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SEPTEMBER

2018

NEIGHBORHOOD NEWS 22

The Bulletin Board Tenia Pritchard Leads Excel Academy’s First Year With DCPS by Elizabeth O’Gorek

An Economic Renaissance Parted by a River by Gavrielle Jacobovitz

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NEXT ISSUE: oCtobER 6

Make Voting Easier East of the Anacostia by Charles E. Wilson

IN EVERY ISSUE

06 What’s on Washington

New High School Principals Focus on the Positive as Year Begins by Elizabeth O’Gorek

10 Calendar

EAST WASHINGTON LIFE

51 The Classiﬁed

Discovering Our Stories by Keely Sullivan

41 42

Anacostia Steelers Organize First Football Season by John Muller

Jazz Avenues by Steve Monroe

The Status of HIV in DC by Candace Y.A. Montague

HOMES & GARDENS ON THE COVER: The Anacostia Community Museum Academy explores the Washington Channel and the Anacostia River aboard the Chesapeake Bay Foundation boat, The Susquehanna, 2014. Photo: Susana Raab, Anacostia Community Museum Archives, Smithsonian Institution. See story on pg. 28

Changing Hands compiled by Don Denton

KIDS & FAMILY

Notebook by Kathleen Donner

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For more information about AmeriHealth Caritas District of Columbia or for reasonable accommodations, please call: (202) 216-2318.

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NGA EVENINGS AT THE EDGE

The National Gallery of Art (NGA) is planning six “Evenings at the Edge.” Three are in the fall: Sept. 13, Oct. 11 and Nov. 8. On Sept. 13 from 6 to 9 p.m. take a trip across the pond with an evening of Brit-inspired pop-up talks, live performances and an exclusive first look at the exhibition Rachel Whiteread before it opens to the general public. Acclaimed bass player Ben Williams sets the stage for visitors. Enjoy British hits throughout the building with DJ Adrian Loving. See performances from award-winning tap dancer Jason Samuel Smith. Dance under silent film projections, snap a selfie in the Gallery’s photo booth and unleash your inner artist with communal art activities. Visitors can purchase fare inspired by British classics such as Cornish pasties and scones. Enjoy a take on the Pimm’s cup at the Roof Terrace bar. Admission is free, but registration is required. To register and learn more about each evening, visit nga.gov/evenings. Visitors enjoy the East Building Roof Terrace during a recent Evenings at the Edge program. Photo: Courtesy of the National Gallery of Art

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NSO POPS STAR WARS LIVE-TO-FILM CONCERTS

H STREET AND BARRACKS ROW FESTIVALS The H Street Festival on Sept. 15 from

The National Symphony Orchestra Pops (NSO Pops) season begins in the Kennedy Center Concert Hall with the legendary film music of John Williams. The full scores from four Star Wars films will be performed while the films are shown on a big screen. A New Hope opens the season on Sept. 12 to 15. Tickets are $34 to $149. kennedy-center.org.

noon to 7 p.m. is one of the most highly attended single day events in DC. On H Street between Fourth and Fourteenth NE, enjoy 14 stages with everything from Jazz and Hip-hop to classical Spanish dance. In addition, find youth-based performances, interactive children’s programs, fashion, heritage arts and poetry. hstreetfestival.org.

Star Wars Episode IV characters Mark Hamill as Luke Skywalker, Carrie Fisher as Princess Leia and Harrison Ford as Han Solo

The Barracks Row Fall Festival on Sept. 29 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Eighth Street SE between E and I, features restaurants, food trucks, US Marine Corps Silent Drill Platoon, community information tables and live entertainment. barracksrow.org.

WALKINGTOWN DC WalkingTown DC is DC’s best public tour program, featuring more than 50 guided walking tours in neighborhoods throughout the District. This popular annual event takes place Sept. 15 to 23 and introduces residents and visitors to the art, culture, and history of DC through a series of “bite-size” lunchtime tours, after-work “happy hour” tours and longer weekend tours. WalkingTown DC connects residents to well-known and unfamiliar places from Congress Heights to Herring Hill, St. Paul’s Rock Creek Parish to Dupont Circle. Tours are led by historians, licensed tour guides, community leaders, business owners, enthusiasts and docents, who all donate their time and expertise. Tours are offered at varying lengths and fitness levels. All tours are free but require reservations. Many tours are wheelchair and stroller accessible. Register at culturaltourismdc.org. Bill McLeod, executive director of Historic Dupont Circle Main Streets, leads a tour of the Dupont Circle area sharing the history of the neighborhood from its early development, to its decline in the 1950s and ‘60s, and rise again as a premiere arts, shopping and dining destination. Photo: Robert Kelleman

OPERA IN THE OUTFIELD

Washington National Opera (WNO) presents an “Opera in the Outfield” production of The Barber of Seville on Sept. 29 at 7 p.m. at Nationals Park. Gates open at 5 p.m. for pre-opera activities for the entire family. The Barber of Seville will be displayed on the high-definition NatsHD scoreboard. Free seating is available on the outfield grass (weather permitting) and in the stands. Arrive early for photo opportunities for kids, chances to win prizes, a costume try-on area with real Washington National Opera costume pieces, performances by local artists, a screening of the Warner Bros. cartoon “Rabbit of Seville” and arts and crafts. kennedy-center.org/wno. More than 10,000 people attended last year’s Opera in the Outfield presented by Washington National Opera at Nats Park. This year’s free opera broadcast of The Barber of Seville takes place on Sept. 29 at 7 p.m. Photo: Scott Suchman

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Opera in the Outﬁeld. Sept. 29, 7 PM. Gates open at 5 PM. Join the Washington National Opera at Nationals Park for The Barber of Seville. Pre-opera activities include a costume shop, instrument meet and greet, games and prizes. kennedy-center.org/wno/simulcast. East of the River Jazz Night. Oct. 13, 3 to 5 PM. Hear great music and check out the different plants that bloom at different times of the year. Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens, 1550 Anacostia Ave. NE. friendsofkenilworthgardens.org.

SPECIAL EVENTS

LAST OF THE OUTDOOR MUSIC AND MOVIES

Maryland Renaissance Festival. Sept. 8, 9, 15, 16, 22, 23, 29 and 30. 1821 Crownsville Rd., Annapolis, MD. rennfest.com.

Cinematery: The Sixth Sense. Sept. 14 (rain date, Sept. 28.), 7 PM. Gates open at 6 PM. BYOB and dinner. No dogs; no smoking. $10 suggested donation. Historic Congressional Cemetery, 1801 E St. SE. congressionalcemetery.org. Marvin Gaye Park Summer Concert. Sept. 15, 3 to 7 PM. Local artists and vendors. Free. Marvin Gaye Park at the Riverside Center, 5200 Foote St. NE.

THE WASHINGTON BALLET @ THEARC

Mondays, 7:15 to 8:30 PM, Yoga; Wednesdays, 7:15 to 8:30 PM, Ballet; Thursdays, 7:30 to 8:30 PM, Pilates; Saturdays, 8:30 to 9:30 AM, Zumba. Single classes are $12. A discount of $6 is granted to adults from the zip codes 20020 and 20032. A valid ID is required to receive the discount. Class cards good for 12 classes are $100/$60 for Wards 7 and 8 residents. THEARC is at 1901 Mississippi Ave. SE. thearcdc.org.

Union Market Drive-in Movies. Fridays. The Lion King; Oct. 5, 8:15 PM. Movies are held in Union Market’s parking lot, 1309 Fifth St. NE, and projected on the wall. Free for walkup film fans viewing in the picnic area or $10 per car. Food is delivered on wheels by The DC Rollergirls. unionmarketdc.com/events/ union-market-drive-in-2018.

DPR’s Doggie Day Swim. Sept. 9, noon to 4 PM. At Randall Pool, South Capitol and I Streets SW. doggiedayswimdc.splashthat.com. Adams Morgan Day 2018. Sept. 9, noon to 6 PM. Vendors, sidewalk cafes, cultural activities and performances. 18th Street between Florida Avenue and Columbia Road NW. admoday.com. Zoo Uncorked. Sept. 13, 6 to 9 PM. Uncork and unwind at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo with wine tastings. Attendees will enjoy after-hours access to Reptile Discovery Center, Think Tank, Kids’ Farm, and Great Cats Circle, as well as animal demonstrations, live music, culinary delights from popular food trucks and handcrafted goods sold by the local artisans of Grump Market. $70. fonz.org/uncorked.

Adult ballet class at THEARC. Photo: Theo Kossenas, Media4Artists

Photo: PSK Creative

BORN AT THE BOTTOM OF THE SHIP: AN EXPLORATION OF THE CULTURE OF BEING BLACK IN AMERICA

DC VEGFEST

Sept. 15, 11 AM to 6 PM. DC VegFest is a fun-filled festival of food, music, education and inspiration. It features over one hundred vendors, celeb speakers, cooking demos and a kids’ zone. DC VegFest is at N and First Streets SE. dcvegfest.com.

Through Sept. 15. Born at the Bottom of the Ship, explores the identity of the descendants of Africans brought to America, and how that identity still exists in the new tribe; Blacks, who are uniquely African American while also being considered neither. Honfleur Gallery, 1241 Good Hope Rd. HonfleurGallery.com. hey joe by James Terrell

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Colonial Market & Fair at Mount Vernon. Sept. 15 and 16; 9 AM to 5 PM. More than 40 artisans will demonstrate their trades and sell their wares while two stages of family entertainment delight audiences with 18th-Century amusements. Fair included in admission. mountvernon.org. Park After Dark. Sept. 15, 6 to 10 PM. Park After Dark, the C&O Canal Trust’s annual gala fundraiser, is held under the stars at Historic Great Falls Tavern. $250. ParkAfterDark.org. H Street Festival. Sept. 15, noon to 7 PM. H Street from Fourth to 14th Streets NE. The festival is 11 blocks long and has 14 diversely programmed stages. hstreetfestival.org. King Street Art Festival. Sept. 15, 10 AM to 7 PM and Sept. 16, 10 AM to 5 PM. Old Town Alexandria on King Street from Washington Street to the Potomac River waterfront. ArtFestival.com. First Annual Yards Park Boardwalk Block Party. Sept. 16, noon to 5 PM. Enjoy food and beverage tasting stations like Italian specialties, wine & snacks, oysters, and more from Due South, District Winery, Osteria Morini, Ice Cream Jubilee, Agua 301 and Whaley’s. Catch live music by the Three Man Soul Machine and enjoy games. Tickets are $35, and all proceeds will benefit Project Sunshine. Read more at facebook.com/ events/450156115483688. PARK(ing) Day 2018. Sept. 21, 8 AM to 4 PM. District residents and businesses display their creativity by building pop-up parks in curbside parking spaces. ddot.dc.gov/page/ parking-day-dc-2018. Downtown Hyattsville Arts Festival-Arts and Ales. Sept. 22, noon to 6 PM. The festival will include over 100 jury-selected artists and artisans, dozens of food truck and drink vendors, craft breweries and live performances. Downtown Hyattsville on Farragut St, Gallatin St, and Church Alley. hyattsvilleartsfestival.com. DC State Fair. Sept. 23, 11 AM to 8 PM. The DC State Fair is a free showcase of the District’s agricultural and creative talents and a day-long celebration of all things homegrown. Waterfront Station in SW. dcstatefair.org.

N OW P R O U D LY CA R RY I N G

Taste of Georgetown. Sept. 23, 11 AM to 4 PM. Enjoy tastes from more than 30 of the neighborhood’s best restaurants. K Street between Wisconsin Avenue and Thomas Jefferson Street NW. tasteofgeorgetown.com. Barracks Row Fall Festival. Sept. 29, 11 AM to 5 PM. Festival is on Eighth St. SE between E and I. It features restaurants, food trucks, United States Marine Corps Silent Drill Pla-

660 Pennsylvania Ave SE 1718 14th St. NW Union Market www.peregrineespresso.com E ast

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toon, community information tables, a main stage for live entertainment. barracksrow.org.

Vote in the Tuesday, November 6, 2018 General Election Polls will be open from 7 am to 8 pm.

During the General Election, all registered voters and District residents eligible to register, may vote.

Contests on the Ballot: • • • • • • • • • •

Delegate to the United States House of Representatives Mayor of the District of Columbia Chairman of the Council of the District of Columbia At-large Member of the Council of the District of Columbia Ward Member of the Council of the District of Columbia (Wards 1, 3, 5 and 6) Attorney General of the District of Columbia United States Senator United States Representative Ward Member of the State Board of Education (Wards 1, 3, 5 and 6) Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner

Want to Vote Early?

Early Voting will start at One Judiciary Square (OJS) on October 22, and at satellite Early Voting Centers on October 26. Early Voting Centers are open daily (including weekends) through November 2, from 8:30 am until 7 pm. Both paper and touchscreen ballots will be available at OJS. Satellite Early Voting Centers will open on October 26, and they will have touchscreen ballots only. Eligible voters may vote at any Early Voting Center during Early Voting, regardless of their address or Election Day polling place. Early Voting Center locations can be found online at https://earlyvoting.dcboe.org/.

Need More Information?

For more information on the upcoming election, on voter registration, to confirm your registration information, or to find your polling place, please visit www.dcboe.org or call (202) 727-2525.

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Art All Night-Made in DC. Sept. 29, 7 PM to 3 AM. The festival will take place in six DC Main Streets neighborhoods, bringing visual and performing arts, including painting, photography, sculpture, crafts, fashion, music, dance, theater, film and poetry to indoor and outdoor public and private spaces, including businesses. artallnightdc.com. Hillfest 2018. Oct. 6, 10 AM to 7:30 PM. presented by The Capitol Hill Jazz Foundation. Mainstage: Friendship Technical Prep High School Band, Amy Bormet Trio, Dana Hawkins and Evan Marien, Hope Udobi Quartet, Corcoran Holt Quintet, Akua Allrich and the Tribe, Bobby Felder and the Capitol All Stars Big Band, Cheryl Pepsii Riley, JOGO Project, Herbert Scott, Stefon Harris & Blackout. Second Stage: African Fitness with Nakima Smith, Crush Funk Brass Band, Children’s Storytelling with Sylvia Zwi, DC Tap Fest Performers, Oasis Dance Collective. Garfield Park. Hillfest.org. Taste of Bethesda. Oct. 6, 11 AM to 4 PM. Taste of Bethesda brings 50 restaurants and five stages of entertainment to Bethesda’s Norfolk, St. Elmo, Cordell, Del Ray and Auburn Avenues in the heart of Bethesda’s Woodmont Triangle. The children’s area features art and craft activities, balloons and face painting. bethesda.org. All Things Go Fall Classic. Oct. 6 and 7. A food and music festival at Union Market. Tickets $24, up. allthingsgofallclassic.com. Washington International Horse Show. Oct. 23 to 28. Tickets are now on sale for the 60th Annual Washington International Horse Show. Capital One Arena. wihs.org. Inaugural Smithsonian African American Film Festival Tickets Available. The Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture has opened registration for the inaugural Smithsonian African American Film Festival, the first of its kind in the Smithsonian’s 172-year history. The festival, Oct. 24 to 27, is a biennial four-day cinematic experience focused on celebrating African American visual culture and film. Pricing, schedule and tickets are at aafilmfest.si.edu.

