM. Ward Memorial AME Church, 241 42nd St. NE. 202-584-8477 or info@ward7democrats. ward7democrats.org Anacostia Coordinating Council Meeting. Last Tuesday. Noon-2:00 PM. Anacostia Museum, 1901 Fort St. SE. For further details, contact Philip Pannell, 202-889-4900. Capitol View Civic Association Monthly Meeting. Third Monday,

6:30 PM. Hughes Memorial United Methodist, 25 53rd St. NE. capitolviewcivicassoc. org Historical Anacostia Block Association. Second Thursday, 7:00-9:00 PM. UPO-Anacostia Service Center, 1649 Good Hope Rd. SE. For further details, contact Charles Wilson, 202-834-0600. Anacostia High School School Improvement Team Meeting. Fourth Tuesday. 6:00 PM. Anacostia High School, 16th and R sts. SE. Deanwood Citizens Association General Body Meeting. Fourth Monday, except Aug. and Dec., 6:30 PM. First Baptist Church of Deanwood, 1008 45th St. NE Eastland Gardens Civic Association Meeting. Third Tuesday. 6:30-8:30 PM. Kenilworth Elementary School (auditorium), 1300 44th St. NE. Greg Rhett jrhett3009@aol.com or 202-388-1532. Fairlawn Citizens Association. Third Tuesday, 7:00 PM. Ora L. Glover Community Room at the Anacostia Public Library, 1800 Good Hope Rd. SE. 6th District Citizens Advisory Council. Second Monday, except July and Aug. 7:00 PM. 6th District HQ, 100 42nd St. NE. ANC Meeting for 7-A. Third Tuesday. 7:30 PM. Benning-Stoddard Rec. Center, 100 Stoddard Pl. SE. 202-727-1000. 7A@anc. dc.gov. www.anc7a.org ANC Meeting for 7-B. Third Thursday. 7:00 PM. Ryland Epworth United Methodist Church, 3200 S St. SE (Branch Ave and S St. SE). 202-584-3400. anc7b@pressroom.com. www.anc7b.us ANC Meeting for 7-C. Second Thursday. 7:00 PM. Sargent Memorial Presbyterian Church, 5109 Nannie Helen Burroughs Ave. NE. 202-398-5100. anc7c@verizon.net ANC Meeting for 7-D. Second Tuesday. 6:30 PM. Sixth District Police Station, 100 42nd St. NE. 202-398-5258. 7D06@anc.dc.gov ANC Meeting for 7-E. Second Tuesday. 7:008:30 PM. Jones Memorial Church, 4625 G St. SE. 202-582-6360. 7E@anc.dc.gov ANC Meeting for 8-A. First Tuesday. 7:00 PM. Anacostia UPO Service Center, 1649 Good Hope Rd. SE. 202-889-6600. www.anc8adc.org ANC Meeting for 8-B. Third Tuesday. 7:00 PM. Seventh District Police Station Community Center, Alabama and McGee Sts. SE. 202-610-1818. www.anc8b.org ANC Meeting for 8-C. First Wednesday (June meeting is on the nineth because of the holiday). 6:30 PM. 2907 MLK Jr Ave. SE. 202-388-2244. ANC Meeting for 8-D. Fourth Thursday. 7:00 PM. Specialty Hospital of Washington, 4601 MLK Jr. Ave. SW. 202 561-0774 ANC Meeting for 8-E. Third Tuesday. 7:00 PM. SE Tennis and Learning Center, 701 Mississippi Ave. SE. 202-561-6616. 8e02@anc. dc.gov Norton’s Job Fair. Thursday, June 2, 10:00 AM-3:00 PM. Walter E. Washington Convention Center. norton.house.gov

OUT OF TOWN Montplier Arts Center Folk and Blues Series. May 13, Buckwheat Zydeco; May 20, Phil Wiggins; May 27, Lea Morris. $20. 9652 Muirkirk Rd., Laurel, MD. 301-377-7800. arts.pgparks.com

Downtown Silver Spring Fine Arts Festival. May 7-8. The Downtown Silver Spring Fine Arts Festival will take place on Ellsworth Street in the heart of downtown Silver Spring, MD. 631-421-1590. paragonartevents.com Air Show at Andrews. Make a day of it. Depending on the weather, watch the Air Force Thurderbirds at 2:00 PM and the Army Golden Knights Parachutists at 3:00 PM. There will be a hundred static displays of aircraft and tanks with crews on hand, live entertainment in hangars, food vendors and according to the organizers “something in the air all day.” Free parking with shuttle to the event at Fed-ex Field and Branch Avenue Metro. Andrews Air Force Base. Saturday, May 21 and Sunday, May 22, 8:00 AM-5:00 PM. For more information, call 301-9819692 or visit jsoh.org. Mount Vernon’s Wine Festival and Sunset Tour. Friday, Saturday and Sunday, May 13, 14, and 15, 6:00-9:00 PM. This festival celebrates the history of wine in Virginia with exclusive evening tours of the Mansion and cellar, appearances by “George and Martha Washington”, and live jazz on the east lawn overlooking the scenic Potomac River. Visitors can bring a blanket and relax on the lawn as they sample wines from 16 Virginia wineries. $30. Private reserved tables featuring a fruit and cheese platter, three bottles of house wine and VIP table service are available for $1000. Tickets and tables are available at MountVernon.org or the ticket window at Mount Vernon’s Ford Orientation Center from 8:00 AM-5:00 PM. 703-7802000. mountvernon.org Luray Festival of Spring. May 14, 10:00 AM-6:00 PM. Wine garden, farmers’ market, kids’ activities, live music, rubber duck race, beer garden. Downtown Luray, VA. 540-7435511. luraydowntown.com Battle of New Market Reenactment. May 14-15. 147th Anniversary Reenactment of the Battle of New Market, fought May 15, 1864. Combat scenarios each day, other living history presentations throughout the weekend. Nearly 2,000 Confederate, Union, & civilian reenactors. Features 300-acre battlefield, Hall of Valor Museum, restored Bushong Farm. Museum has exhibits on Battle of New Market and Civil War in Virginia-artifacts, dioramas, photos. Emmy Award-winning film, “Field of Lost Shoes,” shown daily every hour. Tickets, $10. Age 9 and under, free. I-81 Exit 264, 8895 George Collins Pky., New Market, VA. 866-515-1864. vmi.edu/newmarket Gaithersburg Book Festival. Saturday, May 21, 10:00 AM-6:00 PM. The Gaithersburg Book Festival is an annual celebration of great books and great writing that is fast becoming one of the nation’s top literary events. More than 40 featured best-selling and award-winning authors – including 2010 National Book Award winner Kathryn Erskine, James L. Swanson, Meg Waite Clayton, Elizabeth Berg, Alex Berenson and Johnny Mo the Musical Chef, to name just a few – will participate in discussions and book signings during the 2011 festival. City Hall Grounds, 31 South Summit Ave., Gaithersburg, MD. 301-258-6350. gaithersburgbookfestival.org ●

CAPITALCOMMUNITYNEWS.COM ★

BULLETIN BOARD Beautiful home of Margaret Roberts on the Annual Hillcrest House and Garden Tour. Photo: Kathy Chamberlain

Hillcrest Home and Garden Tour The 18th Annual Hillcrest Home and Garden Tour will be Saturday, June 18, 11:00 AM. Tickets are $12 if purchased in advance, $15 if purchased the day of tour. Kids under 12, free. Purchase tickets online at hillcrestdc. com. Ad Space is available in the Hillcrest Home and Garden Tour Booklet. The deadline to submit ads and donations is May 14. Submit ads to Tom Beach at tbeach@tabmeh. com or contact Tom at 202-290-1800. Submit donations to Maurice Perry at 2627 32nd St. SE, WDC 20020 or mlperry45@gmail.com or call 202-581-4022. hillcrestdc.com

On Apr. 14, the District Department of Transportation (DDOT), Ward 8 councilmember Marion Barry and community leaders broke ground on the restoration of Old Market House Square in historic Anacostia. DDOT is making the improvements, but the project is the culmination of a determined, community-led eﬀort to transform the small, little used median park in 14th St. SE, between U and V sts, into a beautiful neighborhood amenity with new lighting, benches, paths, plants and trees. “We are pleased to partner with the community to complete this great project, but they deserve all the credit for getting us to this point,” said DDOT Associate Director Karina Ricks. “They took the initiative to make a positive change in their neighborhood and when the work is done we anticipate this square will be a magnetic community amenity attract-

ing students looking for a quiet reading spot, local chess enthusiasts, farmers’ markets and music performances.” The restoration of Old Market House Square was spearheaded by a small group of church patrons, historians, community advocates, business district leaders, long-time and new residents. The optimism and passion of these community leaders quickly attracted willing partners to help them implement their compelling vision: the TKF foundation of Maryland* provided critical financial support, DDOT Trees preserved the majestic and towering existing trees while Casey Trees will add lovely flowering species to define the space and provide seasonal interest. In addition, DDOT provided funding and technical support to bring the project to fruition. “This project represents a community with no boundaries and a group of people with like hearts,” said Marie Zackrie-Hall, a community leader of the effort to restore the park. The $560,000 restoration is scheduled to be completed in late Sept.

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| MAY 2011

DDOT and Community Celebrate Restoration of Old Market House Square in Anacostia

Green Faith Initiative Gives $90,000 for Energy Efficient Retrofits to DC Houses of Worship On Apr. 23, there was a gathering at Good Success Christian Church in NE to participate in GREEN DMV’s most recent initiative designed to engage DC residents on issues of sustainability and help connect them to resources that enable them to participate in the promise of the growing green economy. DC is increasingly becoming a more sustainable city and has been named the EPA’s #1 Green Power Community. In an eﬀort to ensure that the green economy includes all residents, GREEN DMV launched the Green Faith Initiative through a grant from the District Department of the Environment. The Apr. 23 event was the ﬁrst of many community events designed to educate and empower communities to embrace environmental stewardship. Councilmember Yvette Alexander discussed the many DC initiatives that were underway to pro-

mote sustainability in Ward 7. She said “I had to make a personal commitment to live and eat healthier, that’s why I launched my fitness challenge last year to encourage others through my personal example. Three houses of worship will receive $30,000 each through a grant from the District Department of the Environment to complete energy audits and perform energy efficient improvements to their facilities. They are Good Success Christian Church in NE, Miracle Temple Non-Denominational Church in SE and Metropolitan AME Church in NW. The improvements will be designed to increase energy efficiency, reduce carbon emissions, help them save money on their utility costs and create green jobs. greendmv.org

Ward 8 Farmers’ Market Doubles Value of Food Vouchers Thanks to a grant from Wholesome Wave Foundation, Ward 8 Farmers Market now will double the value

of SNAP, EBT, WIC or senior food vouchers. Another change, the markets has moved to THEARC, 1901 Mississippi Ave. SE. The season opens on Saturday, June 4 and continues every Saturday until Thanksgiving, 9:00 AM-2:00 PM. ward8farmersmarket. com

Honfleur Gallery Accepting Proposals for 2012 Gallery Exhibitions Applicants must submit a disc with the following materials:10-20 JPEG images of works proposed for the exhibition; resume/CV; one page proposal/artists statement; artists Bio; support information (URL of artist’s website, articles, reviews, past projects, etc). Submissions should be sent to Honﬂeur Gallery (attn: Briony Hynson-proposal), 1227 Good Hope Rd. SE, Washington, DC 20020. 202536- 8994. honﬂeurgallery.com

Capital Area Assets Builders Helps Ward 7 Shape Up Waists and Wallets at Total Fitness Fair On Apr. 9, Capital Area Asset Builders hosted a “Total Fitness Fair” with special guest Ward 7 Councilwoman Yvette Alexander at the Benning Road Library. The fair focused on helping people improve their financial and physical fitness. Over 70 participants chowed down on healthy quesadillas, played Wii Fit, received free credit counseling, had their taxes prepared, learned about financial resources, and found out how to keep themselves and their families healthy. The fair was held in association with the free tax preparation efforts of the DC Earned Income Tax Credit Campaign, which operates a site at Planned Parenthood of Metropolitan Washington’s Ophelia Egypt Program Center in the same shopping center as the library.

