East of the River Magazine – March 2021 by Capital Community News

MARCH 2021

E AST OF THE R IVER M AGAZINE M ARCH 2021 NEXT ISSUE: APRIL 3

NEIGHBORHOOD NEWS 12 16

The Old Man of Anacostia: Give Us Statehood Now! by Philip Pannell

The “Radical and Rowdy” Commissioner from Deanwood by Elizabeth O’Gorek

IN EVERY ISSUE

The Asymmetry of COVID-19 Vaccine Access by Elizabeth O’Gorek

Our River: The Anacostia – Applying the Lessons of the Chesapeake Clean-Up to the Anacostia and Vice Versa!

06 42 43

What’s on Washington The Crossword The Classifieds

Zsudayka Nzinga: Artist, Curator, Educator and Community Leader by Phil Hutinet

Changing Hands by Don Denton

by Bill Matuszeski

The Bulletin Board

KIDS & FAMILY 36

EAST WASHINGTON LIFE

by Elizabeth O’Gorekk

Men of Change: Anacostia Community Museum Brings Its Exhibit Directly to the Community by Phil Hutinet

Meet Your Neighbor: Bert and Elaine Haaga by Anthony D. Diallo

Capital Community News, Inc. Publisher of: Capital Community News, Inc. PO Box 15477, Washington, DC 20003 202.543.8300 www.capitalcommunitynews.com www.hillrag.com

Notebook

ON THE COVER: In the Gallery:

Zsudayka Nzinga. Photo: Joseph Chisley. See profile on page 32.

MIDCITY

F A G O N

GUIDE TO CAPITOL HILL

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EDUCATION

YOUR COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER

EXECUTIVE EDITOR: Melissa Ashabranner • melissa.ashabranner@gmail.com MANAGING EDITOR: Andrew Lightman • andrew@hillrag.com PUBLISHER: Jean-Keith Fagon • fagon@hillrag.com Copyright © 2021 by Capital Community News. All Rights Reserved.

We welcome suggestions for stories. Send queries to andrew@hillrag.com. We are also interested in your views on community issues which are published in the Last Word. Please limit your comments to 250 words. Letters may be edited for space. Please include your name, address and phone number. Send Last Word submissions to lastword@hillrag.com. For employment opportunities email jobs@hillrag.com.

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SPYING THAT SHAPED HISTORY

WHAT’S ON W A S H I N G T O N

In the International Spy Museum’s Spying That Shaped History gallery, the exhibits illustrate the impact of intelligence on history, including successes and failures, new tech tools, and the tension in balancing the needs for secrecy and liberty. You’ll see George Washington’s Spy Letter. In this letter, General Washington offers Nathaniel Sackett $50 a month (more than $1,000 today) to spy for the Continental Army, plus another $500 to set up a spy network. This month, the International Spy Museum, 700 L’Enfant Plaza SW, reopens Mondays through Fridays, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Saturdays, 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.; and Sundays, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Admission is $24.95 for adults and $16.95 for kids, seven to twelve. Online ticket purchase is suggested. spymuseum.org. LEFT: George Washington (masked)

JOIN THE DISTRICT RUNNING COLLECTIVE Established in 2013, District Running Collective is a communitybased organization that uses running to promote wellness, culture, and community. Their goal is to provide all levels of runners with the best resources, community, and support along their running journey. Subscribe to their newsletter to learn more about their runs, what to expect, and their community. Their weekly Wednesday, fourpace-groups runs resume in early March. The DRC Space is at 733 11th St. NE. districtrunningcollective.com.

Photo: Khalid Naji-Allah

Patrick Page “We exist where fitness, fun, and community collide. We support one another up every hill, across every bridge, and through each painstaking mile. As a crew, we represent the best of each individual that dedicates themselves to getting better, faster, and stronger every day.” DRC

VISIT BLACK LIVE MATTER PLAZA On June 5, DC renamed a two-block portion of 16th Street, NW (south of K Street, extending through I Street, and north of H Street NW) on the north side of President’s Park in front of the White House “Black Lives Matter Plaza” and had the slogan painted on the asphalt in massive, 35-foot, yellow letters as part of the George Floyd protests. Visit anytime.

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ALL THE DEVILS ARE HERE: HOW SHAKESPEARE INVENTED THE VILLAIN Macbeth. Iago. Claudius. STC Affiliated Artist Patrick Page invites you to experience the evolution of evil in Shakespeare’s villains— from rogues and cutthroats to tyrants and sociopaths. Tony Award nominee Patrick Page explores how Shakespeare created the treacherous characters we all love to hate. This mesmerizing one-man performance runs until July 28, 2021 and is available online only. This production runs approximately 80 minutes and is available for 72 hours after purchase. $25. shakespearetheatre.org.

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WHAT’S ON WASHINGTON

A COURSE IN ITALIAN RENAISSANCE ART The arts blossomed in Renaissance Italy, an era that encompassed the innovations of perspective and oil paint, a new emphasis on the study of anatomy and antiquity, and the growing independence of the artist. Rocky Ruggiero, a specialist in the Early Renaissance, explores some of the great masterworks of art and architecture created from the late-14th to the 16th centuries as he examines the intellectual trends and social context that gave rise to such giants as Giotto, Botticelli, and Michelangelo. On Zoom; March 30, April 6, 13 and 20; 6:45 p.m. $90. smithsonianassociates.org LEFT: Brunelleschi’s dome of Santa Maria del Fiore, Florence

ENVIRONMENTAL FILM FESTIVAL IN THE NATION’S CAPITAL This year’s all-virtual festival will run from March 18 to 28 and feature roughly 100 films on topics related to all-things climate, activism and the outdoors. One major highlight of this year’s festival is the film Youth v Gov, a true story documenting young people taking on the world’s most powerful government for violating their constitutional rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness by willfully creating the climate crisis. Another film, The Falconer, is made by a DC area filmmaker and follows a local man on a mission to build a bird sanctuary and provide access to nature for a stressed, inner-city community. dceff.org. Rodney Stotts holds a redtailed hawk in The Falconer. Photo: Annie Kaempfer

CAPITAL IRISH FILM FESTIVAL From March 4 through 14, Solas Nua and the American Film Institute present the 15th Capital Irish Film Festival online. The Festival celebrates Irish identity, culture, and artistry by bringing the best in contemporary Irish cinema to US audiences. Opening the Festival is the award-winning Irish-language thriller “Arracht” (Monster), screening with English subtitles, a heartrending story of individual survival in Ireland’s 19th Century famine years. It is Ireland’s selection for the 2021 Academy Award. An individual festival ticket is $12; all-access pass, $100. solasnua.org/ciff. Victim of the Great Famine and injustice in 1845 Ireland, Colman Sharkey (Dónall Ó Héalaí) is under the gun in the Irish-language thriller Arracht (Monster) with English subtitles, opening Solas Nua’s Capital Irish Film Festival on March 4, co-presented by AFI/Silver.

ANACOSTIA RIVERKEEPER CLEAN WATERWAYS CLEANUP On Saturday, March 27 (rain or shine), 9 a.m. to noon, help clean up the Kenilworth Park Bandalong Litter Trap, Deane Avenue NE. The cleanup will be divided into sublocations with groups of 25 people or less (all masked) in compliance with COVID-19 safety guidelines. All supplies provided. Wear closed-toe shoes and clothing you can get dirty that will protect you from the brush. Here’s the schedule: 8:30 a.m., sign in; 9 a.m., welcome and safety talk; 9:30 a.m. to noon, cleanup. Register at eventbrite. com/e/march-27th-clean-waterways-cleanup-tickets-138316487337. Read more at anacostiariverkeeper.org.

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WHAT’S ON WASHINGTON

THE BEAUTY OF BUZZARD POINT If you haven’t yet discovered the impressive “Beauty of Buzzard Point” mural along the Pepco substation in Buzzard Point, at S and First Streets, SW, be sure to check it out during your next stroll around the neighborhood. But before you go, enjoy this documentary video to get the inside story of how an idea among Buzzard Point stakeholders, Pepco, and the Capitol Riverfront BID became a reality. Local artists Kaliq Crosby and Rose Jaffe collaborated to create the largerthan-life mural featuring important DC icons that celebrate history and community, and reflect the rich contributions of this dynamic part of the District. youtube. com/watch?v=mc_KIdYKpbI&t=6s. RIGHT: Mural Community Paint Day

FORD’S THEATRE PRESENTS ONE DESTINY Ford’s Theatre Society has announced release of its free, on-demand video version of the popular stage play One Destiny by Richard Hellesen, directed by Mark Ramont. One Destiny On Demand is now available for streaming through June 13, 2021, with event registration on fords.org/visit/one-destiny. The 40-minute video production revisits the events of April 14, 1865, with a cast of historical characters who were present, including Ford’s Theatre co-owner Harry Ford and stage actor Harry Hawk. As they reconstruct the sequence of events, they grapple with the question: Could John Wilkes Booth have been stopped from assassinating President Abraham Lincoln? fords.org.

THE REVOLUTIONISTS (ALAS, LIVE THEATER) Through March 20, come to The Little Theatre of Alexandria, 600 Wolfe Street, to watch as four beautiful, sassy women lose their heads in this irreverent, girl-powered comedy set during the French Revolution’s Reign of Terror. Playwright Olympe de Gouges, assassin Charlotte Corday, former queen (and fan of ribbons) Marie Antoinette, and Haitian rebel Marianne Angelle hang out, murder Marat, and try to beat back the extremist insanity in 1793 Paris. This grand and dream-filled comedy is about violence and legacy, art and activism, feminism and terrorism, compatriots and chosen sisters, and how we actually go about changing the world. $21 to $29. Performances are Wednesdays through Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays, 3 p.m. thelittletheatre.com.

ABOVE: Michael Bunce and Stephen F. Schmidt in the Ford’s Theatre production of One Destiny. Photo: Courtesy of Ford’s Theatre

SIMPLY SONDHEIM Signature Theatre’s Simply Sondheim is the first production in the Signature Features 2021 Season. Starring 12 singers and an orchestra of 16, Simply Sondheim includes over 30 songs from the composer’s canon. It was filmed over the course of three days in Signature’s MAX Theatre with multiple safety protocols in place. The show will be available to stream through March 26 and for 72 hours after patron’s initial viewing has begun. Closed captions and an audio described version are available in English. Tickets are $35 and can be purchased at SigTheatre.org. Tracey Lynn Olivera, Awa Sal Secka and Katie Mariko Murray. Photo: Christopher Miller

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The Asymmetry of COVID-19 Vaccine Access Community Organizations, Neighbors Bridge Gaps in DC Information and Registration by Elizabeth O’Gorek

n Jan. 29, Barbara and David Ehrlich parked their cars and headed towards the Howard University clinic. It was a long walk for the couple, both 85 years old, but they didn’t mind. At the end of it, they were getting the COVID-19 vaccine. But when the Southwest couple arrived at the clinic, they found the front doors locked. A simple sign was affixed. “No Vaccine,” it read. “We had an appointment, we had the paperwork. But when we got there, there was no vaccine,” Barbara Ehrlich said. The District began offering vaccine registration to residents 65 and older online and through a telephone hotline starting Jan. 11. Demand far outpaced supply. On the first day, 6,700 appointments were available to about 80,000 eligible residents and were signed up for within hours. That window of availability would shrink from hours to minutes over the following weeks, prompting comparisons to a rush to get Beyonce tickets. The process did not start out smoothly. After the first two days of registration, users complained of technological glitches, frustrating waits on the phone lines, and poor website design. Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner (ANC) Steve Holtzman 6B05 wrote the Mayor’s office to express concern with the process. “[I]f residents get frustrated and crazy trying to unsuccessfully get what they view as a life-saving vaccine,” he wrote in an email shared with constituents, “the result is going to be some people who give up and don’t check anymore and who, despite being in priority vulnerable groups, do not get [early] vaccinations.” The challenges faced by seniors trying to get the COVID-19 vaccine in the District illustrate the asymmetry of access to information and resources about registration. The ways in which communities and organizations stepped up to fill these gaps provide lessons in information dissemination and registration strategies. These lessons are important as the District opens vaccination appointments to more residents in the context of a vaccine supply far too low to meet demand. 12

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John Capozzi receives the COVID-19 vaccine at Pennsylvania Avenue Baptist Church (PABC) during the Feb. 11 clinic.

