D.C. is tied with Seoul, South Korea, as the 10th most economically powerful city in the world, according to the Atlantic Cities’ global economic power index. The District has a $218 billion economic output, but as we know, not everyone is benefiting from the city’s robust economy — unemployment rates are higher than 20 percent in some wards.
Coptic Christians torn over Egypt’s future “Over the past 30 years, the area’s Copts — a proud but insular group of about 3,000 Orthodox Christian immigrants from Egypt — have worked hard, educating their children, building quiet, mostly suburban lives, and establishing a solid niche in government and professional work. Close-knit and church-centered, they have clung to an ancient faith and bewailed the suffering of family and friends back in Egypt, where Copts have long been a harassed minority in a nation that is 95 percent Muslim.” (The Washington Post)
Close Read: Are We Poor? “And who are the poor? Disproportionately, they are children: twenty-two per cent of American children live below the poverty line. Does having children make parents poor? Would the balance be different, though the children no less deprived, if Social Security really were dismantled, and their grandparents were poor, too? Those are interesting questions, and there are many more—including the large one of what and who we hope these children will become—but first we have to recognize that we are dealing with a slow-moving crisis that will take a generation to unfold.” (The New Yorker)
Poverty Rate Hits New High As Racial Inequality Deepens Article has infographs, too: “Last year, over 46 million people lived in poverty nationwide…one if five children in the U.S. is living in poverty; many of those are kids of color and the children of immigrants. What’s clear is that racial inequality is deepening at a time when meaningful political discourse on Capitol Hill has all but vanished.” (colorlines.com)
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Writer and cable pundit Touré, whose new book Who’s Afraid of Post-Blackness? is out now, shares an excerpt from it on Atlantic.com. It’s a sampling of interviews he did about race with prominent black Americans ranging from cartoonist Aaron McGruder to activist Jesse Jackson. One exchange stood out:
The latest census numbers show that Americans in the bottom 40 percent income bracket control less wealth than they did a year ago.
Anacostia is a predominately African American area east of the river. But it wasn’t always that way.
The two neighborhoods that make up Anacostia’s historic core are Uniontown, which was home to white Navy Yard workers, and Hillsdale, an all black neighborhood where newly freed slaves settled and eventually became quite well-to-do. Over time, white flight, urban blight and desegregation changed the face of Anacostia.
The fascinating history of Anacostia was featured on Thursday’s Kojo Nnamndi Show (listen to the entire segment here). Guests such as Dianne Dale, who authored a book on the community’s history, spoke about the importance of preserving her neighborhood’s past. Check out this video in which she talks about how it was like growing up in Anacostia:
Gray urges hiring of D.C. unemployed “D.C. Mayor Vincent C. Gray implored major universities and other area employers Thursday to fill their job vacancies with unemployed city residents as part of the District’s nascent ‘One City-One Hire’ program. ‘We are asking you to help us fill vacancies,’ said Mr. Gray, a Democrat. ‘We’re not asking you to create jobs. We’re not asking you for a handout. We’re not asking you for charity.’” (Washington Times)
Redskins roll out Hispanic version of fight song “The Washington Redskins’ beloved fight song, “Hail to the Redskins,” will be replaced on Sunday by a Spanish-language version of the song. ‘Viva Los Redskins,’ written and produced by three fans, will be introduced during the Redskins’ game against the Arizona Cardinals as part of Redskins Hispanic Heritage Week. The new fight song is a loosely translated, upbeat Hispanic version of the original tune written by Corinne Griffith, the wife of former Redskins owner George Preston Marshall.” (Washington Examiner )
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Do black politicians face greater scrutiny from the public while getting a free pass from some segments of the black community? Bill Lightfoot — a “squeaky clean” former D.C. councilman — spoke with The Georgetown Dish about the role race plays some of the District’s current ethics scandals:
We have allegations that Councilmember Evans, white, has misused his constituent services funds. We have allegations that Councilmember Jim Graham, who is white from Ward 1, was aware that a staffmember attempted to bribe him but did not report the bribe and he did not punish the staffmember. That would certainly seem to implicate certain ethical rules that are in the existing law. We have allegations that Harry Thomas stole money from the DC Government and has now had to repay it and he’s a Black from Ward 5. There were allegations that Yvette Alexander, from Ward 7, a Black councilmember, misused constituent services funds; allegations that Michael Brown, has been engaged in a conflict of interest in the manner and methods he used to pass online gambling and its relationship to clients he may have lobbied for in his law firm and he’s Black.
… Not one black councilmember has called for the resignation of Harry Thomas. Not that they don’t condemn his actions, but I think there is a concern, and that is the complex part about these ethical violations, there is a concern in some segments of the Black community in this town to call for the removal of Black politicians will further the gentrification of the city. And as we all know that is a complex issue with emotions on both sides.
Gentrification is certainly is a complex issue, and adding to that is the feeling that these black politicians have been treated unevenly by the public and media alike. Lightfoot goes on to say that there has been virtually no enforcement of ethics rules and that the only Alexander and Thomas, who are black, have been investigated.
However, The Washington Post‘s Mike DeBonis writes that there is some difference in these supposed ethical violations:
The tricky issue here, though, is that not all of these alleged misdeeds are equally serious, to my mind. The Thomas allegations, in particular, stand apart from the others, not only in the seriousness of the alleged wrongdoing but in terms of the credibility and evidence of the allegations.
Do you feel that some of the city’s white leaders haven’t been scrutinized as much as black leaders? Post your thoughts below.
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.
Currently, residents east of the Anacostia River have to travel across the river or into Prince George’s County to see movies.
D.C.’s H Street friendly to deaf community “Shortly after it opened, the H Street Country Club bar switched from black napkins to white. It seems like a small change, but it has had a big impact for one group of customers. ‘We recognize the majority of the people in our bar are hearing-impaired,’ said owner Ricardo Vergara…And the napkin color? Deaf customers now have a simple way of communicating their orders by writing them on the white paper.” (Washington Times)
Study dismisses poverty, but try telling that to the poor “As the Heritage researchers see it, however, that sense of deprivation is not the same as poverty, nor is it even widespread. ‘Poor families certainly struggle to make ends meet, but in most cases, they are struggling to pay for air conditioning and the cable TV bill as well as to put food on the table.’ So fret not, poor folks. To join, or rejoin, the middle class, apparently all you have to do is drop Comcast or Fios and turn off the thermostat.” (The Washington Post)
Delayed MLK Dedication Could Draw Smaller Crowd “The King Memorial foundation has applied for a permit to accommodate 50,000 people on Oct. 16. Organizers had expected 250,000 attendees for the dedication’s initial date of Aug. 28, but Hurricane Irene forced a delay.” (myfoxdc.com)
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