DDOT Seeks Comments Regarding Streetcars The DC Department of Transportation is seeking comments on the conceptual alternatives that are currently under evaluation as part of the Anacostia Streetcar Phase 2 Environmental Assessment and Historic Preservation Study. To obtain detailed information about this CAPITALCOMMUNITYNEWS.COM ★ 17

NEIGHBORHOOD NEWS Timothy A. Flanagan named Executive Director at WACIF

FCFSC Staff. Photo: Andre M. Taylor

Far Southeast Family Strengthening Collaborative Annual Conference The Far Southeast Family Strengthening Collaborative (FSFSC) 12th Annual Business Meeting and Family Community Conference held on Apr. 9, attracted 1,000 participants, 70 vendors and co-founder and prior Board Vice Chair, Mayor Vincent Gray. Filled with information, opportunities, resources, and entertainment, the conference theme, “Strengthening Community Dialogue as One City”, spoke directly to the purpose-driven work for which the FSFSC is known and respected. The conference was an action-packed, all day event providing workshops such as Gentrification: One Nation Under A Move; Urban Economics: How to Legally Get Your Hustle UP; Let’s Talk Local Leadership; The Human and Social Service Forecast; and ‘R. E. S. P. E. C. T.: What Does That Mean to Me? These workshops provided a forum for adults, youth and stakeholders to have discussions about the many hot topics that currently impact the District of Columbia. The workshops addressed housing issues, community development, job deficits, youth development and leadership awareness and accountability and proved to be very soul-stirring and beneficial to the community. The conference goals each year are to allow the FSFSC members to elect new board officers as well as provide the community with tangible information, resources and most importantly, connections within the community. The FSFSC is a private, non-profit social services organization founded in 1998. As a part of the thirteen year collaborative movement, FSFSC is one of five Healthy Families, Thriving Communities Collaboratives in DC, whose goal is to proactively and reactively reduce and prevent child abuse, neglect and maltreatment in Ward 8. FSFSC accepts this challenge and achieves their goals as the result of relationship and capacity building combined with aggressive community engagement, advocacy and education.

study and submit comments, visit them online at dcstreetcar.com.

r.e.e.l is Looking for Volunteers The purpose of the River East Emerging Leaders (r.e.e.l.) is to enlighten, engage and empower a network of residents from Washington DC’s Ward 7 and Ward 8 communities in order to foster, participate in, and encourage, educational, cultural, charitable, civic, and leadership development and participation in River East and surrounding communities. Would 18 ★ EAST OF THE RIVER MAGAZINE

you like to play an active role within the organization? Well, there is room for you in r.e.e.l.! They would love to have your help. If interested, please reach out to their standing committees. (1) Leadership & Engagement; Chair, Kellie Armstead; Vice Chair, Antonicia Bishop. Leadership@reeldc. org (2) Economic Development; Chair, Harold Pettigrew. Economic@ reeldc.org (3) Health & Wellness; Chair, Aisha Moore. Health@reeldc.org

| MAY 2011

Timothy A. Flanagan was recently named Executive Director of the Washington Area Community Investment Fund (WACIF). Mr. Flanagan originally joined the WACIF in 2006 after successfully running a small business. He previously served as deputy director, with oversight of WACIF’s programs, clients, loan portfolio, and community outreach. He is a frequent resource in economic development program planning as well as a contributor to local and nation symposiums on community development. “The Board values Tim’s dedication to WACIF’s mission,” said Anne Morrison, WACIF’s Board President. “As we approach WACIF’s 25th Anniversary (in 2012), we are enthusiastic about WACIF’s continued success.” 202529-5505. wacif.org

Byte Back Computer Day Byte Back is hosting its ﬁfth annual Community Computer Day on Saturday, May 7, 10:00 AM-5:00 PM at Byte Back, 815 Monroe St. NE. All DC residents are invited to enjoy free computer literacy workshops, free barbecue, and a moon bounce and face painting for kids. This event is an excellent opportunity for potential students, donors, foundation representatives, and members of local communities to see the cutting-edge skills that Byte Back, one of the city’s leading adult technology literacy organizations, has to oﬀer its current and graduating students. The 30-minute computer skills and literacy workshops throughout the day will include: Internet Security 101; Introductions to twitter, gmail, and facebook; Job hunting through the Internet and Home networking. 202-529-3395. byteback.org

DPW to Charge for 32-Gallon Solid Waste Containers The DC Department of Public Works has announced that eﬀective Apr. 25, it will begin charging residents

$45 each for new 32-gallon trash carts and 32-gallon recycling carts. The new fee is necessary to allow the department to restock the supply of trash carts used in twice-a-week collection neighborhoods and recycling carts used citywide. DPW will continue to charge $62.50 for Supercans, the trash containers used in once-a-week collection neighborhoods. DPW is unable to continue providing a free Supercan to new homeowners. Seniors will be required to pay the full amount for a Supercan ($62.50). Requests for the containers may be made by calling 311 or placed through the DPW Web site, dpw.dc.gov. Residents may pay for their containers by check or money order, made payable to the “DC Treasurer,” and the address where the container is to be delivered should be written on the payment. DPW advises residents that payment should be received within 10 business days of placing the request; otherwise, the request will not be ﬁlled. When that occurs, the resident should place a new request. Containers will be delivered within 10 business days after receiving payment. Once the container is delivered, residents should put their address on the side and top and record the container’s serial number to help deter theft and assist in identifying the container if it does go missing.

Alexandria Black History Museum Offering “Movies with a Mission” The Alexandria Black History Museum is continuing its partnership with SankofaSpirit to share the “Movies with a Mission” program with Washington, DC area audiences. The screenings are held at 4:30 PM on the second Saturday of each month at the Alexandria Black History Museum at 902 Wythe St., Alexandria, VA. “Movies with a Mission” are free monthly ﬁlms from and about Africa and the African Diaspora that seek to inform and inspire dialogue. Screenings are followed by a discussion and gallery walk. On May 14, Twelve Disciples of Nelson Mandela; June 11, The Healing Passage: Voices from the Water; July 9, Reconciliation and the Elaine, Arkansas Race Riot of 1919: Forgive or Forget. Reservations are requested, as seating is limited. 703-746-4356. alexblackhistory.org

Casey Trees Launches Monthly Online Chat Series Casey Trees has developed a free online chat series open to the public dubbed “Tree Talk Thursdays”. Tree Talk Thursdays is live Q&A forum to highlight issues aﬀecting the District’s tree canopy and answer speciﬁc tree questions posed by the general public. The chat series, hosted on Casey Trees’ website, will air on the second Thursday of every month from noon1:00 PM. Individuals can participate in live sessions or replay past chats at caseytrees.org/treetalkthursdays. Questions are accepted prior to and during the chat session. To submit a question in advance or suggest a topic, email treedc@caseytrees.org. The May 12 topic is “Tree Report Card Grades are in. Reporting on how DC did.” caseytrees.org

Public Allies, DC is Looking for Young Adult Leaders Public Allies, DC an AmeriCorps program is in search of young adult leaders eager to strengthen their communities through apprenticeships in nonprofit organizations, leadership training, and team service projects. Allies serve four days a week for 10 months at local nonprofits. From Sept. 1, 2011-June 22, 2012, Allies receive a monthly stipend of $1,600; and are eligible for health insurance, child care, and interest-free student loan deferment. Upon completion, each ally receives a $5,350 post-service education award to pay off student loans or fund future education. Allies must be between the ages of 18-30. Visit publicallies.org to complete an application. They will be accepting applications until May 15. For more information, contact Tony Keith anthonyk@publicallies.org or 202-729-8131.

Seasonal Sustainable Responsible Chef Robert Wood is inspired by seasonal offerings from the waters of the Mid-Atlantic and farms and vineyards of the Virginia and Maryland hinterlands. Visit his restaurant to truly taste the bounties of spring. Serving Lunch & Dinner Daily 11 AM to 10 PM Weekend Brunch 10 AM to 3 PM Late Night Dining Available Until 1 AM Daily Patio Open Daily – Available for Private events!

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Eat Local! foreclosure counseling credit repair homebuyer counseling tenant purchase counseling

Capital Bikeshare Launches New 5-Day Membership With tourist season in full swing, Capital Bikeshare has introduced a new 5-day membership option. The new 5-day membership, priced at $15, is geared specifically towards visitors to the nation’s capital and offers significant savings over the purchase of five individual day memberships priced at $5 a day. The membership is available for purchase at all Capital Bikeshare stations. CapitalBikeshare.com. ●

Animal Clinic of Anacostia Candace A. Ashley, DVM 20 years of serving Capitol Hill (minutes from Capitol Hill & Southwest via 11th Street Bridge)

2210 Martin Luther King Jr. Ave, SE

202.889.8900 American Express, MasterCard, Visa & Discover accepted

UNIVERSITY LEGAL SERVICES Ofﬁces at Marshall Heights CDC 3939 Benning Road, NE | Washington DC 20019 202.396.1201x 131 | www.uls-dc.org CAPITALCOMMUNITYNEWS.COM ★ 19

NEIGHBORHOOD NEWS link to the Washington Post’s article from the D.C. Wire column. Ben Pershing’s first paragraph explained the riders that were added to the budget in effect banned “the District from spending its own funds to provide abortions to low-income women as well as funding to continue a controversial school voucher program.” Also on the negotiating table was a potential ban preventing the District from using local money to prohibit needle exchange. My electronic summary of the issue was rather inarticulate and unrefined; “DC got pimped out” I wrote on my Facebook page As a health educator, the fact that Congress could ban legally allowed medical services gave me my first sense of feeling helpless; fully neutered as a DC resident. This was actually the first time as a nine-year resident had I felt so personally, the lack of congressional voting rights.

