July 1, 2011 | 7:00 AM | By

Tasty Morning Bytes — Cheap Colleges, Diversity as Code and Notable Job Postings

Race, Class and DCPS A former D.C. Public Schools principal speaking about why he left the system raises even bigger questions over race and class issues in the school system. The word “diversity” is a code word with vastly different meanings, depending on who is using it. (Racialicious)

St. Mary’s College among most expensive; UDC among least If you’re looking for an inexpensive, four-year public university, look no further than University of the District of Columbia. With a yearly tuition of $3,000, UDC is one of the cheapest schools in the country. (WTOP)

Exotic Dancers Among Listings On D.C. Government Sponsored Jobs Site There are all kinds of job listings on D.C.’s government-sponsored job bank, including one calling for a stripper. The nightclub that posted the job has voluntarily taken it down after WAMU first reported the story. (WAMU) Continue reading →

June 30, 2011 | 2:22 PM | By

Feeling Grief Over Displacement

 

karen H. / Flickr

During the 1960s, about 23,000 residents were displaced from Southwest to make room for urban renewal. Old, decaying housing was demolished to make way for new apartments for middle and upper income families, with some public housing units included.

Five years later, researchers asked: what happened to those thousands of poor residents who left? Sociology In My Neighborhood points us to the study, which focused in on 98 families who, unlike the majority of those who were evicted, did receive help relocating. These 98 families reported, five years after they left Southwest, living in housing physically better than where they used to live, but:

For those interviewed, poverty continued… and they then suffered “from another set of problems created by their removal from what was once their homes” because they lost not only their homes but also “a functioning social system.” Some became sick with grief, like that experienced by a death in the family, which was a common reaction to such relocations. Seventy percent of those interviewed had visited SW after redevelopment, and “a significant number..talked about crying and feeling sick” when they visited.

The redevelopment of the 1950s and 1960s was very different than what’s occurring in D.C. today — there is no leveling of entire neighborhoods, which may have contributed to the scale of trauma felt by people displaced by urban renewal decades ago. But D.C. is in flux. Market forces are causing rents and housing prices to increase, and some of those who can’t afford to live here anymore are leaving. Do they feel the same, or differently, as displaced residents felt decades ago?

FILED UNDER: History, The People, Gentrification, Redevelopment, Southwest
June 30, 2011 | 11:49 AM | By

DCentric Picks: Ethiopian Heritage Festival

Karen Bleier / Getty Images

The D.C.-area is home to the largest Ethiopian immigrant community in the U.S.

Looking for an event that relates to race or class in D.C.? DCentric will be regularly posting event listings we believe will be of interest to our readers.  If you have an event you think we should feature, email dcentric@wamu.org.

What: The First Annual Ethiopian Heritage Festival.

When: The weekend-long event starts at 5:30 p.m. on Friday, at 11:30 a.m. on Saturday and at noon on Sunday. Children under 13 are free on all days.

Where: Friday’s events will be held at Georgetown University’s art department building (1221 36th St. NW). Saturday and Sunday events will be at the university’s Multi-Sport Facility (3700 O St. NW).

Cost: Friday is free, Saturday admission is $10 and Sunday admission is $15.

Why you should go: The D.C.-area is home to the nation’s largest Ethiopian community, and this is the Ethiopian Heritage Society’s first festival, so why not be a part of history? Organizers want the event to be a place where “Ethiopians from all different background[s], ethnicity, religions, beliefs, values, and political opinion[s] gather and celebrate our common heritage and home – Ethiopiawent.” The weekend will feature food, music, poetry readings, coffee ceremonies, concerts, a soccer tournament and cultural shows.

Other events to consider: “A.C.T.O.R. (A Continuing Talk On Race)” takes place from 5 to 7 p.m., Sunday at Busboys and Poets (2021 14th St. NW). This installment of the monthly discussion, which seeks to provide a space for honest discussions about race, will focus on “what actions we can take to undo race-based oppression.”

