DCentric

Good morning, DCentric readers! Some links, for your morning coffee break:

As Furin’s bakery closes after 27 years, Georgetown retail faces identity crisis “At the turn of the 20th century, Georgetown was what Billy Martin, the third-generation owner of Martin’s Tavern on Wisconsin at N Street and a Georgetown history buff, described as a ‘very blue-collar neighborhood’…What many people don’t know is in the early 1900s, it was primarily African American. It had a seaport and a coal facility,’ said Martin, as well as a lumber yard, a cement plant, a flour mill, a textile mill, a paper factory, a power plant and a garbage incinerator.” (The Washington Post)

Brand Degradation Over at The Atlantic, Ta-Nehisi Coates takes on popular mall retailer Abercrombie and Fitch’s decision to pay a Jersey Shore star NOT to wear the brand’s clothing, because it is damaging their image: “It’s an interesting class conflict. These guys create an aspirational brand, and people who are “aspiring”–in all kinds of ways–flock to it.” (The Atlantic)

DCCK to deliver produce to D.C. food deserts “The Healthy Corners pilot program will target bodegas and retailers in those D.C. neighborhoods that have been designated food deserts by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.” Bodegas will get regrigeration units and either low- or no-cost fruits and veggies. Some of the produce will be local, whenever possible (Apples, yes. Bananas? No.) There will even be recipe cards with cooking tips! (The Washington Post)

Journalists value precise language, except when it comes to describing ‘minorities’ Poynter’s Roy Peter Clark on the word “colored” and the need for appropriate words to describe changing demographics: “The term ‘colored’ was used for a long time to designate African Americans until it was deemed offensive. And it only really referred to ‘black’ people,” Clark said. “Now we have ‘persons of color,’ which seems to be a synonym for non-white. As the population changes, a term like ‘person of color’ rather than ‘minority’ might be more appropriate.” (poynter.org)

Beating the Odds: First-Generation College Students Prepare for Freshman Year Kevin Sanchez is 17 and will be attending USC. What made him want to go to college? “My mom always encouraged me to dedicate myself to my studies and I tried to, but halfway through high school I decided I wanted to be president of the United States. Admittedly it’s stupidly ambitious, but it gave me something to work towards.”(GOOD)

The TSA Is Profiling Your Hair “According to Gawker readers—who are quicker to complain than perhaps any other group on earth—the TSA profiles bushy thick long crazy hair, but not race per se. A heartening anecdotal answer to an disturbing anecdotal question!” (gawker.com)