Success of Senior Villages

The Ehrlichs could have given up, but instead, they sought assistance and got it. They turned to their village for help. Waterfront Village is one of the District’s 14 senior villages, volunteer-based organizations providing services and resources to help seniors age in place. They are overwhelmingly located west of the Anacostia River. Waterfront Village Executive Director Len Bechtel worked with the Dupont Circle village to get the Ehrlichs an appointment at Medstar. “Len called us on a Sunday night at 8 p.m. Feb 7 to say he’d secured an appointment for Monday at 9:20 a.m.,“ Ehrlich said. “He filled our names in, made the appointment – and then he drove us there,” she said. Senior villages operate independently from the DC gov-

ernment, but network together to share information and resources. When they learned vaccine registration would open to seniors, the 14 senior villages in the District worked together to get information from the city and disseminate it broadly to members and those subscribed to their list. “We had members that were calling their adult children overseas to help them negotiate the portal, that’s how challenging and overwhelming it was,” said Capitol Hill Village (CHV) Executive Director Judy Berman. Faced with calls from seniors who were confused and even put off by the District’s registration system, the 14 senior villages stepped up to be advocate and guide. First, they were a trusted source of information. Second, they provided feedback to DC Health about what was going well and where improvements were necessary. Third, they centralized and distributed information, both in terms of the District vaccination procedures as well as the hospital and healthcare systems also offering vaccinations on separate platforms, including George Washington, Georgetown and Howard University Hospitals, Sibley, as well as the Kaiser and Medstar. Finally, they worked together to get appointments for seniors who reached out to them. For instance, Waterfront Village conducted a survey of membership to see who still needed an appointment and wanted help in making it. They then matched those individuals with members who had successfully registered as well as community members who helped them secure the appointments.

Lopsided Success

Senior villages were overwhelmingly successful in helping those who reached out to them. By Feb 11, all but five of the 150 members of Waterfront village had received their first dose of the vaccine. 90 percent of the 400 or so members of Capitol Hill Village (CHV) had also secured the vaccine. But the people who reached out to the senior villages were overwhelmingly white and middle class. CHV’s Berman said that the villages had been discussing ways to provide village resources to all seniors. “The village mod-

DCHFA, Your Homeownership Resource in the District. The District of Columbia Housing Finance Agency is your homeownership resource in the District from buying a home to retaining your home; we have a homeownership program to assist you. DC Open Doors DC Open Doors is your key to homeownership in the city. This program offers competitive interest rates and lower mortgage insurance costs on first trust mortgages. You are not required to be a first-time homebuyer or a D.C. resident to qualify for DCOD. You must, however, be purchasing a home in the District of Columbia. Home Purchase Assistance Program (HPAP) HPAP provides interest free deferred loans for down payment and closing cost assistance up to $84,000 combined. DCHFA serves as a co-administrator of this DC Department of Housing and Community Development’s (DHCD) first-time home buyer program. Reverse Mortgage Insurance & Tax Payment Program (ReMIT) ReMIT provides financial assistance to seniors 62 years or older who have fallen behind on insurance and tax payments as a result of their reverse mortgage. Qualified District homeowners can receive up to $25,000 in assistance. DC4ME DC4ME provides mortgage assistance with optional down payment assistance to D.C. government employees. DC4ME is offered to current full-time District government employees, including employees of District government-based instrumentalities, independent agencies, D.C. Public Charter Schools, and organizations, provided the applicant/borrower's employer falls under the oversight of the Council of the District of Columbia. DC MAP (Mortgage Assistance Program) COVID-19 DC MAP COVID-19 provides financial assistance to those affected by the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. Qualified borrowers can receive a loan of up to $5,000 per month to put toward their mortgage for up to six months. HomeSaver HomeSaver is a foreclosure prevention program that assists unemployed and underemployed homeowners who may have fallen behind on their mortgage payments. The program offers lump sum or ongoing monthly assistance with a maximum assistance of $60,000 per household.

Visit www.DCHFA.org for full qualification guidelines and information on how to apply to any of DCHFA’s homeownership programs. 815 FLORIDA AVENUE, NW, WASHINGTON, DC 20001 • 202.777.1600 • WWW.DCHFA.ORG E AST

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el is not attractive to all peostaff go door-to-door in neighborhoods most impacted there’s already been a demonple in the same way,” she said. by the disease, offering to sign seniors up for a vaccine stration of care and concern, of “It’s definitely had more of appointment. health and wholeness. You also an appeal, particularly in our Finally, on Feb. 7, Mayor Muriel Bowser announced have the collaboration among area, to a white and middlethat as part of the “Faith in the Vaccine” pilot program, churches that helps to strengthclass population. In my view Pennsylvania Avenue Baptist Church (PABC) would en the community.” what’s happening is that the host two vaccination clinics to increase confidence in function of the village is being the vaccine and support the vaccination of residents in Tweaking the System served by different institutions their communities. During two clinics, hosted Feb. 11 The inequities were apparent in the Black community.” and 13, more than 200 people were vaccinated. on Jan. 11, the first day vacFrancis Campbell, 69, Pastor Rev. Dr. Kendrick E. Curry began advocating cines became available to sestruggled to make an appointfor churches to be used as vaccine distribution sites in niors. Residents of the Disment for a month after they August, before vaccines had even been approved. He artrict’s three most affluent wards were available. Campbell, gued that Black churches were centrally located, engaged claimed 70 percent of available who is Black, is not a part in service and capable of operating during non-traditionappointments. It was clear that of a senior village. The foral hours –in short, all elements suited to getting the vacwhile COVID-19 was dispromer Advisory Neighborhood cine deeper into their communities. portionately affecting commuCommissioner (ANC) 6B10 “We can do what people need,” Curry said. “that’s nities of color, more vaccinais comfortable with technolowhy people come to us.” DC Health Director LaQuandra Nesbitt visits the tions were being administered gy but was still overwhelmed John Capozzi signed up for the PABC Clinic at a PABC clinic. Photo: John Capozzi to the white and affluent resiwith the process. All through virtual Hillcrest Community Civic Association (HCCA) dents of the District. January he tried –and failed— meeting. Administrators not only announced the clinics, A Jan. 13th DC Council conference call became heatto register himself, his sister and his 88-year-old mother. they also shared a link to register. Capozzi, who is 65 this ed when Councilmember Elissa Silverman (At-Large-I) In the end, Campbell managed to secure a vaccine by year, clicked on the link and signed up during the meetand Ward 5 Councilmember Kenyan McDuffie suggested word of mouth. A friend called him from a vaccination site ing. A white Ward 7 resident who lives in a priority zip that vaccines be prioritized for people hardest hit by COto say there were unclaimed doses and Campbell should code, Capozzi had previously tried to sign up through VID-19. Silverman commented that some members of lowgather his family and get down there. the District portal but while he describes himself as an income communities might not have access to computers “This is a frustration I’ve never had to deal with no mat“intermediate [technology] user,” he was unable to get or have the technological literacy to book appointments. ter how bad situations have been in my life,” Campbell said. an appointment. DC Health Director LaQuandra Nesbitt initially scoffed “If a lot of the Black seniors don’t have someone who is goPABC is particularly “outreach oriented,” long the at Silverman’s suggestion, calling the statement pejorative. ing to advocate for them, or make sure this happens, they’re hub of a network that not only includes other churchShe said vaccine resistance had played a role. Results of going to get passed over. That’s what’s happening.” es, but also civic and political organizations. The church a November 2020 DC Health Kathy E. Pointer is Director of Kingdom Care. The drew on all those networks to survey appeared to show that Ward 8 senior village is one of the newest and smallest vilget word out about the vacabout 44 percent of Black Dislages, serving 50 members out of Greater Fellowship Full cine clinics. trict residents would not take Gospel Baptist Church (FGBC) (814 Alabama Ave. SE). the vaccine. Pointer said that, in terms of the vaccine, she sees the “I Started The District moved to role of the village as sharing information, finding out who Calling People” even the playing field. Three needs an appointment and helping them to secure one. For Sometimes the congregants days after the council call, instance, when she received an email telling her that the are the network. “After I got Nesbitt announced that acDistrict had made 660 additional appointments available [my vaccine], I came home cess to registration would be only through the call center, she sent a text message to all and pulled out my church diprioritized by ward and latmembers. Instantly, two successfully booked appointments. rectory and I started calling er by zip code. A week after Like CHV and Waterfront Village, Kingdom Care is people,” said Barbara Savage. the change, the ratio of appart of the consortium of villages that share trusted inforBarbara and her husband Paul pointments claimed by resmation with members. Unlike the two Ward 6 villages, Kingwere expressing frustration idents of the three affluent dom Care is based in the church, growing out of the senior with the District vaccine regwards dropped from 70 perministry. Pointer herself was a very engaged church memcent to 49.5 percent, which istration portal when a neighber long before she became the village director, and she said Nesbitt said was an indicabor said they should try callthat it was an ideal space for the village. “There was already tion that the new system reing United Medical Center engagement, buy-in from leadership and access for the comduced disparities. (UMC) to get an appointment. munity,” she said. “It was a win-win sort of thing.” The District took further Trying to reach the She said that Black churches are key to sharing inforsteps to address inequity, inscheduler and getting a busy mation about the vaccine. Pastors are trusted leaders, adThis map, created by DC Health, shows the number of cluding the introduction of signal, Paul Savage redialed vocates and friends, Pointer added, and messaging is better successful registrations for the COVID-19 vaccine per the Senior Vaccine Buddies the number so many times received when communicated by pastors to parishioners. ward on Jan. 11, the first day registration was available program on Feb. 4. Program that a UMC operator finally to seniors. Image: Coronavirus.dc.gov “There’s a trust,” she said. “There are relationships there, 14

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PUBLIC NOTICE OF AVAILABILITY

COMMENT PERIOD EXTENSION

National Park Service seeks public comment on National Park Service seeks public comment on proposed plan for the Kenilworth Park Landfill Site Proposed Plan for the Kenilworth Park Landfill Site

The National Park Service (NPS) invites the public to comment on the Proposed Plan for the Kenilworth

picked up. A few minutes later, a scheduler called back to make appointments for both Savages. Like the neighbor who had advised them to call UMC, the Savages shared what they had learned with members of their church and neighborhood, starting a sort of telephone chain. Barbara started calling the other members of East Washington Heights Baptist (2220 Branch Ave., SE) aged 65 and over, asking if they wanted to register for a COVID vaccine, helping to secure appointments and even taking people to appointments. Then, in an online church service, Senior Pastor Reverend Dr. Kip Bernard Banks Sr. announced that parishioners wanting assistance registering for a vaccine appointment should contact the Savages. Members of the congregation began referring their neighbors, and they referred their friends. In the month since the Savages received their first dose, they have helped more than 20 people secure an appointment. Paul Savage had tried and failed to register through the District website. The short lead time on many vaccine announcements meant that he and those like him, who are not wedded to instant messaging, don’t get government notices as they come out. But it isn’t the short lead time that is the real problem, Savage said. It’s the fact that the District uses the same methods to reach the diverse communities of the District. “They still haven’t figured out how to serve African Americans and Latinos in the same manner that they do other people,” he said. “and that’s on them. There’s a history of how you do this, and don’t do this.” Paul Savage, a former District official, said that the city needs to do a better job of contacting the people who live in and care about the communities they hope to reach. “In the Black community, it’s not the internet –it’s not any of those things,” Savage said. “It’s word of mouth, in the church, or on the telephone. That’s how people disseminate information.” “What Barbara did, that’s normal. We have a long history in East Washington of community involvement with our neighbors,” Savage said. “People in this city should know that, because it’s been going on for a long time.” ◆

Park Landfill Site in(NPS) Washington, As requested by members the public, thefor NPS extended the The National Park Service invitesDC. the public to comment on theofproposed plan thehas Kenilworth Park Landfill Siteperiod (the site) in days. Washington, DC. NPS, consultation with the comment by 30 The comment periodinwill close on March 12, District 2021. of Columbia Department of Energy and Environment (DOEE), has investigated hazardous substance contamination at The NPS, in consultation with the District of Columbia Department of Energy and Environment (DOEE), the site, assessed the associated risks to human health and the environment, and evaluated alternatives to investigated hazardous substance contamination at the site, assessed the associated risks to human address has those risks using its authorities under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, health environment, and evaluated toNPS address risksthe using its authoritiesRecord under the Compensation,and andtheLiability Act (CERCLA). In alternatives addition, the hasthose updated Administrative Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA). In addition, the File for the site. NPS has updated the Administrative Record File for the site.