AROUND THE NEIGHBORHOOD L’s Dichotomatic Life at Vivid Gallery. Through Sept. 15. L’s Dichotomatic Life is a series of work depicting the dichotomy of love and loss. Vivid Gallery, 1231 Good Hope Rd. SE. VividGalleryDC.com.

Ward 8 Farmer’s Market. Saturdays, 10 AM to 2 PM. In the parking lot behind Martin Luther King Elementary School, 3200 Sixth St. SE, at Alabama Avenue. ward8farmersmarket.com. Mobile Art Gallery Youth Photography Exhibition. Exhibition is open Thursdays to Sundays, noon to 8 PM. In July and early August, professional photographers helped Ward 7 kids hone their photography skills and take field trips to exhibitions. It has culminated in a youth-curated installation in CulturalDC’s Mobile Art Gallery at River Park Shopping Center, 322 40th St. NE. culturaldc.org. After Dark@THEARC 2018 Fundraising Gala. Sept. 29, 6:30 PM, cocktail reception in THEARC’s new building; 7:30 PM, pop-up performances, dinner, dancing. AfterDark@ THEARC is an elegant evening honoring their 14 resident non-profit organizations. $250. THEARC, 1901 Mississippi Ave. SE. thearcdc.org. Anacostia parkrun--Weekly Free 5k Timed Run. Saturdays, 9 AM. Anacostia Park, 1900 Anacostia Dr. SE. Registration required before first run. Beginners welcome. Every week runners grab a post parkrun coffee in a local café. Read more at parkrun.us/anacostia. A Right to the City at the Anacostia Community Museum. After a half-century of population decline and disinvestment, DC and similar urban centers around the country have been witnessing a “return to the city” with rapidly growing populations, rising rents and home prices. A Right to the City explores the history of neighborhood change in the nation’s capital. Anacostia Community Museum, 1901 Fort Pl. SE. anacostia.si.edu.

MUSIC AROUND TOWN Music at U Street Music Hall. Sept. 8, MIXTAPE 10th Anniversary & Finale; Sept. 9, The Back To School Bash, Hosted by Ayye Pap & Goofys; Sept. 12, Poolside (live); Sept. 13, Let’s Eat Grandma; Sept. 14, Deep Sugar DC: 15th Anniversary Tour; Sept. 15, Robyn Riot; Sept. 16, DC Record Fair on U and The Universal Listening Room; Sept. 19, HYUKOH 24 TOUR; Sept. 20, The Buttertones and The Widdler + Pushloop; Sept. 21, Carl Broemel of My Morning Jacket and Hot Mix; Sept. 22, SYML; Sept. 24, Reignwolf; Sept. 26, Anne-marie; Sept. 27, Mt. Joy; Sept. 28, Robotaki-The Experiment Live; Sept. 29, Meg Myers and ATLiens; Oct. 2, The Charlatans UK; Oct. 3, Virtual Riot; Oct. 4, George FitzGerald (live); Oct. 5, Elderbrook; Oct. 6, The Presets and Breakbot. U Street Music Hall, 1115 U St. NW. ustreetmusichall.com.

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Music at Hill Country. Sept. 8, Koe Wetzel; Sept. 9, Holly Golightly And The Brokeoffs; Sept. 13, Wild Adriatic; Sept. 14, Kiti Gartner & The Drifting Valentines; Sept. 15, The Hall Monitors, Muck And The Mires; Sept. 18, Benyaro; Sept. 20, Fellowcraft; Sept. 27, Peter Case; Sept. 28, Eric Lindell; Sept. 29, Bumper Jacksons’ 5th Anniversary Throwback Dance Party; Oct. 2, Arkansauce; Oct. 5, Hubby Jenkins (of The Carolina Chocolate Drops) and Shannon Labrie; Oct. 67, C2 and The Brothers Reed. Hill Country Live, 410 Seventh St. NW. hillcountry.com/dc. Music at 9:30 Club. Sept. 8, Suicidal Tendencies; Sept. 11, MC50; Sept. 14, Los Amigos Invisibles; Sept. 15, Joey Coco Diaz; Sept. 18, FIDLAR; Sept. 20, Car Seat Headrest; Sept. 21, Gary Numan and Whethan; Sept. 22, Owl City; Sept. 23, The Growlers; Sept. 27, Highly Suspect; Sept. 29, Belly; Oct. 2, Our Lady Peace; Oct. 3, Liz Phair; Oct. 4, Cam; oct. 7, HONNE. 815 V St. NW. 930.com. Music at Rock and Roll Hotel. Sept. 8, Shopping & No Age; Sept. 9, Red Fang; Sept. 10, Local H Pack Up The Cats Tour; Sept. 11, Sumac; Sept. 12, Yuno; Sept. 14, Tigers Jaw; Sept. 15, Brodown Throwdown 7; Sept. 20, Courtney Marie Andrews; Sept. 21, Arthur Buck; Sept. 22, Rooney; Sept. 23, Afternooner with DC Brau and Graham Coxon; Sept. 25, Idles; Sept. 26, Sales; Sept. 27, Miniature Tigers; Sept. 28, Jade Bird; Sept. 29, Shaed; Oct. 1, Tove Styrke; Oct. 3, The Frights Hypochondriac Tour; Oct. 5, Blitzen Trapper Furr 10th Anniversary Tour; Oct. 6, Great Lake Swimmers. Rock and Roll Hotel, 1353 H St. NE. rockandrollhoteldc.com. Music at Pearl Street Warehouse. Sept. 8, The Yawpers; Sept. 12, Sarah Shook And The Disarmers; Sept. 13, Eleanor Friedberger; Sept. 15, Hackensaw Boys; Sept. 16, Jasmine Gillison “Little Light” Album Release; Sept. 19, Jolie Holland and Samantha Parton; Sept. 21, Bencoolen Surprise Attack; Sept. 22, Justin Trawick and The Common Good; Sept. 24, Supersuckers 30th Anniversary “The Big Show” Tour; Sept. 27, Front Country; Sept. 30, Dennis Stroughmatt

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ACM COMMUNITY BLOCK PARTY

Sept. 29, 11 AM to 4 PM. Enjoy live performances on an outdoor stage and covered tent with a dance floor, food trucks, art activities for the kids, costumed interpreters, a vendor’s marketplace at the Anacostia Community Museum’s (ACM) Block Party. Activities take place all-day inside and outside of the museum. Anacostia Community Museum, 1901 Fort Pl. SE. anacostia.si.edu. Members of the Gay Men’s Chorus dance troupe, 17th Street Dance, perform at the 2016 Anacostia Community Museum Community Block Party. Photo: Susana Raab

and Creole Stomp; Oct. 6, Black Masala. Pearl Street Warehouse, 33 Pearl St. SW. Music at City Winery. Sept. 8, Black Alley; Sept. 9, Jill Sobule “Nostalgia Kills” Album Release Show; Sept. 11, Eric Essix “More” Album Release; Sept. 12, Ana Popovic; Sept. 14, Mason Jennings; Sept. 15, Brett Miller; Sept. 16, Popa Chubby; Sept. 18, Will Hoge w/ Ryan Culwell; Sept. 19, Badfinger: “Straight Up”; Sept. 20, Steven Page Trio; Sept. 21, Chris Trapper and An Evening With Edwin McCain; Sept. 23, Ian Moore; Sept. 25, Jump, Little Children; Sept. 26, Face To Face Acoustic w/ Austin Lucas; Sept. 27, Art Sherrod Jr & The ASJ Orchestra; Sept. 28, Iris Dement; Sept. 29, Wasabassco Burlesque; Sept. 30, Dwele; Oct. 1, Marcia Ball; Oct. 3, Tim Reynolds & TR3; Oct. 4, Gaz Coombes w/ Caleb Elliott; Oct. 5, Roomful of Blues; Oct. 6 and 7, An Evening With The English Beat. City Winery, 1350 Okie St. NE. citywinery.com/washingtondc.pearlstreetwarehouse.com. Music at Black Cat. Sept. 9, Saintseneca; Sept. 14 and 15, Black Cat 25th Anniversary; Sept. 17, Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever; Sept. 18, Dead Sara; Sept. 19, Goodnight Texas; Sept. 20, Sunset Rollercoaster; Sept. 21 Mortified and Bad Moves; Sept. 22, Church Night; Sept. 23, Luna Honey; Sept. 27, Clar-

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Does Your Small Business Need Advice or A Loan?

ence “the blues man” Turner; Sept. 28, Hemlines; Sept. 29, Babe City Record Release Show; Oct. 2, The Artisanals; Oct. 3, Electric Six; Oct. 4 and 5, The Very Best of Hump!; Oct. 6, King Khan & The Shrines. Black Cat, 1811 14th St. NW. blackcatdc.com. Music at Union Stage. Sept. 10, TWRP Planet Booty; Sept. 11, Teitur; Sept. 12, Donny McCaslin; Sept. 13, Wheeler Walker Jr.: The Dragon Energy Tour; Sept. 14, Palm; Sept. 16, Choir! Choir! Choir!; Sept. 17, Creed Bratton; Sept. 19, River Whyless; Sept. 20, White Ford Bronco; Sept. 21, Joshua Hedley; Sept. 22, An Evening with Soul Rebels and the Prince & Michael Experience; Sept. 25, SG Lewis; Sept. 26, The 9 Songwriter Experience; Sept. 27, Dreamers; Sept. 28, The Ocean Blue; Sept. 30, An Evening with Chris Dave and the Drumhedz; Oct. 4, Lucky Chops; Oct. 5, Halfway to Shamrockfest. Union Stage, 740 Water St. SW. unionstage.com. Music at The Anthem. Sept. 10, First Aid Kit; Sept. 18, Alison Krauss; Sept. 23, Carlos Vives; Sept. 24, Lenny Kravitz-Raise Vibration Tour; Sept. 28, Future Islands; Sept. 29, Jo Koy: Break the Mold; Sept. 30, St. Paul & The Broken Bones; Oct. 3, Leon Bridges; Oct. 4, Troye Sivan; Oct. 5 and 6, Florence + The Machine; Oct. 7, Pink Martini featuring special guest Ari Shapiro. The Anthem, 901 Wharf St. SW. theanthemdc.com.

Since 1987, the Washington Area Community Investment Fund (Wacif) has helped entrepreneurs start and grow their businesses. Whether you need advice, a loan, or both, Wacif can be your partner to jump-start your entrepreneurial dream. We offer: • One-on-One Small Business Advisement • Loan Capital • Group & Cohort-based Training • Small Business Resource Referrals • Technical assistance in financial and operational management For more information and to schedule a meeting:

Call 202-529-5505 or email intake@wacif.org

To learn more, visit www.wacif.org, follow us on Facebook (@WacifDMV), Twitter (@Wacif), and LinkedIn. This outreach is made possible by the District of Columbia Department of Housing and Community Development and the District Columbia Department of Small and Local Business Development

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Music at Boundary Stone. Sept. 10, 17, 24, Oct. 1. Open Mic & $5 Drafts with Reed Appleseed. Boundary Stone, 116 Rhode Island Ave. NW. boundarystonedc.com. Blue Monday Blues in Southwest. Every Monday, 6 to 9 PM. Sept. 10, Ursula Ricks Project; Sept. 17, 12th Blue Monday Blues Anniversary Jam Session; Sept. 24, Tom Newman Blues Band; Oct. 1, Clarence Turner Blues Band; Oct. 8, I Witness Blues. $5 cover. Children are free under 16 years old. Reasonably priced meals offered. Westminster Presbyterian Church, 400 I St. SW. westminsterdc.org. Church of the Epiphany Weekly Concerts. Every Tuesday, 12:10 PM. Sept. 11, Mary Findlay, violin, Seth Castleton, viola, and Lois Narvey, harpsichord; Sept. 18, Richard Masters, piano; Sept. 25, David von Behren, organ; Oct. 2, Washington Bach Consort. 1317 G St. NW. epiphanydc.org. Music at Ivy City Smokehouse. Sept. 11, Kevin Cordy Quartet; Sept. 12, DJ India; Sept. 19, Miss H.E.R; Oct. 4 and 25, The Junior Bryce Band. Ivy City Smokehouse, 1356 Okie St. NE. ivycitysmokehouse.com. Library of Congress Homegrown Concert. Sept. 12, 7:30 PM, John McCutcheon. Concerts are in Coolidge Auditorium on the ground floor of the Thomas Jefferson Build-

ing, 10 First St. SE. Performances are free. No tickets required. loc.gov. Music at The Howard. Sept. 12, The Wonder Years; Sept. 15, Stanley Clarke and Dancehall Palooza; Sept. 20, Black Uhuru; Sept. 21, Roc Marciano & Friends; Sept. 22, Inna; Sept. 26, Peter Yorn; Sept. 28, White Ford Bronco; Sept. 29, Ginuwine and Reggae Fest vs. Soca; Oct. 3, Trinidad James. Howard Theatre, 620 T St. NW. thehowardtheatre.com. DC Hip Hop Theater Festival. Sept. 13 to 15, 6 PM. Now in its 18th year, the DC festival brings together some of the freshest work in theater and performance, reflecting the breadth of Hip Hop and urban culture and bringing together local and national artists, activists, and organizations. On the Kennedy Center Millennium Stage. kennedy-center.org. Jazz Night in Southwest. Every Friday, 6 to 9 PM. Sept. 14, #Real Jazz 2 featuring Melba Joyce from Count Basie Band; Sept. 21, Tim Whalen Quintet; Sept. 28, Akua Allrich & the Tribe. $5 cover. Children are free under 16 years old. Reasonably priced meals offered. Westminster Presbyterian Church, 400 I St. SW. westminsterdc.org. Music with the Angels Concert. Sept. 15, 7:30 p.m. Reception follows. Returning artists Yoojin Baik, violin and Dr. Eunae Han, piano. Free but donations appreciated. Church of the Holy City, 1611 16th St. NW. holycitydc.org. Chiarina Chamber Players-Capitol Hill’s Chamber Music Series. Sept. 16, 7:30 PM. Their season opens with a piano recital that envisions both the nostalgic and the distant, enveloped in 19th-century lyricism. $20 in advance, $25 at the door and $10, under age 30. St. Mark’s, 301 A St. SE. chiarina.org. UrbanArias-The Last American Hammer. Sept. 22 to 29. Holed up in the basement of a Toby Jug Museum on a deserted American Main Street, a conspiracy-theorist YouTuber awaits a visit from the FBI. The Atlas, 1333 H St. NE. atlasarts.org.

