SINCE 1954
VOLUME 65 NUMBER 10
GEORGETOWNER.COM
FEBRUARY 20 - MARCH 5, 2019
OUR B L AC K H I S T O RY I N G EORGETOW N
HYD E -AD D IS ON READ Y BY J U LY 1 TO WN GO I NG BANK - C RAZ Y JAMA I C A & BO B M ARLEY A NO D TO THE HARLEM RENAI SSANC E
IN THIS ISSUE IN THIS ISSUE
NEWS · 4 - 7, 9
Up & Coming Events Town Topics Friends of Book Hill Plan for Spring
EDITORIAL/OPINION · 8 Editorials Jack Evans Report Letters to the Editor
BUSINESS · 10
ABOUT THE COVER
Photo by Michael Wilson. Model Angela Garten brings back the Harlem Renaissance, thanks to Fashion-Beauty Editor Lauretta McCoy (also Makeup Artist) and Stylist Stef Pharr — hair by Darrell Thompson and photo retouching by Yvonne Taylor. Elizabeth Hobbs Keckley, a former slave, a prominent dressmaker, designer and couturier to Mary Todd Lincoln pictured in frame. Dress — Veronica Beard @ ruthshawinc Top — Dior Necklace — Legos glasses – The Original David @theoriginaldavid
At Oki Bowl, ‘Mom’ Is in Charge Ins & Outs
FASHION · 11 - 13 A Nod to the Harlem Renaissance
COVER STORY · 14 - 15 Our Black History ... in Georgetown
HALL OF FAMER FRANK ROBINSON, 1935-2019 BY GARY TISC H L ER
President George W. Bush presents the Presidential Medal of Freedom to baseball legend Frank Robinson in 2005, as Aretha Franklin looks on. Photo by Paul Morse/White House.
‘TRAILBLAZER’: DOROTHY GILLIAM OF THE POST
ARTS · 16
Pink Ranchos at the Art Museum of the Americas
FOOD & WINE · 17
BY M AR IO SC H OWER S
On the cover of her new book, Gilliam is shown in the Post newsroom. Photo by Washington Post photographer Harry Naltchayan.
Dining Guide Latest Dish
GETAWAYS · 18 - 19
Jamming for Jamaica? A Homage to Bob Marley
CLASSIFIEDS · 20 Service Directory
HENRY JAMES AT ARENA STAGE BY STEPH AN IE GR EEN
Laura C. Harris and Jonathan David Martin. Photo by C. Stanley Photography. Courtesy Arena Stage.
PUBLISHER Sonya Bernhardt
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Robert Devaney
ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER Charlene Louis
COPY EDITOR Richard Selden
FEATURES EDITORS Ari Post Gary Tischler CREATIVE DIRECTOR/GRAPHIC DESIGN Aidah Fontenot FASHION & BEAUTY DIRECTOR Lauretta McCoy GRAPHIC DESIGN Angie Myers Troy Riemer PHOTOGRAPHERS Philip Bermingham Jeff Malet Neshan Naltchayan Patrick G. Ryan ADVERTISING Evelyn Keyes
SENIOR CORRESPONDENT Peggy Sands CONTRIBUTORS Elisa Bayoumi Mary Bird Allyson Burkhardt Evan Caplan Jack Evans Donna Evers Michelle Galler Stephanie Green Amos Gelb Wally Greeves Kitty Kelley Rebekah Kelley Selma Khenissi Jody Kurash Travis Mitchell Shelia Moses Stacy Murphy Kate Oczypok Linda Roth
1050 30th Street, NW Washington, DC 20007 Phone: (202) 338-4833 Fax: (202) 338-4834 www.georgetowner.com The Georgetowner is published every other Wednesday. The opinions of our writers and columnists do not necessarily reflect the editorial and corporate opinions of The Georgetowner newspaper. The Georgetowner accepts no responsibility for unsolicited manuscripts or photographs and assumes no liability for products or services advertised herein. The Georgetowner reserves the right to edit, rewrite or refuse material and is not responsible for errors or omissions. Copyright 2018.
Please send submissions of opinions for consideration to: editorial@georgetowner.com For advertising inquiries email advertising@georgetowner.com or call (202) 338-4833
HAUTE & COOL · 21 Puff Piece
BOOK CLUB · 22
Kitty Kelley Book Club
GOOD WORKS & GOOD TIMES · 23 Social Scene Events
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Photo of the Week
To submit your photos tag #thegeorgetowner hillpix Former President Bill Clinton and his wife, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, escort Rep. Debbie Dingell (D MI) as the casket of her husband, former Rep. John Dingell, is carried out of Holy Trinity Church in Georgetown..
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COMMITTED TO SAFETY IN GEORGETOWN Washington Gas is dedicated to providing safe, reliable and affordable natural gas service to its more than 1.1 million customers across the metropolitan Washington, D.C. area. The company responds 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to any report of a gas odor to ensure the community’s safety. If leaks are deemed hazardous, immediate repairs are made and if leaks are not assessed to be hazardous, a future repair is scheduled. In response to questions from the Georgetown community, Washington Gas has worked with the local ANC to maintain open lines of communication. Washington Gas officials have met with the ANC to provide a safety briefing and walked the neighborhood streets with commissioners to answer questions and to more fully understand community concerns. As a result of engaging with the ANC, Washington Gas is committed to:
• Providing regular updates on Washington Gas work to the ANC • Distributing door hangers to homes near and around work areas • Exploring additional methods of communications to inform residents • Attending ANC meetings to answer questions from residents
To learn more about ways Washington Gas works to keep our communities safe, please visit www.washingtongas.com/safety.
WHAT TO DO IF YOU SUSPECT A GAS LEAK RECOGNIZE SMELL
The most reliable sign of a natural gas leak is smell. Washington Gas adds an odorant called mercaptan to create the distinctive smell of sulfur or rotten eggs.
SIGHT Unexplained, random dead patch of lawn or vegetation in an otherwise green area of lawn or vegetation, unnatural bubbles in puddles and waterways (pond, creek, lake) or dirt being blown in the air.
SOUND A hissing sound or blowing noises, typically accompanied by a gas odor.
REACT
Immediately vacate the building or area immediately, leaving doors unlocked as you go. Warn others as you exit, if possible. Do nothing that could create an ignition source. Do not turn electrical appliances or lights on or off, operate motorized equipment or vehicles, or use any device that could cause a spark or source of ignition, including telephones and cell phones.
RESPOND
Call 911, and then the Washington Gas Emergency Leak Line at 844-WASHGAS (927-4427), selecting option 1. Emergency responders and Washington Gas will take action 24/7 to make sure you and the community stay safe. If leaks are deemed hazardous, immediate repairs are made and if leaks are not assessed to be hazardous, a future repair is scheduled.
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UP & COMING
Events Calendar FEBRUARY 23 ATLAS INTERSECTIONS FESTIVAL: ‘BORDER’ Part of the Atlas Intersections Festival, “Border,” by Jane Franklin Dance, focuses on career, racial, gender and ethnic barriers. The sound score incorporates firstperson interviews with some new to this country, Torture Abolition and Survivors Support Coalition clients and Americans marginalized by circumstance. Tickets are $25. For details, visit atlasarts.org. Atlas Performing Arts Center, 1333 H St. NE.
DELPHI TRIO AT DUMBARTON CHURCH The Delphi Trio — violin, cello and piano — will perform a program of works by Bach, Mozart and Dvořák called “Among Friends,” exploring the ability of both music and friendship to reveal inner emotional worlds. Tickets are $42 ($39 for seniors). For details, visit dumbartonconcerts.org. Dumbarton United Methodist Church, 3133 Dumbarton St. NW.
FEBRUARY 26 ROCK CREEK PUBLIC WORKSHOP The District Department of Transportation will host the first of three public workshops for the Rock Creek Far West Livability Study, helping to identify opportunities for safer travel in the study area, bound by Massachusetts Avenue, Whitehaven Street, Whitehaven Parkway, Archbold Parkway, Foundry Branch Valley Park, the Potomac River and the Maryland border. For details, visit rockcreekfarwest.com. Palisades Library, 4901 V St. NW.
FEBRUARY 27
chefs from the U.S. in memory of Paul Bocuse and Joël Robuchon. Tickets are $1,800 per couple. For details, visit comitetricolore.org. Residence of the Ambassador of France, 2221 Kalorama Road NW.
MARCH 3 JAZZ MASS AT ST. JOHN’S Saxophonists and identical twins Peter and Will Anderson, D.C. natives and Juilliard graduates, will perform at a jazz Mass at St. John’s Episcopal Church in Georgetown. A Mardi Gras brunch will follow. Admission is free. For details, visit stjohnsgeorgetown. org. 3240 O St. NW.
MARCH 9 CATHEDRAL CHORAL SOCIETY GALA This year’s Mardi Gras-themed Cathedral Choral Society gala will include a cocktail hour, a seated dinner, performances by Cathedral Choral Society artists and chorus members, a live auction and dancing to New Orleans-style jazz by Tongue in Cheek. Tickets are $400. For details, visit cathedralchoralsociety.org. Omni Shoreham Hotel, 2500 Calvert St. NW.
Michelin Chefs Joël Robuchon and Paul Bocuse.
DINNER OF THE CENTURY “Border” by Jane Franklin Dance. Photo by Gail Bingham.