NPS hasThe evaluated following to options addresstosite risks:site risks: NPS hasthe evaluated theoptions following address • • • • •

•

Alternative 1: No Action.

Alternative 1: No Action. • Alternative 2: Limited Action / Institutional Controls. Alternative 2: Limited Action / Institutional Controls. • Alternative 3: Selective Placement of Clean Fill Barriers and Institutional Controls. Alternative 3: Selective Placement ofSoil Clean Fill Barriers and Institutional • Alternative 4: Site-wide Clean Barrier and Institutional Controls. Controls. Alternative 4: Site-wide Clean Soil Barrier and Institutional Controls. • Alternative 5: Landfill Removal and Revegetation. Alternative 5: Landfill Removal and Revegetation.

In the proposed plan, the NPS identified Alternative 3 as the preferred alternative for the site. However, the NPS plan, welcomes all the evaluated alternatives will select in a Record In the proposed NPS comments identified on Alternative 3 as the preferred and alternative forthe thefinal site.plan However, NPS of Decision (ROD) on all the alternatives information and contained in thethe Administrative File,ofincluding welcomes comments on allbased the evaluated will select final plan inRecord a Record Decisioncomments (ROD) based on all thethe information the Administrative File, including received from public. Thecontained NPS may in select a plan other thanRecord the preferred alternative based on comments received from the public. NPS may select a plan other than the preferred alternative based on public comments, new information, or a reevaluation of existing information.

public comments, new information, or a reevaluation of existing information.

Location of the Administrative Record File: The Administrative Record File comprises the documents that the basis for the NPS’sFile: selection of a final cleanupRecord plan forFile the comprises site. The Administrative Location ofwill theform Administrative Record The Administrative the documents that willRecord form the for NPS’s selection of afollowing final cleanup plan for the site. The Administrative Record Filebasis is available for review at the location:

File is available for review at the following location:

Benning (Dorothy I. Height) Neighborhood Library Benning Road, N.E.Library Benning (Dorothy I.3935 Height) Neighborhood Phone: (202) 3935 Benning Road, 281-2583 N.E. Email: benninglibrary@dc.gov • https://www.dclibrary.org/benning Phone: (202) 281-2583 Monday to Friday: 11:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m. • Saturday and Sunday: Closed Email: benninglibrary@dc.gov

https://www.dclibrary.org/benning

The Administrative Record File is to also available ona.m. a compact Monday Friday: 11:00 – 7:00disc p.m.upon request. Key project documents are also available on the Kenilworth Parkand Landfill Site Closed webpage: https://www.nps.gov/anac/learn/ Saturday Sunday: management/kpls.htm

The Administrative Record File isThe alsopublic available on a compact disc on upon request.12, Key2020, project Public comment period: comment period began November anddocuments will close on are also March available on the Kenilworth Park Landfill Site webpage: 12, 2021. The ROD will include a summary that responds to all significant comments received https://www.nps.gov/anac/learn/management/kpls.htm during the comment period (including comments received at the public meeting). Providingperiod: your comments: Comments on the proposed plan and documents contained in the Public comment The 90-day public comment period begins on other November 12, 2020, and will Record File can will be submitted the NPS that in three ways: to all significant comments close onAdministrative February 10, 2021. The ROD include atosummary responds received during the comment period (including comments received at the public meeting). Mail:

VHB Metro DC, LLC KPL Proposed Plan Public Providing your Attn: comments: Comments on the Comments proposed plan and other documents contained in the 1001 G Street, N.W., Suite 1125to NPS in three ways: Administrative Record File can be submitted Washington, DC 20001 Email: Donna_Davies@nps.gov Phone: (202) 359-3234

Please note that all comments received, as part of the Administrative Record File, will be made available for inspection by the general public, and copies may be provided to members of the public. If you submit a comment that includes personally identifiable information, you may request in your comment that the NPS withhold that information from the public. However, the NPS cannot guarantee that it will be able to do so.

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by Philip Pannell

watched the final vote in the second impeachment trial of Donald Trump with a mixture of frustration and anger. The frustration was that although 57 senators voted to find him guilty of seditious behavior, the overwhelming majority of the craven Republican senators engaged in a form of jury nullification, thus resulting in the inability to reach the 67 votes needed to convict. My anger was that the District of Columbia residents, we whose city was the scene of the crime, had no representation on that senatorial jury. Once again we had fallen through the crack in the Liberty Bell and again were ignominiously reminded that we are secondclass citizens. Since the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic, DC residents have been slapped in the face several times. Because the DC is not a state, last year we were unjustly deprived of our fair share of COVID relief funds. Donald Trump and his enabling Republican senators were able to rush the process to fill the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s vacancy with a conservative jurist. And again, we in DC had no voting representation in that process.

The late Senator Edward Kennedy once said that the second-class status of DC residents will never be rectified until it rises to the level of a collective insult to us who live here. What will it take for most of the DC residents to become passionate about DC statehood? When will we rally against taxation without representation and demand that the Capitol Hill pharaohs let our people go? I constantly ask myself what ignites passion among east-of-the-river residents? We live in the part of the city that has been historically marginalized, maligned and neglected. Inequality and inequity have reigned, resulting in our experiencing the most of what is bad and the least of what is good. We live in blood-stained neighborhoods and yet there is no collective outrage around stopping the violence. Other than the passion that is displayed among mostly younger African Americans impacted by the Black Lives Matter, the only other topic that seems to prompt energy among a significant number of people is the football team formerly named the Washington Redskins. How I wish most people in DC could be as concerned about achieving statehood as they are about our home-

town team getting to the Super Bowl. I have been in barbershops where men can name every player in the starting lineup of that football team but do not know the names of the teachers and principals of their elementary school children. There are fathers who know all the statistics involving the star players but cannot find the time to help their children with their arithmetic. There are parents who will never miss a televised game, yet rarely make it to a PTA or civic association meeting. You can hear the unemployed and underemployed discuss matters involving the coaches and owner of the team with all the informed seriousness as if they were in the conference room of a Fortune 500 company. There was considerable discussion around changing the racist name of the Washington football team, many times resulting in high-decibel exchanges of opinions. Some people appear to be nearly terminally upset that the team paraphernalia that they purchased over the years will no longer be relevant and nothing more than souvenirs. If changing the second-class political and governmental status of DC could generate a fraction of the energy as changing the name of a football team, the DC statehood movement would have the fervor of a civil and human rights struggle. There are times when I enjoy thriftstore or consignment shopping. I have purchased six cars and only one of them new. So, I am not offended by that which is gently used and second hand. But I refuse to accept being second-class and my fellow DC residents should feel the same. DC statehood is now part of the national political conversation and it is time that we residents raise the political thermostat and decibel level. Our hometown status is now in the super bowl of politics. Display your DC statehood yard signs and posters the same way some display their football boosterism. And do it proudly! Philip Pannell is a long time Ward 8 community activist. He can be contacted at philippannell@comcast.net. ◆

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The “Radical and Rowdy” Commissioner from Deanwood Anthony Lorenzo Green is Willing to Fight for What the Community Needs

hey call him the “radical and rowdy commissioner from Deanwood,” and Anthony Lorenzo Green says he is absolutely fine with that. Commissioner Green, who represents Advisory Neighborhood Commission 7C04, knows people sometimes use “radical” in a pejorative way. “I am willing to be defiant in many different spaces,” Green said. “They may call it radical, but I call it being real.” Still, Green does not want it to be a negative word. He says radical politics are necessary because the politics of the status quo have kept back so many black and brown families. “I’m willing to start a war for my people to get the things we need,” he said. Growing up in Deanwood, Green has been fighting for his community as an elected official since 2010, first in Fort Stanton Civic Association, then for ANC 8B04 and since 2017, for ANC 7C04 in the neighborhood where he grew up. He said that he was galvanized to action by

by Elizabeth O’Gorek

things he saw hap-pening to the people he knew –and by the events in his own life. “It’s about turning your pain into a fight,” Green said.

Bright and Smart, But Angry

Green was born in 1985 to teenaged parents. His father left shortly after he was born, and his mother pushed through her own issues as she raised Green with the help of his grandmother. They moved from Greenleaf Gardens to Deanwood, where he still lives, when he was three. It was a struggle for the whole family, and it was not easy. But Green said he spent his childhood nourished by three sources: strong women, including his mother and grandmother; his community school, Merritt Elementary (now headquarters for Sixth District MPD); and his Southwest church, where he was raised in the Holiness denomination. His grandmother wanted him to become a preacher, and Green was a choir boy who attended every service until he was 18.

Anthony Lorenzo Green has represented Advisory Neighborhood Commission (ANC) Single Member District (SMD) 7C04, the neighborhood he grew up in, since 2017. Photo: Dionne Milli

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But events transpired to disrupt this path. When he was a boy, he was walking by Marvin Gaye Park when an older man pulled him into the park and raped him. While he discusses the event openly now, at the time Green did not tell anyone, not even his grandma. However, those around him saw the ways that his outlook had changed, even if they did not know why. Teachers began to report that Green was “bright and smart, but angry.” Then, Green started high school at H.D. Woodson in the last of the “tower of power” years. Feeling alienated and angry and without a clear path to success, he dropped out of school without graduat-ing. His uncle, the only father figure in his life, was killed in 2004 at the age of 48. Green says it is one of several examples of the ways the system failed the people around him. “He couldn’t find em-ployment because of a record started before he was an adult,” Green said. “So, he got in the life and they killed him.” “I’ve grown from being angry at the person that pulled the trigger, for whatever reason it was, to being

Anthony Lorenzo Green (in gray) is pictured at a Service Employees International Union (SEIU) action in October 2019. Photo: Jay Brown

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Tuesday, March 2, 2021 10:00 am Register: dcrasbrc.ecenterdirect.com/events/51843 Green raises his fist from a vehicle in a Black Lives Matter car protest, July 2020. Photo: Dee Dwyer

angry at the system that forces people to make bad decisions like that,” Green said. “The sys-tem killed him.”

The Potential in Him

Encouraged by his grandmother, Green completed his GED in 2004 and began working for the De-partment of Employment Services (DOES) “I learned a lot about how government services function,” he said. In 2010, he moved to Fort Stanton where his ground floor apartment became some-thing of a neighborhood hangout. President of the Fort Stanton Civic Association Barbara Jones noticed that Green was connecting with the community and sharing all sorts of useful information with those who dropped by. She suggested that he may as well attend some association meetings. Soon after, she encouraged him to run for Secretary of the association, and later to represent Fort Stanton on ANC 8B04. “I saw potential in him, and I saw how he gravitated to the community,” Jones said. “It’s very few people, you can look at a young person and just say: oh, he is going to go far.” (Continued on pg. 22)

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Our River: The Anacostia Applying the Lessons of the Chesapeake Clean-Up to the Anacostia and Vice Versa! by Bill Matuszeski

n looking around for lessons from elsewhere to apply to clean up the Anacostia, we need turn only to the nearby Chesapeake, whose watershed we are really a part of. The restoration efforts there have been underway for decades, and much has been learned about how to go about it. But what many may not realize is that we have learned a lot of lessons right here on Our River that might be well-applied to the Chesapeake. Trading experiences and lessons learned is one way we can all benefit, so let’s take a look at four possible experiences to pass each way, starting with Chesapeake lessons for us, then sending on four of our own.