SPORTS AND FITNESS Washington Nationals Baseball. Sept. 9 and 20 to 26. mlb.com/nationals. DC United at Audi Field. Sept. 12, 7:30 p.m., vs. Minnesota United FC; Sept. 29, 7 p.m., vs. Montreal Impact. dcunited.com. Annual Walk for McKenna. Sept. 15, 8 PM. A 5k walk to raise funds and awareness for the Father McKenna Center, downtown’s only daytime program for men experiencing homelessness. $30 fee includes a commemo-

rative t-shirt and a continental breakfast. To register, visit fathermckennacenter.org/september-walk-for-mckenna. Courage to Run 5k. Sept. 16, 8 AM. Courage to Run is a 5k that celebrates and elevates women political players and civic actors. To strengthen the mindset, physical endurance and vision needed to be healthy and lead effectively, Courage to Run invites all women interested in civic engagement to join them. Congressional Cemetery, 1801 E St. SE. wilsoncenter.org. Dead Man’s Run. Oct. 6, 5 to 9 PM (Race starts at 6 PM.). Race starts with a toll of the funeral bell, continues throughout Congressional Cemetery and onto the Anacostia Trail for a ghostly evening run full of spooky music and fun. Join them in the beer tent after the race to reward survival. Costumes encouraged, with prizes for best costumes and team costume. Register at hccemetery.wixsite.com/ deadmansrun.

CIVIC LIFE National Capital Region Transportation Planning Board Open House. Sept. 13, 5 to 7 p.m. Dive deeper into their long-range transportation plan, “Visualize 2045.” The Open Houses will give attendees the chance to explore the draft plan and learn about the region, major projects, and analysis. Ron Brown College Preparatory High School, 4800 Meade St. NE. visualize2045.org. Congresswoman Norton’s SE District Office. Open weekdays, 9 AM to 6 PM. 2041 MLK Ave. SE, #238. 202-678-8900. norton.house.gov. Anacostia Coordinating Council Meeting. Last Tuesday, noon to 2 PM. Anacostia Museum, 1901 Fort St. SE. For further details, contact Philip Pannell, 202-889-4900. Historical Anacostia Block Association. Second Thursday, 7 to 9 PM. UPO Anacostia Service Center, 1649 Good Hope Rd. SE. For further details, contact Charles Wilson, 202-834-0600. Anacostia High School Improvement Team Meeting. Fourth Tuesday, 6 PM. Anacostia High School, 16th and R Streets, SE. Benning Ridge Civic Association. First Wednesday, 6:30 to 8 PM at the Ridge Road Community Center, 830 Ridge Rd. SE Capitol View Civic Association Meeting. Third Monday, 6:30 PM. Hughes Memorial United Methodist, 25 53rd St. NE. capitolviewcivicassoc.org. Central Northeast Civic Association. Third Tuesday, 7 to 8:30 PM. Dorothy Height Pub-

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lic Library, 3935 Benning Rd. NE. For more information, contact Michele or Rick TinglingClemmons, 202-388-1111. Deanwood Citizens Association. Fourth Monday, 6:30 PM. Deanwood Recreation Center, 1300 49th St. NE. Eastland Gardens Civic Association Meeting. Third Tuesday, 6:30 to 8 PM. Kenilworth Recreation Center, 4321 Ord St. NE.Contact Rochelle Frazier-Gray, 202-352-7264 or richelle.frazier@longandfoster.com. Fairlawn Citizens Association. Third Tuesday, 7 PM. Ora L. Glover Community Room at the Anacostia Public Library, 1800 Good Hope Rd. SE. Ward 7 Education Council Meeting. Fourth Thursday, 6:30 PM. Capitol View Library, 5001 East Capitol St. SE.

ANC MONTHLY MEETINGS ANC 7B. Third Thursday, 7 PM. Ryland Epworth United Methodist Church, 3200 S St. SE. anc7b@pressroom.com. anc7b@earthlink.net. ANC 7C. Second Thursday, 7 PM. Sargent Memorial Presbyterian Church, 5109 Nannie Helen Burroughs Ave. NE. anc7c@verizon.net. ANC 7D. Second Tuesday, 6:30 PM. Dorothy I. Height Neighborhood Library, 3935 Benning Rd. NE. 7D06@anc.dc.gov. ANC 7E. Second Tuesday, 7 PM. Jones Memorial Church, 4625 G St. SE. 7E@anc.dc.gov. ANC 7F. Third Tuesday, 6:30 PM. Washington Tennis and Education Foundation, 200 Stoddert Place, SE. ANC 8A. First Tuesday, 7 PM. HCD Housing Resource Center, 1800 Martin Luther King, Jr. Ave. SE. anc8adc.org. ANC 8B. Third Tuesday, 7 PM. Seventh District Police Station Community Center, Alabama and McGee Streets, SE. anc8b.org.

Tudor Place Historic House & Garden 1644 31st Street, NW 20007 Tudor Place Member: $35 | Non-Member: $45 Discounts for groups of 6 or more

Join us for the annual heritage food festival including food, drink, games and back by popular demand, the Foggy Bottom Whomp Stompers, who will entertain with live Prohibition-era jazz music. Includes open-house style viewing of the historic mansion. Event runs rain or shine.

tudorplace.org/foodfestival

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ANC 8C. First Wednesday, 7 PM. 2907 MLK Jr Ave. SE. ANC 8D. Fourth Thursday, 7 PM. Specialty Hospital of Washington, 4601 MLK Jr. Ave. SW. ANC 8E. First Monday, 7 PM. Eagle Academy, 3400 Wheeler Rd. SE.

Have an item from the Calendar? Email it to calendar@hillrag.com.

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neighborhood news

New Hospital Coming to St. Elisabeths The District and The George Washington University Hospital (GWUH) have signed a Letter of Intent to improve access to high quality healthcare services for residents living in Wards 7 and 8. Together, they plan to develop a new acute care community hospital and health services complex on the St. Elizabeths East Campus in Ward 8. Expected to open in 2023, the new facilities will include approximately 100 to 125 inpatient beds managed and operated by GWUH as a fully integrated member of its network of care and its affiliated faculty practice. The facility at St. Elisabeths will be the first new hospital to open in the District in 20 years. In addition to acute care and non-high risk obstetrics, this comprehensive health services complex will include urgent care, outpatient surgery, diagnostic imaging and physician offices. More information can be found at newhospital.dc.gov.

Anacostia Community Museum Director Passes Anacostia Community Museum (ACM) Director Lori Yarrish has passed away. Yarrish became Director of the museum last December, after serving as Acting Director since June 2016. She led the efforts to revitalize the museum, refreshing its mission, streamlining operations, increasing its impact and inspiring innovation. Under her leadership, the museum spurred and documented change and convened conversations of social import. Last year, ACM kicked off a yearlong celebration of its 50th year with the exhibition, “Your Community, Your Story: Celebrating Five Decades of the Anacostia Community Museum, 1967-2017,” an open house and a community block party. The festivities culminated in the opening of the much heralded exhibition, “A Right to the City,” which explores the history of neighborhood change in DC. anacostia.si.edu.

NPF Grants Anacostia Park $861,000 As part of a three-year effort to revitalize Anacostia Park, the National Park Foundation (NPF) has announced a $861,000 grant to support the park’s efforts to expand relationships with local businesses and government agencies. The grant will help the park strengthen philanthropic ties and encourage people to enjoy the unique recreational and educational activities in Anacostia Park. The NPF’s support will also fund a partnership landscape assessment to identify a long-term local philanthropic partner for the park. To learn more, visit go.nps.gov/AnacostiaPark.

Celebrate Health and Wellness On Sept. 15 from noon to 4 p.m., Francis Gregory Neighborhood Library holds its first Health and Wellness Fair. Visitors may enjoy a variety of activities to appeal to the health-minded including free blood pressure checks, a diabetes workshop, Yoga classes, natural hair care, meditation and essential oil workshops, chess workshop, a Double Dutch demonstration and a visit from the DC Hand Dance Association. Look for surprise guests for children, raﬄe prizes and giveaways. Francis A. Gregory Library, 3660 Alabama Ave. SE. dclibrary.org/francis.

The Ward 8 Woods Project This spring, the DC Office of Planning (OP) and the DC Department of Energy and the Environment (DOEE) awarded grants to the Committee to Restore Shepherd Parkway (CRSP) and the Anacostia Coordinating

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HELP CLEAN-UP SHEPHERD PARKWAY

Shepherd Parkway volunteers hold their signature community clean-ups the second Saturday of every month from 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Meet in the picnic area near the corner of Martin Luther King and Malcolm X Avenues SE. Gloves, bags and light refreshments are provided. Wear boots and work clothes.

Council (ACC) for “Ward 8 Woods.” This new program seeks to reverse decades of neglect by employing Ward 8 residents to remove trash and invasive species from wooded areas in Ward 8. Nathan Harrington, founder and chair of CRSP, will serve as the project manager and crew leader. So far, CRSP park stewards have removed 4,000 pounds of trash from Ft. Stanton Park; 3,000 pounds from Shepherd Parkway; and 2,000 pounds from Oxon Run Parkway. They have filled 356 large trash bags and

Colleges, schools, churches, offices and other groups who wish to leave their mark on Shepherd Parkway, can pick the date and time. Contact Nathan at nathanbharrington@gmail.com to arrange a group volunteer experience. Photo: Courtesy of Nathan Harrington

cut invasive vines from over 120 trees. They will continue working 20 hours a week through the end of September. For more information, visit http://www.anacostiacc.org/news/ward8-woods-project-accelerates-paces-of-clean-up.

DC Water Improves Water Pressure in Ward 8 Beginning on Aug. 27, the first new District water tower 70 years came online. It has increased water pressure throughout Ward 8 to

DCHFA, Your Homeownership Resource in D.C. The District of Columbia Housing Finance Agency is your homeownership resource in the District from buying a home to retaining your home; we have a homeownership program to assist you. DC Open Doors DC Open Doors is your key to homeownership in the city. This program offers first-time and repeat buyers fully forgivable second trust loans to cover a buyer’s minimum down payment requirement in addition to below market interest rates for first trust mortgages for the purchase of homes.

Mortgage Credit Certificate The Mortgage Credit Certificate (MCC) provides an additional incentive for first-time homebuyers to purchase a home in the District of Columbia. An MCC provides qualified borrowers the ability to claim a Federal Tax Credit of 20 percent of the mortgage interest paid during each calendar year.

Home Purchase Assistance Program (HPAP)

DCHFA serves as a co-administrator of the DC Department of Housing and Community Development’s (DHCD) first time home buyer program, HPAP, which provides interest free deferred loans for down payment and closing cost assistance up to $84,000 combined. DCHFA administers HPAP applications for households meeting very low to low income criteria.

HomeSaver Restore Assistance Program DCHFA now offers a Restore Assistance Program. – A one-time payment, up to $60,000, to “catch-up” on delinquent property related expenses. Applicants must have suffered a qualified financial hardship due to unemployment or underemployment, own a home in the District and be able to sustain future payments going forward. Visit www.DCHFA.org for full qualification guidelines and information on how to apply to any of DCHFA’s homeownership programs.

815 FLORIDA AVENUE, NW, WASHINGTON, DC 20001 • 202.777.1600 • WWW.DCHFA.ORG E ast

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22 pounds per square inch. DC Water has been planning for this pressure increase for the past two years. In addition to the construction of the new water tower and new water mains, the utility has offered pressure reducing valves to about 1700 customers, who will see their pressure increase above 80 psi. To date, more than 900 valves have been installed, free of charge. The upcoming pressure increase for portions of Ward 8 changes the flow of water in pipes and may temporarily affect water quality, potentially causing particle release from existing lead sources, including lead service pipes, solder, brass faucets, valves or fittings and galvanized iron pipes. As a precautionary measure, DC Water is providing residential customers that may have or had a lead service line with a water filter pitcher kit including an NSF 53-certified water filter pitcher and a six-month supply of replacement cartridges. Each of these customers have been notified via letter. For further questions, contact the project hotline 202-787-4065 or visit dcwater.com/pzip2ndhigh.

Health Equity Public Forum

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On Sept. 18 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., led by the DC Department of Health (DOH) and the Office Health Equity (OHE), health service providers will discuss health access and non-access in DC communities. Key speakers are Dr. LaQuandra Nesbitt, director of DOH, and Dr. C. Anneta Arno, director of the OHE. Anacostia Community Museum, 1901 Fort Pl. SE. anacostia.si.edu.

First Chess Girls DC Golf Tournament Chess Girls DC (CGDC), in association with Ben’s Chili Bowl Foundation, will co-chair their first Golf Tournament on Oct. 5 at the Lake Presidential Golf Club, 3151 Presidential Golf Dr., Upper Marboro, MD. Proceeds from the event will benefit CG DC programming for girls in grades from kindergarten to 12. It will also provide scholarships female members, or former members, of high school chess club or female competitive chess players who are seeking to further their education in college. To register, visit chessscholarshipforgirls.org.

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I-295 Interchange Project Begins The DC Department of Transportation (DDOT) has begun the I-295/Malcolm X Interchange Improvement Project. The multiple phases of this project include the reconstruction of the I-295 interchange with Malcolm X Avenue SE including modified ramps and a new access roadway to the St. Elizabeth’s West Campus. The improvements will be made between Firth Sterling Avenue SE on the north and the South Capitol Street’s intersection with Martin Luther King, Jr. Avenue SE to the south. The project provides transportation improvements to serve the proposed Department of Homeland Security headquarters consolidation on the St. Elizabeth’s West Campus. The work includes temporary lane closures and construction-related detours that will impact traffic. The work zone will shift in various phases and will be marked with the appropriate directional signage. Flaggers will be in place where appropriate to guide motorists around the work zone. For more information, visit https://ddot.dc.gov/event/rehabilitation-i-295malcolm-x-avenue-interchange-improvement-project.

