DCentric was created to examine the ways race and class interact in Washington, D.C., a city with a vibrant mix of cultures and neighborhoods. Your guides to the changing district are reporters Anna John and Elahe Izadi.
Good morning, DCentric readers! Here are your Friday links:
What happened to the "Huxtable Effect"? "Sixteen years after "The Cosby Show" went off the air, the Times noted that Obama was similarly billed in Cosby-esque "post-racial" terms, and may have been boosted in 2008 by a so-called "Huxtable Effect," which reminded white voters that many African-Americans public figures are perfectly capable of representing and connecting with people of all races, not just their own. It was Obama standing on the shoulders of Cosby — or so the oversimplified story went." (Salon)
DC officials tracking freshmen to fight truancy “‘Truancy is almost always symptomatic of deeper issues in the community or at home,’ Mayor Vincent Gray said on Wednesday as he announced the seven-agency effort with Deputy Mayor for Education De’Shawn Wright. ‘By identifying the District’s most truant students, we are also identifying the families that are in needs of services, or families that are already receiving services but not receiving them in the most coordinated manner.’” (Washington Examiner )
Repairs to Shut Down DC Metro Escalators For Two Years “A Metro spokesman says time is needed because workers will have to rebuild the stairways. The spokesman says the work is part of the transit system’s $148 million, six-year repair plan for the escalators. Work on the Foggy Bottom escalators is expected to begin in January, while repairs are expected to begin soon at Dupont Circle.” (myfoxdc.com) Continue reading →
I have a memory, from long ago, where I am sitting in the parking lot of a McDonalds, with my mom, trying to count out 63 pennies from the floor around the car, the change jar, and the pavement around the car in order to purchase two hamburgers from McDonalds for our evening meal. Cheap food exists for a reason. 63 cents doesn’t go far in the grocery store if you want a hot meal, and have no where for food prep. (Something that people also conveniently forget about – a lot of eating well on a budget requires prep with at least a hot plate, running water, and basic utensils. If you don’t have these things, you have to eat ready made food. Needless to say, living out of a car doesn’t provide you with consistent access to these things.) But a whole hamburger meant a lot to a seven-year-old stomach that was going to go hungry…These are broke people choices.
I’m sure that if I shared this story on the NYT Health blog, there would be people berating my mother for buying me a hamburger and not, say, an apple or something. Or maybe some dried lentils we could have soaked overnight on the carburetor using a car fluid funnel and woken up to a wonderfully healthy and cheap pinch of beans.
Peterson also discusses food deserts, race and class and how unrealistic it is to expect “farmer’s markets to magically replace a missing food infrastructure.” Read the rest, here.
Good morning, DCentric readers! Here are the links we’re perusing on this sunny Thursday:
After Foster Care: What Happens Next? “African-American children…despite accounting for 14 percent of the U.S. child population, make up 30 percent of foster-care youths…black children also stay in foster care longer than children of other races. Of the 30,000 foster-care youths who age out each year and suddenly find themselves on their own at age 18, most lack a high school diploma, and only 6 percent go on to earn college degrees. Unemployment and poverty-level wages are common, and an astounding 40 percent of young people aging out of foster care will at some point be homeless.” (The Root)
If You Haven’t Been On Food Stamps, Stop Trying to Influence Government Policy “There’s an area, on the DC/Maryland border, that is the home to a lot of immigrant communities. This means a lot targeted grocery stores. I went into one, in search of jicama, and marveled at the retailer who was selling dollar bags of produce. The produce in the bags was actively rotting. I’m not talking about bruising or discoloration, which gets things bounced off grocery store shelves. I’m talking about mold. Rot. Things that most people wouldn’t want to touch, but there is enough demand in that area for affordable produce that it’s bagged up and sold along with the other wares.” (Racialicious)
White House Condemns Some of Common’s Lyrics but Praises his Larger Body of Work “The White House Wednesday condemned some of the lyrics and prose of hip hop star Common, whose invitation to a White House poetry event this evening has brought criticism from some conservatives and police officers. “The president does not support and opposes the kind of lyrics that has been written about,” White House press secretary Jay Carney said when American Urban Radio’s April Ryan asked him about the controversy.” (Political Punch)
DCentric reader Martin Moulton left this comment on Elahe’s post about WABA’s attempts to encourage bicycle use east of the Anacostia River by hosting riding classes for adults:
Bravo WABA. In California, 40+ years ago, my mom cycle commuted daily to work well into her late 30s. You see a lot of African American men taking advantage of cycling as well as Latinos going to and from work downtown. But I think that minority women in DC are still [wisely] waiting for facilities and safety conditions to improve. Those who are sole heads of households can’t take hazardous risks every day when they have young or senior citizens who depend on them.
According to Elahe, the majority of the ten people who showed up for WABA’s class were women. Still, reading Martin’s last sentence reminded me that being able to try new things is a form of privilege. Biking in the city is already daunting for some people; single parents who work at jobs that don’t include health insurance or sick days may– with good reason– think twice about taking risks they cannot afford.