The Anacostia. Photo; Andrew Lightman

Lessons from the Chesapeake to the Anacostia: Reporting Progress in an Understandable Manner Both the multi-agency Bay Program and the citizen-based Chesapeake Bay Foundation report progress to the public on a regular basis. The foundation gives the effort a grade each year, with most recent years getting a passing C or D. The program provides credible progress measures in a number of areas the public can readily understand – such as fish, grass beds, upstream water quality, source reductions. Progress reports show how the elements fit together and where more progress is needed, especially from agriculture. While the Anacostia clean-up tries to report progress, it is not provided to the public on such a regular basis, and the various measures are not integrated into an overall sense of progress and what areas need to do more to keep up.

Giving a Sense That Everyone and Everything Can Benefit from the Restoration There is an overall sense that a well-designed and executed restoration of the bay and its watershed of creeks and 20

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rivers and nearby lands can accomplish benefits for all aspects of nature and humanity. The related message is that we all need to do our part, and that doing so provides benefits not just to ourselves, but to nature and to human communities. In the Anacostia an additional effort needs attention, namely, assuring that all the nearby neighborhoods and communities are made aware of what is happening to restore the river, and providing knowledge to the general public of the wide range of opportunities for recreation and other enjoyment.

Measuring Progress against Goals That are Readily Understood by the Public The Bay Program, through such widespread information sources as the monthly Bay Journal and regular press releases, is able to keep folks informed about where efforts have resulted in progress and where more investment of time and money is needed. This is helped by adopting clear and measurable goals and making evident how actions taken affect their attainment and their relationships to other goals. This is not an easy undertaking, and the Anacostia effort should try to learn how the Bay Program has accomplished this. While much is measured in the

Anacostia, the way the different actions taken relate to each other and to progress toward goals could use refinement through a regular reporting system that the public can anticipate and react to.

Engaging Leaders on a Regular Basis and Reinforcing Their Commitments The Bay Program holds an annual public meeting with a private session among the governors of the watershed states, the mayor of DC, the administrator of the Federal Environmental Protection Agency and other federal agency heads to review progress and renew commitments. Meetings are critical for holding the attention and support of the top political leaders in the agencies and jurisdictions and provide a regular opportunity for recommitment to the goals of bay restoration. Although they faithfully attend these Chesapeake annual meetings, the governor of Maryland and the mayor of DC have no similar event with respect to the Anacostia, and they should.

Lessons from the Anacostia to the Chesapeake: Making Sure That Upstream and Downstream Communities Learn How to Work Together The Anacostia recovery has benefited from excellent communication and joint support from communities throughout the watershed. Although the interests of upstream, non-tidal, freshwater communities differ from those of downstream, tidal and saline water communities, they have much in common and have supported efforts that benefit others more. Admittedly,

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their hearts in that hearing,” Green said. The Councilmember said Commissioner Green has built a strong relationship with him personally as well as with the Committee on the Judiciary and Public Safety. “Never afraid to speak his truth to power,” Allen said, “he has been a strong voice for many who don’t, or can’t, come forward to talk about their pain and trauma, and how the District needs to make changes to be a safe and just city.”

Fighting For What He Thinks is Right

Green’s grandmother, Betty Washington took a huge role is raising him. The two are pictured together around 2003, about the time Green turned 18. Photo: Courtesy Anthony Lorenzo Green

Standing Up for the Community

As a board member of the Fort Stanton Civic Association, Green helped organize his neighbors in championing a new $12.5 million recreation center. As a commissioner, he helped the DC auditor uncover misappropriated funds. He is proud of the work he did together with fellow community leaders to negotiate community benefits agreements for development projects that prioritize affordable housing and community support services. Green also successfully advocated for the rede-velopment of the historic Dave Brown Liquors to include a black-owned medical cannabis dispensa-ry that is also the first to unionize. After riots in the streets evolved from demonstrations after the 2018 death of Jeffrey Price, killed in a collision with an MPD SUV, Green was part of collective action by affected Deanwood residents and community advocacy organizations. That led to the first ever DC Council Public Hearings on Po-licing in Wards 7 and 8, with one hearing held at Deanwood Recreation Center. It was important to Green that police were not present at the hearings so that residents could feel safe enough to speak their minds. Green said Councilmember Charles Allen (Ward 6-D), Chair of the Committee on the Judiciary and Public Safety, really wanted to hear the voices of the affected young men. “You saw people really pour out 22

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Green was ultimately unsuccessful in a 2020 bid to represent Ward 7 on DC Council. He knows it was tough to run against incumbent Vincent Gray (D) and that his strong views may have worked against him. Green has been vocal in his support of the defund the police movement. In May 2020, the DC Police Union accused Green of inciting violence against police officers after he tweeted criticism to-gether with footage of officers responding to a confrontation outside Nook’s Barbershop. Green said that he was trying to prevent violence, not incite it. “There are a lot of people, members of our community, who are telling me they’re drawing a line in the sand. They’re tired of being harassed and treated as criminals no matter where they are or what they’re doing,” Green told DCist at the time. Green has also come out in favor of decriminalizing sex work in the District, a position that puts him at odds with some of those he represents as well as city politicians including Mayor Muriel Bowser. Always an activist in his off-work hours, Green became a Core Organizer for Black Lives Matter DC in June 2020. The roles as organizer and elected official complement one another, said Green. He sees both as platforms to fight for the community. “There are things happening to Black folks every day,” Green said, “so it makes sense to integrate with the work I’m doing as a commissioner.” Green knows many of his views are at odds with some of his constituents. But he believes in fighting for what he thinks is right. He cites Cori Bush, the outspoken Congresswoman for Missouri’s First District who was an activist prior to her election in 2020. It took three campaigns for her to be elected to Congress, he noted, and Green said it inspires many people, “seeing someone who was defiant, and standing in her truth.” He has faith that, with time and the change in perspective it brings, many will come to see his position. “Eventually, one day –it may not be the next go round, but it may be the one after that –it’s going to be clearer why we fight the way we do,” he said. ◆

these groups are physically a lot closer in the Anacostia than the farmers and fishermen of the Chesapeake. But lessons to be learned about meeting and working together and sharing successes and failures could help the Chesapeake. Leading in the Development and Use of New Technologies to Increase Public Support People take pride in their public agencies’ leadership and use of the latest means to help clean up the waters. The Anacostia has led, at least the region and maybe the nation, in a number of areas, including the highest achievable level of nutrient reduction by eliminating 98% of combined sewer overflows, and the very successful daylighting of storm sewers such as Springhouse Run through the National Arboretum – recreating streams, fish and wildlife where there was before just a pipe. Such successes could be adopted by other areas of the Chesapeake watershed, bringing the benefits of support from the public for such impressive changes. Chesapeake Bay. Photo Andrew Lightman

Providing Recreation and Access to the Water for All Builds Political Support Public ownership of much of the Anacostia shoreline has made it relatively easy to build access points to the water, trails along the tidal and non-tidal waters and other water-related public facilities. With good publicity, the broad range of potential users is made aware of what is available for their use and enjoyment. This is a

problem area for the Chesapeake, where the absence of access to large tidal and non-tidal areas has given the public a sense that access is limited to locals and wealthy landowners of the waterside. In addition to benefits for upstream users, innovative access programs such as hiking and biking trails, camping areas, extended waterside recreation areas and other investments can make all areas attractive and gain broad-based public support. Learning, from What the Federal Agencies Are Doing along the Anacostia, What More They Can Do along the Bay and Its Rivers Because the Anacostia runs through DC, federal agencies have come forth with help in a number of areas. The National Park Service owns the tidal river-bottom and much of the shoreline; the local and federal departments of transportation have helped on building and maintaining the trails and the Navy has carried out clean-ups and provided extensive access along the shoreline. While federal lands and waters are more limited in the Chesapeake watershed, there may be opportunities to engage them in the clean-up and the provision of improved access. While local federal officials are prone to claim a lack of funds or authority, the Anacostia experience offers examples worth pursuing and many contacts to draw upon from the local agencies and environmental groups. We are all in this together, and we need to learn lessons from each other. Bill Matuszeski is a member of the Mayor’s Leadership Council for a Cleaner Anacostia River and the retired director of the Chesapeake Bay Program. He also serves on the board of Friends of the National Arboretum and on citizen advisory committees for the Chesapeake and the Anacostia River. ◆

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ater Internship, and special guests and artists. This is original programming from THEARC Theater. Find THEARC Theater podcasts at youtube.com/channel/UCy79D5AzKhB_P7kQkcoDOwA.

Coners of the Southern Christian Leadership Bayard Rustin (on left), one of the found son. Robin land Cleve with n, ingto h on Wash ference and a key organizer of the Marc

New Community Solar System Benefits 750 Residents

The Department of General Services and DOEE, in partnership with GRID Alternatives Mid-Atlantic, recently finished the construction ets of a community solar energy sysMen of Change: Taking it to thengStre exhi oor outd an it to the Streets, tem in Oxon Run on a degraded Through May 31, Men of Change: Taki nation’s story through the profiles 15-acre brownfield along South bition at 4800 Meade St. NE, presents a and the cultural stories they illumiCapitol Street, SW in Ward 8. The of revolutionary African American men ry, galle ostia Community Museum Oxon Run Community Solar projnate. Formerly slated to open in an Anac the in n llatio insta for outdoor ect is now the largest community the exhibition has been creatively reimaged to be accessible to the communisolar project in DC with 2.6 megaDC’s Ward 7 Deanwood neighborhood lding the contributions of notable watts of solar capacity. The system ty as a safer response to Covid-19. In hera s light des, Men of Change high is providing solar benefits to over African American men from across the deca in mark their e ent. While they mad 750 households within a two and deep parallels between the past and pres ce, entertainment, business, rea half mile radius of the project a variety of disciplines—politics, sports, scien of asserting their own agency by site. The subscribers will receive ligion, and more--all understood the value u. an average deduction of $500 per owning their own stories. anacostia.si.ed year on their electricity bills. The District Government will be hosting a launch event this spring. Visit doee.dc.gov/service/ Young, Gifted & Black: The Podcasts oxonrunsolar to learn more. THEARC Theater team podcasts explore the journey of a real-life community theater venue operations expeFrederick Douglass Bridge Opening rience in the southeast community, highlighting the stoDate Announced ries of the staff, local artists, programming and producMayor Bowser and the District Department of Transtions, community advocacy and arts workforce rooted in portation have announced that the District’s new Fredthe Black experience. Themes for the show include: Voterick Douglass Memorial Bridge is expected to open ing!, THEARC Theater Season, ICAN Technical The24

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October 1, 2021. In August 2020, the Bowser Administration marked the completion of the six arches over the bridge, forever changing the District’s cityscape and transportation network. It connects the shores of the Anacostia River, creating a more connected city and shared economic prosperity between communities in Wards 6 and 8. For more information, visit newfrederickdouglassbridge.com.

Pedestrian/Bicycle Path for Frederick Douglass Memorial Bridge Closed

DDOT has closed the sidewalk and trail connection on the west side of South Capitol Street SW between Potomac Avenue SW and Firth Sterling Avenue SE (including the west side sidewalk on the Frederick Douglass Memorial Bridge) for reconstruction. This is a permanent closure. Pedestrians and bicyclists will travel along the east side of South Capitol Street SE from Firth Sterling Avenue SE, cross at Howard Road SE, and continue on the existing path to Potomac Avenue SE via the east side of the Frederick Douglass Memorial Bridge. For more information, visit improving295dc.com.