Bus Tour of Barry Farm and Hillsdale On Sept. 23, 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., Anacostia Community Museum curator and author Alcione Amos leads an informative bus tour that provides an overview of Barry Farm and Hillsdale. Tracing their beginnings in the mid19th century as a settlement for postCivil War African Americans to today’s close-knit African American neighborhood, the tour includes Elvans Road, the Old Anacostia Market and Douglass House, the site of Fort Stanton, Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church and Barry Farm dwellings. Register early. Anacostia Community Museum, 1901 Fort Pl. SE. anacostia.si.edu.

Overbeck Lecture: Anacostia Park Anacostia Park, a 1200-acre park across the Anacostia River from the Navy Yard, is 100 years old this year. With the steady improvement of the Anacostia River and the recently opened Riverwalk Trail, the park is undergoing a renaissance. To the casual visitor, the park’s value as a rec-

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neighborhood news / bulletin board

reational area is obvious. However, underneath those ball fields and trails is a history stretching back thousands of years. For September’s Overbeck history lecture, Vince Vaise, chief of visitor services at Anacostia Park, will detail the stories of Native Americans, civil rights battles, and historic landmarks. The Overbeck History lecture is Sept. 24, 7:30 p.m., at Hill Center, 921 Pennsylvania Ave. SE. Admission is free, but a reservation is recommended. To register, go to hillcenterdc.org/event/overbeck-lecture-anacostia-park-and-a-river-runs-by-it. Arrive at least 20 minutes prior. Seating starts at 7 p.m. for those with reservations. Available seats will be released to guests on the wait list beginning at 7:15 p.m. Overbeck lectures are supported by the Capitol Hill Community Foundation.

Anacostia Waterfront Resurgence Mayor Muriel Bowser (D) has released “Resurgence of the Anacostia Waterfront: 15 Years of Progress Along the Anacostia River,” a report of the efforts of District government, community and other partners in achieving the vision of the Anacostia Waterfront Initiative. In 2017, the DC Council passed a Sense of the Council resolution to declare 2018 as the “Year of the Anacostia”. Part of the District’s rapid population growth has taken place along the river’s waterfront, which includes the Capitol Riverfront. Between 2010 and 2025, the District of Columbia is expected to add an estimated 35,000 new residents in Anacostia waterfront neighborhoods. This progress report lays out the impacts of public, private and community investment over the 15-year period since the development of the plan, illustrated with maps, photos, and data on key areas of progress. To view a copy of the report, visit planning.dc.gov/awi15.

Volunteer at Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens On Sept. 22 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m, volunteer at the National Public Lands Day at Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens. Spend the day removing lotus from the ponds to help in next year’s growth, taking out invasive plants, picking up trash and performing other park projects. Registration opens at 8:30 a.m. Arrive no lat-

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The Anacostia Community Museum Academy explores the Washington Channel and the Anacostia River aboard the Chesapeake Bay Foundation boat, The Susquehanna, 2014. Photo: Susana Raab, Anacostia Community Museum Archives, Smithsonian Institution.

er than 8:45 a.m. Wear long pants, closed-toe shoes and long-sleeved shirts. Bring an extra change of clothes if working in the ponds. Bring a water bottle and sunscreen. Contact Lydia Vanderbilt, Friends of Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens, Volunteer Coordinator, at Lydia@friendsofkenilworthgardens. org or 313- 970-5195. Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens is at 1550 Anacostia Ave. NE.

AfterDark@THEARC On Sept. 29, don’t miss AfterDark@ THEARC, an elegant evening honoring the facility’s 14 resident non-profits. This year, the funds at this year’s gala will be used to complete THEARC’s campus. The Phase III Expansion added a third 93,000 square-feet building to the current 110,000 square feet footprint that will house five partner organizations and a black box theatre. They include AppleTree Institute for Education Innovation, Children’s National Health System, The David Lynch Foundation, The Phillips Collection and The Bishop Walker School for Boys. In addition, the current space housing Children’s Health Project of DC at THEARC will be transformed into a commercial teaching kitchen and café operated by DC Central Kitchen that will provide workforce training, on-site food service and nutrition programming. Sponsorships are available starting at $1,000 for a position on the host committee. Individual tickets are $250. thearcdc.org.

National Building Museum Community Day On Sept. 16, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., learn to stabilize difficult housing situations by connecting with community organizations. Take action to build or restore personal credit or get insurance and receive financial assistance. Hear about a new short-term emergency assistance loan available for renters. Receive free health assessments. Register to vote. Connect with community services. Discover what is happening in DC to improve affordable housing op-

“CAPTURING THE ANACOSTIA RIVER” OPENS

To mark the Year of the Anacostia, an effort celebrating the rich history of the Anacostia River and progress toward its cleanup and sustainable health—the Anacostia Community Museum has opened the photographic exhibition, “Capturing the Anacostia Rive.” This exhibition offers a rich portrait of the river and the residents that live along it. Building upon the Museum’s longstanding Urban Waterways Initiative that researches and raises awareness about the multi-faceted relationships between urban waterways and their surrounding communities, it draws on a decade of documentation to present moments which challenge stigmatizing narratives about the life of the Anacostia River and its people. Anacostia Community Museum, 1901 Fort Pl. SE. anacostia.si.edu.

tions. Volunteer to help solve the eviction crisis. Free. Registration required. National Building Museum, 401 F St. NW. nbm.org.

Mt. Moriah Baptist Community Day Mt. Moriah Baptist Church at 1636 East Capitol St. NE is holding a community day and health fair on Sept. 8 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the church parking lot. The fair features yoga, line dancing, school supplies and clothing giveaways, health screenings, flu shots, blood pressure check, haircuts and kids’ entertainment.

MuralsDC Plans Eight New Murals this Summer MuralsDC has completed the first of eight new murals at the West Education Campus DC Public School as part of its MuralsDC collaborative with the Department of Public Works (DPW) and the Commission on the Arts and Humanities (CAH). With these additions, a total of 70 MuralsDC murals will be in place by the end of summer. MuralsDC, funded by DPW, is one of several tools the agency employs to curb graffiti vandalism in the District. Artists are invited to participate via an annu-

al solicitation issued by CAH, which uses DPW’s funding to provide grants to artists who are ultimately matched with a wall. New mural locations and artists are: 1785 Florida Ave. NW, Eric B Ricks; 3020 14th St. NW, Cita Sadeli; 3018 14th St. NW, Nessar Jahanbin; 2603 Connecticut Ave. NW, Joe Pagac; 3716 Macomb St. NW, Aaron Scales; 1335 Farragut St. NW, Federico Frum; 1101 Bladensburg Rd. NE, Jordann Wine; 709 Kennedy St. NW, Rose Jaffe and Kate DeCiccio. Commercial property owners can donate their wall yearround by sending a request for consideration to murals.dc@dc.gov.

Museum of NMAAHC Walk-up Passes The National Museum of African American History & Culture (NMAAHC) has announced Walk-Up Weekdays in September. Individuals may enter the museum on a first-come, first-served basis weekdays during the month of September. 1400 Constitution Ave. NW. nmaahc.si.edu. Have an item for the Bulletin Board? Email it to bulletinboard@hillrag.com.

Tenia Pritchard Leads Excel Academy’s First Year With DCPS Principal Views School as a Step in Fight for Social Justice in Education by Elizabeth O’Gorek

enia Pritchard recognizes the importance of her role in the education of young minority women. Addressing students and dignitaries assembled on the first day of the 2018-19 school year, Pritchard, the new principal of Excel Academy Public School (2501 Martin Luther King Jr. Ave. SE), said that across the nation, young minority students are still the victims of implicit bias that negatively impacts their outcomes and achieve-

ments. “Today we fight for social justice in education by opening schools like Excel Academy,” she declared. “It is important to know that equity and equality are not the same thing,” she said. “Equality is giving every student the same things. Equity is giving every student what he or she needs.” One of the missions at Excel will be to debunk the myths and stereotypes that try to define “who a woman is, what she does, and who she can become.” After her speech, a row of girls streamed into Excel Academy wearing crisp white-collared shirts and navy skirts. Under colorful confetti, they gave high-fives to District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS) Chancellor Amanda Alexander and Mayor Muriel Bowser. An all-girls school serving pre-K3 through grade eight, Excel Academy’s goal is “providing girls a solid academic foundation and enrichment opportunities to prepare them to success in high school and college and to develop the skills and confidence they need to make healthy, positive lifestyle choices.” This is the first year Ward 8 State Board of Education (SBOE) Representative Markus Batchelor, Excel Academy will opExcel Principal Tenia Pritchard and Interim DCPS Chancellor Amanda Alexander erate as part of the pubpose for a photograph on the first day. lic-school system. Excel

previously held a charter from the District of Columbia Public Charter School Board (DCPCSB). In January, DCPCSB voted unanimously to revoke Excel Academy’s charter because the school had not met its charter goals. In March, DCPS announced that it would take over the school in June 2018. The academy is the District’s only all-girls public school. DCPS opened all-boys Ron Brown Preparatory High School (4800 Meade St. NE) in 2016. Speaking at the school event, Mayor Bowser said that Pritchard was one of the reasons she was so excited about Excel Academy. “She’s DCPS strong, and we are just so delighted that she accepted this challenge.” Ward 8 State Board of Education (SBOE) Representative Markus Batchelor agreed. He said he was excited when Pritchard was chosen to lead the school, having previously met her at an education conference. “I was really inspired by the work she had done throughout her career but also encouraged by her personal connections to the Ward 8 community,” he said. Noting that young men and women of color are bearing the brunt of inequities both academically and economically, Batchelor said that Excel could be a training ground for how education can be done in a more equitable way across Ward 8 as well as across the whole city. “I’m excited Principal Pritchard is the kind of leader that will put some of these innovative practices into action,” he said. DCPS announced Pritchard’s appointment on April 2, drawing on an administrator recognized for effectiveness and dedication to bring the school into the fold. A graduate of Eastern High School, she spent two years teaching at Adelaide Davis Elementary (4430 H St. NE), where she attended school. From Adelaide, Pritchard moved on to Whittier Education Campus (6201 Fifth St. NW), where she served as a teacher, dean of students, and assistant principal before becoming principal at Whittier. Pritchard was recognized as the 2018 DCPS Principal of the Year. Under her leadership in the 2016-17 school year, Whittier increased PARCC scores by 13 percent in ELA and 14 percent in mathematics. On the first day of school, Pritchard said that although she had marked many first days of school in her career, she was excited about the possibilities and opportunities for young ladies this year at Excel. She said the mayor’s decision to open the year at Excel drew attention to the important work taking place there. “It’s very important work that the mayor is doing to empower our young ladies of color in the District,” she said. Principal Pritchard said her goals were to give the students the same opportunities she had as a DCPS student. “We will educate, we will empower,” she said, “and our girls will Excel.”

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Geographic Unemployment Disparities in DC An Economic Renaissance Parted by a River by Gavrielle Jacobovitz

n April 4, 2018, Iesha Nelson lost her job in the healthcare industry. The termination came unexpectedly, without explanation. Nelson, a resident of Ward 7, went to the Minnesota Avenue office of the Department of Employment Services to file for unemployment benefits, but instead received an eight-week disqualification period because she wasn’t given a reason for termination. After a successful appeal, she began her job search. “Any chance that I would get, I would go down to Minnesota Ave.,” she explains – to fill out applications, update her resume and use their computer, as she didn’t have her own. Will Avila, who grew up in Brightwood, applied to 22

jobs after being released from prison for the third time. He sometimes checked the box indicating he was formerly incarcerated, sometimes didn’t. He ventured through Tenleytown, Friendship Heights and Columbia Heights in pursuit of employment. At last, after not disclosing, and with help from a friend, he was hired as a dishwasher. A myriad of factors – racial, socioeconomic, infrastructural – have fostered DC’s geographical disparities in unemployment. In 2004, each ward in the District held distinct unemployment rates. Ward 1 sat at 6.4 percent, 2 at 3.6 percent, 3 at 1.9 percent, and then Wards 5, 6, 7 and 8 veered upwards at 10.2 percent, 7.5 percent, 12.6 percent and 19.1 percent respectively. This phenomenon endured. In 2012, for instance, while Wards 2 and 3 held similar unemployment rates, floating around 3.5 percent, Wards 1’s 6.0 percent, 6’s 6.6 percent, 4’s 9.8 percent, 5’s 14 percent, 7’s 18 per-

District Unemployment by Ward

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cent and 8’s 21.5 percent marked the divergence. By May of this year, this couldn’t be further from the case. The unemployment rates of Wards 1 through 6 have converged. The rates in Wards 1 through 3 are similar, all within 2 percent of Ward 6. In May 2018, for Wards 1 through 6, the unemployment-rate percentages were 3.7, 3.4, 3.3, 4.6, 6.3 and 4.5 respectively. While Wards 7 and 8 have the lowest unemployment rates since 2002, they don’t experience this phenomenon. Ward 7 held a 9.1 percent rate and Ward 8 a 11.6 percent rate. Why are these wards outliers in a trend that the rest of the city shares?