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Le Comité Tricolore is organizing its very first Dîner du Siècle (Dinner of the Century), an unforgettable dinner by “Les Maîtres Cuisiniers de France” and Michelin-star
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TOWN TOPICS
NEWS
Hyde-Addison School Project on Track for July 1 BY PEGGY SA NDS
The word is out — officially. The reconstruction of Georgetown’s only public elementary school is scheduled for completion on Monday, July 1. The new Hyde-Addison is expected to open in August, on time (we’ll find out later if the project ended up on budget). A tour of the building is supposed to take place before July 4. DC Public Schools made the much-anticipated announcement at the Georgetown-Burleith Advisor y Neighborhood Commission meeting on Feb. 4. Officials also confirmed that elementaryschool children now residing in Burleith would be assigned to attend Hyde-Addison — unless they are already at Stoddert Elementary in Glover Park, where they can stay for a year. This marks a significant boundary change and the switch will be emotional for some. “I am very concerned. I just got word that DCPS will NOT be making efforts to notify all the families whose boundaries will be shifted to Hyde,” wrote ANC 2E Commissioner Kishan Putta, who has a seat on the Chancellor’s Parent Advisory Board. “Burleith families have sent their children to Stoddert since the 1970s — about 45
years! In fact, after the local school here was closed and after an experiment with a five-school complex, Burleith chose to be exclusively in Stoddert’s boundary in the 1980s,” wrote Eric Langenbacher, Burleith Citizens Association president, to Lisa McCluskey, president of Stoddert’s Parent Teachers Organization. “A large majority of Burleith neighbors wanted to stay in the Stoddert boundary — and we also advocated for this in front of DCPS actors as much as we could.” Stoddert has been facing an overcrowded situation, however, that the opening of HydeAddison to Burleith students is expected to ease. “I want to assure residents that if they currently attend Stoddert that they can stay but after this year all new students need to register for Hyde. Unless they lottery into Stoddert,” wrote McCluskey on Feb. 4. “That said,” Langenbucher concluded, “we are now looking to the future and the state-of-the-art facilities that we will have at Hyde-Addison. I think we in Burleith are really excited about the new Hyde-Addison and forging a community school with our great neighbors in Georgetown.” Meanwhile, a Bricks-4-Hyde fundraising
Part of the construction of Hyde-Addison addition as seen during week of Feb. 18. Georgetowner photo. campaign was initiated by the school’s PTO to pave a walkway connecting the entire new campus from O to P Streets with personalized bricks. Bricks engraved with up to three-line honorariums could be purchased for $150 each (or three bricks for $350). The official last day to order was March 1. Anyone with questions should email terrablodnikar@gmail.com. The school constr uction began in the summer of 2017 after some controversy. Parents had expected the “swing school” for displaced Hyde-Addison students to be nearby Hardy Middle School. But that was changed to Meyer Elementary across
Rendering of the Hyde-Addison School addition, due for completion in July. town, requiring the children to be bused. A contentious meeting between parents and school officials in early 2017 also pointed out that some changes had been made to the school’s interior plans by the deputy mayor without consulting parent committees, who for years had been involved in the planning and approval process.
Small Cells Competition Heats Up: Poles or Rooftops? BY PEGGY SA NDS
The advent of a new generation of highspeed wireless services known as 5G seems to be a given — even though it hasn’t been fully designed yet. To help generate broad public and government support, Verizon recently shared an instant message for residents to send to relevant government officials. According to Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner Joe Gibbons, the message reads: “I support the immediate rollout of 5G wireless service in our community because of the benefits it will deliver today and the breakthroughs it will enable tomorrow.” There is now an intense competition among carriers for contracts to deploy 5G infrastructure in the District. The Office of the Chief Technology Officer declared in 2017 that it assumed small cell technology would be in the form of big and small boxes — variously pictured with a tangle of wires emanating from them — installed on poles throughout D.C. neighborhoods. Five companies — Verizon, Crown Castle, AT&T, Mobilitie and ExteNet Systems — were awarded executed master license agreements through the Department of Transportation’s online permitting system. On Sept. 26, 2018, the Council adopted an Order of Accelerating Wireless Broadband Deployment by
Removing Barriers to Infrastructure Investment. Various town meetings were held to compare the master licensees’ proposals for the size and placement density of poles and small cell boxes. “Verizon’s antenna poles, for instance, could be 32 feet high in neighborhood streets. No alleys could be used,” according to Gibbons. “Verizon describes the size of its cells as similar to ‘backpack-size antennas’ — which must be Himalaya excursion-size backpacks as the antennas are 24 by 48 inches.” In several Georgetown meetings held through 2018, Georgetown residents expressed concern about the placement of more sidewalk poles. “I don’t want to wake up one day to find a small cell pole and antenna in front of my bedroom,” said Charlene King, a Potomac Street resident. But now a new technology has come to light: cell boxes on rooftops. “They are 24 by 36 by 12-inch boxes with a two-to-three-foot antenna that can sit out of sight on a rooftop,” Shervin Gerami, CEO of TeleWorld Solutions, said at a small press briefing convened by Gibbons at Via Umbria on Wisconsin Avenue in early February. “They would be installed by a carrier like AT&T in a cooperative arrangement that could generate up to
several hundred dollars a month revenue for the property owners. Commitment contracts with properties targeted with best sight lines could be negotiated for up to 20 years. They could become very competitive between neighbors and carriers.” The proposal may be introduced at the March 4 ANC meeting at Georgetown Visitation School.
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TOWN TOPICS
Georgetown Gas Leaks Go Public B Y P E G G Y SAN D S On the afternoon of Wednesday, Feb. 6, the Public Service Commission of the District of Columbia held a rather surprising hearing. Surprising in that the hearing room was almost filled and about a dozen passionate and well-documented presentations were made by residents of Georgetown and other D.C. neighborhoods about a subject that has consumed Georgetown lately: the community’s increasing concerns related to natural gas leaks. Surprising also perhaps in that the three public service commissioners and four officials from Washington Gas listened intently, asked and responded to multiple questions and seemed to be seriously interested in doing something substantive about the problems — especially in improving communications with residents about ongoing work. “WGL does an amazing job and most of us feel safe and confident,” said Commissioner Greer Gillis before beginning her questions. Christopher Lipscombe, general counsel for the commission, concluded his queries by saying “the commission does have a robust policy of imposing fines.” The atmosphere was more one of frustration than contention. Everyone agreed that it is a very complex issue.
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Washington, D.C., is functioning with a water system that is well over 50 years old in many areas, with deteriorated and corroding pipes. Only a small section of pipes can be completely renovated every year. And things have gotten better — no more flying manhole covers, for instance, and in many cases a quick initial response to a report of a gas smell. A senior citizen who lives in Northeast D.C. told of her fear to be home or even to use gas stoves and heaters after a leak had been reported; initial visits had been made by Washington Gas but then there was no further information. Several recalled the massive home explosions and fires in a Boston suburb last year. “We are loyal Washington Gas customers,” said Marianne Steiner of WoodlandNormanstone Terrace, “but we’ve asked continually when repairs begun in November 2017 will be completed and the equipment on our street removed, and have been told continually ‘in a few weeks.’ But there appears to be no end in sight.” Georgetown residents Rick Murphy, an advisory neighborhood commissioner, and Ed Segal, who runs the blog georgetowngasleaks.com, proposed several recommendations. Washington Gas and the
D.C. government should “conduct a full public disclosure pilot project with daily information about the status of all gas leaks and repairs,” Murphy said. “It could start in Georgetown and be extended Districtwide once it was evaluated and modified. The information would display the different categories of natural gas leaks.” After almost two hours of hearings, gas company officials Brian Edwards, chief communications officer and assistant vice president, and John O’Brien, executive vice president for strategy and public affairs, told the commission that they welcomed the recommendations from the ANCs and others and would look seriously at all the testimony. “I hope that the hearing was a wake-up call to Washington Gas about how strongly the Georgetown community feels about gas leaks and repairs, and how upset we are about the continued failure by the utility company to tell us anything about the number, nature, seriousness, or repair of the leaks,” wrote Segal after the hearing. “It’s time for regulators to strengthen gas leak reporting laws.”
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TOWN TOPICS
Historic Designation for Exorcist Steps, Car Barn BY PEG GY SA NDS Georgetow n’s fa mous Exorcist Steps and historic Car Barn, just off Prospect and 36th Streets near Georgetown University, were designated historic landmarks by the D.C. Historic Preservation Review Board at its Jan. 24 meeting. The designation has been long awaited, particularly by fans of the steps where Father Damien Karras plunged to his death in the classic 1973 horror film “The Exorcist,” directed by William Friedkin. Built in 1815, the narrow staircase, steeply connecting Prospect and M Streets, is a popular tourist (and Georgetown exercise) site. The Car Barn — a four-story brick building with a Romanesque Revival tower 140 feet tall — was built in the 1880s to store Georgetown’s once ubiquitous streetcars. Owned by Douglas Development, it has been modernized and now houses Georgetown University’s diversity and international student offices, among other departments. The sites were nominated for designation by the nonprofit D.C. Preservation League and the Prospect Street Citizens Association, a civic group. In 2015, the steps were proclaimed an official D.C. tourist attraction — perhaps the District’s scariest — by Mayor Muriel Bowser. A plaque at the site notes its key role in the Halloween favorite. But some worried that, without official historic designation, the Exorcist Steps and the Car Barn might be threatened by pending development. Construction of a high-end condominium building offering river and bridge views is being completed on the M Street lot adjacent to the steps. The 21-unit, five-story building by D.C.-based Altus Realty Partners is set to open toward the end of this year.
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Looking down from Prospect Street at the Exorcist Steps — site of Father Damien’s fall to his death in the 1973 film, “The Exorcist.” Georgetowner photo. “The steps are too important a fixture in Georgetown to be rubber stamped by another development-friendly bureaucracy without weighing all the facts,” wrote Prospect Street Citizens Association board member Catherine Emmerson in 2018, in an emailed statement supporting historic designation. The site is also being eyed by proponents of a Potomac River gondola, envisioned as a link between Rosslyn, Virginia, and Georgetown alongside Key Bridge. The Car Barn has been proposed as a natural site for the gondola’s landing station, as well as a possible Georgetown operations center for an expanded Metro and streetcar system in D.C. Some supporters of historic designation hope that it will put a permanent obstacle in the way of those plans.
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Crime & Safety MPD: THE TOWN’S AUTO PROBLEMS At almost every public meeting, Metropolitan Police Department officers always tell the audience to lock their cars, as thefts from autos continue to rise. They also advise that no items be visible inside the car, not even an emptylooking bag on the floor. In January, according to MPD, Georgetown’s police service area (PSA 206) clocked in 45 thefts from autos, as opposed to 17 during the same time in 2018. At the Feb. 4 GeorgetownBurleith Advisory Neighborhood Commission meeting, MPD added that nine suspects were arrested in January — with a repeat offender allegedly stealing a laptop from a car. Some of those arrested were driving stolen cars, MPD noted.
At the same ANC meeting, MPD noted that there was no violent crime reported in Georgetown, although shoplifting has increased. Just yesterday, The Georgetowner received a report that a car — parked on Grace Street during the day on Feb. 16 — was struck by thieves who took a laptop and other items. They smashed a window and jimmied a door, severely damaging the car. Residents may have seen surprised to see pink slips of paper that look like a parking ticket under their car’s windscreen wiper. These mock tickets are from the MPD — warning car owners to lock their doors and stow away all belongings out of sight and in the trunk.