Ward 8 Woods Volunteer Opportunities

Ward 8 Woods engages residents and visitors in uniquely satisfying volunteer experiences. Most volunteers work in the woods removing trash and cutting invasive vines. To allow for social distancing, attendance at each event is limited to 10 people. Reserve your spot at ward8woods. org/volunteer. Remaining 2021 volunteer days for Ft. Stanton Park are March 6, April 3, May 1, June 5, July 3, Aug. 7, Sept. 4, Oct. 2, Nov. 6, and Dec. 4. Volunteer days are every first Saturday, from 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Meet at Ft. Stanton Recreation Center, 1812 Erie St. SE. Remaining 2021 volunteer days for Shepherd Parkway are March 13, April 10, May 8, June 12, July 10, Au-

Ward 8 Woods Conservancy Proposes New Hiking Trail

The Ward 8 Woods Conservancy has officially proposed the first new hiking trail in Ward 8 in a generation, tentatively named the Suitland Parkway Northside Trail. The trail would parallel the existing, paved bike trail for approximately two miles, creating a potential 3.4-mile loop. The route starts at Pomeroy Road in the west and runs to Southern Avenue in the east, with street crossings at Stanton Road, Irving Street, and Alabama Avenue. It would also connect to the existing George Washington Carver Trail near the Anacostia Community Museum. Read more at ward8woods.org.

Photo: Nathan Harrington

gust 14, Sept. 11, Oct. 9, Nov. 13, Dec. 11. Volunteer days are every second Saturday, from 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Meet at 555 Newcomb St. SE.

Ward 8 Economic Development Initiative Launched

On Feb. 26, a steering committee of Ward 8 stakeholders launched the Ward 8 Community Economic Development planning initiative which is aimed at creating a master plan for employment, health, housing, business, education, public safety and other investments. Speakers explained how the new asset-focused, community-driven, and comprehensive approach differs from past Ward 8 economic development interventions. Steering committee members are Mustafa Abdul-Salaam, Ward 8 Community Economic Development Facilitator; David Bowers, VP & Mid-Atlantic Market Leader, Enterprise Community Partners; David Daniels, CEO and President, Bai-

num Family Foundation; Kim Ford, President and CEO, Martha’s Table; Rayna Smith, Chief of Staff to Deputy Mayor of Health and Human Services Wayne Turnage; Tamara Smith, President and CEO, District of Columbia Primary Care Association; and Trayon White, Sr., Councilmember, District of Columbia Council.

Growing Healthy Houseplants with the Botanic Garden

On Thursday, March 18, 2:30 to 3 p.m., join USBG Plant Health Care Specialist Chelsea McKinley live from the US Botanic Garden’s Conservatory for helpful hints on maintaining healthy houseplants. Using images and plants from the Garden’s collections, McKinley will share tips for diagnosing and addressing common houseplant health concerns. Participants will leave the session better equipped to cultivate a thriving indoor plant collection. #Take Time Thursdays with the Anacostia Community Muse-

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um gives participants a chance to take time for wellness, health, and creativity with artists, thought leaders, performers, wellness practitioners and others. Free. Register at smithsonian.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_uBoi7NGVSR2SLUpdZQbX9w.

DC Launches Gun Violence Prevention EOC

Mayor Bowser has announced the launch of the Gun Violence Prevention Emergency Operations Center (EOC), as part of a new comprehensive gun violence prevention program, Building Blocks DC. The EOC, a first-of-itskind in the nation to deploy a public health approach to gun violence prevention, is located in the heart of Historic Anacostia in Ward 8. Building Blocks DC will engage people most at-risk of becoming a victim or perpetrator of gun violence and focus initial efforts on working with individuals who: have been repeatedly arrested for gun-related offenses; are under active supervision by CSOSA or DYRS; have been directly impacted by gun violence; or have experienced the ripple effects of gun violence. Building Blocks DC will work to create individualized wraparound plans for support including housing, career and workplace readiness, mental health care, academic support and other government services.

Breyer Takes the Bench for A Winter’s Tale of Marital Woe

Oyez, oyez, oyez! Shakespeare Theatre Company’s annual Mock Trial is now in session—virtually. On March 10, at 7:30 p.m., audiences are invited to hear a mock appellate argument before a panel of judges, based on a legal issue arising out of a re-imagined plot point of The Winter’s Tale. Audiences will be able to watch the proceedings online and even cast their own judgment before the panel renders their verdict. Focusing on the royal rift between King Leontes and Queen Hermione of Sicily, this year’s Mock Trial scenario A Winter’s Tale of Marital Woe: Who’s to Blame? finds the Queen’s frenemy Paulina paying out of pocket after keeping the monarchs separated for sixteen years. $30; free for students. shakespearetheatre.org.

LOC Announces Spring Concert Programming

Concerts from the Library of Congress offers virtual concerts, interviews and conversations with artists and composers, lectures, curator talks and educational programs. This spring’s events include performances and presentations in classical music, jazz and dance. The season is being presented entirely in an online format for the first time. March concerts include: March 10, noon, HOMEGROWN at Home: É.T.É presents traditional and contemporary Francophone music from Québec; March 12, 8 p.m., New World Orchestra; March 19, 8 p.m., Steven Osborne, piano; and March 26, Dudok Quartet, Amsterdam. All events will be made available on the sched26

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uled premiere date and time on loc. gov/concerts, the Library’s YouTube channel and the Performing Arts at the Library of Congress Facebook page. All events of the season are free, and tickets are not required. loc.gov/concerts.

The Devil’s Disciple

The Washington Stage Guild is streaming George Bernard Shaw’s The Devils Disciple, set during the American Revolutionary War, on their YouTube channel, March 17, 8 p.m. to March 21, 8 p.m. Ten actors bring the script to life for you to enjoy from your own home. This limited engagement is available online at any time—day or evening. There is no ticket purchase required to attend but they would appreciate a donation. stageguild.org.

Studio Theatre’s Season Remainder

Productions are available on demand-watch when you want. There are no apps to download, just visit their website to stream. Here the remaining 2020-2021 season lineup: Cock by Mike Bartlett, March 5 to 28; Until the Flood by Dael Orlandersmith, March 28 to April 18; 2.5 Minute Ride by Lisa Kron, April 23 to May 16; Flow by Will Power, May 21 to June 13; Tender Age by George Brant, July 2 to 25. stu

SHRINES: Adventure awaits.

Photo: Courtesy of Historic Congressional Cemetery

Congressional Cemetery Call for Actors

Whether you are an experienced actor, always have had a great time doing skits, or just enjoy telling people about history--doing historical theater may be for you. Congressional Cemetery is looking for a few good actors to help with some historical theater events. It will be fun while helping them raise money for the Cemetery. The Historical Theater Interest Form is at form. asana.com/?k=XNyM8IOrXjgPtcdrhWDacg&d=1199636913810108. congressionalcemetery.org.

From March 21 through April 25, 2021, six curious and wondrous Shrines will appear throughout the region’s landscape, waiting to be discovered. Explorers, adventurous participants who choose to journey to one or many Shrines, will travel and enact a Ritual connecting them to the magic of a Shrine, its location, and other Explorers who have been there. Then, Explorers may uncover more by sharing their journey online and connecting with each other over the magic of SHRINES. SHRINES is free to experience, and each unique Shrine is complete and self-contained. Explorers may visit as many as they like. All they ask is that participants engage fully with any Shrine they visit and share with others to foster

deeper magic and connection. SHRINES locations, rituals and media will be released in late February so Explorers can begin planning their journeys. In the meantime, Explorers may peruse the SHRINES guidebook and sign up for maps, rituals, etc. at shrines.space. Explorers can also begin to connect with one another in the SHRINES Facebook Group and use the hashtags: #SHRINES #FindYourShrine #exploredc.

Community Forklift Seeks Volunteers for Workshop Program

If you are a tradesperson or creative DIYer and would like to help with a workshop on practical how-to’s or creative reuse, propose your workshop idea at communityforklift.org/our-programs/application-for-workshop-ideas.

Arena Stage Theater Artists Marketplace

Arena Stage Theater Artists Marketplace has trailblazed a model for regional theaters to connect art, artists and their artistry directly with the public. The Marketplace gives the public the opportunity to commission or purchase a work of art safely, with no in-person contact, from the artists and artisans who have graced Arena’s stages. The pandemic disrupted the ability for artists and theaters to earn income. When you make a purchase through the Marketplace, you are generating much-needed financial support for artists. A percentage supports Arena Stage. There are 33 artists and over 100 works of art, lessons, or commissioning opportunities currently on the Marketplace. Check back often as more Arena Stage artists and their works will be added over time. arenastage.org/tickets/looking-forward/artists-marketplace.

dinary and the extraordinary details of day-to-day life, our individual joys and triumphs, our challenges, our shared community celebrations, and more. Explore the stories and consider contributing your own. humanitiesdc.org/ programs/constellation.

HCS Foreclosure Prevention Webinars

The non-profit Housing Counseling Services is conducting webinars every Wednesday in March at 2 p.m. to provide information about available options for people who are having difficulty paying their mortgage, condo fees or property taxes. You may participate by internet or telephone. The webinars are free and registration is required. You may register at housingetc.org/webinar-registration . If you have questions, you may also call the Foreclosure Prevention hotline at 202-265-2255.

Transitional Housing Opportunity

Housing Counseling Services’ Transitional Opportunity Program (TOP) is accepting applications for a transitional housing program for single HIV+ adults who are homeless, at risk of homelessness or living in unstable situations. Program participants will be housed in community-based,

furnished, one-bedroom apartments. Participants must be prepared to engage in intensive case management, demonstrate capacity to live independently, and be ready to document 40 hours a week of productive activity. files. constantcontact.com/ff922da4601/6480933e-7d7d4806-9364-4e0721a50a3e.pdf.

Schedule a COVID Vaccination Appointment

Visit coronavirus.dc.gov/vaccinatedc for continually updated vaccination information, to make an appointment and to signup for vaccination availability alerts. The portal is only to schedule appointments for the first dose; patients will schedule an appointment to receive their second dose during their first appointment.

DC’s COVID-19 Hotline

District residents who are homebound due to COVID-19 can request support from the District for food and other essential items. Call 1-888-349-8323 or visit coronavirus. dc.gov/gethelp. ◆

AARP Tax Preparation Help for DC Residents

DC residents can send a text to or leave a message at 202-642-9037 or email the Help Desk at DCTaxAide. Help@gmail.com if you have questions or need help with your federal or DC tax return. One of their counselors will get in touch with you by email or return your call using the number 617-675-4444. For contact free help, you can send your scanned documents to them and they will prepare your return. All contact is by video chat or phone. A copy of your completed return is then emailed to you. You sign and they eFile your return. To get started, go to aarpfoundation.org/taxaide or email the Help Desk. For an appointment, you can bring your documents to them at a designated site and either (1) they scan and return them or (2) you leave them. All further contact is by video chat or phone. You then get a copy of your completed return. You sign and they eFile your return. To get started, contact the Help Desk. If you were unable to complete your 2019 tax return, they may be able to help. Contact the Help Desk.

HumanitiesDC Call for Stories

Constellation: Our DC Stories, a HumanitiesDC storysharing initiative, invites all who live, work, play, or otherwise experience the District to share their DC story so that we may collectively acknowledge, engage, and uplift our neighbors’ stories. Their stories reflect the or-

A Fully-Immersive 360-degree Virtual Reality Dance Experience Premieres at Dance Place

From March 8 to 14, Dance Place presents local company S. J. Ewing & Dancers with their new, virtual reality, physically distant presentation of TECHNE. Audiences will enter Dance Place for the first time since the start of the pandemic, and they will experience a fully immersive 360-degree virtual reality film that lives at the intersection of contemporary dance, interactive projections, and surround sound. Leveraging technology to bring the audience onto the stage and into the artists’ world, TECHNE delivers an entirely new perspective of a contemporary dance performance. TECHNE uses new projection technology and a 360-degree camera for filming. Dance Place, 3225 Eighth St. NE. danceplace.org. E AST

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Men of Change Anacostia Community Museum Brings Its Exhibit Directly to the Community

eveloped by the Smithsonian Institution’s Traveling Exhibition Services (SITES) 18 months ago, “Men of Change” highlights 27 African American men who have revolutionized American society. The men represent a broad spectrum of disciplines from visual art and music to sports and journalism. The exhibition includes well-known celebrities like Muhammad Ali but also features ascending public figures such as Kehinde Wiley, the artist who painted President Obama’s portrait. Created in response to the surge of police shootings of Black men in recent years, a diverse group of artists, advisors, academics, curators and museum professionals selected men from the 20th and 21st centuries to provide contemporary narratives of excellence to counter negative stereotypes of Black men.

by Phil Hutinet

Since August 2019, the exhibition has been shown at National Underground Railroad Freedom Center, Cincinnati, Ohio and Washington State History Museum, Tacoma, Washington. As museums reopened with limited capacity over the summer of 2020, Anacostia Community Museum had hoped to show “Men of Change” in its main gallery here in Washington, DC. But, as the fall approached and COVID-19 cases rose, closures were imminent leaving the exhibition’s timely content, and its potential to reach audiences, hanging in the balance.

