May 4, 2011 | 2:04 PM | By

Bin Laden and Geronimo: What Makes an American Enemy?

Hulton Archive/Getty Images

Apache leader Geronimo

Osama bin Laden’s U.S. militarily code name was Geronimo, who was a 19th-century Apache leader. The Washington Post reports:

In a triumphant moment for the United States, the moniker has left a sour taste among many Native Americans.

“I was celebrating that we had gotten this guy and feeling so much a part of America,” Tom Holm, a former Marine, a member of the Creek/Cherokee Nations and a retired professor of American Indian studies at the University of Arizona, said by phone Tuesday. “And then this ‘Geronimo EKIA’ thing comes up. I just said, ‘Why pick on us?’ Robert E. Lee killed more Americans than Geronimo ever did, and Hitler would seem to be evil personified, but the code name for bin Laden is Geronimo?”

Geronimo fought neighboring Mexicans and spent 10 years eluding U.S. troops as he revolted against white settlement in Apache territory. He is considered a hero by many Native Americans. So is it appropriate to equate this Native American figure with America’s number one enemy? Holm’s comments are even more poignant given the over-representation of Native Americans in the military; in 2007, they made up .73 percent of the U.S. population but 2.86 percent of the new recruits.

Continue reading →

FILED UNDER: History, Geronimo, Osama bin Laden, Racial slurs, Redskins
May 4, 2011 | 12:50 PM | By

Prince Charles Visits D.C. Urban Farm — Next Time, Also Do ‘The Dougie?’

Just days after the royal wedding, England’s Prince Charles visited D.C.’s largest urban farm.

Prince Charles, a sustainable agriculture advocate, visited Ledroit Park’s Common Good City Farm Tuesday as part of his D.C. trip. WAMU’s Courtney Collins reports that:

Common Good City Farm is a farm and education center that grows food for low-income Washington D.C. residents and encourages members of the community to volunteer.

Amanda Formica works at the farm every Tuesday and thinks Prince Charles is a fitting ambassador for sustainability.

“England is way ahead of the U.S. as far as its commitment to sustainability and global warming and creating green spaces,” says Formica.

Courtesy of: Courtney Collins

Prince Charles took time out of his farm tour to visit with community members standing outside the wooden fence.

Urban farming is cropping up throughout the city; just last month non-profit Bread for the City began work on “the largest” rooftop vegetable garden in the District.

Are these efforts the answer to D.C.’s food deserts? The mission behind most of them is to educate people on sustainable food and healthy eating, quite important points to make, but they can’t literally feed everyone in a food desert. Rather, advocates say such efforts help foster a more accessible conversation around these topics. Bread for the City communications development associate Greg Bloom has said about his group’s garden that:

All too often the question of food sustainability and environmental sustainability, it’s actually a really elitist conversation in that the people who are talking about it are the ones with the resources to experiment and buy high-end produce. We don’t think it has to be that way…. And it’s important for us to create at least one space for that.

Common Good City Farm is another space for that, as well.

As we noted before, there are exercise deserts in D.C., too. So although Prince Charles highlighting sustainable agriculture is important, perhaps next time he can also encourage exercise — may we suggest replicating First Lady Michelle Obama leading middle schoolers in doing “The Dougie?”

FILED UNDER: Delightful City, The People, Bread for the City, Common Good City Farm, Food Deserts, Ledroit Park, Urban farms
May 4, 2011 | 10:30 AM | By

Osama bin Laden is Dead: D.C’s South Asian Muslims React

Flickr: Chris.M.G.

Locals celebrate in front of the White House, Sunday night.

Afshan Khoja, a Muslim of Pakistani descent who lives in the DC area, was in tears after President Obama announced the death of Osama bin Laden.

