DCentric

Good morning, DCentric readers! We sure are happy to see you, again.

Taking to roads to find Martin Luther King’s legacy “It started as a series of high school road trips, chances to venture out of the District with the loose intention of picking apart a well-worn Chris Rock joke about the violence on streets named after the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. “Eight teenagers from five D.C. high schools crisscrossed the country with two mentors and video cameras, visiting more than a dozen “MLK streets.” Their driving tours in 2008 coincided with the presidential campaign of Barack Obama, putting the students between a history they barely knew and history in the making.” (The Washington Post)

History of King holiday all but forgotten 25 years later “Monday, January 17 marks the 25th anniversary of the Martin Luther King Day national holiday. President Obama and other administration officials have picked up on the call made repeatedly by the King family and civil rights and social service organizations for the day to be not just about celebration, pageantry, and parades, but a day of service…Polls show that a majority of Americans as individuals plan to observe the King holiday in some way. However, the King holiday is still not the universally observed federal holiday that it could or should be.” (thegrio.com)

D.C. area and Dixie drifting farther and farther apart “The region’s Southern accent is also becoming measurably less pronounced, linguists say. The Confederate flag doesn’t fly much in these parts anymore. Korean barbecue has taken its place alongside the Southern pit-cooked variety in many neighborhoods, and the “sweet tea line” that once stretched across Virginia has gotten blurry…the Washington area’s “Southernness” has fallen into steep decline, part of a trend away from strongly held regional identities. In the 150th anniversary year of the start of the Civil War, the region at the heart of the conflict has little left of its historic bond with Dixie.” (The Washington Post)

Barry to get purview on ex-felons and other ‘natural constituencies’ “The 74-year-old lawmaker likely will lead the Committee on Aging and Community Affairs, where he will have the ability to move a bill to amend the city’s human rights laws to open up employment doors and educational and housing opportunities to persons returning from prison or jail…The measure reaches beyond the scope of the D.C. “Ban the Box” movement, which seeks to eliminate the check box that asks job applicants whether they have been convicted of a crime.” Mr. Barry already has introduced an ex-felons bill and says his legislative plate is full, but doesn’t “runneth over.” (Washington Times)

D.C.’s Burgeoning PCP Problem? “Though in the District, PCP isn’t as prevalent as crack, a 2010 Metropolitan Police Department intelligence report obtained from a police source says use of the drug is increasing…”street distributors” peddle the drug in or around public housing complexes and residential housing areas…”Most street sellers possess either one ounce or a half ounce clear glass bottle containing the liquid PCP,” the report says. “The buyer will produce their own cigarette to the seller.” Sellers then dip the buyers’ cigarettes in the drug. Newport is the most popular cigarette used for the “dipper,” the report says. The doused cigarettes costs about $25…” (Washington City Paper)

President Honors MLK By Volunteering at D.C. School “President Barack Obama honored the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. on Monday by participating in a painting project at a school on Capitol Hill. On the federal holiday named for the slain civil rights leader, Obama brought his family to Stuart Hobson Middle School, where he and first lady Michelle Obama helped paint apple characters on pillars in the lunchroom to encourage healthier eating. Obama said King’s legacy is also about service and urged Americans to get out into their communities on Monday…” (WUSA Washington, DC)