Civics 101

Maceo Thomas being arrested forprotesting the lack of DC autonomy. Photo by Andrew Bossi

Why I Decided to Get Arrested How I emerged from the sidelines to become a political prisoner for DC voting rights by Maceo Thomas hile sitting on the asphalt on Monday, April 11th at 5:50 p.m., I thought to reach in my pocket to send a quick text to my lawyer friend, Ubi Akpan. “About to be arrested in front of the hart (sic) building. May have to call you.” Then scribbled the number on my hand before the phone battery died, knowing I would only get one call. This was the last text I sent while I was locked arm-in-arm with anoth-

er protester as we sat in the middle of Constitution Ave. We were protesting the lack of autonomy that DC residents have over our ability to raise taxes and spend them the way we decide. One protester was being lifted by several police officers. Two US Capitol police officers bent over me and one asked me to stand up and told me I was being arrested for obstructing traffic. I stood up. For the first time in my life, I was handcuffed.

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| MAY 2011

Good news/bad news – No government shut down On Friday, April 8th I went to bed with the information that the federal government shut down scheduled for midnight was averted due to a compromise on the budget between President Obama, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and the Speaker of the House John Boehner. I didn’t get all the details and only heard the word “rider” once before going to bed.. My ﬁrst facebook post included a

DC residents have no voting representation in Congress. For clarity, DC residents have no voting representation in Congress and the Congress can make decisions that aﬀect the 600,000 District residents. Non-DC residents have more of a say, through the election of their congressional representative on how to govern and spend DC money than DC residents themselves. Even now, with the new rules of the Republican-led House of Representation, our DC Delegate to Congress doesn’t have voting privileges within the smaller committees. Before I received the notice from the voting rights advocacy group DC Vote, I knew they were my new top organization to support. I had received emails in the past and seen them at events, but DC statehood had not really been my issue. I received an email from their Executive Director, Ilir Zherka, calling for a Monday afternoon protest at the Senate Hart building. I hadn’t protested since the Bush era and was fully prepared to lose my voice for this cause. I shared the message on my facebook page and through twitter hoping to walk up and down the sidewalk with some friendly faces. I had decided in my mind the Democratic “leadership” was to blame

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for loosening the threads of DC’s home rule, our ability to independently make decisions on how we govern and spend our money. Harry Reid was my target even more so than John Boehner.

One City protess in front of the whole world I arrived and saw plenty of friendlies who were just as concerned. My east of the river neighbor, Eugene Kinlow, the DC Vote outreach director helped me find a sign; Sarah Audelo, one of my favorite Advocates for Youth organizers was there; Lateefah Williams, who hours later would become the president of the Gertrude Stein organization; Brian Simmonds – I sold him his house; Jeff Richardson and I worked on the same school project in Eastover some years back. Several other faces I recognized, too. We moved up and down the sidewalk. DC Vote came with their bullhorn with messaging from their intern, Howard University senior Corryn Freeman, with “Hey! Ho! Those DC riders got to go!” to “the whole world is watching!” My shouts were targeted to Senator Reid. He was who I had identified as selling us out. This may have been the most diverse crowd I had seen ever seen gather in DC. There was a cross section of the city from upper northwest to far southeast that felt mistreated. Mayor Gray arrived and could actually fully talk to “One City” as his campaign theme promised.

Why I decided to get arrested

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| MAY 2011

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The Mayor spoke. He reached in his pocket pulling out a dollar bill and shared the common angst of having no control of local spending, “All we wanted was to spend our own money. I’m sick and tired of being treated that way in the District of Columbia.” Council members spoke. Zherka spoke again. Zherka said something to the crowd that had me hold my breath. In his thick Bronx accent he shared with the crowd, “…and the President said ‘John, I’ll give you DC,’” as the personal chip to throw in to seal the budget deal. I was thinking that he must have been exaggerating to get the crowd going, but why would he make that up?

“Some of us have decided we are going to get arrested today,” Zherka added. The Mayor, the council members and other protestors walked into the street; blocked traffic and continued to protest. I was still stunned by the combination of those people’s decision to get arrested and the notion that President Obama was really personally involved in the giving up the autonomy of DC residents I stood on the curb for those next ten minutes watching the police tell people to either decide to be arrested or get back on the curb. I couldn’t get it out of my head. I had wanted to blame the Democratic senators. I had not campaigned for a single one them. I did campaign for President Obama. I walked on ice in Columbus; I stood in the rain at a ward 7 precinct on the Potomac Primary; I had a door slammed in my face in Virginia Beach on Election Day. My yard sign from the West Virginia primary is the last in the neighborhood that still remains. He let me down. Protesters in the street had been corralled by newly arrived police. The crowd on the curb was full volume. Someone in the street was encouraging the rest of us to join them in the street, similar to the deacon who asks at the end of church “Is there just one?” when seeking new members. I did some quick math in my head, maybe a $100 and a day in court, handcuffs and a paddy wagon, a night in jail, and a long explanation if I ever apply for a job again. Like coming from the middle of the pew, I stepped off the curb. “I’m with them,” I told the three police officers who quickly surrounded me. I sat down and began my protest against President Obama. Forty-one DC residents were arrested that evening. I am number twenty five. Maceo Thomas is a Realtor, arts supporter, community organizer, social activist and humorist who shares his thoughts on twitter as @maceopiques. ●

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NEIGHBORHOOD NEWS Rally and lobbying day, April 7, at the U.S. Capitol.

Young Leaders “Teach Back” Northeast Egypt Center’s Total Fitness Messengers

turn away from his partner,” cautions one audience member, during a peer’s presentation on disposing of male condoms. “You forgot about checking the expiration date,” offers another. More experienced students call out questions, some of which elicit giggles, based on things they’ve heard in the community. “One benefit,” explains Tia Keyes, 19, a team leader with three years at the Center, “is seeing youth who didn’t know the information teach-back things you helped them learn.” Some topics are better approached in the comfort of a singlegender group, participants say, but most Egypt Center programming is coed. “It’s important to have both perspectives, offers Mercy, 19. “Everyone should be equipped to disseminate sex health information to their peers,” declares Irwin Royster, Director of Community Outreach at the Egypt Center. A rolling group of 30 teens, 14-19, become “youth health messengers” during the school year, and another 30 help promote HIV/STD testing and other sexual health messages throughout the community over the summer.

Many Aspects of Health by Virginia Avniel Spatz

“When I ﬁrst started here, they just made you feel like you’re home,” says James, a graduate of Eastern

SHS who began with the Egypt Center outreach program eight years ago and returned to help create that “home” feeling for others. “You make friends here, connections,” reports Lena Thompson, 19, a team leader who has participated in the program for four years. And for some kids, she says, the Center is a haven when there is nowhere else to go. “They also push us to be outside of our comfort zone.” The Egypt Health Center of Planned Parenthood of Metropolitan Washington oﬀers HIV/STD testing for men and women, family planning, birth control and other sexual health and reproductive services (except abortions). A few doors down, the outreach center offers a safe place to discuss sexuality

24 ★ EAST OF THE RIVER MAGAZINE

| MAY 2011

oney and sex. These are volatile, sometimes explosive, topics on the personal and the political level. Arguments over money and sex nearly derailed the U.S. government and many city functions last month. The media is saturated with sex and money. Yet, good solid information about these crucial life issues can be hard to ﬁnd. A safe place for discussion, even harder....unless, of course, you’ve already found the Northeast Egypt Center, located in the East River Shopping Center.

Comfort Zones and Beyond

and other aspects of an individual’s development. Participants in the teen program do not need any background to begin. But they are soon expected to move beyond passive learning. Too much health information, according to researchers, is misunderstood or forgotten. When people “teach-back” new information, however, they are more likely to understand and retain it. At the Center participants demonstrate knowledge through a teach-back on anatomy or advantages of a female condom, for example. But Planned Parenthood takes the concept a step further, encouraging participants to also “teach back” to the community more widely. “Remember the male has to

The Center treats sexuality as but one aspect of development, as teens make the transition into adulthood, Royster says. Financial and other forms of fitness are also part of the mix. For four years, the Center has partnered with the DC EITC [earned income tax credit] Campaign as a free tax preparation site. This promotes financial health and draws different age groups to hear a variety of health messages. “The Center recognizes the connection between physical (including sexual), emotional, and financial health, and they are always working to help people in their community live happier, healthier lives,” says Adam Perry, DC EITC Campaign Manager, Capital Area Asset Builders. The two organi-

zations also partnered on a Total Fitness Fair held at the Height Benning Library on April 9. Perry says the Center’s work as “a training ground for young leaders in the community” is “an amazing community resource.” Ward 7 Councilmember Yvette Alexander adds that the Center “does a lot of activity not directly related to sex education. They expand, working with Ward 7 Arts, East River Family Strengthening Collaborative, and other nonprofits....Mr. Royster really relates to the kids – they are engaged and stay on the right track, to college and success.” Royster and the Egypt Center have won local awards for creative youth engagement. In addition, Cecile Richards, president of Planned Parenthood Federation of America, has recognized Royster’s work, “pulling this program together with bailing wire and duct tape,” and called him “a lifeboat in a sea of really, really tough living.”

Youth Health Messengers

Top to Bottom: 1. Irwin Royster, Councilmember Yvette Alexander, and Adam Perry at Ward 7’s “Total Fitness Fair,” April 9. 2 & 3. Pictures of youth at the program center

“Who are you going to listen to as a young person?” Alexander challenges. Egypt Center teens, she adds, “are very adept in how to protect themselves against contracting HIV/AIDS and sexually transmitted diseases...If you’re going to have sex, have protected sex....Peer educators go out there in their communities, and they have the knowledge to pass on to their friends and classmates. Where adults may not reach young people, other young people can do it.” “Most youth have all the information they need,” argues Jonathan, age 18, who has been in the outreach program for two years. “But they don’t pay attention. Teachers at school just say, ‘Don’t have sex – you’ll get a disease, you’ll get pregnant.’ Teens are more comfortable with peers.” Youth health messengers also approach adults, including those in power. Teens are preparing a presentation for the D.C. Council about the current sexual health status of

the District, for example, and the recent national debate over Federal funding for Planned Parenthood spurred impromptu lessons on public policy. “We discussed what came up in the media and learned what is involved in rallying and lobbying for a cause,” says Royster. Students from Cesar Chavez Charter Schools for Public Policy bring expertise and interest in this area that “spills over” to other students, he adds. Center youth know what is at stake for themselves and their community. Arlene, age 17, has been active with the Egypt Center for two years. Funding loss, she says, “would have a tremendous, tremendous effect on Ward 7 and Ward 8. These areas have the highest rates of chlamydia and other sexuallytransmitted diseases....Without this program, people wouldn’t know the risks, they wouldn’t get tested or treated...and we’d have even higher rates.” Thompson believes the outreach program also prevents violence. Students are offered a safe place and learn respect for one another, a message they carry into the community. “There are too many kids out there, saying ‘I’m bored,’ and about to do something stupid.” From the U.S. Senate floor, Jon Kyl (R-AZ) recently announced: “If you want an abortion you go to Planned Parenthood, and that is well over 90 percent of what Planned Parenthood does.” Confronted with the actual fact – abortions are 3% of Planned Parenthood’s work – the senator’s office later said his remark “was not intended to be a factual statement.” But his “correction” of the Senate record still declares that “abortion...is what Planned Parenthood does.” “When you hear stuff like that... misrepresenting...you feel bad,” says Thompson. “It’s all ‘he say, she say,’ but we know what we do,” adds Keyes. We’re here to help young people learn more about their bodies and to be involved.” ●

CAPITALCOMMUNITYNEWS.COM ★ 25

NEIGHBORHOOD NEWS

The Power of Family The Struggle To Keep Connected with Relatives in Prison by Alice Ollstein

new report from the Urban Institute proves that good family relationships are critical to the reentry success of ex-offenders returning from prison—but many barriers prevent families from communicating with their incarcerated loved ones. Prison visiting hours are restricted, and often fall during work and school hours. Collect calls from prisons can cost two to three times the normal rate. And because the District of Columbia is not a state, it has no state prisons. Even code felons have to be sent to a federal prison, which can be as close as West Virginia or as far as Texas. With the price of gas climbing and wages stagnant, visiting becomes too costly for most low-income families. To address these problems, advocates from government and non-profit agencies are pushing for reforms that will make it easier for offenders to connect with their families during their time in prison and after their release.