“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 →

FILED UNDER: History, Immigrants, Islam, Race and Ethnicity
May 4, 2011 | 8:47 AM | By

Tasty Morning Bytes – A Fake MLK Quote, Looking at DYRS Leaders and Defining Latinos

Good morning, DCentric readers! Enjoy some links with your morning coffee:

African American church is first in D.C. to be powered by solar energy “Florida Avenue Baptist’s installation of 44 solar panels was hailed at a ribbon-cutting Tuesday by Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lisa P. Jackson and other government officials as a breakthrough in the black community, where the clean-energy divide mirrors its well-known high-tech digital divide with the white community.” (The Washington Post)

Fake MLK Quote Goes Viral “‘I mourn the loss of thousands of precious lives, but I will not rejoice in the death of one, not even an enemy.” That 23 words, attributed to Martin Luther King, Jr. were yesterday’s Twitter mantra for those of the view that exuberant and partying in the streets in response to a death (any death, even Osama Bin Laden’s) was morally wrong, creepy, or otherwise problematic….The problem, as Megan McArdle also pointed out in The Atlantic, was that Martin Luther King never said it. Or anything even close.” (The Root)

Council members to examine DYRS leadership “Experience at the top of the agency and widespread perceptions of an overly therapeutic philosophy shared by Mr. Stanley’s top advisers figure to be the topic of questions on Thursday by Ward 1 council member Jim Graham, who has expressed doubts that DYRS has struck a proper balance between rehabilitation and detention.” (Washington Times)
Continue reading →

May 3, 2011 | 4:48 PM | By

Mapping D.C.’s Food Deserts

The U.S. Department of Agriculture released its online food desert locator this week, and a look at D.C. highlights some grim realities that we know all too well about.

The data explores food deserts (low-income areas with poor access to grocery stores) by Census tracts, which are geographic areas. About 18,000 D.C. residents live in food deserts, where there are also high concentrations of children. In one such food desert, 39 percent of residents are children. And although Prince George’s County (D.C.’s Ward 9?) has more food deserts, D.C.’s deserts have higher concentrations of children. In fact, only two food desert Census tracts in all of Maryland and Virginia have higher concentrations of children than any of  D.C.’s food deserts: Norfolk, Va. and Anne Arundel, Md.

USDA

The pink areas are food deserts. In D.C., they are all located in Wards 5, 7 and 8.

But this map doesn’t tell the full story, as food is just one piece in the health puzzle. Kavitha Cardoza explained to my fellow DCentric blogger Anna John that the District also has exercise deserts. Violence and the perception of violence creates environments in which children and adults are less likely to go outside, walk, bike and generally be active.

Take a look at the food deserts from all of D.C., Maryland and Virginia here:

Continue reading →

FILED UNDER: The People, Childhood obesity, Food Deserts, Kavitha Cardoza, USDA
May 3, 2011 | 12:13 PM | By

Is D.C.’s Rent ‘Too Damn High?’

Flickr: Claire Schmitt

The National Low Income Housing Coalition recently ranked the most expensive metro areas and states for renters, and where D.C. falls in the mix may surprise you. When comparing metro areas [PDF], D.C. doesn’t even crack the top 10 — but it’s not far behind.

The rankings were made by determining what a household would have to earn per hour in order to pay for a fair market, two-bedroom apartment (if only 30 percent of the income went to housing). Coming in at number 10 is California’s Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, with a housing wage of $29.37. In D.C., it’s $28.10.

D.C. does rank as the second-most expensive place to live when looking at the states’ rankings [PDF], but it’s an apples-and-oranges comparison. Take Maryland, for instance, which ranks as fourth most-expensive state for renters. It’s much cheaper to rent in parts of Maryland that are far away from D.C. and Baltimore, which helps to lower the housing wage ranking for the entire state.

But even though the District isn’t the most expensive place for renters, it’s certainly far from being affordable for the majority of the population here; 68 percent of D.C. renters (55 percent of the total population) don’t make enough money to be able to afford the rents in town. If you make minimum wage, you’d have to work 136 hours a week to pay the fair market value for a two-bedroom apartment, which is $1,461. The situation continues to look bleak for those wanting an increase in affordable housing — Mayor Vincent Gray’s proposed budget leaves little money for initiatives such as affordable housing construction and renovation.