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EDITORIAL
OPINION JACK EVANS REPORT
Send Your Feedback, Questions or Concerns, Tips and Suggestions to editorial@georgetowner.com or call 202-338-4833
A Month to Celebrate — and Reimagine February is a month of celebrations, here and everywhere in the United States, but especially here. This week, we celebrated Presidents Day, a pragmatic co-joining and a convenient way to mark the birthdays of arguably our two greatest presidents: George Washington (Feb. 22), the first president and Founding Father, and Abraham Lincoln (Feb. 12), the Emancipator, the union’s abiding and guiding spirit and the avatar of its trial by fire in the Civil War. Febr uary is also Black History Month, not only in the United States, but in the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Canada and Ireland. And it is the month we celebrate the birthday of Frederick Douglass, listed in the records as circa February 1818, who was born into slavery and escaped to become a freeman, a citizen, an abolitionist, an orator, a writer and a social reformer. Douglass, who died on Feb. 20, 1895, in Washington, D.C., chose Feb. 14 for his birthday. These dates and occasions resonate more strongly here because we lead dual lives in this city. The business of Washington, D.C., is history itself; people come to own it, make it, control its course. They visit the District to see it in action and to bask in its memorials. When it comes to history, and when we speak of black history, everybody who lives here shares in its events and narratives. Lots of people have called this city a swamp, but history here is like a mist full of ghosts. We are neighbors to Virginia, the birthplace of American slavery and of
the nation’s visionary democratic founders. The city and region are still steeped in the blood of the Civil War and its losses, as well as in the sufferings of the victims of slavery and segregation. Many of us don’t always notice that peculiar daily presence of history, but it never really goes away. Witness the recent and ongoing events in Richmond, where the state wobbles and wrestles with events that are very much about the racial ghosts of the past and the intense cultural, political and legal concerns of the present. We remain through all this a nation divided; blessed as we are in this city with the presence of history in our midst and neighborhoods, we, too, black and white, are in a roiled state. In Washington, D.C., different races and ethnic groups are in proximity daily, but not necessarily in touch. We care about causes, but perhaps not enough about one another as individuals. Life is experiential. It begins at home, in a neighborhood, on a street. In conversation with the late and once “Mayor for Life” Marion Barry, a journalist brought up another politician’s hope for making real the idea of “One City.” Barry, who was raised in Mississippi, shook his head. “Never happen,” he said. We can all choose otherwise, of course. The first step is imagination: put ourselves in our neighbors’ shoes, walk the talk. Instead of taking Lincoln for granted, let’s reimagine him. John Lennon is good on this. “Imagine all the people” — with the accent on “all.”
Preparing to Debate D.C.’s Budget Priorities BY JAC K EVAN S In February, Potomac Phil sent his decree that winter will continue for another six weeks; Valentine’s Day hopefully brought you love and candy from someone special; and the Council is starting to hold oversight hearings on District agencies. We’re at the beginning of agency oversight hearings and the mayor is on the cusp of presenting the Fiscal Year 2020 budget to the Council. The Council’s fiduciary responsibilities are some of the most important functions that we hold as a body, and I take them very seriously. As the chair of the Committee on Finance and Revenue, I have an obligation to perform oversight of the offices that manage the city’s finances. Once a year, I call upon agency leaders to testify in front of my committee to discuss the previous year’s performance. Many of the people who testify are intrinsically tied to managing or overseeing how the city’s finances are used, such as the Office of the Chief Financial Officer, which consists of the Office of Tax and Revenue, the Office of Finance and Treasury and the Office of Financial Operations and Systems. It is through these hearings, at which we ask questions and request documents, that we learn more about our progress. We can use
these insights to govern in a more efficient and more fiscally responsible manner. The city’s finances, by the way, have not seen better days. Earlier this month, the Council learned that the city earned its 22nd consecutive clean audit. We are thriving as a city and we have no financial weaknesses for the fourth year in a row. I’m always struck by the stark contrast between where we are now and where we were in 1995, when a control board managed the District. Today, we see more and more businesses deciding to set up shop in the District and we are gaining more residents every day. Last year, we surpassed a population of 700,000 for the first time since the early 1970s. District leadership has worked hard over many years to financially stabilize a city that was headed toward bankruptcy. After we conclude oversight hearings, we’ll begin debating the budget priorities for the city. I look forward to discussing how we can continue investing in infrastructure and schools and supporting small businesses. Please let me know how you think we’re doing! Jack Evans is the District Council member for Ward 2, representing Georgetown and other neighborhoods since 1991.
Letters to the Editor KUDOS FOR CONSTRUCTION CREW My neighborhood has been under siege for years. There was a summer of fortifying the telephone wires to accommodate internet usage, constant home reconstruction, new curbs and accessible sidewalks, the neighborhood four-year trauma that was the construction of Duke Ellington, constant home reconstruction (yes, I said it twice) and now the invasive Green Infrastructure Permeable Pavement Project. While at first I imagined the same raping and pillaging that we have experienced with past D.C. projects, I will say I have been pleasantly surprised. I had the opportunity to meet one of the supervisors as they were evaluating my alley for demolition. Mr. Bill Shooter, a Safety Supervisor, answered my questions about when will the project start, how long will it take, how will you be sure you
will not destroy my heritage shrubs which are on the alley? What about my tree’s roots? Always calm and steady, Bill answered my questions. He gave me his business card in case I had more questions. And, of course, I did. He answered them too. Bill even let me know the day they would be at my garage door. He is a man of his word. Fort Myer Construction ought to give him a huge raise after saying thank you for his great work in the alleys and in our community. As a matter of fact, the entire crew has been nothing less than extremely accommodating, careful, respectful of our private property, considerate of the trees lining the street — and over all, dare I say, wonderful! So, thank you, Bill Shooter! You and your team are very much appreciated! — Burleith resident (name withheld)
Which Georgetown historical landmark inspires you most? This week we celebrated Presidents Day to mark the birthdays of George Washington (Feb. 22) and Abraham Lincoln (Feb. 12).
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TOWN TOPICS FEATURE
Friends of Book Hill Park Plan for Spring BY PEGGY SA NDS
One of the advantages of being involved with a neighborhood jewel of a community park is that, in the grey and cold of winter, you get to spend time thinking about planting spring blossoms and young trees and sitting in the sun on a new bench on a freshly mowed lawn reading a book. Those are some of the pleasant preoccupations Julia Diaz-Asper, founder and president of the nonprofit Friends of Book Hill Park, in Georgetown since 1999, shared with The Georgetowner on a cold February afternoon. “In the ’90s, I was so tired of passing the park below the library on Reservoir Road where I live and seeing it filled with garbage and weeds, the steps leading to the library on River Road so broken they were unusable, the fences around the park broken or missing. It was just a shame,” Diaz-Asper recalled. “When I found out that the Department of Parks and Recreation was not able to clean or repair it, I sent out letters to neighbors and friends to help get volunteers to do the cleanup. The first one who responded was Ed Thomson. He was the co-chair of Friends of Book Hill Park for years.” In early 2000, the group decided to hold a small fundraiser to raise money for plants and soil renewal. “The first ones to give were two well-known neighbors — architect Frank Randolph and Sen. Chuck Percy,” Diaz-Asper said with a laugh. And
then community organizations got involved. “The Georgetown Garden Club immediately volunteered to help with the planning, securing and planting of bulbs, flowers and plants,” she continued. They went on to contribute generous checks to complete projects, particularly to rebuild the steps going all the way from Reservoir Road to the library’s back gardens and to compete two big projects: restoration of the decorative iron fencing along the Wisconsin Avenue side of the hill and construction of a rotunda at the library garden entrance to the park. Trees for Georgetown helped from the start with tree maintenance and additions. The Japanese embassy donated a number of cherry trees, which are thriving. And neighbors have not only helped with park maintenance but donated benches in memory of loved ones, Diaz-Asper pointed out. The park’s signature daffodils are replenished every year by Robert Laycock and Gale Arnold has been a donor of long standing. Since 2000, the park has literally blossomed. “It’s so wonderful in the spring and summer to see people enjoying the park, sitting on the benches or the lawn, reading books, having picnics, walking up to the library and back,” said Diaz-Asper. The Friends plan at least a couple of volunteer clean-up and planting days a year. Ongoing garden maintenance includes planting in the spring, mowing
several times a month during the spring and summer, weeding and pruning in the summer and fall and regular watering. The group meets quarterly to assess what needs to be done, including planning a fundraiser every two years — often a dinner held in a Georgetown home, such as that of wellknown author and Georgetowner book reviewer Kitty Kelley. Future projects the Friends would like to tackle are completing the fencing and extending the plantings on the Reservoir Road side of the park. The group would love
to add a few more crepe myrtle trees and — the big one — build an irrigation system to water the park. There are other dream projects, too, including a gazebo at the Reservoir Road entrance and a falling water element, perfect for the sloping hillside site. “But we’re just a little park and we mainly want to do what we can to keep it beautiful, clean and a peaceful oasis along Wisconsin Avenue in Georgetown,” said Diaz-Asper, who invites anyone with project and funding ideas to email her at jasper@ttrsir.com. Friends of Book Hill Park bookhillparkdc.com
Book Hill Park.
Board Members Julia Diaz-Asper, President Virginia Poole, Vice President Rick Dunn, Treasurer Adam Shirvinski, Secretary Terry Bell Laura Nelson Frank Randolph Al Russell
COMMUNITY CALENDAR WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 20
CITIZENS ASSOCIATION OF GEORGETOWN
CAG’s monthly meeting will feature an African American history presentation by Maurice Jackson, Georgetown University professor and author of “D.C. Jazz: Stories of Jazz Music in Washington, D.C.,” joined by jazz greats Blair Ruble, Bridget Arnwine and Rusty Hassan. The 7 p.m. program will follow a 6:30 p.m. reception at Mt. Zion Methodist Church, 1334 29th St. NW. For details, visit cagtown.org.
GEORGETOWN BUSINESS ASSOCIATION The GBA will hold its monthly networking reception from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at Stachowski’s Market, 1425 28th St. NW. For details, visit georgetownassociationdc.org.
MONDAY, MARCH 4
ANC 2E
The Georgetown-Burleith-Hillandale Advisory Neighborhood Commission will meet at 6:30 p.m. at Georgetown Visitation School, 1524 35th St. NW, second-floor Heritage Room. For details, visit anc2e.com.