Race Still Matters “It boils down to, basically, discrimination,” Janelle Jones, analyst at the Economic Policy Institute (EPI), says. Even with the same levels of education, Jones explains, white residents still have a significantly easier time getting a job. When you control for other factors, throwing data into a regression is difficult because “discrimination plays a big part of labor market outcomes for black workers.” These factors, plentiful as they are complex, structure the intersection between DC’s geographical and racial disparities. Jackie Ward, a realtor who lives in Ward 8 and worked in the Marion Barry administration, says she’s met residents who opened a PO box in Northwest to use for applications, “just so they wouldn’t be tainted with a Ward 8 address.” Geographical disparity conspicuously mirrors that of race. The city is 41.7 percent African-American. Ward 7 is 93 percent, and Ward 8, 90 percent. In DC, Jones’ EPI study reported this spring, the ratio of black to white unemployment is 8.5 to 1. It’s 2 to 1 in the US. The DC Fiscal Policy Institute (DCFPI) found in March 2017 that in addition to an overall racial disparity in employment, the difference exists among collegeeducated residents. Black college graduates, DCFPI reported, had a 5.7 percent unemployment rate, while

non-black college graduates’ rate was 1.9 percent. Linnea Lassiter wrote that her findings “are signs that an increasingly strong economy is not benefitting all residents equally and that the city’s racial inequities are widening.” “DC has really seen true growth and prosperity, and unemployment and income inequality is systemic of the fact that this prosperity is not trickling down. It’s not being shared by everybody,” Brittany Alston, a DCFPI workforce policy analyst, explains. At-Large Councilmember Robert White (I) told Hill Rag, “the disparity in employment is absolutely unacceptable and has vestiges in long-held racist policies and industries here in the United States.” The black unemployment rate in DC is the highest in the country among states. It’s not an “apples to apples comparison” to liken DC to states, says Leah Brooks, an assistant professor of public policy and public administration at George Washington University, but it means something, something very simple. The city’s healthy unemployment rate is not benefiting everyone. In the intersection of geography and race, the simple answer to why only certain wards’ rates are converging is gentrification: the introduction of educated, high-income, mostly white people into DC and the displacement of less-educated, lower-income, mostly black residents, Brooks explains. Most gentrifiers are white professionals, as evidenced in 2016 based on a DCFPI study by Claire Zippel. The result is in a percentage decrease in city’s AfricanAmerican population without a significant decline in the absolute number of black residents, since the District’s population as a whole has risen. However, African American residents have been displaced from wards west of the Anacostia River to the city’s two eastern wards. Where, in 2007, 42 percent of residents living west of the river were black, Zippel found, in 2016, it was 33 percent. East of the Anacostia the poverty rate was three times higher than west in 2015: 33 compared to 12 percent. As a result of this migratory pattern, “more black residents now live

in the part of the city with the greatest economic challenges,” Zippel stated. According to the Department of Employment Services, Ward 8’s unemployment rate in May 2018 was 11.6 percent. The citywide black unemployment rate was 12.9 percent. It makes sense, explains Troy Prestwood, a Ward 8 advisory neighborhood commissioner, that citywide black unemployment numbers are similar to those in Wards 7 and 8. Those who have been displaced and moved eastward may have already been suffering from “systemic unemployment,” and now the numbers are reflected in Wards 7 and 8. “If they have chronic unemployment issues, then that’s coming with them.” Notably, gentrifiers east of the river are often black, the Washington City Paper reported in 2011. Aisha Moore, who moved to Congress Heights in 2002, told the paper: “The story over here, east of the river, is all about black gentrification.” Even with gentrification, then, and the displacement of the black population in wards that now boast unemployment rates similar to the wealthiest wards of the city, only a portion of Wards 7 and 8’s deviation from DC’s unemployment convergence is accounted for.

Can’t Get There from Here – Transportation Inequities Throughout the application process, Nelson received two job offers. She couldn’t accept one simply because it was too difficult to get to, she doesn’t have a car. Often, jobs on listings for the DC area were much farther away. “My most challenging part about finding a job was finding the right location,” Nelson says. Avila also mentioned transportation first, when asked about main barriers to his job search. In DC, the inaccessibility of public transportation has disproportionate impact. Entire swaths of the map east of the river lack Metro access: 25.3 percent of DC households were “underserved by transit,” Curbed reported this February. In 2017, The Washington Post explained how neighborhoods outside DC with Metro access have eas-

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in the center of the city, many are in parts of Maryland and Virginia that are also west of the Anacostia. Ward highlights city efforts at providing bus passes for certain training and employment programs. “If you don’t have money to buy something to eat, what makes you think that you’re going to have money to go to a job interview,” she says.

Paper Barriers

Iesha Nelson, a Ward 7 resident, faced many challenges in her job search.

ier commutes downtown than parts of DC – for instance, Shady Grove, Md., compared to Southwest. The District Department of Transportation, reported the Post, found that Ward 8 residents have the “longest average commutes in the District.” That year, in Ward 8, Greater Greater Washington reported 47 percent of residents didn’t have access to a personal vehicle. Prestwood cites the high cost of the city’s “robust transportation network.” He compares it to New York City, which has a flat rate for public transportation of $2.75. For reference, the cost of a Metro trip from Anacostia to the White House is $3.75. For those without easy Metro access, costly buses are often the alternative. With Metro repairs and delays, the problem grows in magnitude. An imbalance in the location of jobs, primarily west of the Anacostia, exacerbates the problems. Nelson ventured far across the city in the job search. She was connected with an opportunity in Ward 7 only due to assistance from a former supervisor. In 2017, The Washington Post noted that in addition to jobs being

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Paper – birth certificates, Social Security, credit, addresses, perhaps criminal and civil arrest records – can define applicants in the eyes of employers. For Avila, a criminal arrest record mattered beyond incarceration. Avila founded Clean Decisions, an organization that employs returning citizens and offers pro-bono therapists for employees, and Changing Perceptions, a nonprofit helping returning citizens become entrepreneurs. Avila did not always check the box indicating he had a criminal record in 2013, and partially attributes this to finding a job as a dishwasher. A year later, the Office of Human Rights began enforcing the Fair Criminal Record Screening Amendment Act, preventing job applicants from being unlawfully screened for arrests, criminal accusations or criminal convictions for positions in the DC (not federal) government and other organizations with more than 10 employees. The employer can still inquire after making a conditional offer, and can withdraw the offer under certain conditions. Nonetheless, returning citizens face other barriers to employment beyond an arrest record. Most of the 15,000 returning citizens in DC live in Wards 7 and 8. The Department of Corrections reports that during the most recent quarter, 24.4 percent and 29.8 percent of releases were to Wards 7 and 8 respectively, while 0.8 percent were Ward 3. Of individuals incarcerated in DC, most are black, Prestwood notes, explaining, “It’s very difficult for them to create a career because they have so many strikes against them.” For ex-offenders, a variety of factors including lack of stable housing and access to documents can impact attaining an ID. Robert White explains: “There’s nothing [returning citizens] can do before getting an ID, and it’s almost impossible to get a job and get housing.” A report cited by The Washington Post from the nonprofit Council for Court Excellence in 2016 found “more than 1 in 5 employed returning citizens lack stable housing … and those who were unemployed were even more likely to stay in homeless shelters or on the street.” In the report, returning citizen Taylar Nuevelle observed: “In D.C., you can ‘Ban the Box,’ but you can’t ban Google.” In Wards 7 and 8, with higher levels of poverty and homelessness than other wards, not having an ID or license can mean losing job opportunities. To obtain a REAL ID in DC, residents need proof of identity, Social Security and residency and, for licenses, ability to

drive. Documents to prove these must be presented, that is, they must exist and be accessible. For ex-offenders without IDs and residents without stable housing or easy access to paperwork alike, these requirements can be a grave impediment to employment. Notably, the DC Council passed the Fair Credit in Employment Act in 2017, restricting employers from discriminating against applicants based on credit information. There are, however, restrictions to the law, including when not considering credit information would violate DC Law.

Moving Forward To secure employment, it matters, quite simply, which jobs are available. The DCFPI report noted: “The types of industries growing in this economy are industries where black people are typically underrepresented.” Lassiter attributed this in part to unequal access to education and racial discrimination. Historically, the federal government employed many DC residents. According to Brooks, the number of federal government executive branch employees peaked in 1990. Available jobs like secretaries are dwindling, reported The Washington Post in 2014. In the 1950s, it wrote, clerical jobs were three-fourths of the federal workforce, and in the 1980s, one fifth. Now they are four percent. “Working in the DC government historically is the first step to the middle class for most black families,” Ward says. “That was from the 1950s until the 1980s. Today I cannot say that.” At-Large City Councilmember Elissa Silverman (I) introduced the Pathways to District Government Careers Act this April to help residents obtain DC government jobs. Silverman explains she’d heard from Ward 8 Councilmember and bill co-sponsor Trayon White (D) that his constituents had unsuccessfully applied for DC government jobs. The bill creates public sector apprenticeship programs for residents and gives DC high school graduates a first chance at entry-level government jobs. The government approaches geographical disparities in unemployment from a variety of angles. In March 2018, Mayor Muriel Bowser launched the DC Infrastructure Academy, partnering with unions, universities and companies like Pepco and DC Water. Deputy Mayor for Greater Economic Opportunity Courtney R. Snowden says it’s a “big deal.” More than 500 residents have already joined, and the jobs exist. Last year, almost half of DC infrastructure jobs weren’t occupied. Ward referred younger members of her community to the academy but identifies barriers to participation. Some smoke marijuana, she says, some have tickets. “The academy was not designed to be a social service agency, but the population that it’s dealing with needs to have a social work component in it,” she notes. For returning citizens, the government’s Project

Empowerment partners with DC-area businesses for job training and matching. To participate, a resident must be employed and drug free, and be convicted of a felony or previously incarcerated. Avila says that while for some, the program is successful, others will lose employment at the end. In April 2017, White and other councilmembers introduced the Returning Citizens Opportunity to Succeed Act, to increase accessibility for information on housing and employment for returning citizens. Currently under review, the bill “will be pretty transformative for returning citizens,” White explains. A program prominent in the city since 1979 has targeted youth employment: the Mayor Marion S. Barry Summer Youth Employment Program. “Muriel Bowser gave me my most recent job,” Snowden laughs, “Marion Barry gave me my first.” Most participants live in Wards 7 and 8. Snowden’s position was created by Bowser to “invest significant resources to combat the various disparities that exist in the city’s African-American population,” she explains. She focuses on rebuilding and revitalizing “overlooked and underserved communities” that have been “locked out of economic prosperity that’s swept through our city.” Among other efforts, Snowden has raised the maximum age for the summer youth employment program to 24. Furthermore, in February, Bowser announced “A Fair Shot – A Toolkit for Black Prosperity,” partnering with other city agencies to offer resources for job seekers. Looking forward, Silverman points to the $300 million hospital building under construction on the campus of St. Elizabeths. She says DC will need to focus on how to optimize it to “make sure we are preparing District residents for every job in that hospital that we can prepare them for,” citing healthcare jobs like managing medical records, phlebotomists and nurses. The day I spoke to Nelson, three months after she began her job search, she received a call. She’d gotten a job at another government agency. She’ll start at the end of the month.

An Opinion

Make Voting Easier East of the Anacostia

by Charles E. Wilson

uch has been written and posted on social media about low voter turnout in June’s Democratic primary election, with pundits speculating about the causes. One popular narrative was that, counter to their well-to-do neighbors, residents of Wards 7 and 8 aren’t concerned about the future of the District or improving quality of life. This defeatist thinking is dangerous and hearkens to an era when the District’s political class peered east of the Anacostia River and deemed residents’ calls for more jobs and less crime as undeserving of attention. Rather than blame disillusioned residents, gentrification or political apathy in neighborhoods east of the Anacostia River, we should be honest about the fact that voters stayed home all across the city. This reflects a troubling downward trend that has been underway for several election cycles in the District, and proves again that campaigning in “all eight wards” is no longer enough to drive voter turnout. The District must create an election reform agenda that empowers residents of all ages and takes into account the realities of 21st-century work, parenting and commuting in the District. Voting by mail, combined with the option of in-person voting at the polls, represents a glowing opportunity for the District to expand voting access and eliminate existing barriers to the voting booth on Election Day. Rather than doubling down on a regressive system that hinders voters who struggle with work commitments,

child-care responsibilities and limited transportation every day (not just on Election Day), enacting universal voting by mail - beyond the mail-in absentee ballots that voters can request no fewer than seven days before an election - would boost turnout across the District. Residents are already bombarded with voter guides and education material in the weeks before Election Day. Why not pair this effort with a ballot? It’s a simple, cost-effective and progressive measure that has proved to boost turnout in Oregon, Colorado and Washington state. In the weeks ahead, the Ward 8 Democrats will work with our counterparts in other wards to start a dialogue and create an education campaign to build momentum for voting by mail and other election reforms, including lowering the District’s voting age to 16 and exploring the use of mobile technology to vote. We also plan to meet with the mayor, council members, the Board of Elections and the D.C. Democratic State Committee to explain why election reforms are not only necessary but also vital to our democracy. We also will request funding in the next budget cycle to implement these key reforms so that the District can join the ranks of states, cities and towns expanding election options. Residents of the District deserve a government that works for them, and an election process that reflects the lived experiences of Washingtonians. The Ward 8 Democrats remain committed to the fight for full voting rights and statehood. But let’s think outside the traditional ballot box in our fight to increase voting access for District residents. The writer is president of Ward 8 Democrats Inc.

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New High School Principals Focus on the Positive as Year Begins

The Brightest Days of School System Are Ahead, Says SBOE Rep by Elizabeth O’Gorek

ew Ward 8 high school principals Willie Jackson and William Haith are focused on the positive as they look to not only strengthen Ballou High School (3401 Fourth St. SE) and Anacostia High School (1601 16th St. SE) but also change the schools’ image in the public eye.

A Clear Understanding of the Community Ballou Principal Willie Jackson, who graduated from the high school in 1987, has spent his entire 25-year career in education with District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS). He was assistant principal at Walker-Jones Education Campus in 2005 before becoming principal at Hine Junior High School, continuing in the role when the school merged into Eliot-Hine Middle School. He later became DCPS director of athletics before serving as interim principal at Phelps Senior High School in 2012. Jackson holds a bachelor’s degree from Cheyney University in Pennsylvania and a master’s degree in education leadership from George Mason University. William Haith grew up in Savannah Terrace and began teaching at Wilson High School 13 years ago. From there, he spent three years as Wilson’s dean of students, directing and assisting social, recreational and curricular programs for 1,600 students. Haith moved into the assistant principal position at Wilson in 2013 and then, in 2017, transitioned to Kelly Mill-

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er Middle School as the resident principal and member of the Mary Jane Patterson Fellowship. He holds a bachelor’s degree from Liberty University, a master’s degree from Liberty University, and a master’s degree from Virginia College. Both say that their roots in the neighborhood give them advantages as they set out to turn the reputation of the schools around. Jackson, noting that he had lived in Barry Farm, on Sales Place and in Trinidad, said that his local background gives him a leg up. “Having a clear understanding of the community, first and foremost,” Jackson said, “understanding how things work helps in being able to navigate and get resources and advocate for the schools.” Both he and Haith say that knowledge about what kids are dealing with everyday helps them identify with students, but also helps students identify with them. Haith said that having beaten a lot of the odds to succeed before coming back to the community gives the two a mental model of concerns and risk factors faced by students, and gives them tools for assisting with change. “Being a product of the school system, being a product of the community – they can see themselves in me, and they can say: well, if Willie can do it, then I can do it,” said Jackson.

