Culture

Beneath the buttoned-down surface of the city, DC is full of history, diversity, joy and life.

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September 26, 2011 | 1:18 PM | By

Fiesta DC in Photos

So much happened over the weekend in D.C. that you may have missed out on Sunday’s Fiesta DC. Luckily, local photographer Pablo Benavente was on the scene and captured these great images of the parade (see more here).

The annual event showcases cultures from all around Latin America. It took place in Mount Pleasant, one of the centers of D.C.’s Latino community. The District’s Latino population is growing, mostly due to an increased presence of Central Americans.

 

FILED UNDER: Around the City, Culture, Fiesta DC, Latinos
September 22, 2011 | 12:41 PM | By

DCentric Picks: Art All Night, Community History, Books on the Mall

Art All Night

Art All Night begins at 7 p.m., Saturday.

Our event picks this week run the gamut, so we decided to break them down by category. See something we missed? Add your pick in the comments section.

Books: The National Book Festival takes place Saturday and Sunday on the National Mall. The free event will include author talks, readings and story telling events for children, teens and adults. Check the full schedule for information.

Art: This is the weekend for art in D.C. The (e)merge art fair, running Friday through Sunday, will bring together local and international artists at the Capitol Skyline Hotel. Tickets are $15, so if you’re looking for a free and more community-oriented alternative, check out Nuit Blanche: Art All Night. It begins at 7 p.m. on Saturday. D.C.’s painters, street performers, DJs and other artists will be showcasing their talents in various Shaw and Chinatown venues.

History: Interested in learning more about your neighborhood? Check out Anacostia Community Museum‘s Researching Community History workshop at 7 p.m., Thursday. Historian Matthew Gilmore will instruct participants on using public data to uncover information about D.C.’s neighborhoods.

Music: If you missed Chuck Brown during the National Symphony Orchestra’s Labor Day Concert, here’s your chance to catch the “Godfather of Go-Go” for free. Brown will perform at 5 p.m., Friday at the Woodrow Wilson Plaza.

FILED UNDER: Around the City, Culture, History, Art, Chuck Brown, DCentric Picks, National Mall
September 15, 2011 | 12:55 PM | By

DCentric Picks: ‘Sister Citizen’ Author Talk and H Street Fest

What: Author Melissa Harris-Perry discussed her book, “Sister Citizen: Shame, Stereotypes, and Black Women in America.”

When: 6:30 p.m., Monday.

Where: Busboys and Poets, 14th and V streets NW.

Cost: Free.

Why you should go: Harris-Perry explores the effects of the stereotypes black women have had to combat for centuries — sexual lasciviousness, devotion and outspoken anger — and what black women now expect from political organizing.

Other events to consider: Head out to H Street NE between noon and 7 p.m., Saturday for the H Street Festival. The free event will feature fashion shows, live music, art displays, costume karaoke, Chinese dragon dancers and more. But it’s also a great opportunity to check out the transformation this corridor has undergone over recent years.

FILED UNDER: Culture, DCentric Picks, H Street NE
September 2, 2011 | 12:29 PM | By

On Sagging Pants and Race

Flickr: Susan NYC

Pull your pants up, was the advice given to a young man asking about job prospects during last month’s National Night Out event led by D.C. Council member Yvette Alexander and D.C. Fire Chief Kenneth Ellerbee, according to The Root DC.

The adults offered one place to start: pull up your pants.

“Oh, you’ve got Ralph Lauren,” Alexander told one of the young men. “I guess you want to show that off.”

What would happen, she asked, if they dressed like that and a nice, white lady walked by. “Do you think she might cross the street?” Alexander said.

One reader, MSTanya, took issue with Alexander’s attempt to illustrate her point:

Why did it have to be a “nice white lady” who walked by. Aren’t there any nice African American ladies who could have been used as an example? Yes, there definitely are, but as per the norm, it’s always a white person being looked at as nice…

We’re still waiting to hear back from the Council member’s office regarding her remarks.

According to “Anthropology off the Shelf,” low-slung pants are a symbol of incarceration. The book notes that “sagging as a style was adopted from prison culture, where belts are prohibited and ill-fitting prison garb is the norm.”

FILED UNDER: Around the City, Culture, The People
September 2, 2011 | 10:00 AM | By

MLK Library To Close On Sundays

Paul Simpson / Flickr

The Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Library is located at 9th and G streets, NW.

D.C. libraries offer major resources to residents, particularly for those lacking computers or Internet access. And the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Library, the system’s largest and it’s central library, stays quite busy.

But starting Oct. 2, patrons will have to look elsewhere on Sundays. The library will join the city’s other neighborhood libraries, which have been closed on Sundays since last year.

The new hours at MLK  are a result of a budget shortfall; this particular library has about $700,000 less to work with this coming fiscal year, which starts Oct. 1.

But library spokesman George Williams says that Sunday has been one of the least busy days for the MLK library, when it’s only open from 1 to 5 p.m. The neighborhood libraries, however, had been quite popular on Sundays until 2010 when Sunday hours were cut.

“When the decision was made to close Sundays at neighborhood libraries, patrons made the adjustment” and started coming on other days, Williams says.

FILED UNDER: Around the City, Culture, Digital Divide, Libraries
September 1, 2011 | 12:09 PM | By

DCentric Picks: NSO Labor Day Concert

Elvert Barnes / Flickr

A view from the Reflecting Pool of the 2006 NSO Labor Day Concert.