FILED UNDER: Culture, Busboys and Poets, DCentric Picks, Ethiopian Community, Race
June 30, 2011 | 7:00 AM | By

Tasty Morning Bytes — Streetcars, Confederate License Plates and Cutting-Edge Houses

Teams looks to bring cutting-edge house design to low-income families Rather than break down houses at this year’s solar decathlon, one team will be donating their energy efficient houses to two low-income families in Deanwood, chosen by D.C. Habitat for Humanity. (NewsChannel 8 )

Texas is One Vote From Approving Confederate Flag License Texas may soon have a commemorative Confederate flag license plate, despite the controversial history behind the symbol. (The Atlantic Wire)

Goodman league and basketball provide an oasis for residents of D.C.’s Barry Farm The Goodman basketball league, where NBA and local talents play over the summer, serves as a gathering place for residents living in or near Barry Farm in Anacostia. But city plans to reconstruct the dwellings and place housing on the current court will mean games will be moved — not far, officials say. (The Washington Post)

July Fourth Barbecue From America’s Melting Pot The Fourth of July is synonymous with grilling, but our nation of immigrants means Independence Day comes a much more diverse menu than just hamburgers and hot dogs. (NPR)

Ready for D.C. streetcars? It’s going to be a while Streetcars along H Street Northeast and in Anacostia won’t be coming until 2013, a year later than expected. Some new businesses moved along the rapidly gentrifying H Street corridor while banking on the coming streetcars to transport clientele in from other parts of the city.  (WTOP)

June 29, 2011 | 4:44 PM | By

Online Gambling in D.C: Who Will Lose Money?

Bruno Vincent/Getty Images

D.C-sponsored online gambling will begin late this summer, which is intended to boost city coffers. The measure also raises questions over whether the poor will end up losing money through state-sponsored gambling.

Other forms of state-sponsored gambling have drawn ire from those who feel they unfairly target poor people, as was the case in Maryland and its debate over slot machines. The lottery is described by some as a tax on the poor since low-income earners typically spend more of their income on lottery tickets than people in the middle and upper classes.

WAMU’s Patrick Madden reports that D.C. Lottery officials believe online gamblers will have above-average incomes; the intention is to target tourists and amateurs. Gaming would be restricted to $250 stakes, a pot that isn’t appealing to professional poker players. Councilman Jack Evans (Ward 2) said online gaming would make it easier for people to lose their money; the city’s chief financial officer responded that the demographic concerns over who would lose money in online gambling are the same concerns over who loses money in playing the lottery.

There are some stipulations that could prevent people from getting in over their heads. Gamblers wouldn’t be able to use credit cards, only debit cards. Gambling would be restricted to those who are at least 19 years old and physically located in the District through laptops connected to “hot spots.” The exact locations of those hot spots, though, haven’t been determined yet.

FILED UNDER: Government, Class, Online gambling
June 29, 2011 | 1:03 PM | By

Mapping D.C.’s Housing Prices

We know that housing prices in D.C. are on the rise — the District is the only major city that saw an increase in home prices in the past year. But our housing prices haven’t really dropped all that much from the peak of the housing bubble, either.

Real estate website Zillow and Wall Street Journal have mapped the drop in home prices in six major metro areas since the height of the housing bubble. The big takeaway for D.C. is that in nearly all D.C. zip codes, home prices haven’t severely plummeted since the height of the bubble; in some neighborhoods, such as Dupont Circle, they’ve dropped by only 4 percent.

The only zip codes with housing drops below the metro average were in 20024 — which includes the Southwest Waterfront — and 20032, in Ward 8. There is also a huge east-west divide in the region; the suburbs to the east in Prince George’s County experienced the most severe post-bubble drops in areas abutting the District. And those suburbs are home to many residents who left D.C.’s Wards 7 and 8.

Screenshot of Zillow/Wall Street Journal Interactive Maps

Green dots show housing price declines from the peak of the market that are above the metro average; red dots show declines below the metro average.

FILED UNDER: Around the City, Housing, Zillow
June 29, 2011 | 7:00 AM | By

Tasty Morning Bytes — Latinos and HIV, Causes of Gentrification and Interracial Love

The District’s next health calamity: HIV infection among Latino men Although new HIV/AIDS cases are dropping in D.C. as a whole, that’s not the case for Latino men in their 20s; their rate of infection is slowly increasing every year. Some public health workers are trying to encourage Latino men to get tested, but advertising campaigns and outreach efforts have to be adjusted to appeal to different cultural norms. (The Washington Post)

Gentrification a matter of economics, not ethnicity Gentrification in D.C. is a result of economic forces — members of the middle and upper class moving into what were once working class neighborhoods. But debates over neighborhood changes often center more around race than around class. Despite the reasons for gentrification, though, there is a fundamental reality in D.C. that makes it more complicated than just a matter of class — the majority of those living below the poverty line are black, and the majority of the city’s wealthy are white. (Greater Greater Washington)

Continue reading →

June 28, 2011 | 11:47 AM | By

D.C. to Hire 4,000 More Youth for Summer Jobs

Courtesy of D.C. Commission on the Arts and Humanities

Youth work on a mural project in Anacostia during last year's D.C. Summer Employment Program.

