DCentric

Good morning, DCentric readers! Ready for some links?

America Is Not Post-Racial Yet “In measured tones, my cousin explained that the flowers were for her oldest daughter. Classmates had given them to her after an older white man spat on her and called her a nigger as she ran cross-country practice. The family filed a police report, but the man was gone. My cousin’s daughter is 13.” (The Root)

Virginia 4th-grade textbook criticized over claims on black Confederate soldiers “The issues first came to light after College of William & Mary historian Carol Sheriff opened her daughter’s copy of “Our Virginia” and saw the reference to black Confederate soldiers. “It’s disconcerting that the next generation is being taught history based on an unfounded claim instead of accepted scholarship,” Sheriff said. “It concerns me not just as a professional historian but as a parent.” (The Washington Post)

Somber scene at vigil outside DC9 “Mohammed is an American born in Ethiopia, and in addition to family and friends of Mohammed, members of the Ethiopian community came out in large numbers to the vigil. Some carried signs, others lit candles, and many cried as they listened to emotional speeches. “My son was not a violent man, and he did not deserve to die as he did,” says Ahmed Galtchu, Mohammed’s father. “We have faith in the American system of justice and we know that the truth will come very soon…” (wtop.com)

D.C. Council seeks to name young, violent criminals “The bill was introduced to address a series of high-profile crimes that were allegedly committed by wards of the city’s juvenile justice agency who had violent pasts. Communities informed of violent offenders in their midst could better protect themselves while also holding city officials accountable, the bill’s architects say. Critics, however, say the bill could make it hard for young, one-time offenders to get jobs or go to college while shedding little light on city agencies.” (Washington Examiner )

Wealth Matters – Studying the Elite, Whether They Like It or Not “As several of the scholars acknowledged, there has traditionally been some unease in talking about the elite, let alone researching them. “When we study the poor, it’s relatively easy,” said Sudhir Venkatesh, a professor of sociology at Columbia and the author of “Gang Leader for a Day” (Penguin Press, 2008). “The poor don’t have the power to say no. Elites don’t grant us interviews. They don’t let us hang out at their country clubs.” (The New York Times)