Continue reading →

FILED UNDER: Around the City, Housing, National Low Income Housing Coalition
May 3, 2011 | 10:01 AM | By

Kavitha Cardoza on “The Heavy Burden Of Childhood Obesity”

Credit: Kavitha Cardoza

A student at Beers Elementary in Southeast enjoys Salad and Strawberry day.

First lady Michelle Obama started her “Let’s Move” campaign in part because people under the age of 25 are the first generation of Americans who are expected to live shorter lives than their parents, due to diet-related health issues. Last week, in a five-part series called, “The Heavy Burden Of Childhood Obesity” WAMU’s Kavitha Cardoza and Ginger Moored interviewed overweight children, their families and the doctors who are trying to help. I spoke to Kavitha to find out more about how race and class complicate the already challenging task of addressing obesity in some of D.C.’s youngest citizens.

Kavitha, you mentioned a clinic where the patients include a child who can’t bite a carrot because her teeth have rotted from her diet.

That’s an issue. One of the doctors told us they keep telling kids to eat more fruits and vegetables, yet this girl can’t eat carrots because her teeth have rotted and it hurts her. So some of these kids just can’t. It’s really hard for families. There was a 3-year waiting period for one obesity clinic. Meanwhile, a boy is putting on 4 lbs a month, can you imagine what a three year waiting period would mean? Three years x 4 lbs a month, think of how bad his problems will be.

Tell me about the family that did have access to a clinic; they saw a doctor who spent an unusual amount of time with them, right?

The doctor patiently spent 90 minutes with that family, trying to teach them about nutrition…they hadn’t even left her office and they were opening up and eating food. They’re just little children, of course if they see an Oreo, they want to eat it. And there was so much going on during that appointment…the Mom was braiding her kids hair, two little boys were playing, there were babies. After, the Doctor said, “You know, I have relatives who are obese. In my practice, I see single-parent, low-income families like the one I came from. A lot of people give up on families like that and I never want these families to feel like I’ve given up on them.”

What was the purpose of that visit, specifically?

At that appointment, the doctor was trying to explain nutrition labels. She told them not to worry about saturated and unsaturated fats at this point, because it’s too complicated. She said during the last visit, she explained calories. This time it was grams of sugar. She thinks they will get to a point where they do talk about fat. But it’s not just them–many of us are unaware of how unhealthy what we eat can be…5 grams is one spoon of sugar? I certainly didn’t know that. I grew up in an urban city, in Bangalore. Ginger, my producer, grew up on a farm in Virginia, and our connections to food are very different. She eats fruit and I eat chips and chocolate. I felt like a living test case. I’m not overweight, so it didn’t occur to me, how bad some foods can be.

In one story, you met a child who often has to be excused from class to go to the bathroom because his weight is putting pressure on his bladder– so obesity is now affecting that child’s school work, too. I thought, “What is he missing when he’s out of the room?”

He’s definitely missing things. Also, of all the things to be mocked for at that age…going to the bathroom? Anything related to bodily functions is hilarious to these children and this kid is going to the bathroom multiple times during the day.
Continue reading →

FILED UNDER: The People, Children, Food, Privilege, Public Health, Race and Class
May 3, 2011 | 8:42 AM | By

Tasty Morning Bytes – Code of the Streets, Identifying DYRS Escapees and Prince Charles in D.C.