Here’s some good news for District youth: nearly half of the jobs cut from the city’s summer employment program have now been restored.

City agencies, youth advocates and parents had been bracing for a summer with fewer structured activities for teens — budget cuts meant that the summer jobs program had to be scaled back by 8,000 jobs. But Mayor Vincent Gray announced Monday the city has found additional money and that 4,000 more teens can now get summer jobs, the Washington Post reports.  The extra money comes from revised revenue estimates, thanks to an improving economy. The program began Monday:

For the first time, applicants were asked to indicate their interests and employers were allowed to interview and screen applicants.

The first day of work on Monday appeared to run more smoothly than in recent years. Officials said only a few mix-ups were reported — such as participants arriving before their supervisors or requesting to be reassigned — but nothing unexpected.

The Department of Employment Services has a hotline to field calls, but the agency was mostly occupied with finding new placements for all the youths coming off the wait list. A department spokesman said the jobs would be found this week and participants would start July 5.

Last year, 20,000 youth had summer jobs. The program employs District residents ages 14 through 21 to earn minimum wage while working for local government and businesses.

FILED UNDER: Around the City, Jobs, Youth
June 28, 2011 | 9:37 AM | By

Tasty Morning Bytes — Cheaper Houses, Immigrant Journalists and Saying ‘That’s Racist!’

New limits on mortgage size likely to affect high-end home prices in D.C. area The government will stop backing loans of $625,000 or more starting this fall. One result: housing prices in D.C.’s most expensive neighborhoods and suburbs will drop. (The Washington Post)

What if we are part of the voiceless community? Veteran journalist Robert Hernandez laments Jose Antonio Vargas’ journalist credibility coming into question given he lied about his immigration status for so long. Hernandez contends that not all journalists come clean about their backgrounds and that journalists can be members of the the communities they cover. “Our job is to give voice to the voiceless… but what happens if we are part of the voiceless community?” (Online Journalism Review)

‘That’s Racist!’ How A Serious Accusation Became A Commonplace Quip Saying “that’s racist!” is now an ironic statement, used by some to poke fun at those perceived to be overly sensitive to issues dealing with race. But the statement still has power, to which the members of the band Das Racist can attest. (NPR)

Laogai Museum in D.C. focuses on human rights abuses in China Harry Wu, a D.C.-based human rights activist who spent years in Chinese labor camps, opened a Dupont Circle museum to highlight abuses in China. Exhibits document life in labor camps and make connections between prisoners and the every day items they make. (The Washington Post)

Future of D.C. development will be in Ward 8, Gray says Mayor Vincent Gray gave a speech on the state of the District economy, saying that much of the city’s most ambitious development will be located in Ward 8. He cited retail, housing, commercial and school projects. (Washington Times)

June 27, 2011 | 5:26 PM | By

Report: Hispanics Most Likely to Use E-Readers

Flickr: Sean MacEntee

Hispanics are adopting tablet devices, such as the iPad, at faster rates than whites and blacks.

Hispanic adults are more likely to own e-readers and tablets than whites and blacks, according to a new Pew Center report.

The demographic shift in this growing segment of technology consumers happened in the past six months. Back in November 2010, 6 percent of whites and 5 percent of Hispanics owned e-readers. In May 2011, 11 percent of whites and 15 percent of Hispanics owned e-readers. The margin is even larger for tablets.

Those numbers may not be entirely surprising for those monitoring demographic trends in the technology world. Blacks and Latinos are more likely to get involved using social media, and minority groups have been very active at using smartphones and taking advantage of the full range of what they offer. But despite such gains, there is still a digital divide – in nearly all-black large swaths of D.C., for instance, high-speed Internet connectivity is below 40 percent.

FILED UNDER: Media, The People, Digital Divide, e-reader, iPad, Race