Rethinking Visitor Engagement

Andrea Jones, Associate Director of Education, began her first day at ACM last fall surrounded crates filled with content for the “Men of Change” exhibition just as she was receiving email notices stating that the Museum would have to close due to spiking cases of COVID-19 in the DC region. So she thought about placing the exhibition outside so that the public can engage with its content in a safe, socially-distanced environment. In many ways, what Jones and her colleagues ended up producing may inadvertently have been more impactful in reaching audiences than if the exhibition proceeded as planned. When considering where to place the exhibition, the ACM team selected Deanwood for several reasons. Firstly, it is one of the oldest continuously inhabited African American communities in the US and in DC. The neighborhood has a long history of community activism The Mu-So-Lit Club’s Lincoln-Douglass Dinner, 1940. Scurlock Studio Records, ca. 1905-1994, and engagement or, as Jones Archives Center, National Museum of American History remarked, “a long history of 28

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defying societal expectations,” much like the 27 men featured in the exhibition. Deanwood is also home to Ron Brown High School, an institution dedicated to educating young black men or as Jones calls it, “an incubator for men of change.” Lastly, adjacent to Brown High School’s campus is the Deanwood Community Center and the Deanwood DC Public Library, two community resources that draw residents regularly.

The Impetus for Men of Change

Melanie Adams, Director of ACM, selected much of the content for the outdoor exhibition. “The Anacostia Community Museum is proud to be hosting ‘Men of Change: Taking it to the Streets’ during this unprecedented health crisis and pivotal time in America’s continued struggle for racial equality,” she said. “With African American stories largely absent from the historical narrative, this reimagined exhibition, allows us to make accessible, the contributions of African American men to our country and culture.” Marquette Foley, Curator, Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibitions (SITES) explains that “The exhibition is meant to stream African American culture, what it takes to achieve our better selves and what it means to embrace community.” The exhibition is also about “mythbreaking” and not letting stereotypes define you or as Foley deftly states, “Who tells the story, owns the story.” In reaction to the wave of shootings that have led to the death of so many Black men at the hands of police who are almost always acquitted, the exhibition seeks to humanize Black men whom American society too often demonizes. Foley hopes that the exhibition will “open the landscape of our American greatness and provide examples of excellence for kids and adults.” She adds that the people represented in the exhibition are human examples of greatness who just happen to be Black men.

Deanwood Impact

Creating an outdoor exhibition in fewer than ten weeks presented a number of challenges. To accomplish their goal, ACM worked with Brooklyn-based architect Jonathan Jackson to design the display. ACM also worked closely with Lloyd Smith, a third-generation Ward 7-based

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community organizer, other members of the Deanwood community and Ron Brown High School. The exhibition has given ACM the opportunity for deeper engagement with Ron Brown HS and the community through a series of public programs including student art exhibitions and a walking tour narrated by Brown HS alum Christian Johnson who current-

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The COMMUNITY section of Smithsonian’s Anacostia Community Museum’s exhibition, Men of Change: Taking it to the Streets in Deanwood, DC. Credit: Michael Barnes, Smithsonian’s Anacostia Community Museum.

tin, James Baldwin, Romare Bearden, Duke Ellington, John Coltrane, Miles Davis, Louis Armstrong, Robert F. Smith, Andrew Young, Muhammad Ali, Cleveland Summit, Michael Seibel and Bob Moses. “Men of Change” is on view, 24 hours a day from February 1 to May 31, Visitor looks at the IMAGINING section of the Smithsonian’s 2020. The exhibition is Anacostia Community Museum’s exhibition, Men of Change: Taking it to the Streets in Deanwood, DC. Credit: Smithsonlocated in the middle path ian’s Anacostia Community Museum at the intersection of 48th and Nash Streets NE on the campus of Ron Brown ly attends Howard University. The tour High School (4800 Meade St) and the is downloadable as a podcast and availDeanwood Community Center. (see link able free of charge (see link below). The for pdf map below) community has even worked on compiling a list of extraordinary local men for a “Deanwood Men of Change” display Additional Resources: which Jones says will be erected someExhibition Map: https://www.si.edu/ time in March. sites/default/files/acm-moc-map.png When thinking about the impact the exhibition has had on local students, “Men of Change: Walk with Us” Tour Foley notes that she was “impressed and available as a podcast: https://pod. touched by the profundity of the chillink/1553104659 dren who are looking for a way forward.” “Men of Change” Exhibition Homepage: https://menofchange.si.edu/

Men of Change

The 27 “Men of Change” include: Dick Gregory, W.E.B Du Bois, John H. Johnson, Alvin Ailey, Carter G. Woodson, August Wilson, LeBron James, Dr. Rob Gore, Charles Hamilton Houston, Ryan Coogler, Kendrick Lamar, Shaka Senghor, Ta-Nehisi Coates, Charles Bolden, Kehinde Wiley, Bayard Rus30

EASTOFTHERIVERDCNEWS.COM

Follow hashtag #menofchange on social media for up-to-the-minute information Phil Hutinet is the publisher of East City Art, DC’s alternative art source. For more information visit www.eastcityart.com. ◆

Meet Bert and Elaine Haaga

Santa Claus and Home Maker by Anthony D. Diallo

Bert Haaga in Smihsonian Natural History Museum Greenhouse.

Bert & Elaine Haaga at 1st Anniversary NMAAHC Gala.

orget the North Pole, Santa and Mrs. Claus reside right here in DC in Ward 8. Bert and Elaine Haaga moved to Southeast and initially lived in their son’s Anacostia apartment soon after he and his then new bride departed for larger quarters. Within five years, the couple, tired of renting but thoroughly “loving the diversity and oppor-tunity” that Ward 8 affords, decided to buy their current three-bedroom, two-story, wood-framed house in Congress Heights. It met all their needs: affordability, diversity and a place to grow a garden. “We feel that race is one of the biggest problems plaguing our country today. Our goal when we married in 1978 was that we wanted our lives to count for something. I know that there is a whole issue of gentrification,” said Mrs. Haaga, 67, who enjoys her retirement by communing with their three grandchildren and channeling their time by performing charitable acts. “People of color have been mistreated and exploited. We need the process of healing,” said Mr. Haaga, 66, who still works parttime as a horticulturist at the Smithsonian Museum (federal complex greenhouse in Suitland, Maryland) tending to unusual, rare or nearly extinct species of plants like a Madagascar Palm, Calathea Warscewiczii (like a prayer plant) and rare banana plants.

Since then, Mr. Haaga, in full Santa Claus regalia, and Elaine, sometimes dressed as Mrs. Claus, have entertained young and old at Christmas events at such venues as the Southeast White House, where they volunteer their services regularly throughout the year before the pandemic. The Southeast White House, located at 2909 Pennsylvania Avenue, SE is affectionately known in the area as the Little White House because of its architecture and proximity (four miles east) of the real White House. It is also known as a resource for those seeking lifestyle changes, fellowship and volunteer opportunities. Additionally, Bert, as Santa Claus, participated in an Enchant Christmas event at Na-tional Stadium in 2019 where he hopes to return in 2021. He has enthralled children at a half dozen charity gigs for the 6th District Police Department. “First he always provides a free service as Santa at several of our Christmas and holi-day events for children in need. Secondly, the children like him. I met him performing at the Southeast White House and asked him to be Santa for us too,” said Outreach Officer Jason N. Medina who works out of the 6th District in Ward 7.

Living in West Africa

The Haagas went from South Carolina, where they met at the Columbia International University Graduate (Continued on pg. 33)

Santa Claus Extraordinaire

Bert & Elaine Haaga at March for Our Lives Protest.

With his distinctive long, white beard, burly frame and being called Pere Noel (the legendary French gift-bringer at Christmas) for many years, it was a natural transition for Bert to become interested in and ultimately receive specialized training to become jolly St. Nick. In 2016 Bert traveled to Denver’s Professional Santa Claus School where he honed his skills at a two-day conference and earned a Santa Claus certificate.

Bert Haaga in Smihsonian Natural History Museum Greenhouse.

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Zsudayka Nzinga

Artist, Curator, Educator and Community Leader by Phil Hutinet

The Way Forward to DC

Born and raised in Denver Colorado, people thought Zsudayka Nzinga, was nuts when she told people in middle school that she wanted to move to DC to become a famous artist. Yet it seems that she is on track to prove her critics wrong. Nzinga attended Hampton University, an HBCU (Historically Black College and University) in Virginia with the intention of studying journalism. During her freshman year, right after the attacks of September 11, she visited DC for the first time attending a seminar at Howard University for budding journalists organized by Hampton University. Nzinga reveals that it was at this moment, “when I first came to DC, I knew I had found home.” Before getting married to Ward 7 native James Terrell and planting roots in Deanwood, Nzinga moved around a between Denver and Virginia by way of New York City and Atlanta, Georgia. While these moves reaffirmed her desire to become a Washingtonian, at Hampton, she had chosen

In the Gallery: Zsudayka Nzinga. Photo: Joseph Chisley

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not to enter the field of journalism. Instead, she chose a path that would lead to a career in the arts. While her artistic practice currently focuses mostly on painting and mixed-media work, Nzinga still maintains a reverence for poetry and spoken word.

Pandemic Process Shift

The effects of the pandemic have had varying impacts on all of us. For artists around the world, the experience has led to creating work that evokes themes of solitude and isolation. In Nzinga’s case, the pandemic has changed the manner in which she explores being a Black woman in America, a central theme in her work. With two small children and a preteen to raise, before the pandemic, Nzinga would “get to paint in spurts.” However, when schools closed, her husband, who teaches art, stayed home. This gave Nzinga the opportunity to work a couple of hours at a time. The increase in time allowed Nzinga to delve into collage, using fabric and employing diasporic themes such as braiding hair and textiles. For example, she has been learning about the practice of braiding maps into women’s hair so that they wouldn’t get lost. She has also been thinking about how textiles serve as maps to indicate people’s origins. As her process and use of materials evolved over the past ten months, Nzinga delved deeper into her identity. “I began thinking about [the order of words] American African vs. African American and embracing my identity as an American.” Nzinga sees her American identity as prime while simultaneously acknowledging her African roots and comparing it to how other American groups like Italians talk about their cultural identity through food, culture or religious practices. She further elaborates that “When the hashtag #blackartmatters appeared [over the summer of 2020], it started an interesting discussion of who is an American. As Black artists, we have our own aesthetic but it is an American one.” Nzinga believes that “Art is good because it’s a way to communicate culture without being aggressive. “ As a figurative painter, one of the difficulties Nzinga experiences from isolation is being disconnected from other people and the encounters which pro-

Zsudayka Nzinga “Breastfeeding 2”. Photo: Joseph Chisley

vide her with inspiration. “People are my inspiration,” she explains. Her recent work has also addresses the paradox of “watching children playing peacefully at home while watching cities burn on TV.” With parental responsibilities, Nzinga understands that “I am not on the front lines [of the social justice protests] and my work is reflective of that.” So, she has sought to “dig deep politically” to understand how she, as an artist, can contribute to social justice and equity through her work as an artist, curator, educator and community organizer.

DC School Teacher Art Exhibition

Nzinga and her husband strongly believe in the importance of engaging young people in art at an early age. She writes curricula for children’s art programs and seeks to provide

(Continued from pg. 31) she has worked in the past, Drew Anderson and Bomani Armah, whose poetry provides verbal cues to better experience the project. What Nzinga also discovered during this process is that while teachers have advanced degrees in art, many have never had the opportunity to exhibit work. Additionally, thanks to the exhibition, many parents have discovered—much to their surprise—that their children’s teachers are also talented artists.