THURSDAY, MARCH 7
OLD GEORGETOWN BOARD
The Old Georgetown Board–Commission of Fine Arts will meet at 9 a.m. at 401 F St. NW, Suite 312. For details, visit cfa.gov.
www.trinity.org/benefit
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BUSINESS
At Oki Bowl, ‘Mom’ Is in Charge BY STEP HANIE GREE N
Kassara Intarapanich, manager of Oki Bowl, is known as “Mom” to pretty much everyone. Not only because she tends to her young employees. The Thai restaurant on Wisconsin Avenue is a frequent afterschool hangout for her daughter, Yada, and her Georgetown Visitation classmates. Even the headmaster, Daniel Kerns, drops by for Oki Bowl’s classic ramen noodle dishes. “He’s one of our VIPs,” says Intarapanich. This familial atmosphere is what draws others to Oki Bowl, which opened in 2016, after Intarapanich and her partner decided to buy the space from its former owner. The concept is straightforward and relaxed: Asian fusion dishes served in a cozy café atmosphere at neighborhood bistro prices. The food, Intarapanich tells us, is a labor of love, steeped in her background as a Bangkok immigrant who came to the U.S. so Yada could have the best schooling. Although she herself had a good education, she never went to culinary school, despite her years as a Thai food caterer. “I live to cook,” she admits, explaining that her best dishes are derived from spontaneous kitchen experimentation. The food of her native country is popular not only for its exotic flavors, but also for
its relative health benefits. “We don’t use any butter,” she says, Like many of our Georgetown eateries, Oki Bowl is a popular choice on Uber Eats, the meal delivery app. But part of the experience of Oki Bowl is dining there — the ceiling is bedecked with a variety of lanterns, lampshades and birdcages. Quirky accents and fun colors give visitors the sense of being in a cross between an Asian garden and Alice in Wonderland’s tea party. The servers, in jeans and hoodies, look like the kids next door, but all are under the close supervision of “Mom.” Yada is often there. She hasn’t tired of the food, seeing it as part of her family life. She knows the menu and can help you select … maybe the octopus leg appetizer or the house favorite, the Oki curry ramen. For those less adventurous (like me), Oki Bowl has the requisite rice bowls on the menu — beef, chicken, pork and vegetarian — each for $14. Intarapanich’s go-to dish is the tom yum, for $15, a chile-infused lemongrass soup served with bean sprouts, mushrooms and lime juice, “swimming” with fried prawns. Maybe not the kind of thing your mom made you as a kid, but this “Mom” is so endearing, you’ll try anything at Oki Bowl.
INS & OUTS BY STEPH AN IE GR EEN & RO BERT D EVAN EY
The planned Chase branch bank at 3140 M St. NW. Georgetowner photo.
IN (ALMOST): CHASE, NEXT TO CAPITOL ONE
Just what Georgetown needs: more banks. A branch of JPMorgan Chase & Co. is set to open at 3140 M St. NW, next to where Capitol One Café will move in — along with Chase’s plan for the former Marvelous Market/Neam’s Market property at 3217 P St. NW. The largest bank in the U.S., JPMorgan Chase is entering the Washington, D.C., market for the first time, with the aim of 70 consumer branches, bringing with it 700 new employees.
OUT: CYNTHIA ROWLEY ON M
Avenue (BB&T). The shuttering of one or both of those locations, for example, could possibly affect jobs and real estate development. (The SunTrust branch within the Georgetown Safeway is already closed and undergoing a redo.) “It’s an extraordinarily attractive financial proposition that provides the scale needed to compete and win in the rapidly evolving world of financial services,” said BB&T CEO Kelly King in a statement. The newly merged headquarters will be in Charlotte, North Carolina.
COMING: TARGET COMING TO TENLEY
Good news for Target shoppers. On Feb. 11, the retail giant signed a lease for the old Best Buy space at 4500 Wisconsin Ave. NW in Tenleytown. This will be the closest Target for Georgetowners (the talk about a Target locating at the Shops at Georgetown Park retail complex never produced a deal). It remains unclear when the Tenleytown Target will open. The 10-year lease, with six five-year extension options, has a recorded value of $23.4 million, according to the Washington Business Journal. The store will cover more than 43,000 square feet, slightly fewer than the Best Buy, which closed in November. In April, Target plans to open two other locations, on Georgia and Connecticut Avenues NW.
The Cynthia Rowley boutique — which popped up at 3338 M St. NW in late summer to sell and promote its clothing collection, beauty items, jewelry, fragrances, shoes and tech accessories — has departed M Street.
MERGING: BB&T AND SUNTRUST
Oki Bowl is as known for its colorful decor as its food. Photo by Patrick G. Ryan.
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Earlier this month, BB&T and SunTrust announced a $66-billion merger, forming the sixth-largest U.S. bank. The new bank’s name has yet to be determined, but the merger will have definite impacts on the community. For a start, they both occupy prime real estate on M Street (SunTrust) and Wisconsin
Egg, the children’s clothing boutique at 1661 Wisconsin Ave. NW, will re-open on March 2. Georgetowner photo.
FASHION
R U O J U D E C N A S RENAIS ET BY LAUR
COY TA J . M C
The “New Negro Movement” erupted in the 1920s with the emergence of the African American community in Harlem, New York. The social and cultural migration of the grandchildren and great-grandchildren of slaves to the North created a matrix for African American intellectuals, leaving an indelible mark on our country’s history. The collaborative efforts of these intellectuals — called Free Thinkers — was an infectious, enduring part of the urban scene in Harlem, defined by African American writers, artists, musicians and scholars determined to create a better life. Among them were Marcus Garvey, Billie Holiday, Langston Hughes, Jacob Lawrence, James Baldwin, Romare Bearden and our very own homegrown musical genius Duke Ellington, the originator of big band jazz. Jazz is born, the original music of America. Pearls, art deco jewelry and flapper dress — à la the epic fashionista Josephine Baker — artfully defined women’s bodies. Zoot suits with leopard print accents powered the men’s steps as they paraded the streets. A notable forerunner of the Free Thinkers, Elizabeth Hobbs Keckley, a former slave born in February of 1818, made a significant fashion contribution, donning her role as a prominent dressmaker, designer and couturier to Mary Todd Lincoln and socialites in the Washington area. Keckley, an author ahead of her time, wrote an autobiography: “Behind the Scenes: Or, Thirty Years a Slave and Four Years in the White House.” We celebrate the myriad aspects of this, our American history. These pages are a humble nod to this never-ending echo, the crest in this part of the history of our country.
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FASHION
COMPLEXION IS EVERYTHING IT’S NEVER TOO EARLY TO TAKE CARE OF YOUR SKIN. BEAUTY NOTES ONLINE AT GEORGETOWNER.COM
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FASHION
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COVER auctions. The current Dean & DeLuca market on M Street holds remnants of slavery in its basement, where slaves were penned. An early black hero was surveyor Benjamin Banneker, who helped measure the future District of Columbia boundary lines. He would join his colleagues at Georgetown taverns for dinner. At that time, the town was the only built-up place other than Alexandria, D.C. Yes, D.C. once included Arlington and Alexandria as part as its 10-square-mile diamond of land. When slave trading was about to be banned in D.C., Alexandria wanted out (bad for business, it argued). Retrocession was approved by Congress — hence, D.C.’s jagged edge, its map showing the legacy of slavery. Banneker, incidentally, sent Thomas Jefferson his own almanac as a rebuttal to the president’s belief that blacks were not capable of intellectual growth.
O U R B L AC K H I S T O RY. ..
IN GEORGETOWN
MAMOUT, KEY AND OTHERS
U.S. soldiers on Mason’s Island (the future Roosevelt Island) at the Potomac River facing north toward Georgetown.
LOST OR HIDDEN IN PLAIN SIGHT, BLACK GEORGETOWN IS AMERICAN HISTORY BY RO BE RT DEVA NEY Step out of your home or walk a block from your office here in Georgetown, the oldest neighborhood in Washington, D.C., and you are sure to pass a spot that contains history — quite likely African American history. To the surprise of some, Georgetown can tell the story of early and contemporary America from a black perspective. In 2019, we mark the 400th anniversary of enslaved Africans arriving in the British American colonies at Point Comfort, Virginia. Disembarking in 1619 were “not any thing but 20. and odd Negroes,” according to John Rolfe, widower of Pocahontas. The legacy of slavery continues to inform the American experience, black and white — particularly on the East Coast, where the United States began. Of the many stories to tell, we shall tell a local one. Washington, D.C., says Marcia Chatelain, Georgetown University associate professor of history, is a place with black history that has shown “great beauty and inequality. It is a sober reminder and a celebration, too,” she added, “of achievement and strengths.” Knowing and understanding history, says the author of “South Side Girls: Growing Up in the Great Migration,” Americans have a chance “to demonstrate what’s possible” — constructing “a well-rounded account.” Black History Month is a time “to be reflective.” Fifth-generation Washingtonian, P Street resident and educator Monica
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Roaché — former advisory neighborhood commissioner and now a D.C. Democratic Party Committee member — says she has used her platform to tell the story of black Georgetown. “The African American community contributed to Georgetown. There were doctors, lawyers, educators and more,” she says, noting that “Georgetown was the first D.C. neighborhood to experience gentrification.” (It did not turn out well for black Georgetowners.) Roaché’s family was part of “Black Georgetown Remembered,” a 1989 video and book project by Georgetown University, authored by Kathleen Lesko, Valerie Babb and Carroll Gibbs. Crediting the university, Roaché calls the book “an encyclopedia of Georgetowners’ shared experience.”
UNIVERSITY CONFRONTS SLAVERY TIES
That same Jesuit university at 37th & O Streets — the oldest Catholic institution of higher learning in the U.S. — only fully confronted its ties to slavery three years ago. “It seems to me that the story of Georgetown and slavery is a microcosm of the whole history of slavery,” said history professor Adam Rothman, a member of Georgetown University’s Working Group on Slavery, Memory & Reconciliation, in 2016, regarding the university’s connection with the Jesuits’ 1838 sale of 272 slaves. Since then, the university has apologized for arranging the sale of slaves from
D.C. and Maryland farms to help pay off debts that endangered the survival of Georgetown College. And it has renamed two main campus buildings: for Isaac Hawkins, the first slave listed on the sales document; and for Anne Marie Becraft, who founded a school nearby for black girls and later became one of America’s first black nuns. The school has also offered descendants of the 272 slaves, who ended up in Louisiana, legacy status in admissions.