Good morning, DCentric readers! Welcome to your Wednesday links:
D.C. tourism rebounding from recession “In addition to lodging, visitor spending last year increased in all major categories, including food and entertainment. The spending from tourists accounts for more than half of the sales tax generated by the city annually and supports more than 70,000 jobs, making the hospitality industry the city’s second-largest employer after the federal government.” (Washington Examiner )
In Defense of the Corner Market “The argument about food deserts seems to be premised on the assumption that supermarkets — suburban-style, big-box, corporate chain stores with plenty o’ parking — are inherently superior to walkable, family owned food markets that serve low-income populations. The media portrays these corner markets as liquor stores or “discount” stores carrying little fresh produce and lots of Hostess cupcakes…many analyses have completely ignored the presence of small, family-owned food markets and their important role in feeding urban populations.” (Streetsblog DC)
D.C. Taxes: White Voters More Supportive of Mayor Vince Gray’s Plans than Black Voters, Poll Finds “Broken down by ward groups, respondents in largely white wards 2 and 3 were the most open to raising taxes on those making $200,000, with a whopping 91 percent saying they found Gray’s proposal acceptable. The mostly black wards 7 and 8, by contrast, had 82 percent of respondents finding the higher income tax rates okay.” (Washington City Paper)
Good morning, DCentric readers! Here, enjoy some links:
How to Go Green? Look to D.C.’s Ledroit Park “Located a little over a mile north of downtown D.C. and bordering Howard University, LeDroit Park was once a planned, architecturally unified, and carefully landscaped suburb carved out of rural land. Founded in the second half of the nineteenth century, it has been home to a number of prominent African Americans, including such luminaries as Ralph Bunche (United Nations leader), Edward Brooke (U.S. Senator, Massachusetts), Mary Church Terrell (a co-founder of the NAACP), and Walter Washington (D.C.’s first mayor). The neighborhood features several prominent murals and an African-American Heritage Trail.” (The Atlantic)
D.C. schools plans to cut 660 jobs “D.C. school officials told 660 teachers and school staffers that their jobs have been scrapped for the upcoming school year, blaming fluctuations in enrollment and school finances. “Given reductions in many local school budgets for 2011-12, approximately 660 employees across the school system received excess notices this week, effective at the end of the school year,” said Fred Lewis, a spokesman for Acting Chancellor Kaya Henderson.” (Washington Examiner )
Haynesworth manager said waitress threatened player over size of tip “In the court filing, prosecutors said they had interviewed “numerous” witnesses present during the alleged incident — including some identified by Haynesworth’s defense team — and none mentioned a verbal altercation. Prosecutors also reminded Bolden of Haynesworth’s sworn statement to investigators, in which he said that other than ordering food, “I did not talk to the waitress.” Haynesworth also allegedly told investigators the waitress was upset with him because he rejected her advances.” (The Washington Post)
Good morning, DCentric readers! Start off your work week with some zesty links:
Fact: Income Tax Migration is a Myth "The Mayor’s income tax proposal has been met with resistance from some Councilmembers, who fear the flight of higher-income residents. The researchers quoted by NPR find that this concern is not backed by real-life experience: “[T]axes [have] essentially no impact on causing people to leave a state,” according to Jeff Thompson of the Political Economy Research Institute at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. This is because high-income residents, like all residents, have ties to their communities — jobs, family and friends, investments — that are unlikely to be shaken by a modest change in taxes." (dcfpi.org)
A college connection for D.C. students "The D.C. College Access Program,which sponsors a citywide network of advisers who help students with college admissions and financial aid, is a rare example of sustained success in the perennially troubled city school system…Program officials say their work in the past decade has contributed to a doubling of the college attendance rate for the city’s public schools, to 61 percent of high school graduates. That is near the national average of 69 percent. The estimated share of those students who finish college within five years has climbed from 15 to 40 percent." (The Washington Post)
Albert Haynesworth Is Just Not That Into You "Yes, we're sure the waitress wanted the biggest bust of the NFL in the last two years…The same NFL player who tried to stomp on Dallas Cowboy Andre Gurode's head (without the helmet) when playing for the Tenessee Titans in 2006 is so desirable. The same man charged with road rage in February and has Redskins fans publicly demanding that he be traded for his poor performance, matched only by his poor attitude, is a catch. Not to worry, Haynesworth; black women are not losing sleep over you." (The Root)
Yesterday, I covered a local protest against Chipotle. Approximately 40 people marched down Irving Street NW to the fast food chain’s Columbia Heights location on 14th Street. Miguel Bravo, one of the fired workers, addressed the crowd. Check back for comment from City Council members and Chipotle’s Communications Director, Chris Arnold.
A coalition of leaders, activists, religious organizations and community groups in the Washington D.C. area will soon descend on Chipotle’s doorstep…They intend to gather at 5 pm at The Sacred Heart Church in Columbia Heights, at which point those in attendance will march to the store in a powerful expression of protest against the disgraceful actions of Chipotle Mexican Grill.
According to the change.org article “On May 5th, (Cinco de Mayo, no less) fired workers will team up with everyday citizens to restore the inherent dignity and worth of all individuals in our communities”. Cinco de Mayo commemorates the Mexican army’s unlikely victory over the French at the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862.
According to DCist.com, the workers said the firings occurred during a 30-minute break and when they came back from the meeting their replacements were already wrapping burritos. New allegations by the former employees say Chipotle hasn’t compensated them for back wages and won’t meet with City Council Members Jim Graham and Michael A. Brown, who marched for the workers in the first protest.
“It wasn’t because I was happy about bin Laden’s death, it was because suddenly all the things that September 11th have done to me, my religion and my country, came back to me: The fear of being asked questions while traveling; the immediate requirement to defend my religion not only when people asked why Muslims hate America, but also when terrorists did anything that could remotely be associated with Muslims; the feeling that somehow, I’ll always be ‘the other’ in America.”
Mou Khan, a Bangladeshi-American, also found herself reflecting on September 11th, after learning of bin Laden’s death.
“I remember exactly where I was when I first heard that a plane had struck one of the towers of the World Trade Center. My memories are deeply personal, like when a schoolmate I didn’t know called me a terrorist…now, confronted with the news that Osama bin Laden, the man behind the tragedy, has been killed, I find myself conflicted. Continue reading →