The Divide Rhozier “Roach” Brown was serving a life sentence for murder when he found an outlet in theater. After directing over a thousand performances of his original work “Inner Voices,” Roach was granted parole in 1976. He has since advocated for the rights of ex-oﬀenders—in voting, housing, and employment. Brown served his sentence at 26 ★ EAST OF THE RIVER MAGAZINE

the Lorton Reformatory in Fairfax County, a short and economical bus ride from DC. Lorton closed entirely in 2001, and the thousands of DC residents incarcerated there were handed over to federal prisons across 31 states. Now, says Brown, it’s “almost impossible” for prisoners to remain connected to family. “Close family communication plays a crucial role in the rehabilitation of an inmate,” he said. “But especially for folks east of the river who are struggling to survive, visiting and even talking on the phone is difficult. If a family is dealing with unemployment and has no income coming in, they can’t afford the gas to drive to Leavenworth, Kansas, or even accept collect calls from their loved ones in prison. Some people don’t see their own mother for 5, 10, 20 years. That has a detrimental, devastating effect.” Tony Lewis, a Vocational Development Specialist with D.C.’s Court Services and Offender Supervision Agency (CSOSA), stressed the importance of family connection despite these obstacles. “Families are a motivator to be compliant with supervision, obtain employment and stay sober. Ex-offenders want to be positive contributors to their families and don’t want their children to follow in their footsteps.”

Parents and Children Lewis knows intimately what incarceration can do to a family. His fa| MAY 2011

ther went to prison for life when Lewis was just eight years old. “My world was shook to the core,” he said. “To have him suddenly removed when I was entering my true formative years was very difficult. When a person is taken out of your life, and they can’t physically contribute in any way, it’s like they’re deceased.” Lewis says he has only seen his father three times in 13 years. “It’s almost impossible to maintain a relationship under those circumstances,” he said. Our Place DC director Ashley McSwain says women offenders, usually the primary caregivers in a family, bear additional hardships. “Prison isolates the mother from the lives of the children,” she said. “They can’t share in any milestones, and can only parent their children vicariously, through someone else. Women need to be motivated to be successful and they lose that motivation when they can’t see their children with regularity. They often give up and shut down.” Lewis, who helps returning offenders find employment, agrees. “Their children need them and they need their children,” he said. “They have to feel like they’re living for something.” McSwain says that when men are incarcerated, their partners make sure to bring their children to visit them—but men do not make a similar effort when women are sent to prison. “No one is stepping up to ensure the women connect with their families,” she said. “The men don’t support the women like the women support the men.” This separation can be as damaging to the family as it is to the incarcerated parent. Lewis remembers his mother battling mental illness from financial and emotional stress after his father’s incarceration. Children of incarcerated parents are more prone to depression, and to becoming involved with the criminal justice system themselves. Liz Ryan from the Campaign for Youth Justice says even families who try to connect become discouraged. “There is no network to help families navigate the criminal justice system,” she said. “Once someone goes into the system, the family is not seen as part of the solution. Families get no information or support that would help them deal with the fact that their family member is incarcerated.” Lewis added that parents returning from prison find it nearly impos-

sible to reconnect with their children. “I hear from a lot of the guys I work with that they don’t have enough authority or respect with their kids to be a good parent. There’s a lot of resentment. The kids say, ‘You left me. You’ve never seen me learn how to ride a bike, or go on a date, or graduate. The trauma I felt was because you weren’t here.’ Sometimes, the child has to become the parent.”

No One to Turn To The Urban Institute’s “Untapped Role of Family” report found that 87 percent of returning ex-offenders have at least one close family member they could rely on—a much higher percentage than most experts assumed. “Everyone has this picture in their minds of the typical person leaving prison having no support network whatsoever,” said Urban Institute’s Justice Policy Center director Nancy La Vigne. “When we presented our research to a group of service providers, they said, ‘Your data must be wrong. These people have burned all the bridges with their families.’” While service providers are pleased that a large majority of ex-offenders have family they can turn to for housing, food and emotional support, 13 percent have no one. Sometimes their relatives have died, or moved away, and sometimes the prisoner is transferred to so many different facilities that they lose touch with family. The report shows that this 13 percent has a greater likelihood of post-release substance use, unemployment, and recidivism. “Some people come home to nothing,” said Lewis. “Their support system is gone. They don’t know who they’ll stay with. They don’t know how they’ll get their necessities, let alone be compliant with supervision, and find a job. They go into survival mode, and become desperate.” The rapid gentrification and development sweeping the District, says Lewis, can make this transition even more disorienting. “They’re coming home to a foreign city,” he said. “It’s not just that their family is gone; their neighborhood is gone too.”

Building Bridges and Bonds Approximately 2,000 men, women and children come back to the District of Columbia out of federal prison every year. With the federal government cutting, not adding, programs for oﬀend-

MEET Molly’s NEW CHEF! ers and ex-offenders, individual organizations have stepped in to meet families’ needs. Our Place DC has a popular program that takes family members once a month to visit prisons in West Virginia and Connecticut where many women from DC are serving time. They and other groups are pushing for faster and cheaper ways of communicating with prisoners, and the Federal Bureau of Prisons is currently looking into video conferencing for DC code felons. McSwain has also begun conversations with DC delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton to have a local penitentiary, so that offenders can stay better connected with their families and communities. Norton has fought for years to establish a facility exclusively for male and female DC code felons close enough for regular family contact. The Campaign for Youth Justice is lobbying to create a community stakeholder committee that includes family members, to advise the government on programs inside and outside prisons. Based on his personal experience and his years of working with CSOSA, Lewis says his work helping ex-offenders find employment is about families too. “Ex-offenders have to have gainful employment so their children see model of what it means to be an adult,” he explained. “Growing up, I never saw a man go to work, only being involved in criminal activity in some way, like pushing drugs or guns. Seeing your parent get up every morning and put on a uniform and go to work has a very positive effect.” Lewis admits that the family challenges facing ex-offenders are “much bigger than what CSOSA can tackle alone,” so the agency seeks out as many partnerships as it can with non-profits, service providers, and the faith community. These groups, in turn, reach out to ex-offenders and their families. “The families know better than anyone what’s happening in the justice system,” said Ryan. “Things aren’t going to change unless families are given an equal voice.” ●

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CAPITALCOMMUNITYNEWS.COM ★ 27

NEIGHBORHOOD NEWS

Barrett Johnson of Niyyah Electrical Contractors explains his electrical work on the Langdon Community Pool.

WACIF Investing in DC’s Future by Alice Ollstein hat do a small daycare, a new restaurant, and a local electrical company in DC have in common? They all owe their existence to the support of the Washington Area Community Investment Fund (WACIF). WACIF focuses on three sectors of the community: small business, affordable housing developers, and child care providers. The small businesses they support run the gamut, from restaurants to consulting firms to construction companies. They provide both technical and financial aid, including grants, operational assistance, and business planning. Timothy Flanagan was just named WACIF’s Executive Director, having worked with them since 2006. For him, the best part of his job is seeing local businesses succeed. “I can cite a bunch of numbers, like jobs created, or capital provided,” he said, “but the most important thing for us is when someone comes back and says, ‘I would be in the unemployment line if it weren’t for you guys, but now I have a flour-

ishing business and I’m hiring people in my community.’” One of these local success stories is Niyyah Electrical Contractors, owned and operated by DC native Barrett Johnson. Johnson won a $25,000 micro-loan through a pilot microloan program for small businesses that WACIF administered, which allowed him to successfully bid on many projects around DC, from the KIPP charter schools to the FBI building. “My relationship with WACIF helped me to build my credit—because I repay that loan over and over with no problems. And that puts me in a position to apply to mainstream lending institutions, which wouldn’t usually take a risk on a small business,” Johnson explained. “The loan also counts as an asset for me. It’s a boost in a lot of diﬀerent ways. Without their ﬁnances I’d be dead in the water.” Just a few weeks ago, Johnson and his crew were hard at work putting up new lights around the Langdon Park Recreation Center and Community Pool. On this par-

28 ★ EAST OF THE RIVER MAGAZINE

| MAY 2011

ticular job, he used the credit from to expand and improve childcare for WACIF to buy equipment and rent toddlers and infants in the District. machinery. This freed up money The program especially hopes to adand allowed him to hire a new em- dress the need for more providers in ployee from the local neighbor- Wards 5, 7 and 8. “There’s definitely a shortage of child care for infants,” hood, Shawn Colby. The process of acquiring the loan said Hammond. “People call all the was a difficult, but rewarding one time wanting a spot at Rainbow. for Johnson. “They won’t give this I have a two-page waiting list.” out to just anybody,” he said. “Even WACIF has created 150 infant and though my wife is an accountant I toddler slots in DC through their had to learn a lot of business things. Child Care programs, but much You can’t expect to get money from a work is still to be done. lending institution if you don’t even know how your money is made.” Funding Sources Falling Short Johnson continues to take night WACIF’s funding comes from classes at the DC Small Businesses a mix of government contracts, inOffice on different legal and financial vestments, foundation support, and topics. “I’ve got to educate myself so fundraising. Since the recession, it my business can grow. WACIF re- has been more and more difficult ally opened my eyes to that.” to find enough funding to meet the Johnson says the money was needs of the community. vital to his business succeeding, “We have a lot of businesses combut equally important has been ing to us for help, but it’s a basic supWACIF’s continued guidance and ply and demand problem,” explained support. “Tim [Flanagan] helped Flanagan. “There are a lot of projects me put together a business plan. I we would like to fund, but we don’t had one in my head, but I needed have the supply to match that. The one on paper. WACIF can give biggest challenge for WACIF is goyou business strategies, and all the ing out and getting the capital, from financial understanding that you investors concerned about small want.” He says he also enjoys a good personal relationship with WACIF, and periodically invites Flanagan and others to come view his projects around the city. Crystal Hammond, who runs the Rainbow Child Development Center in northeast DC, also commented on the importance of WACIF’s support. “We wound up being real good friends, and they made the process easy and comfortable for me,” she said. “Their grant helped me improve my center by allowing me to purchase things I couldn’t afford, like an alarm system and a playground.” She also increased the number of children accepted, and hired more staff from the local community. Hammond received funding through WACIF’s CareBuilders Recoverable Flanagan was recently named WACIF’s Executive Grant Program, which aims Tim Director