COLONIAL AND FEDERAL ERAS
Before the United States and its capital were founded, the Town of George was a bustling colonial port on the Potomac River, dealing mostly with tobacco exports. Slaves worked in the fields and hauled the valuable crop to the docks of Georgetown, Maryland, which was one-third African American around 1750. A new exhibit at Dumbarton House, which has been undergoing a substantial renovation, shows more on this chapter in Georgetown’s history. In the 1800 U.S. Census, Georgetown and close-by land — but not the Federal City proper — had “1,449 slaves and 277 free blacks out of a total population of 5,120,” according to “Black Georgetown Remembered.” The town was a mix of white citizens, free immigrants, indentured servants and free and enslaved blacks, the latter sometimes hired out for work elsewhere. Some did not live in owners’ homes but nearby — in cottages, attics, alleys or shacks. Due to its prosperity, Georgetown had many slave markets and held slave
Another early Georgetowner was Yarrow Mamout, a merchant and devout Muslim, taken from Guinea. Freed later in life, he became become a celebrity in town, his portrait painted by Charles Willson Peale in 1819 and by Georgetown artist James Alexander Simpson in 1822. Mamout owned a home at 3324 Dent Place, where archeologists dug in 2015 hoping to find his body, thought buried there. Simpson’s portrait of Mamout — the pride and joy of the Georgetown Public Library’s Peabody Room and its curator, Jerry McCoy — has been on loan to the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery and will return home in July. The mix of free and enslaved was a minefield for polite society and civil commerce. Imagine two friends in town, one a freeman, the other a slave, and consider the 1830s story of Washington, D.C., Attorney General Francis Scott Key, author of “The Star-Spangled Banner.” Key successfully prosecuted a slave who threatened his owner, the widow of U.S. Capitol architect William Thornton, when he returned home, reportedly drunk, and held an axe in her bedroom. With the death
Yarrow Mamout by James Alexander Simpson, oil on canvas, 1822. Peabody Room, Georgetown Branch, District of Columbia Library.
COVER
Picture of Georgetown young men at home on 32nd Street on a Sunday afternoon, about 1916. Courtesy Cynthia Jackson. penalty hanging over him, Anna Thornton asked for leniency. The 18-year-old was eventually pardoned by President Andrew Jackson.
A COMMUNITY GROWS, THEN FADES
After the Civil War, with the 14th Amendment enacted, all black Americans were freed. In Georgetown, where slaves were emancipated by President Abraham Lincoln in 1862, tensions remained; blacks voted for the first time and assembled in Jacob’s Field, now Rose Park. Between 1860 and 1870, Georgetown’s population increased to 11,384, with 3,271 blacks. The easternmost side of Georgetown developed into a thriving black community. Most of Georgetown’s black churches remain here — Mt. Zion United Methodist, First Baptist, Jerusalem Baptist and Epiphany Catholic Church. The Alexander Baptist property now holds residences and Ebenezer A.M.E Church became an Anglican church. Alfred Pope was one of the most influential black Georgetowners of the
Tennis champions Roumania and Margaret Peters, who grew up at 2710 O St. NW, at Tuskegee University, around 1940. Courtesy Roumania Peters Walker.
mid-to-late 19th century. Owner of coal and lumber yards, he was a real estate magnate, politician and philanthropist. A few decades past slavery, other prominent citizens included Robert Holmes and John Ferguson, as well as Moses Zacariah Booth and Elizabeth Oliver Booth. The Rev. Patrick Healy, S.J., who led Georgetown University from 1873 to 1882, improved the school’s academic standing as well as its campus, constructing the building that bears his name with income from property sales up Wisconsin Avenue, at and near McLean Gardens. Called “the Spaniard” in his day, Healy’s mother was black and his father Irish. He was the first black president of a major university — fully acknowledged in the 20th century. It is noteworthy, and perhaps ironic, that Georgetown’s skyline is anchored by a landmark named to honor a black man. At the turn of the 20th century, black Georgetowners lived mostly in Herring Hill (named for the fish in Rock Creek) near Rose Park, along Volta Place — Pomander Walk was known as “Bedlam Lane” — and south of M Street in Cherry Hill Lane. Framed wooden houses are reminders of what once was. Blacks and whites lived — and played — side by side in many blocks, although with segregation they did not attend the same schools or churches. The Phillips and Wormley schools (for blacks only) are now condos. The Jackson School (for whites) is an arts studio cooperative. HydeAddison School (once for whites only) is Georgetown’s only public elementary school. Francis Junior High on N Street in the West End was for blacks only. By the early 20th century, Georgetown had lost its luster and seemed lost in time. With the C&O Canal slowly hauling barges of coal, its port long silted up and its waterfront with a rendering plant and a power plant, the town was classified as industrial. Nevertheless, in the face of segregation and racism, black Georgetowners established a community that included a
In October 2015, Mayor Muriel Bowser and Jeh Johnson, Secretary of Homeland Security, unveil plaque at Rose Park that honors tennis stars Roumania and Margaret Peters. Georgetowner photo. variety of clubs, sports teams and blackowned businesses. At 28th and P Streets, Stachowski’s used to be Pride Pharmacy; the Washington Fine Properties office, Burke’s Tailor Shop. Almost every corner near Rose Park boasted a business. Among the black stars were tennis doubles champions Roumania and Margaret Peters, who lived at 2710 O St. and played at the Rose Park clay courts, declared “For Colored Only” by the city in the 1940s. Residents quickly tore down the sign, and the park became one of the District’s first to be integrated. A memorial plaque honoring the Peters sisters was erected there in 2016, paid for by then-Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson and his wife Susan. With the expansion of the federal government, new employees needed housing. Affordable Georgetown was close to downtown and a real estate rush began. In 1950, the Old Georgetown Act — opposed by the Rev. James Foy, pastor of Mt. Zion Church — brought new zoning restrictions and renovations costs. With higher assessments came more taxes. Many homeowners could not keep up. “The black population of Georgetown fell from nearly 30 percent of the general population in 1930 to less than nine percent by the 1960 census, and the racial diversity that had been so much a part of Georgetown’s historical character was virtually lost,” according to “Black Georgetown Remembered.”
Calloway, Clark, Gaskin, Jackson, Jones, Marshall, Mitchell, Peebles, Roaché, Sewell, Waters and Wharton. “One of the things I have enjoyed, even to this day, is the communal feeling in Georgetown. We’re still close-knit, even though our numbers have dwindled,” says Neville Waters, president of the Mount Zion Female Union Band Historic Memorial Park Inc. The nonprofit’s work for the old cemetery behind 27th and Q Streets has amped up with a major fundraising campaign: “Reclaiming Our Past to Preserve Our Future.” (The group was one of this newspaper’s 2018 Georgetowners of the Year.) “It saddens me to think of a time when blacks and white could not be buried together, but we’ve gone beyond that,” Waters says. “It’s important that everyone know our ancestors worked hard to help build the foundations of Washington, D.C.” Nowadays, D.C. is no longer “Chocolate City.” Mayor Muriel Bowser calls for “a fair shot” for all. And the Old Dominion — as it attempts to address shameful aspects of its history, some recent — touts its “2019 Commemoration, American Evolution.” “We’re still learning in 2019,” Roaché says.
STILL CLOSE-KNIT, RECLAIMING OUR PAST
Mention Dr. C. Herbert Marshall or Dr. Joseph Dodson and old-timers will smile in recognition. Mention the Blue Mouse Theatre, operated by George Martin, on 26th Street in the West End and older smiles will widen. Remaining in Georgetown are the families Bowman, Burnett, Butler,
At the entrance to the main campus, Georgetown University students sit on the statue of Archbishop John Carroll, who founded the school in 1789.
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ARTS
‘Pink Ranchos’ at the Art Museum of the Americas BY AR I P OS T For the typical First World traveler, visiting a slum or a township can be a discomforting experience on a lot of levels. These underdeveloped, sprawling shanty towns skirt the edges of countless cities throughout Central and South America, Africa, India and, quite frankly, most of the rest of the world. Nothing like them really exists in the United States. The first and most visceral realization is that, prior to this experience, you had no concept of poverty. Driving through an endless horizon of roughly hewn homes of corrugated aluminum and plywood, affixed with repurposed doors and makeshift windows, occasionally finished with daubs of bright paint, the streets overflowing with people of every age — this changes your perspective immediately and irreversibly. Aside from the main arteries, there are few streets. Instead, there are narrow, labyrinthine passageways that function like veins, connecting the seemingly infinite number of homes built into and over each other. Among the many epiphanic moments you are likely to have, there is one I find particularly difficult to acknowledge — and more so to discuss. In their own way, slums are places of breathtaking beauty. There is an air of exotic industriousness amid the hardships. These urban slums were
built by a coalition of people who the world left behind, who determined to carve out their own place in it and built it from the wreckage of the society that shunned them. To look at a one-room house built from discarded construction materials and plastic sheeting — which has virtually no electricity, plumbing or ventilation and might house an entire, multigenerational family — and feel the impulse to photograph it is shamefully insensitive. But it is also an undeniable sensation. The simple evidence that slums attract a fairly high rate of international tourism seems proof enough of this outsider intrigue. Google “Mumbai slum,” “Brazil slum” or “Soweto.” The second search suggestion will be “tour.” “Pink Ranchos and Other Ephemeral Zip Codes,” at the Art Museum of the Americas through May 19, invites audiences to experience Columbian American artist Carolina Mayorga’s interpretations and musings on the slums and their occupants. In the work on view, inspired primarily by her native Columbia, she attempts in interesting ways to look this economic underworld in the face. Mayorga has also culled the museum’s permanent collection to put this series in dialogue with Central and South American
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Hours more information: www.glenechopark.org/exhibitions
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“Cambuche Party,” 2019. Carolina Mayorga. Photo by Craig Garrett. Courtesy Art Museum of the Americas. artists of the past century. Unfortunately, though the blueprint of Mayorga’s idea is here, a lot gets lost. Perhaps most glaringly, there are no labels beyond the introductory wall label, which insufficiently addresses the context and concept of the exhibition for an uninitiated audience. This is not the sort of exhibition that has clear or self-evident motives. The work is oblique, almost post-modern in its presentation, yet it is supposed to speak to sensitive, significant familial and social issues of South American slum populations. Then there is the unresolved, unrelated and seemingly irrelevant issue of “pink.” As best I can tell, Mayorga has had a career-long obsession with the color pink — flamingolawn-ornaments pink, specifically. There is barely any attempt to square this stylistic interest in pink with the broader theme of Columbian slums — and neither Mayorga nor the museum seem concerned with this. The exhibition’s single label says: “By applying the pigment to women and children (characters typically associated with home) … she has created a pleasing environment to contrast the experiences of those living in exile, displacement, dislocation, relocation, and eviction.” Perhaps the color pink, this seems to suggest, can sweeten the medicine of w idesprea d global econom ic disenfranchisement. A series of pleasant-looking miniature cardboard shanties (ranchos or cambuches in Spanish) make up the first gallery. Lit with pink lights and painted coarsely in pink, they are quite accurately rendered dollhouse models of slum shacks. Inside some of the dollhouses, small screens play videos of a child’s paper doll suffering repeated abuse by the disembodied hands and (pink) high-heeled feet of a woman (presumably the artist). In the next gallery, the doll-and-high-
heels videos are projected on two walls, playing on repeat. There is a piano with strings exposed in the middle of the room that visitors are apparently allowed to play. This room is also lit in pink. The third and final gallery instructs visitors how to make origami houses out of pink paper, which they can then crumple up and throw about the gallery. In one of the most perfect locations on the National Mall, the Art Museum of the Americas is a unique, intriguing museum in a breathtaking building and estate. Its permanent collection of 20th-century Central and South American art is an important and wonderful contribution to the Washington arts scene. I wish that more of it was displayed. I also wish that this hidden jewel would put more effort into realizing its potential.