Parents and Students Are Excited Ward 8 State Board of Education (SBOE) Representative Markus Batchelor said he met with both Haith and Jackson prior to the school year. “I think Princi-

pal Jackson really understands the situation that he’s walking into and I think he’s really passionate about getting things done for the students,” Batchelor said. “Just his connections with the community will be transformative.” “He’s just a really good school leader,” Batchelor added. “I think he will do great things at Ballou.” Batchelor said that Haith and his team have been focused on driving up attendance at Anacostia High. “I think Haith is in particular focused on making Anacostia a place of really high-quality instruction, but also a place that supports students and family.” The SBOE representative was enthusiastic when he described his visit to both schools on the first day of the academic year. “What I got from visiting the schools was that it seems like both parents and students are excited,” he said, “and I think a part of it is the leadership. All of them have connections in the community and in the Ward 8 community in particular, and the track records necessary as far as being able to help get through these challenges.”

Focused on the Positives Jackson and Haith stay focused on all the positives coming out of the two schools. Jackson, a former basketball and softball player for Ballou, pointed out that Ballou has excellent band and sports programs, having won both the city and state football championships the previous year (“I wasn’t a part of it, but I’m claiming it – and I’m looking forward to going back-to-back.”). He also points to the excellent teaching staff and academic opportunities, including the option of dual enrolment with Howard University, the Academy of Hospitality and Tourism (AOHT) program, as well as opportunities to study abroad. Haith extols the Public Safety Academy at Anacostia High School, through which students can earn cred-

Ballou High School Principal Willie Jackson and Anacostia High School Principal William Haith congratulate one another on their new roles at a media roundtable held prior to the first day of the 2018.

Find Fresh Affordable Produce @ Three New Ward 8 Locations! its toward the completion of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) Cadet Program and paid employment with MPD, while completing the program at the University of the District of Columbia Community College (UDCCC). The school also offers dual enrolment and study abroad programs in addition to SAT and PSAT prep. Haith, who went to Liberty University on a football scholarship, acknowledges the tremendous success of the girls’ cheerleading and basketball teams, both repeat city champions. Both principals are looking to turning around the images of their schools. Jackson said that much of the reporting on the schools misses the good things that are going on at Ballou. “When I was in the school and I was walking the school, I realized this is not the Ballou that folks are portraying,” he said. “This is a great place to learn and grow and study.” “So, my job that I’m tasked with is creating that safe space where great things are happening, and where we’re communicating those great things outside the four walls of Ballou.” Haith has been out in the community, speaking to parents and kids about their perception of Anacostia High School. He said the view of the school is like that of an iceberg: most of it goes unseen. “You have all of these negative things that people see, and they’ve built this iceberg; but underneath it’s a beautiful place.” “We call it the heartbeat of Southeast,” Haith said. “We are a viable option right now to receive a high-quality education but we have to re-brand some of this so that the community understands that Anacostia is a great place.” Haith said he challenges people coming to his meet-and-greets to leave with a positive message about the school and to use it to counter anything negative that they hear afterwards.

A Principal Outside the Building Both principals acknowledge that there is work to be done, particularly with regard to student attendance. Jackson has four new attendance councilors monitoring students, and staff will be out enforcing “safe passage,” helping school security and MPD ensure students ar-

rive and are seated for instruction at the new start time of 8:45 a.m. Haith said that Anacostia High School will also have a safe passage program. “What we know is that where students want to be and where they like to be, that’s where they will be,” he said. He wants to ensure that students are welcomed when they arrive at the building, and that every adult in the building will work to build a rapport with students. Both have visions for their schools. Jackson wants Ballou to be a premier high school where kids love to come and grow and parents love to be. “I want it to be one of the hubs of Southeast,” he said. His team has analyzed course offerings to ensure the school has a high-standard curriculum and will graduate students that are SAT, ACT and college and career ready. “We’re going to make sure when they come into school our kids feel safe, validated and supported,” he said. Haith said that his vision is to change the perception of Anacostia by focusing on restorative practices and trauma-informed instruction and building bridges with the community through porch visits and enrollment cookouts. He wants to ensure Anacostia students graduate college career ready and prepared to compete in a global society. “I cannot just be a principal inside the building,” he said. “I also have to be a principal outside the building.” Batchelor said that the new leadership gives him hope for the future of the ward’s schools. What is needed now, he said, is participation from the entire community in nurturing them. “This school year it feels like we have the best leadership in our buildings. Despite what we’re facing, the brightest days of our school system are ahead of us,” he said. Batchelor poses a challenge to the community this year: “Find one thing a month to do for neighborhood schools or students. Fully commit to being a part of the school.” He continues: “We’ve got the leadership in the school buildings that faced the greatest challenge over the past school year. Now we just need the community to make sure it will happen in a real way.”

Community Connection and Ward 8 Speedy Greens are organizing fresh produce markets this September at three, convenient Ward 8 locations!

TUESDAYS -1 PM TO 3 PM Assumption Church at 3401 Martin Luther King Jr. Ave SE WEDNESDAYS - 11:30 AM TO 2 PM St. Thomas Moore at 4275 4th Street SE SATURDAYS (THIRD AND FOURTH) - 10 AM TO 2 PM America’s Islamic Heritage Museum at 2315 Martin Luther King, Jr. Ave SE

For more information,

call (202) 390-3131

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n 2007, the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments estimated that approximately 20,000 tons of trash and debris were flowing into the Anacostia River annually. This assessment, a part of the Anacostia Watershed Trash Reduction Strategy, prompted city officials to seek solutions to reduce the litter. Two year later, then DC mayor Adrian Fenty (D) and the Department of Energy & Environment unveiled the first stateside Bandalong litter trap at the mouth of Watts Branch, an Anacostia River tributary that runs through Kenilworth Park. It’s been almost a decade since the Australian technology arrived in DC, and it has proven instrumental in reducing floating litter in the Anacostia River. The trap was so successful that Anacostia Riverkeeper, the SEbased clean rivers advocacy group tasked with overseeing the device, installed three more during the following years. From 2009 to 2012, the four traps, dispersed throughout Wards 7 and 8, collected over 6,000 tons of trash, including plastic bottles, Styrofoam, food wrappers, cigarette packs and even tires.

Shepard, Anacostia Riverkeeper biologist and outreach coordinator. “And the trash traps are a big part of that story.” The new trap is the result of a two-year effort to expand trash collection to smaller tributaries that feed into the Anacostia River. Trash reduction has been a key pillar in revitalizing the watershed, and a 2010 Clean Water Act mandate requiring the DC area to develop a total maximum daily load (TMDL) has spurred interest and enthusiasm among stakeholders. Partners for the fifth trap include Anacostia Riverkeeper, Prince George’s County Department of the Environment and Chesapeake Bay Trust. Anacostia Riverkeeper will manage the trap and work with volunteers and Joe’s Movement Emporium to clean it weekly and after heavy rainstorms.

How Trash Traps Help Built of aluminum and polyethylene, the trap features floating booms that use the water’s current to guide debris into a chamber. Without nets or fencing, it offers a low-maintenance, cost-effective way to improve water quality while allowing aquatic life to move freely below. However, catching trash is only part of the solution. The real objective is to educate residents through engagement opportunities such as volunteer cleanups, outreach initiatives and learning programs. The traps bring to light an often unseen and forgotten problem – pollution in our waterways. It is a visual tool to teach about stormwater runoff, sewage overflow and river ecology. Cleanup efforts are also a great way to gather data on pollution type and

weight. This information can provide a basis for measuring the litter’s impact on the river and proposing targeted legislation. Months after the Watts Branch installation, the DC Council introduced the Anacostia River Clean Up and Protection Act of 2009, requiring certain businesses to charge a five-cent fee for each plastic bag distributed. At the time, plastic bags were prevalent in the river. In the years since, their numbers have plummeted. A sixth trap is slated for installation this fall, which, organizers hope, will yield similar results. “I would love to tell a similar story about plastic bottles,” adds Shepard. “If I had one goal, it would be to stop seeing so many plastic bottles in all the traps.” The smaller tributaries pump enormous amounts of water, and thus trash, into the Anacostia each year, and reducing pollution in them is vital to restoring the watershed. With the work that these organization are doing, the Anacostia River is one step closer to becoming a swimmable, fishable river.

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Come to the River The traps are so effective because of the numerous partnerships that have formed to manage them. Residents and volunteers who come to the river are a key part of that partnership effort. Their work has produced some of the more salient benefits of keeping waste out of the river, including an aesthetic improvement. The serene natural environment entices visitors and enhances opportunities for enjoying the Anacostia. Activities like canoeing, kayaking, Friday Night Fishing and river boating have become river staples. You can learn more about Anacostia volunteer opportunities this month by joining Anacostia Riverkeeper and the Potomac Conservancy on Sunday, Sept. 23, for the National Public Lands Day Clean Waterways Trash Cleanup. The event will take place from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in Anacostia Park. Light refreshments will be served before and after the cleanup.

Want to learn more? ation session: Join us for a free inform

Wednesday, September 19 • 6:30 pm

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Capitol View Library n, DC 20019 5001 Central Avenue, SE Washingto 202-888-3601

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A native Washingtonian, Lindsey Botts is a conservation enthusiast, nature lover and wildlife advocate.

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Discovering Our Stories Smithsonian Museums Empower Family Historians

by Keely Sullivan

sking Anacostia native Dianne Dale how a community’s genealogical history illuminates its greater historical narrative is like asking a treasure hunter why they’d use a map. A historian and author of “The Village That Shaped Us,” a collection of oral interviews depicting the stories and goingson of families living in post-Civil War Anacostia, Dale considers family history vital to preserving and maintaining a community’s own identity. “Everybody has a story, and so we need to record the stories until we can put one version from our own perspec-

TOP: A family takes part in a session. RIGHT: Visitors wait to begin their genealogy sessions at the Robert Frederick Smith Explore Your Family History Center.

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tive out there,” she said. “Because our story’s being told by other people,” she added, “and that’s dangerous.”

The Past Is Filled with Treasures Like a treasure hunter, Dale has a penchant for seeking out all the historical riches she can find, especially her own. The first taste for treasure came from her childhood home in Southeast, where her mother kept boxes of old family documents in the attic. Dale remembers poring over the papers and the rush she felt as she pieced together the story her family records were telling. “It’s a thrill to be able to hold those documents that you find,” she said. Dale jokingly admitted her records may not have been as comprehensive except for the family’s habit of keeping what others might trash. “I come from a family of, I guess you can call them, pack rats,” she said. “They don’t throw anything away.” Generations later, those photos and records reveal their value and uncover the voices living through eras, stressors and movements; through economic busts and booms, urban remodeling, segregation and migration. Dale’s family remained for over a century in Hillsdale, Anacostia, all the while accruing documents and stories that trace how Washington’s history impacted the lives of those who lived there, especially those who stayed.

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While Dale’s family history has been carefully documented, other families might only have blurry narratives of their past. Circumstances ranging from poor record-keeping to family estrangement or not even knowing where to start can dissuade families from digging deeper.

The Smithsonian Offers New Resources Maybe that’s why hundreds each day visit the Robert Frederick Smith Explore Your Family History Center, located within the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture, and enroll in the daily 30-minute genealogical sessions. Since its opening nearly two years ago, metro-area residents and tourists alike have used the center to answer particular questions, fill knowledge gaps and, for many, start searching from scratch. “I’ve never really known my father’s side,” a Philadelphia visitor going by the moniker Alsmoov explained after his session. “It was a mission of mine to get to the museum, and since the service was available, I thought I would take advantage of it.” “I got a little bit of confirmation of what I thought I knew,” he added, though he admitted his family research might not be over yet. “I have to tell my wife, I might just dig a little further. Just to find out a bit more.” Observing the center’s visitors is like watching people discover they’re wandering into their own personal libraries. By the afternoon, all of its session slots are typically full, though visits for latecomers are hardly a missed opportunity. Some consult center staff, who hand them leaflets with reading suggestions and websites to jumpstart their searches at home. Others linger in the center of the room to scroll through an interactive display called “Transitions in Freedom.” Lining the far wall of the center are computers, the sources of modern-day treasure hunts. I watched one family of six trace its lineage, though the youngest members didn’t realize they might be striking gold. Rather, the children stared out the glass window that faced the National Mall. “I wish I had brought my tablet,” a girl complained. “I don’t have anything to look at.”

Visualizing History Popular demand has expanded the number of sessions and brought additional programming. Doretha Williams, a program manager for the Robert Frederick Smith Fund, oversees the center and calls it a crucial fixture of the museum to capture the breadth of African-American history. “The experience of African-American and black people in this country has long been muddled in history books,” Williams explained. “The experience of going through the exhibits – whether it’s on slavery and freedom, whether it’s on the power of place – all these experiences become very personal.” “Everyone,” she added, “regardless of race or gender, has some experience, some part to play in this sto-

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ry … and [the center] provides information that is long overdue to be examined publicly.” Visitors who sign up for a session receive preliminary guidance by a genealogy reference assistant, who explains recommended websites and best practices for locating family members. Online sessions are particularly effective when tracing lineage as far back as the Reconstruction Signups for genealogy sessions are posted an hour before each session. era, though visitors looking further back habitants of the historic Barry Farm, a creation of the could discover gaps in their history. Before the Civil Freedmen’s Bureau and one of Southwest’s first black War, up to 90 percent of the African-American popuneighborhoods. Barry Farm’s roots and other stories lation was not registered on official censuses because from east of the river are often unknown to the area’s their status as enslaved persons legally reduced them current residents. “I have given several lectures … but to chattel. Centuries later, descendants of slaves might the best lectures I have given are for the people in the find traces of their ancestors in state libraries, church community of Ward 7,” she reflected. records, courthouse documents or perhaps through “And they say when I finish the lecture, they alhistorical societies. ways say, ‘But why is it that we don’t know anything Preserving the Spirit of Anacostia about this?’” These gaps present problems when comprehensively The Explore Your Family History staff have nodocumenting African-American history across the naticed the local interest, too. According to genealogy reftion, and DC is no exception. In order to record and erence assistant Kamilah Stinnett, preliminary visitor preserve the history of DC’s African-American comdata reveals that five percent of guests are DC-based, munities east of the river, historians like Dale work with though bimonthly weekend genealogy events draw the Smithsonian’s Anacostia Community Museum to larger crowds of locals. collect primary resources from community members. Whether families stayed in DC or moved else“From the very beginning of this museum, we where, illuminating their histories helps unravel the have worked to document family history,” said Samir larger narrative of the African-American experience. Meghelli, the museum’s chief curator. “Families are Like Dale, Baltimore resident and Explore Your Family what really made up this community.” History visitor Chiquita Lanier recognizes how family In the 1970s, following urban renewal displacehistory empowers a community to tell its own story. “If ment of up to 20,000 Southwest DC residents in the you know our history, it’s important for us to find it,” 50s and 60s, the Anacostia Community Museum conshe told me. “Because we didn’t have one.” ducted interviews with the area’s longstanding resi“Knowing the detailed history is sometimes indents, including Dale’s grandfather. Through stories spiring, sometimes tragic, sometimes a mix of both,” captured on the recordings, museum curator Alcione Meghelli reflected. “Self-knowledge, this idea of selfAmos was able to reclaim undocumented pre-Civknowledge, is important in trying to understand where il War history and retain the essence of a disappearwe came from so that we can move forward.” ing community. Thus the saying, You have to know where you “There is very little information before the Civil came from to know where you’re going. War online, but these interviews in the 1970s that the Dale’s advice? A genealogy session might inspire museum did, people still remember where the families more people to look at what’s in their attics. had come from and some of the history,” Amos said. In fact, as families were displaced and migrated over the years, Amos says, it’s clear that most of Anacostia’s current residents do not descend from the in-

Anacostia Steelers Organize First Football Season Support for Community Organization Grows by John Muller

fter a two-hour practice in Anacostia Park, Coach Antonio “Tony” Backus and assistant coaches of the recently formed Anacostia Steelers huddled up nearly two dozen preteens to critique and evaluate their performance in a seven-on-seven passing drill. “Clap it up!” commanded an assistant coach as players passed around water bottles among themselves. “I’ve seen hard work and dedication. I’ve seen teammates helping each other up when three weeks ago you would have been bare-knuckle brawling.” The formation of the Steelers this year is an outgrowth of the Anacostia AMP Outreach and Empowerment Center founded by Aummett Paige, a Ward 8 native and retired nonprofit administrator. A woman of faith, Paige says she was “commissioned by God to do this work.”

