A Washington Note

From the "Why I Teach" Files

2011-10-21T21:06:00.004-04:00

OK, I asked and my student answered.

Question: What new skills or insights have you learned so far this semester?

Answer: "To be more relaxed when I write; to write a thesis, and
that not all English teachers are A-holes."

Yes, she actually turned it in.

Add this to another "Why I Teach" favorite: "Professor, you're giving us information overload!"

P.S. And speaking of information overload, while I'm at it: "Why don't we know these things?" "Why doesn't anybody tell us?" These are questions from an outraged student, an Eastern European immigrant, after I showed a documentary, "Out of Obsurity," about a little-known 1939 library "sit-in" when five young black men in Alexandria, Virginia protested their inability to get library cards and use the new "white" library that ALL Alexandria taxpapers funded, simply because of the color of their skin.
Remember, this outraged student is of the generation that was taught how to pass standardized tests; not any standard or useful content.

Spring Forward w/ "Special Seminary" Love

2011-04-18T14:15:00.006-04:00

Wow! Can't believe it's been almost a year since I posted a comment. Got to spring forward! If this year has taught me anything, it's the value of friends, family and community. You just can't spend enough time with the folks you love. I'm not saying that just because I lost a dear friend, Lydia Lively, this year, but I've spent a great deal of time on a labor of love -- the fight to restore and preserver our precious Ft. Ward/Seminary African-American community in Alexandria, VA , encompasing the famous "Remember the Titans" T.C. Williams H.S. Here we can boast of 150 years of continuous struggle and survival despite all odds, including city leaders attempts to displace our founding families numerous times. The strong sense of community love, value and honor was experienced last Saturday at the "homegoing services" of one of "Seminary's" matriarch, Julia Adams Bradby. She was not only the mother of seven children but also the dean mother to Cub Scout Troop #138. Those who remain came out to pay their respect and were poignantly represented by Tommy Crewe's solo serenade, "How Great Thou Art." "Seminary is a special place," said Stanley Bradby Jr., in his tribute to his mom. Minister Alphonso "Butch" Terrell reminded us of how Mr. and Mrs. Bradby were "Seminary's Sweethearts" as they never missed their evening stroll walking hand-in-hand. You have to have grown up here to understand how well we "colored chil'ren" were nurtured and guided and protect in this self-suffiicient enclave, and how it shaped our lives well into adulthood. That "special" feeling that has forged our paths was palpable Saturday as we gathered and shared old stories and the repast staples of roast chicken, potatoes, green beans and rolls, ice tea and, of course, pound cake. It was raining hard and the tornado warning was live, but I couldn't have felt warmer or safer. Spring filled my steps and the air; maybe it was Mrs. Bradby's Easter pink suit and bonnet, worn as she lay in repose, that's the blooming cause. Sadly, few communities like Seminary exist today. The sense of family spirit and caring is what is desparately missing from the polarized America experience as most would rather pick a fight than pick a partner to stroll hand-in-hand for a common community good.

Timber Has Fallen: To Mourn but to Move Ahead

2010-04-20T08:10:00.002-04:00

Yes, it's been awhile since my last post. But I could not let this day pass without noting the passing of a great woman, Dr. Dorothy I. Height, who grew to unthinkable heights in her 98 years of purposeful life.
Last week, Dr. Benjamin Hooks passed; this week, Dr. Height. Timber has fallen. Where is the reforestation? Who steps into these might shoes? While we mourn the passing of these tall trees, we must get busy and move ahead. President Barack Obama notwithstanding, we still have miles to go to The Promised Land before we sleep.

SMG: Snowmygod!

2010-02-07T11:35:00.002-05:00

Ain't God grand! Mother Nature really strutted her stuff this time, and I've got pulverized evergreens resembling weeping willows to prove it. Whew! We really took a blast with this record-setting blizzard of 2010. Lesson learned? Get ready; be better prepared. Could this be a foretaste of the decade to come -- full of superlatives and weathering wicked storms? Is this the decade that you discover what true grit you're made of? What really matters? The difference between desire and necessity?
Take head: Sunshine and smiles come in the morning.
Yesterday, I was not so optimistic when I woke up to a beeping alarm system alerting me to a power outage that lasted from 6 a.m to 8 p.m. By the time my daughter and I were costumed like Russian immigrants marching across the Siberian ice lands in "Dr. Zhivago -- chanting "power, power" and cheering "give me a P-O-W-E-R!" -- the thermostat in our all-electric house was descending below 60 degrees. Doesn't seem that bad but after donning the third layer of clothing and a blanket, my nose was still feeling frosty. The tea literally warmed by tea lights was a welcome warmth.
More than 250,00 people in the Washington metropolitan region were without electricity yesterday, according to WTOP-FM. I wondered how they were coping, especially those with babies and elderly, sick relatives. I found batteries for the dusty radio, an old phone to plug into the wall, candles of every color, shape and size, ate cereal and sandwiches, and spent a rare afternoon free from the hustle and hassle of work, work, work.
Even when you think you've prepared for the worst, that you're covered for the unexpected event, that you've got a workable contingency plan, the Universe throws you a Snowmygod fastball. Do you duck, let it smack you in the face and knock you down, or do you catch it and make ice cream? French vanilla for me, please.

