About ‘God Hates Us: The Death of Chocolate City’ Art Exhibit

By Milaka Saddler WI Contributing Writer

At first glance, Tadael Asfah may just seem like an average millennial trying to make his way in the world, but a closer look at his personal history and photography reveals his story, journey and passions and themes behind much of his work. Asfah, a District resident, tells the story of the decline of “Blackness in D.C.,” in his recent exhibit “God Hates Us: The Death of Chocolate City.”

PRESENTS

Asfah, 29, who was born in Eritrea, a country in northeast Africa on the coast of the Red Sea, said after crossing the waters with his family at age 5 to avoid the border wars, he and his family settled in D.C. He grew up in Columbia Heights.

He said he remembers being in elementary school in ESL (English as a second language) classes. He recalled playing on the playground and noticing the separation between the differing ethnic groups.

Years passed, and he began to develop a photogenic eye, which he began to use to document the social perspective he saw throughout the community.

“Street art is more of my thing,” Asfah explained, saying that he wants to capture real things and people just living.

The photographer views D.C.’s vibrant and mixed culture as the perfect playground to capture not only the colorful, fun, eccentric elements of the community, but also the real, raw, and even at times sad realities lying within it. His recent exhibit “God Hates Us: The Death of Chocolate City,” reminds viewers of the many low-income people of color in our communities, who seem to be, at times, forgotten.

While the exhibition recently ended, its true message rings on and still occupies the minds of its viewers.

Asfah’s work documents protest and uprising against oppressive systems of power, D.C.’s unhoused community, and city youth.

When looking at these images, many viewers feel sadness or a sense of “negativity”, Asfah explained, but the pieces are all for a bigger cause.

One photo of a man whose legs are kicked up, with his feet resting across a metro seat, reminds audiences of the complexities within the simple commonalities witnessed everyday. This image tells the story of a man, most likely unhoused, trying to get some sleep in the most comfortable indoor place he can find. While some may see this image as a representation of the problems in the city, others can view it as recognition for this man’s reality and more understanding of his existence.

Asfah’s work calls for change. Images like the protester holding up the

Black Lives Matter poster reminds audiences, Asfah explained, “we have a voice.”

His images also point out the importance of coming together and contributing as a community, and knowing “the difference between just consuming, and putting something back into the community,” he shared.

With his artwork, Asfah raised over $1000, which he plans to donate to Serve Your City Ward 6 Mutual Aid. WI

Tony Bennett’s Life Wasn’t Just Singing He Fought Along with King for Civil Rights

By Stacy M. Brown WI Senior Writer

Tony Bennett, the legendary singer whose smooth vocals and timeless classics captured the hearts of millions, died at 96 in his hometown of New York.

Although renowned for his musical achievements, his tireless work in civil rights advocacy has left an indelible mark on history.

Bennett’s journey into activism began early in his life.

Drafted into the Army as a teen in 1944 during World War II, he served on the front lines in Europe, witnessing the horrors of war and its devastating impact on human lives.

“The first time I saw a dead German, that’s when I became a pacifist,” Bennett revealed in an earlier interview with Howard Stern.

“Every war is insane, no matter where it is or what it’s about. Fighting is the lowest form of human behavior. No human being should have to go to war, especially an 18-year-old boy.”

His time in the military exposed him to the grim reality of racial segregation within the U.S. Armed Forces.

After being caught consorting with a Black soldier, Bennett was spat upon by a higher-ranking Army of- ficial, who assigned him the unenviable task of digging up the corpses of dead military members.

He said the encounter motivated him to speak out for civil rights.

In 1965, Bennett took part in the historic 50-mile Selma to Montgomery marches, standing alongside Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. to demand equality and justice for all.

“The mood was anger,” singer and activist Harry Belafonte said in an interview he and Bennett did in 2013.

“The mood was rebellious on the part of the movement, on the part of the civil rights crowd, and the question is: What do we do in the face of this kind of rage and this kind of mayhem? And there was just… the bottom line was that we will go back as often as necessary.”

To rally the crowd during the march, Bennett performed “Just In Time” on a makeshift stage constructed from dozens of empty coffins, a powerful symbol of the lives lost in the struggle for civil rights.

“I didn’t want to do it, but then Harry Belafonte told me what went down,” Bennett recalled.

“How some blacks were burned, had gasoline thrown on them. When I heard that, I said, ‘I’ll go with you,’” he said.

By Anacostia Community Museum staff

On Saturday mornings the outdoor plaza at the Smithsonian’s Anacostia Community Museum comes to life with colorful fruits and veggies, red and white checkboard tablecloths, and the sounds of summer at a farm stand. This is the FRESHFARM ACM Farm Stand, and it is open every Saturday morning (weather permitting) through November 18th.

In its inaugural farm stand season this year and launched on Earth Day, the ACM Farm Stand is produced in partnership with D.C.based nonprofit FRESHFARM, which is the nation’s third- largest famers market organization. The ACM Farm Stand is the only direct-to-consumer farm stand of its kind East of the River in Ward 8. Barajas Produce, a small family-owned sustainable farm located about 90 minutes from the museum, supplies the farm stand with their own homegrown produce and additional fruits and vegetables that they aggregate from neighboring farms.

As part of the FRESHFARM Market family, which includes over two dozen other markets around the city and northern Virginia, the ACM Farm Stand accepts SNAP/EBT, WIC, and Senior FMNP checks. Plus the farm stand offers the FRESHFARM FreshMatch program which provides a dollar-for-dollar match on all federal benefits spent at market, helping shoppers take home more fresh and nutritious produce and local foods while creating and sustaining new revenue streams for local farmers and food producers.

Also, this summer the ACM Farm Stand will be part of the Free Summer Meals Program. Every Saturday from 12-2 p.m. through August 26th, children aged 5 to 18-years-old can visit the farm stand with their families and request their free meal, no ID or proof of residency is required.

We look forward to working with our friends at FRESHFARM to continue to increase access to fresh, healthy foods through the FRESHFARM ACM Farm Stand. We hope you will join us on the plaza sometime this year.

The ACM Farm Stand is open every Saturday (weather permitting) on the ACM Plaza at 1901 Fort Place SE, Washington, DC 20020 from 10am-12pm until November 18th. Follow the Smithsonian’s Anacostia Community Museum on social media or visit the museum’s website at anacostia.si.edu/farmstand for the most up to date information.