DCentric

It’s not raining and the federal government hasn’t shut down yet — it’s a good morning, no? Here are some links to help you start your day:

African American Civil War Museum Moves into Awesome New Building The museum moved from a small space at 1200 U St., NW to a much larger location at 1925 Vermont Ave., NW. “Founding Director (and former Council Member) Frank Smith tells me that by next weekend about 65% of the exhibits would be installed.” (Prince of Petworth)

Today in D.C. History: Rioting Spreads Following MLK’s Assassination A look back at the D.C. riots that left the city in ruins for years to come. “One business that did escape the burnings, however, was the Giant supermarket chain. Joseph Danzansky , Giant’s chairman, had been active in working with emerging African American community organizations (including Pride, led by activist Marion Barry .) Danzansky had allowed Pride’s landscaping business, run by teenagers, to store their equipment at Giant stores. During the riot, Pride’s leadership repaid the favor by dispatching workers to guard Giant stores. While five Safeway locations lay in ruins by April 6, not one Giant had been touched by the violence.” (Washington City Paper)

Eckington – “Best Old House Neighborhoods 2011″ D.C.’s rapidly changing/gentrifying neighborhoods have caught the attention of PBS’ This Old House, which named Eckington one of the best old house neighborhoods in the Northeast, describing it this way: “Originally the province of powerful Victorian-era politicians and business owners, Eckington later became a stronghold of D.C.’s African-American middle class. These days, it’s a magnet for anyone looking to eschew the Beltway ‘burbs and find fixer-uppers and freshly renovated homes in a cool, urban spot just a 10-minute drive from Capitol Hill.” (Eckington)

Audit Finds Irregularities, Mistakes With Kwame Brown’s Campaign Finances More bad news for D.C. Council chairman Kwame Brown (D) in the form of a fully-loaded audit report. (Get it?) “The audit finds a number of irregularities and mistakes from Brown’s 2008 campaign, including more than $100,000 in unreported contributions and $170,000 in unreported expenditures.” (WAMU 88.5)

Achievement gap widening between Asian American students and everyone else Asian-Americans appear to be outpacing their white, black and Hispanic peers in Virginia and Maryland. “But in most states, Asian Americans — sometimes labeled a “model minority” — outperformed all other subpopulations. Some scholars are quick to argue against that label, saying it plays down the diversity, and the challenges, that pervade the subpopulation. ‘In reality, there are significant numbers of Asian American and Pacific Islander students who struggle with poverty, who are English-language learners increasingly likely to leave school with rudimentary language skills, who are at risk of dropping out, joining gangs and remaining on the margins of society,’ said a 2008 report, ‘Facts, Not Fiction: Setting the Record Straight,’ from the National Commission on Asian American and Pacific Islander Research in Education.” (The Washington Post)

Black Advocates Get Brutally Honest in Budget Battle Civil rights leaders aren’t mincing words as a proposal to slash $72 billion in federal spending looms. “‘This is the most dangerous time for black children since slavery,’ said Marian Wright Edelman of the Children’s Defense Fund. “At a time when the needs of the black community, poor people, and our nation’s children should be held in the highest regard, Congress insists on cutting the most important programs that provide these communities the opportunities they need to contribute to the economy.’” (Colorlines)