Probably best to keep Bo away from the State Dinner. He looks a little like a panda, and they always want more pandas.
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Author Archives: Anna
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.
Luther Place: Sacred Commons, Social Justice
DCentric
Luther Place's first mural: Saint Francis of Assisi-- and a congregant's Dalmatian!
Earlier today, I published the first part of an interview with Reverend Karen Brau of Thomas Circle’s Luther Place church; they just dedicated a mural on the 14th street side of their building to “Saint Martin of Birmingham”, whom you may know as the late Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Here’s the remainder of our conversation, as promised:
Where did the idea for this mural come from– what inspired it?
I’ve been at Luther Place for two years; I came from inner-city Baltimore where I worked in neighborhood ministry…we did things with vacant lots, gardening and art. In Baltimore, we had the gift of many vacant lots. Here, that’s not the case, so we thought ‘how do we use what we have?’ Instead of putting up a big fence and having it be just our space…we explored what commonality means by sharing this art outside.
We are always reforming, we have this sense that God is calling us to new things. We looked at the space around Luther Place and we realized that some people will never come inside our church, so how could we honor the outside of it? How could we reach others? By a Sacred Commons. “Sacred” in that it’s holy ground, “Commons” in that it’s held in common by anyone who comes through. It’s also “sacred” in the sense that all people are sacred or children of God, and “common” in that we have the possibility of finding new ways to share and live in common. We need places to practice what that means.
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Saint Martin of Luther Place: a Historic Congregation’s New Mural
Luther Place: Amanda Weber
Luther Place's second mural, featuring "Saint Martin of Birmingham", watches over 14th street.
Before this week, if you had asked me where “Luther Place” was, I would’ve looked at you blankly, despite the fact that I’ve lived here since 1999. Shame on me, for that. Luther Place Memorial Church sits on Thomas Circle; it’s a brick building you’ve probably passed dozens of times if you walk, bike or drive on 14th street NW. This week, the congregation dedicated a special mural featuring “Saint Martin of Birmingham”, or the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. I spoke to Reverend Karen Brau yesterday about this new piece of public art, her congregation and its history in this city.
::
Tell me about Luther Place.
It’s a congregation that has been part of this city since the 1870s. In the 1960s, when riots happened on 14th street, we were called to open our doors and be a refuge for people at that time. Now we have a ministry for homeless women that serves over 800 women a year with shelter, job placement and help with recovery from addiction.
I’d love to know more about what Luther Place did during the riots–
The congregation made the decision to open the doors of our church, and it became a point of sanctuary for people who needed a place to stay. Luther Place also became a distribution point…other congregations from different parts of the city brought food to us that could be shared with people being affected by what was going on at that time. I think that act was a turning point; in the words of the gospel, you should love your neighbor, care for a stranger. Those words came to life in a very palpable way. And not everyone could deal with that, so that defined the congregation too.
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Bryan Weaver Decides to Run
Twitter is chock full o’ nuts and news that a candidate who is popular among D.C. bloggers has decided– along with a few others– to run for the City Council’s at-large seat. WAMU’s Patrick Madden has more:
The race for a D.C. council at-large seat is getting crowded. Wednesday, two more candidates threw their hats in the ring.
One is Republican School Board Member Patrick Mara, who announced via YouTube that he’ll seek the at-large seat. The other is Bryan Weaver, a Democrat who lives in Ward 1. Both have unsuccessfully run for council seats in the past…
The biggest challenge at this point for any of the candidates is getting on the ballot. Candidates have less than one month to pick up 3,000 signatures.
I have a feeling Weaver will be able to get those signatures, especially if he asks everyone who tweets about him to help out. And speaking of YouTube, like the City Paper, when I think of Bryan Weaver, I think of his excellent use of the video site. See one of his campaign ads, after the jump– it’s so nice, Wonkette blogged about it:
Going in Debt to Take, Then Change Classes
Flickr: maxwellgaines
Should we require a degree (and the debt that comes with it) for things like massage therapy?