businesses in community.” Demand is even higher, he says, since federal programs for low-income communities are being slashed. “It all flows down to the local level,” said Flanagan. “Every dollar they cut on the federal side, there’s less support on local side. We’ve already felt that over past few years, but it’s going to be really tough in 2012 and beyond.” While Hammond would like another grant from WACIF to expand the center into the empty lot next door, she knows that resources are scarce in difficult times. “When I went back to WACIF for more funding they didn’t have enough to give,” she said. “I wish they had more money to do it again! It would open up more childcare for the community. It would be a great thing.” With the loss of even more federal money on the horizon, Flanagan says he is frustrated being so physically close to the federal government, but unable to influence their decisions. “I feel disenfranchised, having no voting representation,” he said. “We try to get the word out as best we can, but we don’t have a vote on the Hill.” One of his goals for 2011 is to take members of Congress to visit successful projects in the area, to garner interest and support. “We have an opportunity to show the value of the services we provide,” he said. “And it’s so tangible. We can say, ‘This child care center wouldn’t exist without our help.’ We’ve got to better leverage our proximity to the decision makers.” Next year, WACIF will celebrate its 25th anniversary. In that quarter century, the organization has assisted over 1,200 small businesses, helped create more than 1,350 full and parttime jobs and arranged $45.6 million in access to capital for small businesses. ●

CAPITALCOMMUNITYNEWS.COM ★ 29

n March 30th 2010, years of institutionalized failure cascaded into horrific violence. That night, on a front stoop on South Capitol Street SE, three young people lost their lives, another youth was murdered a short distance away, and several others were injured in a hail of gunfire. That night, Nardyne Jefferies lost her 16-year-old daughter Brishell Jones. Brishell was a good kid. She worked hard, studied, and had her sights set on culinary school. But the random and senseless nature of violent crime ended her life and robbed her of her future. Nardyne dedicated herself to working on behalf of District youth so that what happened to her daughter doesn’t happen to anyone else’s. The Committee on Health and I have been working with Nardyne Jefferies since shortly after the tragic shooting. Over the past year, with the assistance of the law firm Nixon Peabody LLP, we developed “The South Capitol Street Tragedy Memorial Act of 2011”. The bill creates the most comprehensive and sophisticated youth mental health screening system in the country and will ensure real enforcement of existing truancy laws. The bill mandates a comprehensive study of the District’s behavioral health services to children. The bill will empower teachers to effectively provide the early interventions so many children need and make sure sister agencies that come in contact with at-risk children have a coordinated approach to mental health care. The bill establishes an Ombudsman for Mental Health, an office that will serve as an advocate for District children and parents. The Ombudsman’s office will help parents negotiate the inter-agency bureaucracy, resulting in better outcomes for children. We will require schools to study and implement measures that ensure that children who should be in school are in school. Currently, a student who is under court supervision can miss twenty-five days of school without their parole officer being notified. No more. The bill lowers the number of acceptable absences to levels in line with national best practices. It provides for early interventions for students with too many unexcused absences and closes loopholes in the District’s truancy policies that allow our students to fall through the cracks. Brishell Jones, William Jones III, Tavon Nelson, and DeVaughn Boyd deserved better. The perpetrators of that heinous crime deserved better from our juvenile justice. All District residents deserve better than to live in a city where this sort of unspeakable violence is possible. ● 30 ★ EAST OF THE RIVER MAGAZINE

| MAY 2011

Former Youth Mayor Earns Scholarship to George Washington University by John Muller

“W

hen are you going to run for Mayor?” current DC Mayor Vincent Gray asked high school senior Markus Batchelor after he was introduced at a recent event recognizing graduates of the Mayor’s Youth Leadership Institute. It’s not the first time the 18 year old student at Thurgood Marshall Academy has been asked that question. Batchelor is presently the Youth City Council Chair following his most recent tenure as the 52nd Youth Mayor from November 2009 to late last year. “Markus, for the four years he has been a student with us, has always been active in the immediate school community and the broader Ward 8 and greater DC community,” says Joshua Kern, the co-founder and president of Thurgood Marshall Academy. “We would like to take credit, but Markus came to Thurgood with these interests. Most importantly he has shown great integrity for someone his age, says Kearn who praised Batchelor’s humble yet effective leadership skills. “He handles sophisticated situations in a mature way.” Working with a college counselor, Batchelor identified colleges and competitive scholarships he was interested in while being selective in his applications. With growing name recognition within city political circles, he wanted to stay local, and so applied to Georgetown University and George Washington University. Through a school initiated nomination process, officials at Thurgood Marshall Academy submitted Markus for consideration for the Stephen Joel Tractenberg Scholarship, a program that covers the cost of tuition, room, board, books and fees at one of the most expensive schools in the country. In late March representatives from GWU including President Steven Knapp came to Thurgood Marshall Academy on Martin Luther King, Jr. Avenue SE to award Batchelor and Moo Bae, Batchelor’s classmate, with the comprehensive scholarship. “Since the program began in 1989 we have made the dream of attaining a college education a reality for more than 100 District students, and we look forward to greeting the class of 2015 recipients when they join our university community next fall,” said GWU President Steven Knapp in a press release acknowledging the nine scholarship recipients representing Benjamin Banneker, Duke Ellington School for the Arts, Sidwell Friends, St. John’s College High School, McKinley Technology, and School Without Walls. This

year’s scholarship recipients will join the 124 District students who have earned this distinction since the program began 22 years ago. “Markus is an amazing scholar and leader,” says Karen Felton, Director of Admissions at George Washington University. “We see him continuing to contribute to the District and benefiting from being a part of our student body. He is a great fit with our students.” Although Batchelor received a similar scholarship to attend Georgetown, he decided to accept GWU’s offer. After earning his degree in Political Science from GWU, Batchelor, a resident of Congress Heights, plans to return to his community to continue to build on the relationships and foundation he has established through his activism. “Ten years from now this community will be drastically different,” said Batchelor citing recent residential and commercial development and “the imminent revitalization of Barry Farm.” A product of an emerging generation of community organizers and political communication specialists that utilize social media to promote their message, Batchelor has created multiple online platforms to interactively engage younger residents of East Washington in political and civic life such as attending community meetings and public hearings. “Rallying people around a cause is not easy,” says Batchelor, a volunteer for Charles Wilson’s 2008 campaign for Ward 8 City Council member. Leading up to the special election last month Batchelor publicly endorsed newcomer Trayon White for the Ward 8 State Board of Education seat. In a crowded field with candidates who had a long standing repute and political base in the ward, White won with more than a third of the total vote. This past year Batchelor launched his own political action committee, YOUTHPAC that helped to register more than 100 area residents to vote in time for the special election held on April 26th. Batchelor, 18, was at his polling station before school opened to ensure he could cast his ballot. “On Election Day people called me asking, ‘Where is my polling place?’” “The issues that will define our generation are yet to be seen,” says Batchelor who remains poised to be at the forefront of the issues as they develop while continuing his leadership within East Washington and the greater city and opening a new chapter at GWU. Don’t be surprised when you see his name on a ballot sooner rather than later. ●

East Washington History Focus

Anacostia’s First Engine Company article & photos by John Muller

“At the beginning of the century Washington was a cluster of scattered villages, with woods and swamps in between. At that time there were no important fires for the houses were too far apart. May, 1800, the Government appropriated $600 for the purchase of two fire engines to protect the Treasury Department,” says a 1903 article from The Washington Times article about the evolution of the city’s fire fighting. “Fire laws were established January 13, 1803 and the city council provided that every owner of a store or dwelling house should have as many leather buckets as there were stories in his building. These buckets were to have their owners name stamped on them to be kept in a conspicuous place to be used for no other purpose and to be sent to any fire that might take place in the immediate neighborhood. “In 1804 an ordinance was passed by the city council dividing the city into four fire wards. The First was to all that part of Washington west of Sixteenth Street, the Second to be bounded by Sixteenth Street on the west, by G Street on the south, until it met Third Street and by each street from the intersection to the extreme thereof. The Third comprised that part of the city south of G Street and the remainder of the city made up the Fourth fire ward,” according to the article. From the time of the city’s first plans, it would be nearly a century before East Washington had a fire fighting company it could call its own.

Origins of Anacostia’s First Fire Department In the November 20, 1909 edition of The Weekly News, there is a note that reads, “Fire Department Thanked.” “Weiss & Entwisle of 25 Monroe Street, Anacostia, express to the Commissioners their thanks to the fire department, particularly No. 15 Engine Company, ‘for the quick, efficient and intelligent service rendered in fighting and confining the fire which occurred here November 7.’” Only a decade before, in 1898, did Anacostia, and East Washington, get its first organized fire company. Responses to fires were previously led by citizen efforts in what was predominately an agrarian community. In the 1889 & 1890 Annual Reports of the Chief Engineer, it was stated that Anacostia was in need of water facilities. It was recommended that 32 ★ EAST OF THE RIVER MAGAZINE

| MAY 2011

water mains be extended out and over the Eastern Branch, and that the fire-alarm telegraph circuit also be so extended. The 1895 Annual Reports of the Chief Engineer warned, “An increase in the number of engine companies can not be too strongly urged. It is necessary that one company be located in Anacostia, which covers an area of 1 square mile, with a population of 5,870 and 1,107 buildings, not including churches, schools, and outbuildings, is practically without any fire protection whatever. The distance from the engine house located on North Carolina avenue between Sixth and Seventh streets to the nearest fire-alarm box in Anacostia is 1 ½ mile. It can readily be seen that by the time an engine could be at the scene of a fire so far from the engine house much damage would be done: in fact, the department could hardly hope to do much more than save adjoining property. “Additional evidence of the need of having an engine company in Anacostia is that the St. Elizabeth Asylum for the Insane and the German Orphan Asylum, both located a considerable distance from Anacostia, are dependent upon this department for protection from damage by fire. The protection afforded these asylums is now very slight, and much damage might be done and a great number of lives placed in jeopardy by the time an engine could be put into service at either of these places.” On April 15, 1898, Engine Company 15 was placed in service at Washington and Pierce Streets with an 1883 Clapp & Jones 450 GPM steam fire engine and an 1889 McDermott Brothers hose reel carriage according to Lt. Jim Embrey, retired, a curator at the DC Fire and EMS Museum at 439 New Jersey Avenue NW. Today, Engine Company 15 is at the SW corner of 14th and V Street SE, the oldest fire company in East Washington. “It’s really important to know the history of how the department grew and developed out of necessity,” said Embrey, who shared his encyclopedic knowledge of the department’s history on a recent tour of the museum.