CAROLINA MAYORGA: PINK RANCHOS AND OTHER EPHEMERAL ZIP CODES Through May 19, 2019 Tuesday to Sunday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is free Art Museum of the Americas Organization of American States 201 18th St. NW museum.oas.org 202-370-0147
FOOD & WINE
The Latest Dish
BY LIN DA ROT H
Quick Hits: Austin-based Truluck’s Seafood Steak & Crab House has signed for a space at 7th and K Streets NW, aiming for a fourth-quarter opening … Nicholas Stefanelli, chef-owner of Masseria and Officina, will open a Greek restaurant at 15th and L Streets NW in the new Midtown Center … Ballston’s Liberty Center at 4040 Wilson Boulevard in Arlington, Virginia, will include The Salt Line — from Long Shot Hospitality’s Jeremy Carman, Gavin Coleman, Paul Holder and chef Kyle Bailey — at its opening in the second quarter of 2020 … Knead Hospitality + Design plans to open The Grill, its second restaurant at the Wharf, in the fourth quarter of this year. The 5,400-square-foot eatery will have 200 seats, including an outdoor patio with indoor/outdoor bar … New Yorkbased vegetarian restaurant Taïm (“tasty” in Hebrew) expects to open a Georgetown location at 1065 Wisconsin Ave. NW, near Filomena, in the third quarter of this year.
Grilled Monkfish from The Salt Line. Amy Brandwein, chef-owner of Centrolina, will open Piccolina this summer across the alley in CityCenterDC, in the former RareSweets space. It will serve breakfast as well as lunch and dinner, and allow for more private-dining options. The wood-fired oven will bake bread and cook breakfast dishes. Ch-Ch-Changes: Kudos to 1310 Kitchen & Bar by Jenn Crovato in the Georgetown Inn for the speediest light renovation — just a week. Full renovation of floors, furniture and lighting will be completed in March. The motivational quotes on the Wisconsin Avenue-facing front windows reflect the positive energy. Mono Diner, with nostalgic moviestar photos and menu items with names inspired by 1940s Hollywood, is slated to open in the first-quarter of this year at 1424 Wisconsin Ave. NW. The diner will serve breakfast all day, stay open late and be open all night on Fridays and Saturdays. GM Eric Spruill-Jenkins was previously with Uncle Maddio’s Pizza Joint in Frederick, Maryland. Lunch and dinner service are in the works. Maria and Fabio Trabocchi will open their third Sfoglina in Rosslyn, Virginia, at 1100 Wilson Boulevard. The first two are in D.C. (Casa Luca was converted to a Sfoglina). Meanwhile, in Italy, the
Trabocchis will take over the operations of JW Marriott Venice Resort & Spa’s finedining restaurant, Fiola at Dopolavoro Venezia, slated to open in April. They recently opened a Fiola in Coral Gables, Florida, and also own and operate Fiola DC, Fiola Mare and Del Mar. Carey and Yuan Tang have progressed from pop-up dinners to a brick-and-mortar restaurant, Rooster & Owl, which is slated to open early this month in the space where Creme was at 2436 14th St. NW. Carey, aka Rooster, is the GM, as she also has a day job. Yuan, who worked at JeanGeorges and Dovetail in New York, is the late-working chef, aka Owl. Serving New American cuisine from a prix-fixe menu, with all dishes shared, the restaurant seats 50. There is also a six-seat bar and patio dining in warm weather. Jason Swaringen of The Green Zone is consulting on the beverage program. Just Opened: Chaia has opened its second D.C. location at 615 I St. NW near Mount Vernon Triangle. The fast-casual vegetable taco restaurant was started by Bettina Stern and Suzanne Simon as a “farm-to-taco” stand at D.C.-area farmers markets before opening in Georgetown in 2015 … Flower Child opened its second area location, at 2112 Pennsylvania Ave. NW near the George Washington University campus, on Feb. 4 … Notti 824 restaurant opened in Foggy Bottom’s new(ish) ARC THE.HOTEL at 824 New Hampshire Ave. NW.
Dining Guide
WASHINGTON DC’S FINEST RESTAURANTS
CLYDE’S OF GEORGETOWN 3236 M ST., NW 202-333-9180 | clydes.com
This animated tavern, in the heart of Georgetown, popularized saloon food and practically invented Sunday brunch. Clyde’s is the People’s Choice for bacon cheeseburgers, steaks, fresh seafood, grilled chicken salads, fresh pastas and desserts.
ENO WINE BAR
2810 PENNSYLVANIA AVE., NW 202–295–2826 | enowinerooms. com HAPPY HOUR: Offered nightly Tuesday - Thursday from 5 - 7 PM & Sunday from 4 - 7 PM. Enjoy select $7 wines on tap. Join us on Wednesday’s for College Nights from 9 - 11 PM and Sunday’s for 30% off bottles. Our delightful wines are best enjoyed with local charcuterie, cheese and small plates.
THE OCEANAIRE SEAFOOD ROOM 1201 F ST., NW 202–347–2277 | theoceanaire.com
The Oceanaire blends a sophisticated atmosphere with simple, seasonal and regionally-inspired cuisine – the result is “the ultra-fresh seafood experience”. From our wines and cocktails to our seafood, steak and desserts, our commitment to sustainable and locally-sourced ingredients is apparent in everything we do. Reserve your table today for an extraordinary dining experience.
FILOMENA RISTORANTE
1063 WISCONSIN AVE., NW 202–338–8800 | filomena.com A Georgetown landmark for over 30 years featuring styles and recipes passed through generations. Balanced cutting-edge culinary creations of modern Italy using the fresh ingredients and made-from-scratch sauces and pastas. Seen on The Travel Channel, Award-winning Filomena is a favorite of U.S. Presidents, celebrities, sports legends, political leaders. “Don’t miss their bakery’s incredible desserts” - Best in D.C.
ROCKLANDS BARBEQUE
2418 WISCONSIN AVE., NW 202-333-2558 | rocklands.com This original location has served barbecue since 1990. We now have more space for you to sit down with family and friends at our new dining room Driving or walking up Wisconsin Avenue, you ask “mmmm, what’s that aroma??” That’s pork, beef and chicken coming out of our wood-only smoker, falling off the bone and ready for a dousing with our Original Barbeque Sauce.
CAFE BONAPARTE
1522 WISCONSIN AVE., NW 202–333–8830 | cafebonaparte. com Flower Child. London-based Arjun Waney’s restaurant group, known for opening uber-cool restaurants around the globe, is slated to open two restaurants at D.C.’s Midtown Center: Shōtō, a restaurant with a sushi counter, a bar and a Japanese robata grill, and Akēdo, a fast-casual lunch spot that will become a lounge at night. Linda Roth is president of Linda Roth Associates, a public relations and marketing firm that specializes in the hospitality industry. Reach her at linda@ lindarothpr.com.
MARTIN’S TAVERN
1264 WISCONSIN AVE., NW 202-333-7370 | martinstavern.com Fifth generation Lauren Martin learns the family business from her dad, Billy Martin, Jr. Since 1933, the warm atmosphere of Martin’s Tavern has welcomed neighbors and travelers looking for great food, service and years of history within it’s walls. Fourth generation owner Billy Martin. Jr. continues the tradition of Washington’s oldest family-owned restaurant.
Captivating customers since 2003, Cafe Bonaparte has been dubbed the “quintessential” European café, featuring award-winning crepes and arguably the “best” coffee in D.C.! Other can't-miss attractions are the famous weekend brunch every Saturday and Sunday until 3 p.m. and our late-night weekend hours serving sweet and savory crepes until 1 a.m.
JOIN THE DINING GUIDE! EMAIL ADVERTISE@ GEORGETOWNER.COM OR CALL 202-338-4833
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GETAWAYS
Jamming for Jamaica? A Homage to Bob Marley BY C HR IS MURRAY
I just returned from two weeks in Jamaica assisting the musical genius Donovan on a new project of his — but more about that later. Now is a great time to go to Jamaica. So many love this place, its spirit and music — and so do I.
Bedroom at GoldenEye Resort. Courtesy GoldenEye.
While in Ocho Rios, I took the opportunity to make a pilgrimage to the tomb of Bob Marley on his birthday, Feb. 6. We drove deep into the Jamaican countryside to a beautiful area known as Nine Mile, where Bob Marley was born and grew up — and where he was laid to rest in 1981. Marley’s mausoleum is next door to the home he lived in with his mother, Cedella, until he was 13 years old, before he moved to Trenchtown in Kingston, Jamaica’s capital city. I recommend hiring a driver for this northside journey, which itself is so worthwhile — and the driver will know the tricky roads. The hour-and-a-half trip takes you along the coast to mountainside. At Nine Mile, it was with great respect and appreciation that I entered the mausoleum and circumambulated Marley’s marble tomb, pausing to touch it and say a prayer. I was grateful for the opportunity to pay my respects to one of the greatest and most soulful songwriters and performers of our time. At his funeral, Jamaica’s
Bob Marley. Photo by David Burnett.
prime minister called Marley “part of the collective consciousness of the nation.” It was clearly the highlight of the trip. But Jamaica has many songs to sing, of course. Even some members of the Rolling Stones have places here. Let me give a few quick recommendations for my upscale friends. In Ocho Rios, for beautiful white sand beaches plus relaxing luxury, there is the Jamaica Inn, a resort operating since 1950 — a few miles from Green Grotto Caves
and Dunn’s River Falls. Also in the neighborhood is GoldenEye — not just the preserved villa of Ian Fleming, creator of James Bond, but an exotic resort of lagoon cottages and beach huts. (Several Bond films have Jamaican locales.) It is curious to note that Chris Blackwell of Island Records, who bought GoldenEye, had Marley as a client. Be aware that construction is coming up in part of the property, from May to the end of the year, but there may also be special rates.