What: National Symphony Orchestra‘s tribute to the legends of D.C. music.

When: Gates open at 5 p.m. and the the show starts at 8 p.m., Sunday.

Where: West lawn of the U.S. Capitol. The show will be moved to the Kennedy Center if it rains (call 202-416-8114 after 2:30 p.m.).

Cost: Free.

Why you should go: There are two D.C.’s, but both of them will come together for this event. When else can you hear go-go played on the U.S. Capitol lawn, and by our nation’s symphony orchestra no less? The music of D.C.’s own Duke Ellington, John Philip Sousa and Chuck Brown will be showcased. The show will also be a sort of birthday celebration for Brown, the “Godfather of Go-Go,” who turns 75 this year.

Other events to consider: Saturday is the last day to take advantage of Free Summer Saturdays at the Corcoran Gallery of Art at 500 17th St., NW. Admission, which normally costs $10, is free on Saturday.

FILED UNDER: Culture, Delightful City, Museums, Chuck Brown, DCentric Picks, Duke Ellington, Go-go, John Philip Sousa, National Symphony Orchestra
August 25, 2011 | 12:14 PM | By

DCentric Picks: King Memorial Dedication Week Events

Elvert Barnes / Flickr

The public began visiting the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial on Monday.

What: A number of events are being held through Sunday in honor of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial dedication. The main dedication ceremony takes place at 11 a.m., Sunday has been postponed to a later date in September or October.

When: Thursday through Sunday.

Cost: Most of the musical events are free, but check the official memorial website to see ticket price information for specific events.

Why you should go: The King memorial is the first on the National Mall honoring an African American, and this week’s events pay tribute to the historic occasion.

“Partners in the Dream,” a public expo with information booths and musical performances, is being held at the Washington Convention Center through Sunday.  Also, the Millennium Stage at the Kennedy Center will host an hour-long musical tribute by gospel performers Maggie Ingram and the Ingramettes, R&B singer Raheem DeVaughn and jazz harmonicist Frédéric Yonnet. The free show takes place at 6 p.m., Friday.

UPDATE: Event organizers have canceled Sunday’s event due to the coming Hurricane Irene. The memorial will be open until noon, Saturday, for public view.

Concerts will also be held on the National Mall before and after Sunday’s dedication, where President Barack Obama will speak. As of now, Sunday’s events will proceed rain or shine, but Hurricane Irene could force organizers to push the schedule back.

FILED UNDER: Around the City, Culture, History, DCentric Picks, Martin Luther King Memorial
August 16, 2011 | 2:00 PM | By

Public Gets Sneak Peek of King Memorial

Brendan Smialowski / Getty Images

A view of the construction site for the new Martin Luther King Memorial on the National Mall.

The dedication of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial on the National Mall is less than two weeks away, but locals can get a preview of the monument ahead of the Aug. 28 dedication.

DCist reports that “D.C. Residents’ Day,” originally only for District residents, is now open for all. Anyone who shows up between 8 a.m. and 10 p.m., Aug. 23 can see the memorial, regardless of their residency.

You can also mark the historic occasion by purchasing a commemorative Metro fare card. The memorial is the first on the Mall to honor an African American.

 

FILED UNDER: Culture, Martin Luther King Jr., Martin Luther King Memorial
August 16, 2011 | 1:05 PM | By

Ethiopian Restaurant Converts to ‘American’ Fare

avry / Flickr

Is Ethiopian food slowly disappearing along U Street?

Ethiopian restaurant Almaz is undergoing a renovation and will reopen in a few weeks with a new menu of “American” fare, reports Prince of Petworth.

The U Street restaurant is joining other Habesha eateries in “Little Ethiopia” that have repositioned themselves in an increasingly difficult market. The recession and the concentration of so many Ethiopian restaurants in such a small area has led other owners to also convert their menus, such as Queen Makeda. Other restaurants are opening their doors to new kinds of clientele and uses, including rock concerts. Almaz itself participated in a recent rock festival that brought country and western music to the U Street restaurant.

 

FILED UNDER: Around the City, Restaurants, Almaz, Little Ethiopia
August 8, 2011 | 2:26 PM | By

Getting Fast Food Restaurants to Serve Better Veggies

Sean Gallup / Getty Images

Living near a grocery store doesn’t mean you’ll have a healthier diet. On the flip side, proximity to fast food joints does affect your eating habits, particularly if you’re low income. So is the fix for unhealthy diets to get rid of fast food restaurants altogether?

Owners of one D.C. restaurant — Amsterdam Falafel, which sells $5.50 falafels — say not necessarily. Instead, they’re organizing a veggie flash mob to encourage fast food restaurants to serve higher quality vegetables. Eater DC reports:

As owner and organizer Arianne Bennett explains, “We walk into a hot dog place or a hamburger place and you smell everything and it smells so good. You should walk into a place where vegetables are being carried and where the place smells absolutely delicious.”

Some fast food restaurants, such as McDonald’s, have answered calls for healthier options by placing salads and other items on menus. Perhaps more people would opt for salads instead of burgers if the vegetables were fresher, locally-grown and still inexpensive.

FILED UNDER: Restaurants, Fast Food, Food, Obesity