An engine coming down Division Avenue NE, from Engine Company 30 on 49th Street NE, on a recent evening.

Engine Company 15, at the 14th & V Street, was the first fire department in East Washington in 1898.

Engine Company 25 at 3203 Nichols Avenue.

Chemical Engine House No. 2, now Engine Company 19, at 2813 Pennsylvannie Avenue SE.

Fire Companies in East Washington The department now operates with thirty-three single piece engine companies and there are six water supply pumpers, one in each Battalion according to Embrey. “On any second alarm or greater ﬁre, the three closest water supply pumpers are dispatched, manned by the personnel of the engine company in which they are quartered taking both pieces of appa-

Engine 27 at 4201 Minnessota Avenue NE.

ratus. If that company is not in quarters, another company is dispatched to that firehouse and responds with the water supply pumper,” says Embrey. Of the thirty-three city engine companies, there are five that stand watch in East Washington along with Engine Company 15, not including a unit of fire boats that can respond via the Anacostia River. On July 23, 1903 Chemical Company 5 was organized and placed in service at 3203 Nichols Avenue SE with a 1903 American La France double tank 170 gallon chemical engine. On July 2, 1913 Chemical Company 5 was disbanded and replaced with the organization of Engine Company 25 at the same location where it stands today at 3202 Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue. On January 16, 1908 the second Chemical Company 1 was organized and placed in service at 4201 Minnesota Avenue NE. On June 15, 1914 the second Chemical Company 1 was disbanded and replaced by the organization of Engine Company 27, which stands today at the same location. On November 13, 1911 the third Chemical Company 2 was organized and placed in service at 2813 Pennsylvania Avenue, the current location of Engine Company 19. On March 27, 1955, Engine Company 30 and Truck Company 17 was organized and placed in service at #50 49th Street NE. On January 11, 1987 Engine Company 33 was organized and placed in service at 101 Atlantic Street SE. For more information on the DC Fire and EMS Museum call (202) 6371709. The museum is open to the public Monday – Friday 10 am – 3pm. ●

CAPITALCOMMUNITYNEWS.COM ★ 33

EAST WASHINGTON LIFE

“C” is for Community Dr. Courtney Davis In Service To Her Neighborhood article & photos by Sam Tyler

n a recent Sunday afternoon, a photographer was invited to brunch and a private book signing in a row house off of Georgia Avenue. The author being honored, Dr. Courtney Davis, anchored the gathering, signing books with long, personalized messages to the children who would get them and adults who would give them, thanking well-wishers and nibbling celebratory cake, (Thanks, Dr. Davis, for “A is for Anacostia”). Davis is a statuesque woman with an accessibility that pulls any room into her orbit. “When I wrote this,” she says to the attendees, “I included more boys in it than girls and emphasized the action because it’s much harder to get boys to read, so I didn’t want to lose them.” Tamu, a soft-spoken genome researcher and “sister” of the author, quietly hosted the brunch, chasing spicerubbed Afro-Caribbean chicken, rice and perfectly seasoned greens, with mimosas. Before the book signing, Dr. Davis sat shoeless in her dining room at her dinner table. Most everything in her world is cued to invite more people in, to accommodate large groups. Maroon colored walls at one end of the room contrast perfectly with beige walls at the other end and converge on a warm meeting space for barbeques and community meetings. Framed classic poster art hangs next to intimate black and white photographs of her strongest influences, her parents. Her Diamond, her grey Yorkie Poo, clicks across the light brown hardwood floors as she walks through the house. Today, Diamond was competing for Dr. Davis’ attention as she talked about education. “When we connect the content that we are trying to teach to our student’s prior knowledge,” she says enthusiastically, almost inching towards the edge of her seat, “we make stronger connections. It’s so key for the learning of children, and that’s what I’ve tried to do with ”A is for Anacostia.” After buying a house one block from Good Hope Road more than seven years ago, she made renovations that transformed the interior into an airy, two-story, customized home with clean lines. She established the Historic Anacostia Block Association (HABA) with neighbor and ANC Representative, Charles Wilson. By invitation from Dr. Gail S. Lowe, she wrote the essay, “A Journey With An Unknown Destination” which is featured in a book published by the Smithsonian Anacostia Community Museum titled “East of the River: Continuity and Change.” Community involvement, social activism and a commitment to education as the catalyst for social change, is in Dr. Davis’ genes. She was born and raised on the south side of Chicago. She credits that environment - and her parent’s support - with

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CLOCKWISE from Top Right: 1. Host, Tamu Turner, and guest at the book signing for “A is for Anacostia.” 2. Dr. Courtney Davis online in her office. 3. Courtney in a candid moment at home, Washington, DC, March 27, 2011. 4. Dr. Davis in front of her office door, adorned with children in school,

shaping her decision to become an educator and “help students in urban areas unleash their potential to learn and become change-agents in their own community.” After earning her PhD in Special Education from the University of Virginia, Dr. Davis taught as an Adjunct Professor at George Mason and Catholic Universities, served as Project Director and Task Leader at education non-proﬁts, and applied her expertise in Special Education to the District of Columbia’s Public School System and in the Oﬃce of the State Superintendant of Education. “A is for Anacostia” began percolating around 2007. “I knew that I wanted to write a children’s book but the topic wasn’t clear. Later, I decided to use my experiences from the classroom as a springboard for the book. With guidance from

her publisher, Lori Nelson Lee, and fresh ideas from the book’s illustrator, Jerry Craft, King Features syndicated cartoonist of the popular Mama’s Boyz strip, the book was published in 2010. (www. Aisforanacostia.com). The book signing ended late in the afternoon. Her close friends, Shirita, Beverlee, Darrell and Tracy stayed into the evening, candidly discussing education over fragrant orange and mint tea. Photojournalist, Sam Tyler, recently ﬁnished the ﬁnal piece in a three part photographic narrative on Anacostia. He is currently participating in the Learning Opportunities program at VII Photo Agency in New York. He can be reached at Sam@samclix.com and Sam@VIIphoto.com. ●

cRiTiCaL eXpOsUrE article and photos by Malik Thompson

1. Portrait of Malik. Photo by Rasheeda Kennedy

2-3. Cardozo

4. Michelle at the National Portrait Gallery

5. Light Fixture

’m in the 10th grade, my name’s Malik Thompson and I’ve been to three high schools so far in DCPS. I’ve been to Bell, Anacostia and Cardozo. My project is on how all the schools are similar in that there is no defining trait to the schools. Anacostia, Cardozo, Roosevelt, Coolidge. People don’t care about their schools and they wouldn’t care if they had to leave their school for any reason at all because it’s all the same thing. My point of view is, if the schools had something special about them like an arts program, any type, something special that they created on their own, to make them individual from the other schools, then maybe people would be more proud of their schools, they’d enjoy it more. You can’t participate in club activities if you don’t come to school. So if the students really like the club or it’s interesting to them, it’ll make them want to come to school. You know our electives; they [the school administrators] actually choose our electives. They just put us in an art class or a music class. That’s nice and all, but not everyone wants to play an instrument not everyone likes to draw. So they should have more electives to choose from. I think one person could make up some type of club and if they could get a certain number of people to join it, then the school should be able to fund that club. How can we change that, how can we make schools different? There could be more programs in schools to make them different from other schools, one school could have an arts program that’s better than other schools or one could have a sports program that’s better, or they could just focus on something entirely different like something to deal with the community, international affairs, something.

This photo essay was created by Malik Thompson, student at Cardoza Senior High School, during a program that he participated in with Critical Exposure. Critical Exposure is a non-profit organization in Washington DC that teaches youth to use the power of photography and their own words to advocate for education reform and social change. Over the years, Critical Exposure has worked with students to document issues such as poor school facilities, homelessness, teen pregnancy,school lunches and the dropout crisis. Every semester, Critical Exposure runs programs in three to four schools around DC. This semester marked the first ever Fellowship Program. A program for advanced students from across the city to come together after school to learn together and discuss specific education-based issues using their diverse perspectives. For more information about Critical Exposure’s work, visit: calexposure.org or conctact us: info@criticalexposure.org. -Emma Scott ● CAPITALCOMMUNITYNEWS.COM ★ 35

KIDS & FAMILY

Capital City Dragons Youth Team

Join the Capital City Dragons Youth Team The Capital City Dragons youth dragon boat team for teens is looking for new members for the 2011 season. Youth will learn to paddle a dragon boat, meet new people, get a great workout, and have fun. No experience is required. The 2011 youth membership fee is $60 but you can attend as many practices as you need to see if you like the sport and want to join the team. The fees go toward sustaining NCAWPA as a non-proﬁt organization, covering paddler insurance costs, and maintaining boating and boathouse equipment. Practice started in Apr. and will continue every Sunday, 10:00-11:30 AM. Practices will run once a week until it’s too cold to paddle (usually around October), at the Anacostia Community Boathouse, 1900 M St. SE. Contact Sharon Hong at youth@ncawpa.org. capitalcitydragons.org

Notebook by Kathleen Donner

Children’s National Medical Center “Bringing It All Together Day” The Children’s National Medical Center “Bringing It All Together Day” Health Fair is on Friday, May 20, 10:00 AM-2:00 PM at the Children’s National Medical Center, 2501 Good Hope Rd. SE. Free admission. Free giveaways, fruit, Domino’s Pizza, music, and more! For more information contact Elva Anderson at 202-4766944 or eanderso@cnmc.org.

100 DCPS Students Mark Global Youth Service Day with Ward 8 School Revitalization Project On Apr. 16, the Mayor’s Oﬃce on Volunteerism joined City Year Washington, DC and more than 100 District of Columbia Public

36 ★ EAST OF THE RIVER MAGAZINE

| MAY 2011

School students to commemorate the 23rd Annual Global Youth Service Day, with a large-scale revitalization project at Johnson Middle School. Global Youth Service Day is an international campaign designed to celebrate and encourage youth who improve their communities through service and service-learning. Activities included grounds and classroom clean up, mural painting, planting educational gardens, a high school fair and transforming unused spaces into meaningful, academic ones – including the creation of a school museum to honor the Congress Heights community.

District of Columbia National Guard Youth Leaders’ Camp The District of Columbia National Guard

Youth Leaders’ Camp is accepting applications for its annual residential summer camp. The camp is a 13 day residential leadership development program for boys and girls, ages 12-15, from the DC Metropolitan area. Since 1968, the District of Columbia National Guard, through its Annual Youth Leaders’ Camp has provided over 6000 students throughout the area the opportunity to learn and implement the principles of leadership, citizenship, and good sportsmanship through classroom discussions, competitive sports, and recreational activities. The 44th annual camp is July 5-16 at Camp Moss Hollow in Markham, VA. For more information call 202685-9649 or visit youthleaderscamp.org, click on the Eligibility & Enrollment page for registration procedures and/or to download the Enrollment Application and other forms.