PROPERTIES IN HUNT COUNTRY
THOMAS & TALBOT REAL ESTATE Middleburg, Virginia 20118 (540) 687-6500
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The Plains ~ Panoramic views and grand trees surround this recently renovated, turn-key residence set on a private 90 acre estate. The home has been finished to the highest standards and features three meticulously finished levels with a modern floor plan, which includes a first-floor master bedroom suite. The location is in prime Orange County Hunt Territory. $4,475,000
FOX FORD FARM
Jeffersonton ~ Unique 4 BR country house with pool and outbuildings. One and 1/2 mile of Rappahannock river frontage. Open, rolling fields. Investment, horse farm, brewery, B&B, farming or winery potential. All around views, flowering gardens, privacy and peace. 15 minutes to Warrenton. $1,991,000 on 239+acres or $1,443,000 on 142 acres
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Berryville ~ Spacious 1880’s 4 BR, 3 BA farm house renovated on 82 secluded acres. Interior details include original heart pine floors, high ceilings, 3 fireplaces, large wrap around porch, new eat-in kitchen and appliances in 2015, 2 offices with built-ins, library, large dining room, living room, Master bedroom with fabulous Master bath. Custom wood siding. 4400 sq.ft. of living space. 45 min to Dulles. 1 DUR $1,095,000
LIBERTY HALL
Paris ~ Circa 1770, Lovely Stone and Stucco Farm house sits at the foot of the Blue Ridge Mountains, 20+ acres surrounded by Protected Lands, Spectacular protected views of Paris valley, Meticulous exterior renovations include Re-Pointed Stonework, Metal Roof, 2 Large additions, Covered Porch, Basement, Buried Electric, well and Septic, Fully Fenced, Mature Trees, Boxwoods. Potential uses include B&B, Antiques or Farm Winery, subject to Fauquier Co. zoning requirements. $1,300,000
OLD BARN ROAD
Rixeyville ~ 23 acre horse property. New center aisle stable with rubber tiles in center aisle & 4 matted stalls, wash stall & tack room. Big new arena. Two Story 4 BR colonial with new Kitchen appliances, new HVAC & waterfall feature at swimming pool. Stone flooring in First Floor master suite. Hardwood through out Living room, Dining room & Kitchen. $875,000
MIDDLEBROOK
Middleburg ~ Beautiful traditional all brick center hall Colonial on 3.36 professionally landscaped acres just minutes to historic village of Middleburg. Meticulously cared for by owners makes this home ‘move-in’ ready. All the major systems have been upgraded. In addition to the spectacular home, there is a 2-car attached garage, a separate detached Carriage House with two garage spaces and unfinished space above, a fenced in swimming pool with a gazebo, mature plantings, established hardwood and fruit trees along with a spring fed pond. $1,125,000
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Bealeton ~ Lovely 29.25 acres of open and rolling parcel BEAVERDAM BRIDGE bordered by woods. Excellent land for horses, cattle, small farm and to build your dream home. Conveniently located with easy Middleburg ~ 7 Unique acres near Philomont. Surrounded by big access to Routes 29, 17 and 28 for commuters. Possible by right farms and in hunt territory. Long frontage on Beaverdam Creek. division for 2/3 houses. No HOA or covenants! $295,000 Owned by the same family for 200 years! $250,000
See more fine estates and exclusive properties in hunt country by visiting THOMAS-TALBOT.com Offers subject to errors, omissions, change of price or withdrawal without notice. Information contained herein is deemed reliable, but is not so warranted nor is it otherwise guaranteed. 02-18_GTowner_TTRE-HalfPg.indd 1
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GETAWAYS
Lagoon cottage at GoldenEye Resort. Courtesy GoldenEye. Montego Bay, Jamaica’s signature resort destination, offers a lot, including one friend’s favorite: Secrets Wild Orchid, with Secrets St. James next door, on a peninsula with a private beach. Nearby Negril is filled with spectacular scenes from the surf to the cliffs. The Caves Hotel on Lighthouse Road, stylish and set in nature, is a sight, as is another incredible place, the Cliff Hotel. There are so many choices, high or low. Whatever your vibe for the trip, Jamaica has it, and research can be half the fun. At Kingston, heading to the airport, we drove on some smooth new highways, thanks to Chinese investment. Still, there is reggae music everywhere. Speaking of Bob Marley, I would like to let you know about Junior Marvin, the dynamic and charismatic guitarist for Bob Marley and the Wailers, who recorded and performed with
Bob Marley’s mausoleum in Nine Mile Jamaica. Photo by Chris Murray.,
Marley from the “Exodus” album until the singer’s passing in 1981. Marvin will present his remarkable Bob Marley Tribute on Feb. 24 at a rare afternoon appearance in Washington at the Hamilton Live. This show is a fundraiser; all proceeds go to the Kara Kennedy Fund, which supports the learn-to-swim programs at Horizons Greater Washington. Brunch is included. Kara was a dear friend. It is exciting to support this worthy charity and to see Julian Junior Marvin and the Wailers and the wonderful Bob Marley tribute, as well as enjoying brunch and dancing to the best live reggae music. Everyone is invited. See below for ticket details. Chris Murray is the owner of Govinda Gallery, Washington, D.C. | Fundraiser Brunch with The Wailers featuring Julian Junior Marvin — doors open 11:30 a.m., Sunday, Feb. 24, The Hamilton Live. Register at Karakennedyfun.org.
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A view from GoldenEye Resort. Courtesy GoldenEye.
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at willow grove
destination resort
spa
escape. unwind. indulge.
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CLASSIFIEDS / SERVICE DIRECTORY
THOMAS & TALBOT REAL ESTATE
ADVISORY NEIGHBORHOOD COMMISSION 2C MONTHLY MEETING
THOMAS -TALBOT.com (540) 687-6500
MONDAY, MARCH 4, 2019 AT 6:30 P.M. 1524 35th Street NW Washington DC
THOMAS LANDSCAPES 202.322.2322 | www.thomaslandscapes.com
Design with
SERVICE
SERVICE
NURSING SERVICES
EXPERIENCED HOUSEKEEPING WANTED
Looking for full time position in Nursing/ companion care. 25 plus year of experience. Price is negotiable. Can Provide cooking, light cleaning, and transportation if needed. Can provide medical assistance by taking patients to doctor appointment and insuring medication is allocated. Can provide excellent reference upon request. 240 277 2452.
HOME REMODELING
Looking for a specialized company to remodel a house located in Mclean, VA. Please email: rsna1972@yahoo.com or call (202) 298-1578.
VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITY AT MEDSTAR GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL
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Member of the MD Nursery and Landscape Association & the Association of Professional Landscape Designers
A Cleaning Service Inc Since 1985
Adult volunteers are needed for a 4-hour shift once a week in the Surgical Waiting Room at MedStar Georgetown University Hospital 3800 Reservoir Road, NW, Washington DC 20007 Volunteers in the Surgical Waiting Room give personalized attention to patients’ families as they wait for their loved ones while in surgery. Tasks include: • Registering families waiting for surgical patients • Providing a calm, warm and caring environment for families while they wait • Working closely with the Surgical Liaison team to keep families updated during and after surgery • Connecting doctors with families after surgery • Escorting family members to recovery area to visit patients following surgery • Information assistance.
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If you are interested and would like more information, please contact: Gail Thorin, Senior Surgical Liaison Email: ggt4@gunet.georgetown.edu
General cleaning for Georgetown family. References required. Please email molliemadison123@gmail.com. Tagalog a plus
NEW YEAR, NEW BRANDING Need help with your branding? Georgetown Media Group can help! Our team of designers can help you with logos, graphic design, or websites. Email us at info@georgetowner.com or go to georgetowner.media (website).
LET US BE YOUR IT DEPARTMENT
Computerware is your computer and IT source whether it is the latest computer product you need or technical and repair services.We provide businesses with a single, reliable source for computer equipment and software, as well as repair and networking services. We also offer discounted printer toner and supplies that can add up to big savings. Learn more about what Computerware can do for your business. (703) 821-8200
FOR RENT FOR SALE
Cool Georgetown condo for sale! Studio with walk in closet! Fantastic amenities & walking distance to all Georgetown restaurants. $315,00.00 Call for more information. 202 390 2323
HOUSE FOR RENT
Located in Alexandria VA. Delray. Excellent large brick colonial with large yard 3 bedrooms. 1 1/2 baths library. available immediately 2,500 per month. call 571. 359. 7383.
HAUTE & COOL
Puff Piece BY ALLYS ON BURK HAR D T The day may be longer and the sun is stronger, but there is still a chill in the air. What better way to offset the winter blues than with a pastel puffer? No need to reserve quilted jackets for snow days, especially when rendered in gentle hues of pink, yellow, purple, mint and lilac. Constructed with technical elements, even lightweight parkas provide ample warmth and waterproof protection. Versatile and sophisticated, these soft shades will refresh your outerwear as we ease into spring.
LILAC Abercrombie & Fitch Belted Puffer $140
Inspired by the fairy tale of a true love’s kiss and the triumph of good over evil.
ALASKAN BLUE Perfect Moment Padded Chevron Jacket $585
THE BALLET COMPANY OF THE NATION’S CAPITAL PRESENTS ONE OF THE WORLD’S MOST ICONIC LOVE STORIES with soaring sounds from The Washington Ballet Orchestra
COTTON PINK Tory Burch Satin Down Jacket (cotton) $348
MINT The North Face Reversible Swirl Jacket $110
February 27—March 3, 2019 at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts Eisenhower Theater washingtonballet.org
BLUSH Nanuska Faux Leather Puffer $695
DAFFODIL Moncler Hooded Gilet $925
TICKETS ARE AVAILABLE AT THE KENNEDY CENTER BOX OFFICE INSTANT-CHARGE AT 202.467.4600 AND KENNEDY-CENTER.ORG
Allyson Burkhardt is the founder of Let’s Get Dressed! Image & Style Services. Visit her on the web at letsgetdresseddc.com. GMG, INC.