An Arts Center for Ward 7

Zsudayka Nzinga “The Red Couch”. Photo: Satra Nudara

youth a path to making a living as artists by organizing exhibitions of their work. Nzinga’s pedagogical philosophy is as poignant as it is simple: “We can’t diversify museums if we tell kids they cannot make a living as artists.” Nzinga’s husband James Terrell, who is also an accomplished artist, teaches at Friendship Public Charter School which, like all other educational institutions, shut their doors unexpectedly in March 2020 due to public health concerns over Covid-19. She and her husband went back and forth sharing ideas about what to do about the school closures. They sought a means by which they could engage adults in the same manner they engage youth. To that end, they focused on teachers whom Nzinga considers “unsung frontline workers.” Nzinga recalls that “The school closures were so sudden. Many of the children did not have school supplies,” and teachers helped instruct children remotely by helping children use whatever materials they could to create. Out of this adaptation, Nzinga decided to curate a teacher’s exhibition to honor their dedication and to showcase their art. The DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities, DC’s state arts agency, offers an annual grant to applicants seeking to organize an exhibition. Seizing this opportunity, Nzinga wrote a successful grant application which was funded by the commission. Nzinga explains the process of selecting teachers for the exhibition: “We asked teachers to submit work based on their experience with the pandemic and the social unrest we saw this summer. This is a moment we may never see again in our lives. Artists are historians who can share and document this period.” The exhibition “pulls together amazing work that tells what the American Experience is and shows what America is going through.” Nzinga also peppered the exhibition with two spoken word artists with whom

Nzinga and Terrell’s decision to move to Deanwood was deliberate. One of the longest continuously occupied Black communities in the United States and in DC, Nzinga and Terrell wanted to “put roots in a community that we could give back to and get involved with.” “When I first moved over here, I was very impressed by this amazing community rich in culture and filled with talented fine artists,” recalls Nzinga. Inspired by Anacostia Arts Center in Ward 8, Nzinga would like to create a similar venue in Ward 7, in Deanwood’s commercial corridor. “Ward 7 needs the exact same thing,” she concluded. She has met with area ANCs and other community leaders to start a conversation on how to make this happened. While the pandemic may have slowed the progress of a Ward 7 arts center, Nzinga nevertheless sees “a unique opportunity.” She believes public programming from a community art center can offer much needed catharsis for the extreme tension and anxiety people have felt over the past year. “A lot of people need to release their emotions. People have not had the opportunity to do that.” Nzinga also sees an arts community center as bridging the gap between the pandemic and future days when we will no longer have to wear masks and socially distance. “Before this past year, we wanted to get collectors to see local artists,” she recounts. Now she asks “What are some ways to use art to give back to the community?” Some examples she cites are as follows: “We can do food giveaways, hand out diapers and other supplies. We’re refocusing on what Deanwood and ward 7 needs right now even if it’s just painting on the windows or holding a fundraiser for our community to get the things that people need right now.” Terrell Arts DC: www.terrellartsdc.com Visit the online gallery for the DC Teachers Art exhibition: www.dcteacherartshow.com Phil Hutinet is the publisher of East City Art, DC’s alternative art source. For more information visit www.eastcityart.com. ◆

DC Santa and Mrs. Claus

School, spent about a year and half in Quebec before living in West Africa for 27 years. They were assigned to work on a reforestation project because “the Sahara (Desert) was moving further and further south.” Due to sensitive issues involving religion and politics in the African country where the Haagas performed missionary work, they did not want to identify the specific nation by name. The couple, with their two young sons in tow, worked with a small Christian church group of 10 to 20 people while “the rest of the neighbors were Muslim. We became a part of the town’s life and attended the weddings, naming ceremonies for babies and funerals. It was an incredible privilege to be a part of their lives,” Mrs. Haaga recalled.

Coming Back to America

Since returning to the United States and taking up residency East of the River, the Haagas have immersed themselves into their new environment with several activities. Before retirement Elaine worked for a nonprofit, Council for Christian Colleges and Universities (CCCU) on Capitol Hill and “went from sitting on mats in (West Africa) to an office on Capitol Hill. That was a big adjustment.” “Elaine was our Receptionist and Assistant Conference Planner. She cared about people deeply. She was a pillar of our organization. When she decided to retire in 2019 everybody was so sad. When she was leaving, she went out and got a gift for every single delivery person who came by the office. She made friends with them,” said Casey Lamar, the then-Director of Conferences and Mrs. Haaga’s former supervisor. “Elaine and Bert are simply cut from a different cloth.” They started a community garden at their home and happily share their fresh produce that includes collard greens, tomatoes and kale with any nearby resident interested in organic vegetables that are free from unhealthy additives and preservatives. Canning and sharing vegetables are methods used by the Haagas to formulate close bonds with neighbors. “One of the reasons we moved here to Southeast was because we thought we could really get involved in the community and help heal racial issues plaguing our country,” Mr. Haaga said. The Haagas say they love living in the District and particularly East of the River. They’re happy that their history of forming friendships internationally is now continuing in Ward 8. ◆ E AST

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Changing Hands Changing hands is a list of most residential sales in the District of Columbia from the previous month. A feature of every issue, this list,based on the MRIs, is provided courtesy of Don Denton, manager of the Coldwell Banker office on Capitol Hill. The list includes address, sales price and number of bedrooms.

1028 Barnaby Terrace SE $417,000 437 Valley Ave SE $399,000 97 Forrester St SW $185,000

DEANWOOD

4935 Fitch Pl NE 4937 Fitch Pl NE 4930 Minnesota Ave NE 4615 Kane Pl NE 211 47th St NE 4212 Gault Pl NE 215 63rd St NE 243 55th St NE 5329 Jay St NE 4420 Blaine St NE 4434 Hunt Pl NE 4142 E Capitol St NE 4940-4942 Just St NE

$550,000 $550,000 $538,000 $525,000 $502,500 $486,000 $425,000 $405,000 $389,000 $375,000 $340,000 $325,000 $255,000

FORT DUPONT PARK 3350 D St SE 1790 41st Pl SE 1223 46th St SE 4100 Southern Ave SE 3947 R St SE 1506 Fort Davis Pl SE 748 Burns St SE 1110 45th Pl SE 1216 44th Pl SE 4008 Southern Ave SE

HILL CREST

NEIGHBORHOOD PRICE

BENNING HEIGHTS

FEE SIMPLE

3984 Blaine St NE 220 35th St NE

ANACOSTIA

CAPITOL HILL EAST

1846 Minnesota Ave SE 2106 16th St SE 2307 Nicholson St SE 2305 Nicholson St SE 1420 V St SE

BARRY FARMS 2508 Elvans Rd SE 34

$520,000 $480,000 $475,000 $475,000 $455,000 $520,000

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$499,900 $397,000

1660 Ebenezer Ct SE $1,500,000 117 15th St SE $825,000 222 14th Pl NE $769,388

CONGRESS HEIGHTS 3794 1st SE 1201 Congress St SE 1106 Varney St SE

$490,000 $450,000 $450,000

3800 Nash St SE 1300 34th St SE 3658 Bangor St SE 1711 33rd Pl SE 3657 Alabama Ave SE

$609,000 $582,000 $500,000 $475,000 $475,000 $460,000 $450,000 $365,000 $290,000 $315,000 $686,000 $682,000 $650,000 $610,000 $480,000

1505 Freedom Way SE $830,000 1335 Ives Pl SE $775,900 1507 Pennsylvania Ave SE $749,000 512 15th St NE 548 23rd Pl NE

3728 Foote St NE $515,000 1501 Kenilworth Ave NE $350,500 3336 Clay St NE $319,000

MARSHALL HEIGHTS 5212 B St SE 5218 B St SE 5214 B St SE 5222 B SE 5040 B St SE 5131 D St SE 5524 C St SE 4607 E Capitol St SE 5349 E St SE

$870,000 $580,000

$515,000 $515,000 $515,000 $515,000 $515,000 $452,500 $415,000 $265,000 $222,400

OLD CITY #1

1018 Constitution Ave NE $1,125,000 1004 Constitution Ave NE $980,000 658 Morton Pl NE $950,000 714 12th St NE $920,000 1502 E St SE $850,000 1806 Bay St SE $810,000 1714 Independence Ave SE $735,000 1353 Ives Pl SE $675,000 15 16th St NE $619,000

RANDLE HEIGHTS 2560 16th St SE 1912 Savannah Pl SE 1421 Tobias Dr SE 2104 Savannah St SE 1909 17th St SE 2403 Savannah St SE

$505,000 $463,000 $405,000 $390,000 $325,000 $282,000

CONDO ANACOSTIA

HILL EAST

KINGMAN PARK

LILY PONDS

1616 18th St SE #202

$129,900

CAPITOL HILL EAST

326 12th St NE #2 $916,000 1366 F St NE #1 $652,990 1220 Potomac Ave SE #6 $530,000

CAPITOL RIVERFRONT 1211 Van St SE #1118 1211 Van St SE #918 1211 Van St SE #1001 1211 Van St SE #808 1211 Van St SE #811 1211 Van St SE #711 1211 Van St SE #1007 1211 Van St SE #1113 1211 Van St SE #903 1211 Van St SE #1210 1211 Van St SE #910 1211 Van St SE #909 1211 Van St SE #612 1211 Van St SE #712 1211 Van St SE #610

$914,900 $884,900 $804,900 $774,900 $765,900 $709,900 $640,900 $639,900 $551,900 $474,900 $438,900 $438,900 $437,900 $437,900 $419,900

CONGRESS HEIGHTS 6 Galveston St SW #201 3415 SE 5th St SE #34 4729 1st St SW #202

$88,000 $85,599 $58,300

FORT DUPONT PARK

3960-3960 Pennsylvania Ave SE #305 $220,000

HILL CREST

3809 V St SE #301

$179,000

1613 Isherwood St NE #3 $653,000 900 11th St SE #311 405 17th St NE #A 225 20th St NE #3 1401 Potomac Ave SE #4

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RANDLE HEIGHTS

1620 26th Pl SE #2 $550,000 1624 26th Pl SE #2 $535,000 1622 26th Pl SE #2 $535,000 1612 26th Pl SE #1 $490,000 1907 Good Hope Rd SE #9$140,000 ◆

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kids & family

by Kathleen Donner

Jan. 31. Five-month-old giant panda Xiao Qi Ji sniffs a cub-sized snowman before taking a frosty bite.

also be purchased at bluedrop.co/shop/ for $12.75. 10% of each sale goes to the SPLASH Fund (dcwater. com/customer-assistance), a DC Water program that helps customers maintain critical water and sewer service in times of financial emergencies.

Baltimore’s Maryland Zoo is Open

lenge on the back. Find them at spymuseum. org/education-programs/educators/lessonplans-activities. Other activities include: Disguise for Cover--Sometimes intelligence officers and their agents need to operate in public places without being recognized. Frequency Analysis Code Cracker--Can you crack this se-

Baltimore’s Maryland Zoo, at One Safari Place, is open daily (rain or shine) from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. There is a new timed-ticket process in place and all ticket purchases are online. Admission is $22 for adults; $18 for ages two to eleven; and $19 for seniors. Parking is free. marylandzoo.org.

Parent Like It Matters: How to Raise Joyful, Change-Making Girls

Xiao Qi Ji’s First Snow

On Sunday, Jan. 31, giant panda cub Xiao Qi Ji experienced yet another milestone—his first encounter with snow. Watch him tumble and play in the snow at nationalzoo.si.edu/animals/news/pandastory-chill-cubs-first-snow. You can watch more of Xiao Qi Ji on the Smithsonian’s National Zoo’s Panda Cams. Watch giant pandas Tian Tian, Mei Xiang and Xiao Qi Ji. Toggle between Panda Cam 1 and Panda Cam 2 using the tabs at the top of the video player for the full experience. Mei Xiang gave birth to a male giant panda cub named Xiao Qi Ji (SHIAU-chi-ji) Aug. 21, 2020. If you have a question about what you’re seeing on the Panda Cam, visit nationalzoo.si.edu/animals/giant-panda-cub-faqs and sign up for the Giant Panda Bulletin to get the latest panda cub news straight to your inbox.