Obama Takes'em to the Hoop!

2010-01-31T13:44:00.002-05:00

Now, I will be the first to admit that I've been wondering if Mr. President was weak of heart because, like most Democrats, he allows his message and his mission to be muddled, misunderstood and misrepresented by loud mouth pundits and politicians who want him to fail at all costs. [Whew, went a little alliteration crazy.]
But last week, Obama laced up his Air Jordan's and took his rabid Republican detractors (and some Dems) to the Hoop for a slam dunk. Say what you want about his policies and his platitudes delivered forcefully during that long-winded State of the Union speech, it's not everyday you see an unapologetic president call out Supreme Court justices in the hallowed chambers of Congress for making a bad decision that kills campaign finance reform -- on national television not less. And when was the last time you saw the sitting president of one party voluntarily enter the Belly of the Beast of another party (at the GOP's Balitmore meeting) to go face-to-face, one-on-one, backing his way to the basket, surviving the fouls and swipe, all to make a mere two points?
One, you can't "Just Say No." Two, you can't continue to chump me.
That's the audacity that got him elected. We need to see more of the bold leader who dared to show the courage of his convictions for "change." Mr. Obama must remain mindful of the Old Folks' adage to "dance with the one who brought you." He promised health care, he promised to end these wars, he promised to fix the financial mess, he promised openness and opportunity. He was not asked to capitulate to the opposition and corporate greed to win bipartisanship.
Let's hope the 44th president means what he said to ABC anchor Diane Sawyer that he'd rather be a one-term president who makes a difference than a two-term president who did not.
After that Massachusetts massacre, Mr. Cool obviously realizes that you can't lay back too long, dribbling and dabbling, allowing your opponent passes, and playing Mr. Conciliator before your opposition will steal the ball and win the game. You've got to take'em to the hoop.

Madame Ambassador

2010-01-27T16:22:00.002-05:00

Just a quick note to give Kudos! to my Randall cousin, Mary Jo Wills, who did us all proud yesterday when she was sworn in as Ambassador of the United States to the Republic of Mauritius and the Republic of the Seychelles in the opulent Ben Franklin Room of the State Department.
It was not lost on me that the scenic backdrop from the terrace windows was that of the Lincoln Memorial, site of the MLK "I Have a Dream Speech." No wonder Aunt Edna was overcome with tears of pride and joy.
During her acceptance remarks, Mary Jo, gave credit to her deceased father and grandmother and the communities from which she hails -- "the Fort" [Ft. Ward] in Alexandria and the "village of Falls Church."
Well done.

Really, Rhee?

2010-01-23T09:57:00.002-05:00

Condescending Chancellor Michelle Rhee has really gone overboard this time. She must be leaving town before her California nuptials.
Her latest outrageous accusations about D.C. teacher abuses as yet another questionable reason for laying off more than two hundred teachers two months into the school year should not go unanswered. As a matter of public record, parents especially should make her disclose how many teachers were involved, where, when and how they abused D.C. students. Also what actions were taken -- including noting their defenses -- before they were fired. To make such sweeping charges without more specific information is not only egregious, it is incendiary, particularly given the already hostile and adversarial environment that she has created in DCPS.
No one should be allow to abuse children and swift sanction is mandatory if such abuses are found. But Rhee should be more mindful of legal actions, which not only hurt her but also put the District government in jeopardy, if she continues to besmirch an entire class of workers without substantial backup.

Curry Curious?

2010-01-21T10:32:00.005-05:00

Hummm. Why have 800 people signed up to celebrate former Prince George's County Executive Wayne K. Curry's birthday tonight at Camelot's by Martin's in Upper Marlboro?
"Donors" are folking over $50 to $10,000 for the "Tribute to a Maryland Legacy Maker." The proceeds are for the benefit of The LEARN Foundation.
What else are those "donors" paying for? A possible Curry candidacy and return to public office? As what? Certainly not Back to the Future in Upper Marlboro.
"We want to generate broad support for the message that Wayne -- our proud son of Prince George's County -- is admired and enjoys state-wide and regional support,"' organizers wrote in an email blast to Leadership Washington members. "This event is also being held to demonstrate that leaders in the County are united in advancing Prince George's as a key player in the State of Maryland and a strategic assets in the Region."
Well, there is the wildly popular National Harbor.
But has Curry, who never lacked ego, set his sights on the statehouse in Annapolis.
Clearly, Lt. Gov. Brown, who also hails from Prince George's, is not harvesting enough crabs or "advancing Prince George's as a key player in the State of Maryland."

Obama's Anniversary

2010-01-19T19:15:00.002-05:00

One year? My sister asks: Do the "American people," whoever they are, really expect one man to fix in one year what it took another man eight years to destroy?