As the child of a nurse and someone who feels like I’m never going to be free of my student loans, I’m extra interested in this piece: “Nothing for Something: Does pushing higher education for everyone actually make it tougher for poor students to enter the middle class?” by Monica Potts over at The American Prospect. I frequently meet people in my neighborhood who are taking on brutal amounts of debt to study at for-profit colleges and the like:
…by requiring college courses in trades like heating and air installation and massage therapy that were once learned through an apprenticeship, students — especially poor students — end up wasting a lot of money and taking time out of their careers for little added benefit. If traditional colleges and universities aren’t teaching all students generalized, high-level skills that enable them to adapt to whatever working environment they find themselves in, then it’s hard to see what the value of obtaining a college degree is. We either need to start making sure all students leave college with those skills, or re-evaluate why it’s important for some career-oriented programs to be part of a college course and not an on-the-job training program…
Tasty Morning Bytes – Grading Hygiene, Obama Park and Mayor Gray on IMPACT
Good morning, DCentric readers! Here are your links:
Oldest African American, and one of my church ladies, carried no anger, no stress “According to the Gerontology Research Group, Winn had been one of two known people left in the United States whose parents were almost certainly born into slavery. It’s as if a living history book has vanished. And, yet, just her presence spoke volumes: A contemporary woman, born in 1898, only one generation removed from the Civil War and the “peculiar institution” that started it…Sort of makes you wonder how anyone could believe that the effects of 300 years of slavery, along with another century of Jim Crow racial oppression, could disappear in such a short time.” (The Washington Post)
DC Councilmember Mary Cheh Reintroduces Restaurant Hygiene Grading Bill “D.C. Councilmember Mary Cheh has introduced a bill that would require D.C. restaurants to publicly display letter-grade report cards on their premises based on Department of Health inspections. Restaurant owners are already pushing back. A similar measure failed to make it out of committee last year. Cheh says it’s not a “gotcha game” and wants to work with restaurants. Owners say inspections are a snapshot based on one day and they worry there are not enough inspectors to make it fair or to fix problems before they get a bad grade.” (myfoxdc.com)
Jim Graham Resurrects “Obama Park” Resolution “In July 2009, Ward 1 D.C. Councilmember Jim Graham introduced a Council resolution to rename the then-recently renovated community space at 14th and Girard Streets NW as “Barack Hussein Obama Park.”…Well, the Council is back in session today, and Graham just proposed the resolution again. Does a year-and-a-half make a difference? If approved, the park would still be the first piece of D.C. city property named after Obama.” (DCist)
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Tweet of the Day, 01.18
Can't dispute this study saying college is lost on kids. I learned a heckuva lot more by interning on Hill than in PoliSci 101.
Tomorrow on DCentric: St. Martin of Birmingham
DCentric
Today was very gray, I know.
An hour ago, I spoke to The Rev. Karen Brau of Luther Place on 14th Street about a very special piece of public art, which was unveiled this week (how apposite!). “St. Martin of Birmingham” joins a mural of St. Francis at this congregation, which has been concerned with social justice and our community for several decades. More, tomorrow.
No Social Security Number? No problem!
Flickr: mar is sea Y
Phil Mendelson
Do you live in D.C.? Do you wish that you could drive, but lack a license because you refuse to get a social security number? You’re in luck! Via the Washington Examiner:
At-large Councilman Phil Mendelson is introducing a bill Tuesday that will allow D.C. residents to get a drivers license without a Social Security number.
Mendelson said he decided to introduce the bill after hearing from residents who are “philosophically opposed” to having Social Security numbers, but are legal U.S. citizens.
“There’s no rational reason for saying in order to drive a car, you have to have a Social Security number,” Mendelson said. “I’m much more interested in whether you’re texting while driving, paying attention and know how to drive.”
Shaw, Gentrification and Youth Violence, via People’s District
Flickr: Justin DC
Rainbow over Shaw.
I’ve mentioned People’s District on DCentric before, but I want to point you towards that excellent project again, because of their Friday post, from a D.C. citizen named Willette, who lives in Shaw:
“My eyes have seen so many changes in the neighborhood. All of the buildings and people done changed. Now, they make us think that Shaw is going to be the next Georgetown. I guess that means that a lot of us will be pushed out. That may help the neighborhood, but it won’t really help all of kids on the corners who don’t have nothing. Don’t matter it they are in Shaw or you move ‘em somewhere else, they are still going to be hanging out on the corner with no opportunities.
“Because I work, live, and raise my kids in this community, I see this stuff everyday. Kids should feel like they can do anything in the world, but many of these kids can’t read or write. Some kids will only get one meal a day at school. Some kids get caught up and become offenders. Then, they find themselves on the street as teenagers and no one wants to give them a chance. All the time, kids be coming to me saying, ‘Ms. Willette, I just want a chance.’ Many of them won’t get it because of a mistake.
“When we talk about violence in our communities, a lot of it comes from these kids with no hope or opportunities…Some people here want to just give up and let that stuff take over. Seniors will stay in the house and parents won’t let their kids out to play. That is not a way to live. We can’t let violence destroy our communities. I decided to give back in my own way by organizing a project called Safe Streets. I took some of the kids in the community and gave them a back pack, notebook, school uniform, and a pair of shoes. Many of these kids had nothing and no one to take care of them. Giving them these little things gave them some hope. I did it three times, and got people like the mayor and police chief involved. It was really successful and I want to keep doing it because people in the community keep asking me to.