How do we teach girls to change the world? Janice Johnson Dias encourages parents to begin within, seeking their own fulfillment and in turn becoming self-realized role models for young women. Drawing on her knowledge as a leading sociologist and experiences raising her own change-agent daughter, Marley, she offers strategies for discussing racism and sexism, finding appropriate mentors and inspiring girls to pursue their passions. Dias emboldens girls to lift as they climb--boosting other young women as they move through their life journey. Mixing personal experience with research from the field, Dias has created the ultimate guide for inspiring a generation of girls to take charge and make change. On Tuesday, March 23, 6 to 7 p.m., join Janice Johnson Dias (online) as she discusses her book PARENT LIKE IT MATTERS: HOW TO RAISE JOYFUL, CHANGE-MAKING GIRLS with Jacqueline Woodson. politics-prose.com.

Science Moms

Wendy, Where Does Our Wastewater Go?

This new book, published by DC Water, aims to take complex environmental and engineering themes and make them accessible to children ages six to twelve. The story follows DC Water’s mascot, Wendy the Water Drop, as she takes a group of curious students through all the steps that wastewater takes from their homes, through Blue Plains, and eventually back to the Potomac. The book is illustrated by Deborah Han and designed by Jacob Bilich, both students at Georgetown University. Wendy, Where Does Our Wastewater Go? is available at all open DC libraries. It can 36

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Science Moms are a group of bipartisan climate scientists and mothers who care deeply about the planet that our children will inherit. Together, they aim to demystify climate change, talk honestly about how it will affect our children and give moms the facts they need to take action. Sign up for monthly actions to protect your kids from climate change at sciencemoms.com.

Make Invisible Ink

Learn how to make eight different formulas for creating invisible ink and don’t forget to do the Secret Message Egg Chal-

A Tree For You And Me

Create a “wish tree” to share with family, friends, and neighbors. And the Hirshhorn wants to see your creations. Step (1) What is a wish? Step (2) Write or draw your wishes on scraps of paper. Step (3) Choose the Wish Tree project that works best for you. Step (4) Gather materials. Step (5) Cut your trunk and branches. Step (6) Tape your leaves and wishes to the branches. Step (7) Invite friends to add theirs. Step (8) Share your tree with the world on social media @hirshhorn with #HirshhornInsideOut and #WishTreeForTheWorld. hirshhorn.si.edu/ explore/make-a-wish.

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cret message? Crack A Top Secret Code-Try your hand at cracking this top secret message. DIY Ninja!--What can you learn from Ninjas? How about strength, focus and stealth. Design Your Own Spy Gadget--It’s your turn to be spy scientist. The International Spy Museum, 700 L’Enfant Plaza SW, is now open. While all children are welcome, the Museum’s content is best suited for ages nine and up. The Museum offers scheduled programs and events at spymuseum.org/ calendar/?audience=kids-families, and ongoing interactive experiences. Resources are also available here to bring out your inner spy at home! Admission is $24.95 for adults and $16.95 for kids, seven to twelve. spymuseum.org.

Read About Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. with DCPS

In recognition of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., DC Public Schools has curated a list of recommended books and content resources. Families can access the list through dcps.instructure.com/courses/211378/pages/dr-martin-luther-kingjr-day.

Reflections on Grief & Child Loss

When Abraham and Mary Lincoln’s son, Willie, died at 11 years old in February 1862, they once again experienced what is called “the greatest tragedy.” Willie was their second son to die from an illness in childhood. The Lincolns were eager for solace and a place to grieve this loss when they moved to the Cottage at the Soldiers’ Home. When describing their move, Mary Lincoln wrote, “When we are in sorrow, quiet is very necessary to us.” Reflections on Grief and Child Loss at President Lincoln’s Cottage is a first-ofits-kind exhibit that bridges the Lincolns’ experience of the death of their children with modern families whose children have died inexplicably or from illness, disease, physical and gun violence. The exhibit will remain open for at least two years. President Lincoln’s Cottage, 140 Rock Creek Church Rd. NW, is open for tours daily, except Mondays, from 9:30 a.m. to 4:15 p.m. Admission is $6 to $15. lincolncottage.org. 38

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The Space Shuttle at 40

Here’s a big idea: What if we could fly to space like we fly around the world? That’s not science fiction--that’s the reality of the Space Shuttle Program. From 1981 to 2011, space shuttles flew astronauts and payloads to space and then returned to Earth, like a plane returning to an airport. NASA used them for critical projects in a variety of ways, like launching satellites, servicing the Hubble Space Telescope, and helping build the International Space Station. On this episode of STEM at 30, they’ll discuss the history and science of this one-of-akind spacecraft. STEM in 30 is the National Air and Space Museum’s webcast series for middle school students. Tune in every month to share the fascination of aviation and space. airandspace.si.edu/events/spaceshuttle-40.

Respect Her Crank! Sounds of Blackness

Black music has the ability to lullaby listeners with melodic whispers, unearth pain with crying keys, and bring bodies to their feet in celebration with breakbeats. The range in sound and emotion within Black music is driven, in part, by the ingenuity of Black women. The Hirshhorn ARTLAB’s latest series, Respect Her Crank!: Sounds of Blackness, explores the roles of Black women in American music history through weekly virtual workshops in music production, songwriting, graphic design, and surprise workshops from community partners. Through June 2021, Respect Her Crank! workshops are open to all but tailored to educators on Tuesdays and teens on Thursdays, 4 to 5:30 p.m. Up your after-school game and sign up for a workshop (they’re free)—or multiple—today. No prior experience is needed. hirshhorn.si.edu/events.

The Dance Institute of Washington’s Summer Training

The Dance Institute of Washington’s Summer Training, for ages three to eighteen, is from June 28 to Aug. 6. They provide high quality dance training by world class instructors in Ballet,

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Need SAT Help? One-on-One Local Tutoring Service Nicolas Frank, an experienced tutor, near-perfect scorer, and UCLA student will help your child improve and meet their goals.

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Spy Academy & the Lost Treasure of Atlantis

Spy Academy & the Lost Treasure of Atlantis is Imagination Stage’s madefor-the-virtual-world immersive online experience for kids ages five and older. Through May 23, the show--part escape room, part spy adventure, and part online game--engages children in an interactive performance as meaningful as it is delightful. The audience--no more than 15 households per performance--takes on the role of cadets at a spy academy. They are being taught by Pat, a live facilitator. When Pat gets notification that some of the academy’s adult spies need help evading the villainous Dr. Levinious as they search for the Heart of the Dragon, Pat recruits all the cadets to help them by solving various puzzles and problems. Adults will have received instructions in advance to secretly prepare some key props to have nearby for their cadets. $25 per household. imaginationstgae.org.

Modern, African and Hip-Hop. Registration is open for both virtual and limited in-person. danceinstituteofwashington.org/summer-training-2021.

Who is Sylvia Méndez? Separate Is Never Equal

Save the date for Galita’s Who is Sylvia Méndez? Separate Is Never Equal this spring (April 11 to 25). This is a joyful play that embraces diversity and tolerance through the story of elementary school teacher Sylvia Mendez who fought to end segregation in education in California, paving the way for the national ban on segregated schools. For her legacy and courage, Mendez received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Obama for her advocacy for educational opportunity for children of all backgrounds. $12 for adults; $10 for kids. Performances for the general public are Saturdays and Sundays at 3 p.m., only. GALA Theatre, 3333 14th St. NW. galatheatre.org.

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Glen Echo Park Celebrates of 100th Anniversary of the Dentzel Carousel

Through September 2021, Glen Echo Park, together with Montgomery County and the National Park Service, commemorates the 100th anniversary of Glen Echo Park’s beloved Dentzel carousel with celebrations, including virtual lectures on the history and restoration of the carousel, summer family weekend activities, social media contests, carousel anniversary merchandise, a fundraising campaign, and the premieres of three short videos that will feature personal stories reflecting the unique and enduring role the carousel has played in the community for a century. Read more at glenechopark.org/ carousel100. Download carousel coloring pages at glenechopark.org/sites/default/files/2020_Carousel_Animal_Coloring_Pages. ◆

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XWORD “Foodstuffs” by Myles Mellor Across: 1. Chicken ___ masala 6. Equivalent to 3.26 light years 12. U.S. mil. award 15. Cleave 17. American aviator Earhart 18. Home planet 20. Gets educated 21. Bulletin 22. Insect-eating lizard 23. Italian cuisine ingredient 26. Salsa ingredient 28. PGA part 29. 18 wheeler 31. Avant-garde 32. 1945 conference site 38. Woman in charge of a prison 40. Terrier’s island 41. Actually 44. Place for a frog 45. Location of two of the classical Seven Wonders 46. ____ Paolo 47. ___ de guerre 49. Intl. carrier 52. Sounds from the meadow 53. Evenings 55. Bring about 57. Irks 61. Nebraska city 64. Bollywood star, Zinta 65. Tasty dessert 69. Hype 70. Male singing voices 71. Camera support 72. Cursor mover 73. Evidence collectors 74. Designer Cassini 76. Green-lighted 77. Former coin of France

79. Short for an Italian mister 82. Citrus drinks 88. Marquand sleuth 90. Quadrangle 91. Calculating types 95. Chekhov’s first play 96. Most free from pain or discomfort 97. Museo hanging 98. Social misfit 99. Of the mouth 102. Vichyssoise ingredient 104. It might include lettuce and beans 113. Cat sound 114. Computer ace 115. Cooking herb 116. Gives 117. Least cooked 118. Carpenter’s tool 119. ___ and feather 120. Habituates 121. Muscle

Down: 1. Locker room supply 2. Flash 3. Top Tatar 4. Composer, Jerome 5. “Rule, Britannia” composer 6. Romeo’s rival 7. Words of agreement 8. Adjust, as a brooch 9. Boor 10. Leprechaun’s land 11. Disaster 12. Serious stories 13. Tintoretto’s “The Miracle of __ Freeing the Slave” 14. Loosed-lipped

Look for this months answers at labyrinthgameshop.com 16. Subj. for immigrants 18. Wear away 19. Green light 24. Protect, in a way 25. Famous fiddler 27. “___ Como Va” (1971 Santana hit) 30. Kvetches 32. Airline to Karachi 33. Switch positions 34. Prefix with state 35. Unelevated, with level 36. Beaver home 37. He discovered “Open Sesame” 38. Mountains, abbr. 39. Revelation response 42. Shelley’s “___ Skylark”

43. Age abbr. 48. “___ beaucoup” 49. Watch word 50. Played on stage 51. Wreckage in a room 54. Fannie or Ginnie follower 56. Bring in the sheaves 57. Digital tome 58. In full voice 59. Male sheep 60. Tennis champ Monica 61. Sounds of woe 62. Hosts 63. Yellowfin tuna 64. Vine-woven trellisework 66. Ball carriers 67. Justification for existence 68. Embryonic or adult follower

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69. Medical provider grp. 73. Twist 74. Bullfighter’s cry 75. Deighton of thrillers 78. Threatening 80. Japanese statesman 81. Statehouse V.I.P. 83. Turndowns 84. Elvis’s “A Fool Such ___” 85. Owing 86. Hosp. areas 87. Matching collection 89. Albert of sportscasts 91. Explosive 92. Immediate 93. Fifth-century scourge 94. Salty oxygen 99. Different 100. Bring up 101. Is part of 103. Piggy, of a sort 105. Heart cherry 106. Neutral color 107. Suffix with west 108. Former Swedish car maker 109. Independent ruler 110. Whom Tony and Rico fought over, in “Copacabana” 111. Over again 112. “Fudge!”

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East of the River Magazine – March 2021

Articles inside

Notebook

Meet Your Neighbor: Bert and Elaine Haaga by Anthony D. Diallo

Changing Hands by Don Denton

The “Radical and Rowdy” Commissioner from Deanwood

Zsudayka Nzinga: Artist, Curator, Educator and Community Leader by Phil Hutinet