As a test of Paige’s spirit and the nascent football team, within recent weeks Anacostia and adjacent neighborhoods have been beset by outbursts of daylight gunfire, a deadly drug epidemic and increasing concerns over the impact of planned development. Originally using fields at Ketcham Elementary School on 15th Street SE, this spring, when construction began on a new playground, the Steelers relocated to a National Park Service parcel at 16th and Butler streets. During an evening practice, a gun battle erupted across the street between rival factions which precipitated a move to Anacostia Park. “We had nearly 150 kids before the shooting,” says Backus. “We’re now down to half that.” With the new playground complete, the Steelers returned to Ketcham, which has opened an early childhood development center this school year. “At Ketcham Elementary School, we pride ourselves on providing our students with rigorous, joyful learning experiences before, during and after the regular school day,” says Principal Maisha Riddlesprigger. “I am happy to welcome Tony, a Ketcham parent, to help us take that commitment a step further by giving our students, and other young people in our community, a safe and engaging environment to learn skills to use not only on the football field but also in the classroom and in life.”

Old Market Square in Old Anacostia was packed at a recent community day organized by Anacostia AMP and Aummett Paige. Photo: John Muller

profit, Level the Playing Field (LPF), and the Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR). “Level the Playing Field works to collect and distribute sports equipment donations to low-income kids throughout the DMV through their schools, leagues and after school programs,” says Executive Director Maitlyn Healy. “Working with all of our beneficiaries is so important to our mission and we love supporting Ward 7 and 8 programming. Since we began working together in March, LPF has donated equipment to Anacostia AMP.” One of the largest barriers to entry into sports for working-class families is the cost of equipment, says Healy. Most leagues charge a fee for travel, facilities, coaches and uniforms, putting the cost of equipment beyond the discretionary budgets of many families. There is a small registration fee for each child with DPR but there is no cost to join the Steelers Coach Backus, working with a volunteer network of coaches, parents and community members, has organized teams in four age groups: Six and Under, for ages five and six; Eight and Under, for ages seven and eight; Ten and Under, for ages nine and 10, and Twelve and Under, for ages 11 and 12. The Steelers’ season will start on Sept. 8 with home games held at Anacostia High School.

Philanthropic Support In building philanthropic support for Anacostia, Paige has approached familiar faces including Jasmine Lyle, branch manager of Andrews Federal Credit Union in the Henson Ridge neighborhood. “While servicing Ms. Paige and gaining a better understanding of her organization I was inspired by her passion for community service and determination to make a difference with the youth of Anacostia,” says Lyle. “She is really putting her feet on the ground.” In addition to providing a startup grant to the Steelers, Lyle says, “We may attend some games one week and sponsor the costs of food another week. Andrews plans to be a continued partner to help empower the community.” Paige has been able to secure support from several community-based organization such as Bread for the City. The organization has received initial backing from Redbrick LMD, developers of the east campus of St. Elizabeths, and has partnered with the Skyland Development Team, represented by Rappaport and WC Smith as co-developers of Skyland Town Center along with Washington East Foundation and Skyland DC. “We are proud to contribute to such an inspirational organization and support a program that provides enjoyment and instills discipline and pride in the youth of the community,” says Jarnell Swecker, vice president of marketing for Rappaport and a member of the Skyland development team.

Inaugural Season

How to Support the Anacostia Steelers

After practicing throughout the summer with nothing more than a couple of footballs, the Steelers have recently secured equipment from a local non-

Those interested in volunteering or assisting the Anacostia Steelers please email anacostia.amp.oe@gmail. com. If interested in volunteering or assisting Level the Playing Field, please email info@levelingtheplayingfield.org or visit www.levelingtheplayingfield.org/.

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east washington life Saxman Paul Carr performs on Sept. 14 at Westminster Presbyterian Church.

by Steve Monroe

Happy Happy, Andrew White Among the birthday heroes we honor for September is our own Andrew White, best known for his anthology work on another September hero, John Coltrane. From a CapitalBop story last year by Marc Minsker: “Over the course of the twentieth century, D.C. was home to many significant jazz musicians, including such luminaries as Duke Ellington, Shirley Horn, and Jelly Roll Morton. But there’s one D.C. jazz figure who is the ultimate Renaissance man: a saxophonist and multi-instrumentalist who has been performing and recording here for 50 years; a collaborator who has played with countless jazz greats and soul artists; a scholar who is known as “Keeper of the Trane” for his meticulous transcriptions of 650 John Coltrane solos (virtually every one on record); and a producer who has released thousands of products, from recordings to transcriptions to books.”

Washburn Group Honors Thelonious Monk in Anacostia The Second Sundays Jazz program at the Anacostia Arts Center presents “Things I Like about Monk” from 3 to 5 p.m., Sept. 9. The featured performer is pianist Bill Washburn and his group, which regularly includes saxophonist Zack Graddy, bassist Jeron White and drummer Joe Henderson. Washburn is the veteran performer, a Nashville, Tenn., native who has played in DC for many years with local and nationally known musicians, playing straight ahead

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and avant-garde, according to the website www.rajazz.com. The free concert is presented in conjunction with East River Jazz at the arts center, 1231 Good Hope Rd. SE. For more information, see www.anacostiaartscenter.com.

CBCF Jazz to Mark 33rd Year Among the must-see events to choose from this month is the Jazz Issue Forum and Jazz Concert on Sept. 13, marking the 33rd year of the event by the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation during its Annual Leadership Conference, Sept. 12-16, at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center. See www.cbcfinc.org for complete information. Vocalist Melba Joyce from the Count Basie Band appears at Westminster Presbyterian Church on Sept. 14 in a “Real Jazz” date featuring Paul Carr, sax, Allyn Johnson, piano, Michael Bowie, bass, and C.V. Dashiell, drums. A panelist for the Congressional Black Caucus of Women in Jazz Forum, Joyce pro-

duced the first Women in Jazz Festival at Harlem’s Schomburg Center for Black Culture and became a principal in the Day of the Child Series for UNICEF, according to the website for women in jazz, www.wijsf.com. Funded by the National Endowment for the Arts, she also produced Jazz for Special People, a musical education series for the handicapped. In 1998 Joyce toured overseas as part of the 1998 Kennedy Center-USIA Jazz Ambassadors program in Africa, with a special performance at the Kennedy Center as part of the program. In May 2004, In August 2005, she joined the great Count Basie Orchestra as vocalist. There’s bassist Corcoran Holt’s Birthday bash at Blues Alley on Sept. 18; and rising multi-instrumentalist Clarence Ward III, proficient on saxophone and trumpet, plays Twins Jazz on Sept. 21-22. Washington, DC, writer Steve Monroe can be reached at steve@jazzavenues. com and followed at www.twitter.com/jazzavenues.

Psst... Have You Heard? Buffet Brunch is Back at SEPTEMBER HIGHLIGHTS: ... Carl Grubbs Quartet/Tribute to John Coltrane, Sept. 8, Germano’s Piattini/Baltimore … Vincent Herring/Harold Mabern, Sept. 8, Caton Castle Lounge/ Baltimore … Irene Jalenti, Sept. 9, DC Jazz Jam/The Brixton … Marshall Keys & The Soulful Path, Sept. 10, Blues Alley … Bill Haymon, Sept. 12, Alice’s Jazz and Cultural Society … Joe Vetter Quartet, Sept. 12, Twins Jazz … Marty Nau, Sept. 13, Twins Jazz … Jazz Issue Forum/Congressional Black Caucus Foundation Leadership Conference, Sept. 13, Walter E. Washington Convention Center … Jazz Concert 33rd Anniversary Celebration/CBCF Leadership Conference, Sept. 13, Walter E. Washington Convention Center … Christian McBride’s New Jawn, Sept. 13-15, Blues Alley … Michael Thomas Quintet, Sept. 14-15, Twins Jazz … Melba Joyce from Count Basie Band, Sept. 14, Westminster Presbyterian Church … Corcoran Holt’s Birthday Celebration, Sept. 18, Blues Alley … Cheyney Thomas, Sept. 19, Jazz and Cultural Society … Tim Whalen Quintet, Sept. 21, Westminster … Clarence Ward III, Sept. 21-22, Twins Jazz … Shacara Rogers, Sept. 23, DC Jazz Jam/ The Brixton …Veronneau, Sept. 25, Blues Alley … John Lamkin, Sept. 26, Jazz and Cultural Society … Dial 251, Sept. 28-29, Twins Jazz … Rene Marie, Sept. 28-30, Blues Alley … Kristin Callahan, Sept. 30, Twins Jazz … Frank Russo, Sept. 30, DC Jazz Jam/ The Brixton …

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SEPTEMBER BIRTHDAYS: Art Pepper 1; Horace Silver, Clifford Jordan 2; Mickey Roker, Roy Brooks 3; Meade Lux Lewis 4; Andrew White, Buddy Bolden 6; Sonny Rollins, 7; Wilbur Ware 8; Elvin Jones, George Mraz 9; Roy Ayers 10; Steve Turre 12; Chu Berry 13; Oliver Lake 14; Cannonball Adderley 15; Joe Venuti, John Hendricks 16; Brother Jack McDuff 17; Emily Remler 18; Muhal Richard Abrams 19; Chico Hamilton 21; John Coltrane 23; Gary Bartz 26; Bud Powell 27; Kenny Kirkland 28; Buddy Rich, Oscar Pettiford 30.

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The Status of HIV in DC

The Latest HIV Surveillance Report Shows Progress and Stagnation by Candace Y.A. Montague

ot long ago, in 2009, Washington, DC, had the highest rate of HIV infections in the country. Headlines read that the rates were “higher than countries in West Africa.” Over 15,000 residents had the virus, and the bureau in charge of getting it under control was in a constant state of disharmony. Talk about the worst of times! Fast forward nine years later and HIV in DC presents differently. It is no longer the scarlet letter on our chest but more like a manageable health condition that officials are working diligently and creatively to tame. Some of the same roadblocks remain, however. The latest statistics on HIV, AIDS, tuberculosis, hepatitis and sexually transmitted infections were made public last month. It’s clearly not 2009 anymore but there’s still a lot of work to be done.

are really encouraging trends. And then we have some trends that motivate us. We need to step up and intensify the work that we’re doing.” One trend that hasn’t broken is the infection rates in Wards 5, 7 and 8. The rates of newly infected persons and persons living with HIV remained high in these wards between 2016 and 2017. Efforts to lower the rates and prevent new infections are still going strong from local nonprofits such as Whitman-Walker’s Max Robinson Center (Ward 8) and The Women’s Collective (Ward 7).

Other factors that could influence infection rates are poverty and homelessness. Poverty has been linked to greater HIV risk but it is not an absolute. The median family income in Ward 7 is $31,273, while in Ward 8 it’s $24,096. Both incomes are well below the federal poverty level. DC still has some of the highest rates of homelessness in the nation. People who are unstably housed are not only at a higher risk for contracting HIV but are also less likely to seek or remain in treatment. The city’s fiscal year 2019 budget has been predicted to fall short of the need for housing.

Rise in Young People Getting the message across to people under the age of 30 about risky behavior and HIV is complex. DC Health and local nonprofit organizations collaborate to find creative ways to keep young people in the conversation. In spite of those efforts, HIV rates have risen among youth. DC Health’s long-range plan for addressing this issue includes providing better coordinated services and resources to help youth make healthy decisions. Kharfen explains that there are several approaches to the situation. “Young people use condoms more than adults do. And yet still they’re getting chlamydia and gonorrhea and some are getting HIV. We’re taking a multi-strategy approach here. One is we’re changing the conversation about young people and sex to build a community of trusted adults that young people can talk to. There’s also invincibility – it’s not go-

Numbers Reflect a Few Growing Pains DC has 13,003 residents living with HIV. The number of newly diagnosed HIV cases overall has remained steady at 368. That number was over 1,300 in 2007. The number of new infections has been on a steady decline since 2013, and the number of people who remain virally suppressed has increased. The face of HIV in DC, however, remains AfricanAmerican. Heterosexual black women and black men who have sex with men still lead in new infections. New HIV infections among young people ages 13-29 are on the rise, from 134 in 2016 to 150 in 2017. Michael Kharfen, senior deputy director of DC Health’s office on HIV/AIDS, Hepatitis, STD and TB Administration (HAHSTA), acknowledges the ups and downs in the current trends. “There’s some encouraging news around in terms of persons who have the virus and are receiving treatment and achieve viral suppression. We are getting people into treatment and getting them to viral suppression quicker. Those

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Ad poster for DC Health’s latest campaign to promote positive talk about sex. Photo: DC Health

homes & gardens / changing hands 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.

ing to happen to them – and inevitability – it’s going to happen so they might as well just get it. Those are two powerful factors. Education is important but we need to be open to them in conversation. We need to get them to a place where they can talk to an adult and get access to sexual health services so that they can manage it.” The youth prevention arm of Whitman-Walker is known as Real Talk DC (RTDC). Located at Eastern Market, RTDC hosts youth-focused activities to encourage stigma-free conversation about sex and health. Amie Krautwurst, senior manager of wellness programs at Whitman-Walker Health, states that Real Talk is revving up the efforts to combat rising rates. “Whitman-Walker’s Real Talk DC team plans to redouble prevention efforts among youth in the coming year by increasing peer-topeer street outreach, educating young people on pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) and continuing to provide a safe space for young people to learn about their health through initiatives like ‘Sex, Milk and Cookies’ – where young people are invited to discuss topics around sex like the pros and cons of open relationships.”

