Ward 5 CM McDuffie: "Ward 5 Report: Respecting and Celebrating DC Culture"

From: Councilmember Kenyan R. McDuffie
Sent: Thursday, April 18, 2019 3:14 PM
Subject: Ward 5 Report: Respecting and Celebrating DC Culture

View this email in your browser Neighbors, The conversation amongst District residents for the past ten days has been about our rich culture and demanding it be respected. The go-go music that has traditionally been played, proudly, by the music and cell phone store at 7th Street NW and Georgia Avenue NW is a piece of that rich culture. I was proud to stand with Washingtonians of all backgrounds who recognize the significance of playing go-go music at that intersection. As I said on Twitter, “The corner of 7th & GA Ave epitomizes black culture. Respect the culture.” That was far from the only opportunity I have had recently to highlight the District’s history and culture. I took part in honoring a Ward 5 institution, Israel Baptist Church, during the event to ceremonially rename the 1200 block of Saratoga Avenue NE to “Israel Baptist Church Way.” I stopped by to see John Tatum, Sr. a veteran, Senior Olympian, and long-time Ward 5 mainstay who was celebrating his 100th birthday. Last Saturday was also DC’s Emancipation Day Parade, an opportunity for the District to properly acknowledge our history and culture. Dozens of neighbors joined us for the parade, and I want to thank everyone who marched with us. Special thanks to some of the groups who came out to walk with us including Beacon House, Cure the Streets, and Brookland Huddle for Peace. DC Emancipation Day honors an important milestone where the history of the District intersects directly with American history and the African American story. Honoring these milestones and celebrating the many, remarkable accomplishments in our history is essential to keeping DC the diverse, vibrant place we know today. In service, Kenyan In this issue of the Ward 5 Report: Legislative Update - Testify to Support McDuffie's Bill to Advance Racial Equity in DC McDuffie at the Budget Oversight Hearing for the Office of Neighborhood Safety and Engagement Kenyan in the Community Kenyan in Conversation with Julianne Malveaux New York Avenue Park & Rec Center Meeting - April 24 Future of Providence Community Meetings and Focus Groups - April 24 & 25 Legislative Update - Testify to Support McDuffie's Bill to Advance Racial Equity in DC Introduced earlier this year by Councilmember McDuffie, the Racial Equity Achieves Results Act would require all policies and laws adopted by the District to be analyzed through the lens of racial equity. It operationalizes racial equity in the District by requiring government agencies to design and implement a racial equity tool and to include racial equity-related performance measures in the development of an agency’s annual performance plan. The hearing for this legislation will take place on Thursday, April 25 at 10:00 AM and all interested residents are encouraged to testify. To do so, you must sign up in advance by emailing or calling the Committee on Government Operations at governmentoperations@dccouncil.us or (202) 724-6663, by the close of business on Tuesday, April 23. McDuffie at the Budget Oversight Hearing for the Office of Neighborhood Safety and Engagement Click on the video to watch Councilmember McDuffie at a recent budget oversight hearing on violence interruption efforts through the Office of Neighborhood Safety and Engagement, an office created in CM McDuffie's legislation to address root causes of violence, the NEAR Act. Kenyan in the Community Kenyan in Conversation with Julianne Malveaux Listen to Councilmember McDuffie speak with Julianne Malveaux on WPFW. They discussed McDuffie's bill to build statues of native Washingtonians who are women and people of color, as well as the upcoming hearing on his racial equity legislation. McDuffie's segment begins at the 31-minute mark. New York Avenue Park & Rec Center Meeting - April 24 Future of Providence Community Meetings and Focus Groups - April 24 & 25 Let your voice be heard on what happens next to the site of Providence Hospital. Ascension Health, the owners of Providence Hospital, are hosting two meetings to solicit feedback from the community. Residents are encouraged to attend and share their throughts directly with Ascension Health. DATES: Wednesday, April 24 and Thursday, April 25 TIMES: 6:30 - 8:30 PM LOCATION: Providence Ground Floor Lecture Hall, 1150 Varnum St. NE RSVP: To RSVP for the meeting and for more information, please contact communityrelationsdc@ascension.org. Guests should enter at Main Entrance and report to the Welcome Desk for Check-In/Instructions.