DCentric

Good morning, DCentric readers!

Michelle Obama Shops At Washington-Area Target “She spent 30 to 40 minutes shopping, pushing her own cart. She apparently was recognized only by the cashier who rang up her purchases. Since coming to the White House, Mrs. Obama has lamented missing out on what she calls ‘normal stuff,’ like Target runs.” (WUSA 9)

What Happened When I Tried To Buy A Cupcake On The Saint E’s Campus “Today, standing outside of the gates looking in, being humiliated by a security officer that made me feel as if I should have known better, I was made to feel like less than a person, less than a tax payer, less than a resident of the District of Columbia. It didn’t matter that I literally lived up the street, the message was clear: this was not for me and my Ward 8 neighbors. We could look but not touch.” (Congress Heights on the Rise)

Obama’s unfortunate remarks on people’s misfortunes “Things turned ugly for me when Obama, in closing, said: ‘I don’t have time to feel sorry for myself. I don’t have time to complain.’ Whether Obama was referring directly to black leaders or indirectly to their financially stressed and frustrated constituents, his point was unnecessary. The people I hear from and personally counsel aren’t sitting around in bedroom slippers grumbling. They don’t have time nor can they afford to just complain. They’re trying desperately to make ends meet.” (Washington Post)

Re-creating the Tuskegee experiment? “Is the District preparing to conduct its own Tuskegee experiment? The synopsis: D.C. Council member David A. Catania is pushing legislation that would mandate mental and behavioral analyses of youths as young as 3, and city schools Chancellor Kaya Henderson testified Tuesday that she has bought into his misguided proposal.” (Washington Times)

Adrian Fenty, Former D.C. Mayor, Has No Regrets One Year Out Of Office “The 2010 vote was seen by many as a referendum on Rhee, his polarizing schools chief, and also as evidence of the widening gap in priorities between long-time, mostly black residents and the district’s gentrifiers. Fenty handily won predominantly white districts, while decisively losing black ones. ‘The election got very emotional,” he said. “It was not, at the end, a discussion that was about performance and results.’” (Huffington Post)

Marion Barry’s free turkeys come with strings attached “Parents of school-age children, for instance, will need to attend parent-teacher conferences and PTA meetings in the weeks leading up to the holiday. Other residents will have to prove they’re registered to vote and attend community meetings. Says a flier: “’Together, we can transform the Ward for you, your family and your neighborhood.’” (The Washington Post)