Good morning, DCentric readers! Here are the five links we’re reading, now:

Courtland Milloy: What does bin Laden’s slaying teach kids? “Out in the District’s feuding neighborhoods, a world away from the revelry around the White House, the killing of Osama bin Laden has simply reaffirmed the code of the streets — especially the principle of an eye for an eye. “You get on the wrong side of the wrong people, you reap what you sow,” a youngster from the Woodland Terrace housing complex in Southeast told me… The difference is that while the United States celebrates taking revenge against its enemies, the gunslinger in the ’hood is condemned for doing the same.” (The Washington Post)

Leckie Elementary Remembers Losses from 9/11 “Many people directly touched by the September 11 tragedy are reacting to the death of Osama Bin Laden. They include students from Leckie Elementary School in Southwest D.C. Even though they are too young to remember the attacks; they are forever linked to the tragedy. The school lost a teacher and a student when a plane carrying 64 people crashed into the Pentagon.” (myfoxdc.com)

Graham bill would ID young escapees “In response to two highly publicized escapes, a D.C. Council member who oversees the Department of Youth Rehabilitation Services wants to speed up the release of pertinent information to the public when a young offender flees from custody…Mr. Graham will introduce a resolution Tuesday that would allow DYRS to release a photograph and “other relevant information determined by the agency as additional tools to quickly and safely apprehend a juvenile escapee” instead of waiting for a court order.” (Washington Times)
Continue reading →

May 2, 2011 | 11:00 AM | By

Changing D.C: Shaw Highlighted

The Shaw neighborhood gave birth to Black Broadway said Rebecca Sheir in her exploration of Shaw’s past as a hub of black culture and history on Metro Connection. Sheir spoke with Alex Padro, an Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner, who said:

The neighborhood from its earliest days was very strongly African-American, as a result of a number of Union army camps that were located here to accommodate what were called “contraband,” or escaped slaves, or former slaves that had managed to make their way to the District of Columbia.

… We had schools, churches, hospitals, a university, all established and constructed in close proximity to be able to serve that large African-American population.

Courtesy of: Rebecca Sheir

This historic building in Shaw is among many that are being renovated and reconstructed in the neighborhood.

Listen to the entire segment, as Padro and others explain what happened to Shaw after housing laws changed, the 1968 riots and the new convention center was built where parking lots and dilapidated buildings once sat. In the latest Census, the U Street corridor reported no longer having a majority black population, and Shaw now has a number of luxury housing options.

Now add this to the mix: a major development at 9th and O Streets, NW just cleared a major hurdle. The Department of Housing and Urban Development recently approved a $117 million loan for CityMarket at O, a major retail and housing project featuring a Giant, luxury and market rate housing and a Wolfgang Puck restaurant.

How much more will Shaw change?

FILED UNDER: Around the City, History, Development, Metro Connection, Shaw
May 2, 2011 | 8:57 AM | By

Tasty Morning Bytes – D.C. is Rich, Anacostia School Garden Vandalized and Attacking the President

Good morning, DCentric readers! Treat your case of the Mondays with some hot links:

A little luxury for all “I mean look at this coat, the detailing, the cut, the style,” she said, modeling the $548 gold trench she bought a week ago, while ogling a $900 satchel bag. Linton is exactly the kind of customer Elie Tahari knew he’d find in the Washington area: one with discerning tastes, definite style and disposable income…The region’s resilient and diverse economy has attracted a stream of young professionals with edgier tastes in fashion, restaurants and entertainment. Not all of these folks are game to drop $200 on a button-down shirt, but enough are to make this area fertile ground for a new class of luxury retailer.” (The Washington Post)

Coming Out: Not as Simple as Black and White “With respect to Ms. Maddow, it’s much easier for a white lesbian to adhere to this virtue than her darker gay brethren. As a highly educated, successful white woman, she is afforded certain privileges that many gays of color still are not. Not to mention, being gay is often a bigger taboo within the black community than the white. And while she has certainly had to contend with her own battles with heteronormativity, it might not be to the same extent as, say, her black male counterparts have to deal with.” (The Root)

Malcolm X Elementary School’s Community Garden Vandalized Students at the Anacostia public school have started replanting, need donations: “It made me feel sad because we weren’t able to keep the garden,” said Lenea Johnson, who is 9. Many of the kids came by during Spring Break to water the plants. By the end of the week, the plants had been pulled and thrown in the trash. “I’m not surprised because things go on in this neighborhood, vandalizing and stuff like that,” said 11-year-old Tyuana Turner. (WUSA Washington, DC)
Continue reading →