Educational Efforts The newest campaign from DC Health is Sexual+Being. It is a website designed to help increase positive talk about sexuality and making life choices, while promoting healthcare access and connecting people with information on prevention services. Information about PrEP, post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP), U Equals U – a campaign to promote viral suppression as a means of prevention – and hepatitis C are available on the user-friendly site. In addition, there is information on where to get condoms and HIV testing. Positive discussions can lead to diminished stigma and, hopefully, a healthier DC. For more information about HIV in the District or to read the 2018 epidemiology and surveillance report, visit https://dchealth.dc.gov/service/hivaids . Candace Y.A. Montague is the health reporter for Capital Community News. Follow her on Twitter @urbanbushwoman9.

NEIGHBORHOOD

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5623 EADS ST NE 3977 AMES ST NE 4118 GAULT PL NE HOMES 94 55TH ST SE 1107 47TH PL NE ANACOSTIA 527 45TH ST NE 1408 S ST SE $449,500 3 130 49TH ST NE 1439 22ND ST SE $428,000 3 5209 JAY ST NE 2225 PAYNE TER SE $380,000 3 2106 YOUNG ST SE $325,000 4

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CONGRESS HEIGHTS 1014 ANDERSON PL SE 3609 BROTHERS PL SE 3305 BROTHERS PL SE 255 OAKWOOD ST SE 425 OAKWOOD ST SE 1266 BARNABY TER SE 90 BRANDYWINE PL SW 634 MILWAUKEE PL SE 511 ALABAMA AVE SE 156 DANBURY ST SW 545 FOXHALL PL SE

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4606 HILLSIDE RD SE 1207 46TH ST SE 714 RIDGE RD SE 3347 DUBOIS PL SE 206 34TH ST SE 4248 SOUTHERN AVE SE 1138 CHAPLIN ST SE

$699,000 $605,000 $430,000 $416,000 $379,900 $370,000 $300,000

HILL CREST

1712 25TH ST SE $715,000 3500 HIGHWOOD DR SE $580,000 3601 U ST SE $537,000 3117 ALABAMA AVE SE $499,000 $490,000 3051 O ST SE DEANWOOD 3334 ERIE ST SE $450,000 1 54TH ST SE $488,000 4 3140 LYNDALE PL SE $360,000 5320 JAMES PL NE $430,000 4 2918 W ST SE $351,000 116 36TH ST NE $405,000 3 $351,000 2918 W ST SE $399,999 4 516 59TH ST NE 2902 O ST SE $325,000 4815 JAY ST NE $375,000 3 5082 JAY ST NE $359,900 2 MARSHALL HEIGHTS 501 42ND ST NE $355,000 4 5231 CENTRAL AVE SE $450,000 5029 JUST ST NE $325,000 3 5045 HANNA PL SE $450,000 6132 BANKS PL NE $325,000 2 5202 CALL PL SE $385,750 $304,000 2 4926 JUST ST NE 5414 B ST SE $333,000 $295,000 3 204 56TH ST NE 5329 CENTRAL AVE SE $224,900 5608 BLAINE ST NE $280,000 2

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1714 GAINESVILLE ST SE 1718 GAINESVILLE ST SE 1722 GAINESVILLE ST SE 1909 R ST SE 1700 GAINESVILLE ST SE 3145 STANTON RD SE 1719 FRANKFORD ST SE 1845 TUBMAN RD SE 1829 BRUCE PL SE 3110 28TH ST SE 3502 21ST ST SE 2712 JAMES M MCGEE JR ST SE 2351 SKYLAND TER SE 3034 STANTON RD SE 1801 ERIE ST SE 1461 CONGRESS PL SE 1909 17TH ST SE

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S eptember 2018

kids & family

by Kathleen Donner

Atlas Arts tor the Young Cri-Cri, the iconic Mexican radio character, has been popular all-over Latin America since the 1930s. On Sept. 22 at 10 and 11:30 a.m., Cri brings kids back to the age of radio. Come dance, play, and sing along to classic songs in Spanish and English. Best suited for ages 3 to 8. $12. The Atlas Performing Arts Center, 1333 H St. NE. atlasarts.org.

High School Football Showcase at RFK The Events DC Kickoff Classic, a high school football triple-header, will be held on Sept. 15 at RFK Stadium: Dunbar vs The Maret School, noon; Woodrow Wilson vs Archbishop Carroll, 3 p.m.; and Friendship Collegiate Academy vs HD Woodson, 6 p.m. This newly formed classic features halftime performances by high school marching bands and a Pepsi Fan Zone filled with youth football activities and family-friendly entertainment by local musicians and DJs. Tickets are on-sale now at Ticketmaster.com, at participating high schools and at the box office at RFK Stadium on game day. $15. Ticket includes entry to all three games and access to the Pepsi Fan Zone.

Dead Man’s Kids’ Run The Dead Man’s Run Kids’ Run on Oct. 6, at Congressional Cemetery, starts at 6:05 p.m. Costumes encouraged, with prizes for best costumes and team costume. Register at hccemetery.wixsite.com/deadmansrun.

ENTRE LA TIERRA Y EL CIELO

Entre La Tierra Y El Cielo, Between Earth and Sky, plays at the Gala Theatre, 3333 14th St. NW from Oct. 13 to 27. In this play, a curious young girl explores the magical world of plants and stars, breaking with family and societal expectations. Based on the life of Mexican-American botanist Ynés Mexia. Tickets are $12, adults; $10, children. galatheatre.org. Image: Courtesy of GALA Hispanic Theatre

CALLALOO KIDS

Callaloo Kids is a children’s media brand that promotes cultural understanding and social awareness for toddlers and children ages 3 to 7 through books, animation, live performance, digital content, games and arts education tools. Callaloo was created by DC artists and entrepreneurs, Marjuan Canady and Nabeeh Bilal. In under two years, Canady and Bilal have sold thousands of books worldwide, performed live at festivals, schools and cultural arts institutions. They have produced their popular kids web-series “How to with Callaloo.” For more information, visit Callalookids.com. DC-based author/illustrator duo Marjuan Canady and Nabeeh Bilal, two high school friends and graduates of the renowned Duke Ellington School of the Arts. Photo: Courtesy of Callaloo Kids

E a s t o f t h e R i v er D C N e w s . c o m

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animals native to the region, including Andean bears, sloths, golden lion tamarins, Panamanian golden frogs and more. Visitors have an opportunity to meet Zoo scientists who are working to save native species and learn about their research. This free event includes arts and crafts and musical entertainment. Zoo admission is free: parking is $25. nationalzoo.si.edu.

Kids Ride Free Update Beginning Oct. 1, students will no longer be able to use their DC One Cards to access public transportation. Students who use Metrorail, Metrobus or the DC Circulator to get to and from school and school-related activities will need to obtain a new Kids Ride Free SmarTrip card. For eligibility, registration requirements, and to sign up for a card distribution event, visit kidsridefree.dc.gov.

Discovery Theater on the Mall On Oct. 4 at 10:15 and 11:30 a.m., enjoy “African Roots/Latino Soul.” This vibrant play explores what it means to be Latino, African American and proud.

DC VEGFEST KIDS’ ZONE

DC VegFest is a free, fun-filled festival of food, music, education and inspiration. It features over one hundred vendors, celeb speakers, cooking demos and a remarkable kids’ zone. VegFest is on Sept. 15 from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. at N and First Streets SE. dcvegfest.com.

cess, the financial aid process and personal/family financial management. Read more and register at blackstudentfund.org.

Constitution Family Day

ZooFiesta

On Sept. 17, 1787, -after delegates to the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia debated, compromised and came up with a new framework of government for the United States, they signed the document that today lives in the National Archives Rotunda. On Sept. 17, 1 to 4 p.m., celebrate the Constitution with hands-on discovery. archives.gov.

On Sept. 23, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month at ZooFiesta. Keepers host talks, feedings and demonstrations highlighting a variety of

Black Student School Fair The Black Student Fund & Latino Student Fund Annual School Fair is on Sept. 30, 2 to 5 p.m., at the Washington Convention Center, 801 Mt Vernon Pl. NW. The Black Student Fund’s (BSF) commitment to bringing independent schools and black families together led to the creation of the annual Fair in 1972. The Fair quickly became an effective student venue and continues to be one of the largest school fairs of its kind in the region. For over forty years, the fair has provided a networking opportunity for thousands of families in the metropolitan area to meet with representatives from more than sixty independent schools. Parents and prospective students get first-hand knowledge about each school’s programs, community, admissions requirements and financial aid process. In addition, the fair features interactive seminars focused on the admissions pro-

Photo: Jessica Carter

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TECHNOLOGY FAMILY DAY AT SAAM

On Sept. 22, 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., discover how technology and art intersect and influence lives at the Smithsonian American Art Museum (SAAM). Explore the “Trevor Paglen: Sites Unseen” exhibition and then join others in the courtyard to learn binary code to create jewelry. See how game developers use pixels to create pictures. Hear music that turns electronic sounds into fun beats. Smithsonian American Art Museum, Eighth and F Streets NW. americanart.si.edu. Photo: Bruce Guthrie

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The spirit of Celia Cruz’s songs infuses this delightful show, in which the warmth of mama’s kitchen and the bustle of city life play parts in demonstrating that the pulse of the music is the heart of a people. Written with the Young Playwrights’ Theater, this is a story of the triumphs of today’s multicultural kids. For ages 6 to 12. On Oct. 5 at 10:15 and 11:30 a.m., enjoy “Cuentos Muy Magicos! Magical Stories!” This Discovery original offers a fresh take on three classic tales. The Little Red Hen asks the question “Who will help?” Jack and the Beanstalk proves that small is mighty. And, The Gingerbread Man… well, he’s just one bad cookie. Filled with delightful songs, puppets and audience participation, this bilingual story-time spectacular is not to be missed. Discovery Theater shows are at the Smithsonian Ripley Center, 1100 Jefferson Dr. SW, on the National Mall. Tickets are $6 per child, $3 for under two and $8 for adults. discoverytheater.org.

Cinderella

THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA HOUSING AUTHORITY

REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL (RFP) SOLICITATION NO.: 0037-2018

ROOFING CONSULTING SERVICES The District of Columbia Housing Authority (DCHA) is seeking a qualified firm to furnish comprehensive Roofing Consulting Services. SOLICITATION DOCUMENTS will be available at the Issuing Office at 1133 North Capitol Street, NE, Suite 300, Office of Administrative Services/Contracts and Procurement, Washington, DC 20002-7599, between the hours of 9:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, beginning Tuesday, September 4, 2018 and on DCHA’s website at www.dchousing.org. SEALED PROPOSAL RESPONSES ARE DUE ON OR BEFORE Thursday, October 4, 2018 at 11:00 AM. Contact LaShawn Mizzell-McLeod, Contract Specialist at (202) 535-1212 or by email at LMMCLEOD@dchousing.org with copy to business@dchousing.org for additional information.

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This wacky retelling of the beloved fairy tale takes Cinderella on a royal adventure complete with a wisecracking rat, evil stepsisters, and a smitten prince. When Cinderella’s stepmother forbids her from attending the ball, her fairy godmother convinces her that if the shoe fits, wear it! True love may await her if only she can put down her sword. Just the right fit for the holiday season. Best for ages four, up. Plays Nov. 3 to Jan. 6, at Imagination Stage, 4908 Auburn Ave., Bethesda, MD. imaginationstage.org. Here’s the remainder of the season: Anatole: Mouse Magnifique, Feb. 9 to March 24; Dicken’s Davy Copperfield (in repertory with Anatole: Mouse Magnifique), Feb. 16 to March 31; Escape from Peligro Island (You create your own adventure!), April 27 to June 2; The Ballad of Mu Lan, June 26 to Aug. 18.

Blueberries for Sal Kuplink, kuplank, kuplunk! Sal and her mother are picking delicious blueberries to can for the long winter months ahead to make delicious desserts. On

the other side of Maine’s Blueberry Hill, a mama bear and baby bear are filling up for the long hibernation. But somehow Sal and a baby bear have a mixed-up adventure and lose their mothers. Blueberries for Sal is on stage at Glen Echo, Sept. 21 to Oct. 21. All performances are at Adventure Theatre MTC, 7300 MacArthur Blvd., Glen Echo, MD, Glen Echo Park. For more information, call 301-634-2270. adventuretheatre-mtc.org..

Peter and the Wolf Staged with half life-size marionettes, Peter and the Wolf is one of the Puppet Co.’s best-loved stories. Over a million children and adults have seen this oneman show, based on Prokofiev’s popular tale of good versus evil, performed by Puppet Master Christopher Piper. An introduction to the instruments in the orchestra precedes this story of Peter and his animal friends’ attempts to capture wily “Old Lupus.” On stage at Glen Echo, through Sept. 30. Recommended for ages 4, up. Tickets are $12.. thepuppetco.org.

Kids’ Day at the Horse Show Washington International Horse Show Kids’ Day 2018 is on Oct. 27 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.. Outdoor activities will be held in front of the Hotel Monaco at 700 F St. NW and face painting and other events will be held on the Capital One Arena concourse. The free event is designed to teach kids about horses and equestrian sports. Children participate in pony rides, the Discovery Communications Horseless Horse Show, the Horse Stars Hall of Fame interactive exhibit, a coloring station, face painting, pony brushing lessons and a pony kissing booth. There will be giveaways from Georgetown Cupcake. wihs.org. Have an item for the Notebook? Email it to bulletinboard@hillrag.com.

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