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KIDS & FAMILY to the public free of charge, but reservations are required. To reserve seats, patrons must call the box oﬃce at 202-547-1122. ShakespeareTheatre.org

Double Jeopardy A new report from the Annie E. Casey Foundation, written by FCD Senior Advisor Donald J. Hernandez, ﬁnds that children who have lived in poverty and are not reading proﬁciently in 3rd grade are three times more likely to dropout or fail to graduate from high school than those who have never been poor. Read the full report at fcd-us.org.

Citywide Student Art Exhibition at Reagan Airport

Display windows at 2427 Martin Luther King, Jr. Ave. SE

Digital Display of School and Community Information Thurgood Marshall Academy Public Charter Senior High school and Savoy Elementary School in Anacostia have instaled a 65” digital display to provide community and school information. The display will be in the street front windows at 2427 Martin Luther King, Jr. Ave. SE at the Savoy & Thurgood Marshall Academy Sports & Learning Center. The digital display is to provide a source of information to the Anacostia Community and to provided information regarding Thurgood Marshall Academy, Savoy Elementary School and the District of Columbia Public Schools. The Anacostia Community Museum has partnered with them to not only display museum information and a mini-exhibit in one of the windows, but to also showcase short videos of Anacostia history, entertainment and museum information in the digital display. 202-745-3745. 21csf.org

DC United Kids’ Day at RFK Saturday, May 7, 6:00 PM. DC United vs FC Dallas, 7:30 PM, kickoﬀ. Join DC United for a series of special matchday events created exclusively for our younger fans. The day features Kids’ Day Passports (The ﬁrst 500 kids that bring their completed Kids’ Day Passports to the prize table will receive a special goody bag.); video game truck; DC United tattoos; Train Like the Pros activity station; speed kick; bean bag toss; meet local mascots38 ★ EAST OF THE RIVER MAGAZINE

-DC United’s Talon, The Nationals’ Screech, Georgetown’s Jack the Bulldog, and the GEICO Gecko. dcunited.com

Area High School Students Perform Scenes from Cymbeline Public high school students participating in the Shakespeare Theatre Company’s education program Text Alive! will perform an abridged version of Cymbeline on stage at the company’s Sidney Har-

| MAY 2011

man Hall, 610 F St. NW, Saturday, May 14, 9:30 AM. Students participating come from 14 classes in the District of Columbia, Maryland and Virginia. On May 14, each class will perform a scene from Cymbeline, creating a festival production of Shakespeare’s inventive fairy tale, ripe with forbidden love, mistaken identities and a magic potion. The May 14 performance is the culmination of a semester-long immersion in the art of Shakespeare in performance. Tickets are available

This exhibition showcases an array of student artistic achievement in the District of Columbia. Many schools have participated and hundreds of artworks are on display. The exhibition is located in Terminal B, in several sections next to the baggage claim area. It is on display through May 30.

“Gifted, Artistic, and Under 21” Youth Art Fair Come support young people as they present and share their artistic gifts. Free to the public, you can purchase from over 100 original works of art from the DC area’s most talented youth. This youth-led program also features various dance groups and musical talents. Friday, June 3, 4:00-6:30 PM. Silver Spring Civic Building at Veteran’s Plaza at One Veterans Place, Silver Spring, MD. nccf-cares.org

DC Youth Orchestra Program Scholarships Available to DC students A generous donation has been made by an anonymous benefactor to the DC Youth Orchestra Program and music education for the youth of the District. This donation will allow the program to provide at least 60

scholarships for students wishing to attend Summer Camp at DCYOP. Scholarships through this contribution are available for the 2011 Summer Camp only. Scholarships will be awarded until the funds are exhausted and on a ﬁrstcome-ﬁrst-served basis. Additional information about the scholarships is available at 202-698-0123 or info@dcyop.org. dcyop.org

R Street Speaks On H Street The Theater Alliance is partnering with the Duke Ellington School of the Arts’ Literary Media & Communications Department to present a monthly premier showcase of Ellington students as part of the Hothouse on H series. Titled “R Street Speaks on H Street” this new series will provide a platform for young artists to share their work and engage with other students. The students are responsible for curating each month’s line up, including performances ranging from live painting, to jazz, dance, and vocal talents. Under the advisement of instructors, the students are charged with responsibilities from being producers and artistic directors to operations and marketing. R Street Speaks acts as a major learning experience to their development as arts administrators and valuable community members. Created and produced by Literary Media and Communications students at Duke Ellington School of the Arts, R Street Speaks is a platform for young creators in the Metropolitan area. The eﬀort provides an environment for youth to share their work and engage with others interested in the arts. This show is an opportunity for high school students around the city to hone their crafts, encourage their peers, and display their gifts. R Street Speaks premiered on Apr. 12. R Street Speaks aﬀects the climate of Washington’s youth culture for the better. It provides a positive, social outlet for young people to gather and discuss the issues they face. Through art they are able to speak truth to power, and change the dynamic of their city. Young people have a voice,

and R Street Speaks is the avenue to have it heard. On the second tuesday of every month at the H Street Playhouse. rstspeaks.eventbrite.com

Kids World Cinema Children’s Film Festival in DC The goal of this festival is to introduce international children’s films to Washingtonians and compare significant cross-cultural differences in this genre. The festival targets six to thirteen-year-olds, and will showcase a diverse selection of the most significant international productions for young audiences. May 13-22, ten international organizations will offer screenings followed by children’s workshops and discussions addressing the films’ cultural contexts. Each projection will take place at a separate cultural venue which will be paired with a specific country to expose its audience to different children’s films from around the world. The DC International Children’s Film Festival also aims to spark an artistic awakening in children through the discovery of quality foreign films, classic or current. Free admission for all venues. For more information call 202-234-7911 or visit francedc. org to see the complete program of the screenings.

Children’s Chorus of Washington 15th Anniversary Concert Children’s Chorus of Washington will celebrate its 15th Anniversary with a world premiere by Finnish composer Olli Kortekangas along with the international release of The Great American Folksong CD, produced under the guidance of GRAMMY winners Cathy Fink & Marcy Marxer and collaborators Kim & Reggie Harris, during a special concert on Sunday, May 8, 4:00 PM at National City Christian Church, 5 Thomas Circle. Tickets can be purchased in advance by calling CCW’s oﬃce at 202-237-1005 or online at instantseats.com. $25. adults, $50 reserved seating ($10 for kids 12 and under). childrenschorus.com

CAPITALCOMMUNITYNEWS.COM ★

Campers enjoy an exciting canoe odyssey on the Potomac River. Photo: Courtesy of Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Washington

Now g Enrollin s e d a r G 6-12

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Camp Brown has been operated by the Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Washington for 74 years. They provide seven open-enrollment sessions to urban youth ages 713 wishing to escape the city during the summer. The campground is located adjacent to the Potomac River in Scotland, Maryland. Campers can enjoy a range of activities including ﬁshing, arts & crafts, hiking, karaoke, softball and theatrical acting/performance. $150 for DC residents. Payment plans available. For more information, call Jasmine Taylor, Camp Brown Registrar at 202-540-2307. bgcgw.org

Five-Day Voices of Now Festival at Arena Stage Call 202-547-1028 today! to schedule an interview and tour of the school. 1375 E Street NE Washington DC 20002 www.optionsschool.org

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40 ★ EAST OF THE RIVER MAGAZINE

| MAY 2011

Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theater announces the performances of 10 youth ensembles from the Voices of Now Community Engagement program in the inaugural ﬁve-day Voices of Now Festival. The festival will bring together more than 100 local artists from ages 11 to 21 who live in DC, Maryland and Virginia and have been participating in workshops and rehearsals focused on movement, vocal expression, creativity and team work for the past eight months. Over this time the 10 ensemble groups have created original plays to be performed in the Arlene and Robert Kogod Cradle on May 25-29. “Voices of Now explores themes that are critical to its participants, and through transforming those issues into art they gain mastery over their experiences,” says Director of Community Engagement Anita Maynard-Losh. “This is important for all

young people but particularly with groups who are moving through life challenges. For example, in our partnership with CFSA [Child and Family Services Agency] we are working with youth who are aging out of foster care, and with Capital Hospice our ensemble is comprised of young people who have recently experienced the loss of a parent.” Tickets for the Voices of Now Festival are free, though reservations are required through the Arena Stage Sales Oﬃce at 202-488-3300. arenastage.org

US Botanic Garden Children’s Garden Opens for the Season The arrival of warm weather and spring blooms brings out the kid in all of us, and there’s no better place for kids and their parents than the United States Botanic Garden. Come and explore the outdoor Children’s Garden in the US Botanic Garden Conservatory where kids can grow their imaginations while checking

out a variety of colorful garden plants. The Children’s Garden, which opened for the season in Apr., gives kids a chance to get hands-on in a garden where they can explore and play with gardening tools and watering cans. When young children use their imaginations to relate to their surroundings, there is evidence that they are also developing a life-long aﬀection for the natural world. Kids are invited to see what’s in bloom and to gently touch and smell the plants in the Children’s Garden. Watch your kids relax, discover and reawaken their sense of curiosity! 202-225-8333. usbg.gov

Alliance for a Healthier Generation and Safeway Grow Healthy School Gardens in Washington, DC Schools In honor of Earth Day 2011, the Alliance for a Healthier Generation and Washington, D.C. Safeway stores announced the creation of new school gardens in five District schools. Safeway and the Alliance, a national non-profit founded by the American Heart Association and the William J. Clinton Foundation, teamed up last year to launch a District-wide campaign to combat childhood obesity by planting healthy gardens in 10 D.C. schools and help teach young people about the benefits of fruits and vegetables. All of the gardens are planted at schools that are members of the Alliance’s Healthy Schools Program, a national program which supports more than 11,000 schools across the US. This spring gardens will be planted at The Arts and Technology Academy PCS, John Burroughs Educational Campus, Roots PCS, Shepherd Elementary and Janney Elementary School. Safeway sponsors grants that equip students with materials to construct and plant the garden and the Alliance provides resources and curriculum to ensure the kids understand the nutritional value of their harvest and how to incorporate more fruits and vegetables into their daily lives. ●

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HOMES & GARDENS

The River East Condo Market A few bright spots in the struggling River East real estate market by Ernie Marcus

The exterior of Savoy Court Condominiums in Congress Heights is one bright spot in the East River condo market. Photo at right: an interior shot of the living room and kitchen of a 2 bedroom condo at Savoy Court.

look at the condominium market and the latest Census statistics bear out the distance that must be traversed before Mayor Gray’s laudable “One City” vision can become reality. To an outsider looking at the data, it’s hard to believe the communities west and east of the Anacostia River are in the same jurisdiction. Census bureau statistics show an overall increase in population for the city with sharp increases in non-black population in areas like Ward 1, 2, 4 and 6 and decreases in the rates of poverty. On the other hand, Wards 7 and 8, east of the Anacostia River, show substantial increases in poverty since 1990. For Ward 7 an increase from 19% in 1990 to 26% today; for Ward