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KITTY KELLEY BOOK CLUB
‘Rising Out of Hatred: The Awakening of a Former White Nationalist’ A SOBERING ACCOUNT OF ONE YOUNG MAN’S JOURNEY TOWARD THE LIGHT. R EVIEWE D BY KIT T Y K E LLE Y The cover of “Rising Out of Hatred: The Awakening of a Former White Nationalist” grabs your attention, and the not-sosubtle design suggests the message within. HATRED jumps out in bold black letters from a parchment cover that starts with white at the top, seeps into grey and, at the bottom, melds into a dark ash, an achromatic color (that is, a “color without color”). The schematic design seems to be a metaphor for the gradual conversion of a white supremacist to multicultural humanity, in which the color of a person’s skin no longer determines acceptance. Within the body of the book, Eli Saslow, a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist for the Washington Post, guides readers through Derek Black’s journey from being the lead trumpeter for white nationalism to finally renouncing his place in that orchestra of hatred. An only child homeschooled by white supremacist parents, Black’s bedroom was festooned with Confederate flags. His
godfather and mentor was David Duke, a former member of the American Nazi party, who describes African Americans as “basically primitive animals” and taught young Derek that “our clear goal must be the advancement of the white race and separation of the white and black races. This goal must include freeing of the American media and government from subservient Jewish interests.” An avid student, Black absorbed every word. As a child, he designed a website for children featuring racist games and anti-Semitic songs that attracted more than one million visitors. Later, he launched a 24-hour online radio network and hosted a weekday show with his father Don, a former Ku Klux Klan grand wizard and founder of Stormfront, the first hate website, which claimed more than 300,000 registered members by 2015 — most of whom supported Donald Trump for president. On their daily radio shows, Black and his father advocated for interests from a whitesonly country to skinheads and neo-Nazis. Four days after Barack Obama was elected president, Black, then 19, announced to his listeners: “We can take the country back. The great intellectual move to save white people started today.” Given his full commitment to white supremacy and Holocaust denial, plus his natural ability to communicate at white supremacist conferences — especially by singing songs while playing his guitar (he once entertained fellow extremists by performing the 1972 song “The Monkey That Became President”) — Black, considered a prodigy, was pushed by his father and his godfather to be their heir apparent. Then Black entered the New College of Florida, a liberal-arts honors college
Author Eli Saslow. Photo by Larry D. Moore. in Sarasota, where he befriended a darkskinned Peruvian and dated a Jewish girl. He continued doing his daily radio shows with his father, but from a secret place off campus, never mentioning his life as a white supremacist to anyone at school. Soon, though, he was exposed by a student, who posted Black’s racist articles and anti-Semitic radio shows on the school forum, sparking a campus-wide controversy. Most students shunned him, flipping him off publicly. Some even dropped classes he attended. The exceptions were two Jewish male students, who invited him to Shabbat dinners on Friday nights in hopes of enlarging his world vision. Here enters the heroine of the story: Allison Gornik, who also attended those dinners but tried to avoid talking to Black because he represented everything she opposed. Over time, though, they developed a relationship and, with spectacular patience on her part, plus saintly compassion, she managed to lead him from darkness to light, to recognize the wrongs he’d committed and the need to try to set them right. At her urging, he eventually emailed an open letter to the Southern Poverty Law
Center, a civil rights group that battles racism and hate groups. He admitted that his past actions had been “harmful to people of color, people of Jewish descent.” He disavowed white nationalism and promised never to participate in any form of discrimination in the future. With that letter, he broke with his family and tried to put distance between his past and his future by changing his name. There is no happily-ever-after ending to this story, as the rise of white nationalism seems to be firmly established in the White House, where Donald Trump advocates a border wall harking back to the Klan Border Watch that David Duke suggested in 1977. That same xenophobia and racism are surging throughout Europe in Hungary, Poland, France, Germany and Scandinavia, which makes Allison Gornik the only bright light in Saslow’s dark story. She proves that one principled person can make a difference in depriving hatred its abhorrent advance. Gornik represents the audacity of hope, that “thing with feathers that perches in the soul” and, according to the Belle of Amherst, Emily Dickinson, “sings the tune without the words and never stops at all.” Georgetown resident Kitty Kelley has written several number-one New York Times bestsellers, including “The Fa m il y: T h e Re a l Story Behind the Bush Dynasty.” Her most recent books include “Capturing Camelot: Stanley Tretick’s Iconic Images of the Kennedys” and “Let Freedom Ring: Stanley Tretick’s Iconic Images of the March on Washington.”
GALA GUIDE Beard will be the keynote speaker. RitzCarlton Washington. Email John Philligin at john.philligin@teachformerica.org.
FEBRUARY 23 GREATER WASHINGTON HEART BALL This year’s Heart Ball will feature entertainment by Seth Meyers of “Late Night.” The evening will include dinner, live and silent auctions and an opportunity to Open Your Heart and further support the mission of the American Heart Association. Mandarin Oriental Hotel. Contact Kara Laing at 703-248-1745 or kara.laing@heart.org.
FEBRUARY 27
BISHOP JOHN T. WALKER SCHOOL DINNER The evening, including dinner and a live auction, supports the Bishop John T. Walker School for Boys, which provides Episcopal school tuition for underserved students east of the Anacostia River. Washington National Cathedral. Visit bishopwalkerschool.org.
MARCH 2
TEACH FOR AMERICA GALA
CYSTIC FIBROSIS FOUNDATION’S BREWER’S BALL
Jack Davies is chairing the Leadership Changing Lives gala, which provides funding toward the goal of all children in our country having access to an excellent education. Teach for America CEO Elisa Villanueva
Brewer’s Ball guests will enjoy unlimited samplings of handcrafted beers and local cuisine from over 40 breweries and 30 restaurants as they mix, mingle, dance and bid on silent and live auction items
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and experiences. The event funds research toward a cure for all people living with cystic fibrosis. National Building Museum. Contact Chelsea Director at 301-657-8444 or cdirector@cff.org.
by Jamie Ritchie of Sotheby’s. It concludes with a virtual tour of Bordeaux, including a tasting of the 2014 vintage and silent and live auctions. Contact Heidi Arnold at 703-2481720 or heidi.arnold@heart.org.
MARCH 6 TO 9
MARCH 9
HEART’S DELIGHT WINE TASTING & AUCTION
SIBLEY HOSPITAL HOPE & PROGRESS GALA
The four-day event includes a Congress Has Heart celebration showcasing the best of American wine, followed by a Collectors Dinner; intimate wine dinners in homes, restaurants and embassies; and an exclusive Vintners Dinner at the Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium, followed by a live auction led
Sibley Memorial Hospital Foundation hosts the Hope & Progress Gala and the Sibley Soirée to initiate new programs, acquire cutting-edge medical technology and enhance the patient experience. Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium. Contact Kristen Pruski at 202-660-6814 or kpruski@jhmi.edu.
Submit your events to: editorial@georgetowner.com
GOOD WORKS & GOOD TIMES
Washington Ballet’s Sleeping Beauty Soirée BY MARY BIRD On Feb. 8, Rachel Firschein, Glenda Harvey, Sara Lange and Kim Pyle co-chaired the Sleeping Beauty Soirée hosted by the Women’s Committee of the Washington Ballet at the Homer Building in downtown D.C. Guests were transported to medieval times as they walked through a fanciful forest to join a royal court and be greeted by Artistic Director Julie Kent. VIP guests enjoyed theme cocktails on the balcony before descending for a medieval-inspired buffet feast and entertainment by the Washington Revels and Washington Ballet dancers. They later took to the dance floor to the music of DJ Alkimist. “The Sleeping Beauty” will be performed at the Kennedy Center from Feb. 27 to March 3.
President of Ghana Nana Akufo-Addo and Archbishop Nicholas Duncan-Williams. Photo by Patricia McDougall.
Ghana Cathedral Celebrated at Bible Museum BY C H R ISTIN E WAR N KE
Artistic Director Julie Kent and ballerinas. Photo by Neshan H. Naltchayan.
Welcoming the Year of the Pig BY STEP HANIE GREE N On Feb. 7, Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross was among those at the Chinese Embassy to welcome the Year of the Pig at a special gathering in partnership with Meridian International, hosted by Chinese Ambassador Cui Tiankai. This year marks 40 years since the U.S. established diplomatic relations with the People’s Republic of China, and the embassy pulled out all the stops to celebrate U.S.-China friendship, somewhat strained by ongoing tariff negotiations. Traditional Chinese fan dancers performed against a backdrop of pastels: a riot of pinks and fuchsias were reminders of the country’s optimistic future. Asian culinary delights were on offer and China’s best diplomatic weapon, the panda bear, was there too — if you count the stuffed bears decorating the buffet.
A celebration of the planned National Cathedral of Ghana was held at the Museum of the Bible on Feb. 8. President of Ghana Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, the guest of honor, spoke of how the interdenominational church, designed by “starchitect” David Adjaye, represents a significant moment in Ghana’s history and will be everyone’s home. Ghanaian Ambassador Barfuor Adje-Barwuah remarked that the “truth shall make you free.”
Sweethearts & Patriots Go to France BY STEPH AN IE GR EEN
Ambassador Stuart Holliday, president and CEO of Meridian International Center, and Chris Whittle, founder of Whittle School & Studios. Photo by Robert Devaney.
Chinese Ambassador Cui Tiankai with Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross and his wife, Hilary Geary. Photo by Robert Devaney.
Publicist Jan Du Plain and Vincent Orange, president and CEO of the D.C. Chamber of Commerce. Photo by Patricia McDougall.
“Say Yes to the Dress” host Monte Durham was on the red carpet on Feb. 9 for a special cause: wounded veterans. “I didn’t think anybody would know who I am, but these girls have been screaming and so excited to see me,” said Durham, a surprise guest at the Sweethearts and Patriots Gala at the French Embassy, which raised funds and awareness for French and American military organizations, Terre Fraternité and the Disabled American Veterans. The gala was chaired by Jadan Horyn with the Sons of the American Revolution and Catherine Timbers with the Manor House Chapter of the D.C. Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution. Among the guests: Jan Cousteau of the famed ocean exploration family; Sarah Diligenti, executive director of the Alliance Française of Washington, D.C.; and the Rev. Timothy Cole, rector of Christ Church Georgetown. Impersonators of the Marquis de Lafayette, Ben Franklin, Thomas Jefferson and other noted American Francophiles rounded out the VIP list.
Danielle Lepire, Camille Lepire and Lindsey Mask. Photo by Patrick G. Ryan.
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2018 HIGHEST REGIONAL SALES WFP REPRESENTED 60% OF THE TOP 25 SALES
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