8 the increase over the same time frame is from 27% to 35%, or over one third of its residents living in poverty. In Ward 8 there has been some increase in the home ownership rate, from 18% in 1990 to 24% today, but this increase appears to have had little impact on the poverty rate. In Ward 7 the home ownership rate is higher, approximately 40%, although almost completely ﬂat for the past 20 years. The “River East” condo market stands in stark contrast to the emerging markets elsewhere in the city such as Columbia Heights, Southwest, H Street, etc. The latest housing statistics bear out the dramatic diﬀerences in prices, sales volume and foreclosure activity. An eyebrow arching correlation appears to occur between the amount of subprime loan activity and the amount of foreclosure activity in a

42 ★ EAST OF THE RIVER MAGAZINE

| MAY 2011

given area. (A subprime mortgage is a loan to individuals with poor credit histories who, as a result of their deficient credit ratings, would not be able to qualify for conventional mortgages.) In Wards 3 and 4 subprime loans have consistently made up less than 3% of the total loan volume for those areas, whereas in Wards 7 and 8 the subprime rate has typically been in excess of 20%. There is a fair amount of agreement relating to many of the facts of the situation. Homebuyers with lower incomes obviously do not have the financial cushion of higher income buyers and often do not have the job stability. Many people faced larger monthly payments as the interest rates of subprime loans suddenly re-set to a higher rate at the same time that the economy itself began to nosedive, with layoff s, cut backs, reductions in anticipated raises and

other income reducing activities. As a result of all of the above, many condominium communities in the River East market are suffering from multiple levels of economic distress which have fed a downward spiral at the majority of the projects. Prices have dropped precipitously as buyers left the market. The price drop was tightly linked to the mortgage crisis which was particularly acute among lower income communities with heavy minority concentrations. Suddenly the rules for mortgage qualification were turned upside down, eliminating vast pools of buyers. In the higher income areas, the pool of buyers was not decimated as buyers had other means to increase their down payments and debt ratios are typically not as severe. Not so with the lower income communities like River East where the market collapsed as buyers had no means to recover from the changes in the mortgage underwriting world. Increases in foreclosures led to the destabilization of condominium communities as owners were not able to pay their condominium fees. Lack of condo fees led to an inability of the nascent condo boards to be able to maintain the properties and to fund reserves. As word spread of particular condo community’s troubles, buyers stayed away and prices were further impacted. Condo budgets were further hurt by inadequate budgets as the initial developers put out unrealistic budgets in order to keep fees down, in an ethically challenged effort to help new buyers qualify for their loan. Spiking condo fees further burdened struggling homeowners. The spiral of interconnecting factors has hammered the market. One bedroom units going for $150,000 are going in foreclosure sale for $50,000. With bargains on the market, the few buyers venturing into the market are not focusing on market level units. Why were some condominium buildings not as impacted as others? Savoy Court (www.savoycourt. com), a renovation of old officer’s

HOMES & GARDENS Changing hands is a list of most residential sales in the District of Columbia from the previous month. A feature of every issue, this list, based on the MRIS, is provided courtesy of Don Denton, manager of the Coldwell Banker office on Capitol Hill. The list includes address, sales price and number of bedrooms.

quarters on the bluff overlooking Bolling AFB in Congress Heights, is one such case. Though sales have been very slow, the project remains viable. Prices have held and only one foreclosure has occurred since project inception in late 2007. Owners’ payments of condominium fees are only a minor problem. The original budget remains largely in line with expenses. The developers of the community conceived of a project with unique finishes and design features for the market with special amenities like a full gym, roof deck overlooking parkland and the Potomac. The vision was to replicate the design appeal of other hip markets in the city in River East. The uniqueness of the project led to an influx of well-educated, young, urban professionals along with some older residents. The strength of the connection to the emerging Congress Heights community has strengthened commitment to the project. This is a small positive step in a harrowing for-sale market in River East. The lesson is that well conceived projects will attract some who prefer to own and have the financial capacity to do so. Not only are prices favorable to other parts of the city but the level of civic engagement and pride is high in River East. For buyers who choose to move there, the River East market could be a land of opportunity. In time, the individual decisions of people, not statistics, will help knit together the fabric of the communities on both sides of the river. ●

Neighborhood

Close Price

FEE SIMPLE ANACOSTIA 1614 W ST SE 1645 U ST SE 1414 T ST SE 2320 PAYNE TER SE 1603 FAIRLAWN AVE SE 2120 14TH ST SE

$285,000 $229,063 $203,000 $199,999 $175,000 $100,000

3 3 4 4 3 3

FORT DUPONT PARK

$75,000

HILL CREST

$315,000 $240,000

4 3

$249,000 $245,000 $210,000 $190,000 $182,000 $169,000 $160,000 $160,000 $81,000 $80,000

4 3 3 3 3 3 3 2 3 3

$260,000 $239,900 $229,900 $185,997 $154,900 $120,000 $80,000 $75,000 $60,000 $60,000 $55,000

3 3 3 4 3 4 2 3 3 3 2

BARRY FARMS 1416 MORRIS RD SE

CHILLUM 237 LONGFELLOW ST NW 5612 NORTH CAPITOL ST NW

CONGRESS HEIGHTS 1219 ALABAMA AVE SE 3320 7TH ST SE 3310 BROTHERS PL SE 202 MALCOLM X AVE SE 3926 1ST ST SW 1058 BARNABY TER SE 827 XENIA ST SE 57 DANBURY ST SW 808 MALCOLM X AVE SE 1203 CONGRESS ST SE

3353 DUBOIS PL SE 3300 E ST SE 3324 CROFFUT PL SE 4304 GORMAN TER SE 612 CHAPLIN ST SE 4330 GORMAN TER SE 3737 NASH ST SE 1429 34TH ST SE 2131 BRANCH AVE SE

$49,000 $45,000 $45,000 $44,000 $40,000

2 3 3 2 2

$197,000 $160,000 $105,000 $100,000 $72,300 $66,900

3 3 3 3 4 2

$330,000 $188,000 $132,000

4 3 3

$160,000 $146,500

3 4

$416,500 $329,900 $229,900 $179,000 $165,000 $108,500 $74,000

4 4 3 3 3 3 3

$65,000

$21,000

$33,075

MARSHALL HEIGHTS 5108 A ST SE 5127 DRAKE PL SE

RANDLE HEIGHTS 1015 ANDERSON PL SE 2332 NAYLOR RD SE 2204 U PL SE 1867 TUBMAN RD SE 2003 RIDGE PL SE 1616 GOOD HOPE RD SE 2816 BUENA VISTA TER SE

CONDO

DEANWOOD 514 EASTERN AVE NE 900 48TH ST NE 5719 N. HELEN BURROUGHS AVE NE 806 46TH ST NE 856 52ND ST NE 4525 FOOTE ST NE 322 EASTERN AVE NE 4810 EADS ST NE 1022 47TH PL NE 4647 HUNT PL NE #R2 203 62ND ST NE

244 56TH ST NE 5037 MEADE ST NE 5221 CLAY ST NE 5362 GAY ST NE 4503 EADS ST NE

CHILLUM 33 KENNEDY ST NW #103

CONGRESS HEIGHTS 3876 9TH ST SE #B-1

HILL CREST 2057 38TH ST SE #201 ●

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THE NOSE

by Anonymous

ike a drunken gambler, the District appears to have stumbled into yet another fiscal crisis. Having recently completed his tax returns, The Nose intimately understands the government’s predicament. In his humble opinion, dealing with one’s accountant is better done after the ingestion of a minimum of three neat bourbons. After all, Elmer T. Lee is The Nose’s best friend. However, even in the midst of an alcohol-induced fugue state, The Nose never loses sight of the Golden Rule of Accounting, “Expenditures Must Always Equal Income.” So, why is it, The Nose asks, that our mayor and councilmembers are never able to duplicate this feat? Living up to his moniker, Mayor Vincent “The Undertaker” Gray has proposed raising the top bracket of the income tax. However, if the Mayor was really serious about distributing the pain, here are a few more revenue enhancements that he might consider. There are many furry citizens of this fair metropolis who completely escape the eagle eye of the District’s Department of Tax and Revenue. Let’s start with our friend, the neighborhood squirrel. Why should someone who spends all day collecting nuts and chewing holes in roofs of people’s houses get a free ride? The Nose suggests these cute miscreants be tagged and taxed a nut apiece. If any of these varmints protest, drop them off in the great state of Virginia, where folks still consider them a tasty appetizer. It is important not to discriminate just against Rocky. What about those canines who are costing The District thousands in dog park construction bills? Give the Metropolitan Police authority to check for DC dog licenses on demand. Fine the ones found without and doubly penalize their owners for every necessity left on the street curb un-bagged. Why stop at dogs and spare the cats? Felines must pay their fair share as well. License their litter boxes. Authorize the Department of Health to do spot checks. No tag, seize the offender and dump out the contents. Now that The Nose has alienated the local wildlife, cat ladies and all ‘dog people,’ let’s get right to the point about the real cause of our budget explosion--children. Yes, Dear Readers, if all District male residents were all legally required to get a vasectomy and while their female counterparts received a tubal ligation (Google that, my Dears!), it would significantly reduce District’s school age population over time. The Nose fears the knife as much as the next man. What about taxing kids in true mainland Chinese fashion, or

46 ★ EAST OF THE RIVER MAGAZINE

| MAY 2011

bringing back the workhouse? Let them pay for their own schools. Oliver Twist managed to ask for more. No more need for expensive school modernization. Good riddance to poor performing teachers, in fact educators, in general. Sell all the playgrounds to developers. No need to dodge strollers near Eastern Market. In truth, The District would become an adult paradise, sort of like Las Vegas, but with Internet gambling. Dear Readers, caution before grabbing a pen and venting your spleen on this poor satirist. The Nose, at least, did not ‘modestly propose’ that residents dine on their progeny. In truth, The District must soak all its residents equally if it is to avoid a Congressional incursion. With apologies to the Fab Four, this song states it most eloquently: Let me tell you how it will be, Five minutes for you, ﬁve quarters for me, ‘Cause I’m the District, Yeah, I’m the District. Should eight-point-ﬁve percent appear too small, Be thankful I don’t take it all. ‘Cause I’m the District, Yeah, I’m the District. (If you drive a car), I’ll tax the street, (If you go to theater), I’ll tax your seat, (If you dine out), I’ll tax your eats, (If you take a walk), I’ll tax your feet. District. ‘Cause I’m the District, Yeah, I’m the District. Don’t ask me what I want it for (Transparency? Mayor Gray!) If you don’t want to pay some more ( Ja woh! Chair Brown!), ‘Cause I’m the District, Yeah, I’m the District. Now my advice for those who die, (District!) Put two smart cards on your eyes, (District!) ‘Cause I’m the District, Yeah, I’m the District. And you’re slaving for no-one but me, (District!). Remember, Dear Readers, a hearty belt makes writing a check to the taxman much easier. Have a comment for The Nose? Email thenose@hillrag.com. ●

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