Washington’s Birthday

Today is officially Washington’s Birthday (observed) according to the federal government. This date is also known as Presidents’ Day in some states, combining observance of all your favorite chief execs (Millard Fillmore?) into one holiday.

Birthday boy and first president George Washington enslaved 319 human beings in Virginia during his lifetime, but the state’s current governor, Glenn Youngkin, won’t let that be taught in the Old Dominion’s schools. Virginia’s kids will need a field trip to Mount Vernon to learn about it. President Washington also signed the Fugitive Slave Act of 1793, requiring authorities in free states and territories to allow slave-catchers to seize escaped refugees and transport them back into bondage.

Happy Black History Month.

More:

“George Washington, Slave Catcher,” Erica Armstrong Dunbar, New York Times

Related:

“More than 1,700 congressmen once enslaved Black people. This is who they were, and how they shaped the nation.” Julie Zauzmer Weil, Adrian Blanco and Leo Dominguez, Washington Post

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Short Link: https://wp.me/p6sb6-CZ8

Image (“George Washington Observes Black History Month”) by Mike Licht. Download a free copy here. Creative Commons license; credit Mike Licht, NotionsCapital.com

Comments are welcome if they are on-topic, substantive, concise, and not boring or obscene. Comments may be edited for clarity and length.

Washington’s Birthday

Today is officially Washington’s Birthday (observed) according to the federal government. This date is also known as Presidents’ Day in some states, combining observance of all your favorite chief execs (Millard Fillmore?) into one holiday.

Birthday boy and first president George Washington enslaved 319 human beings in Virginia during his lifetime, but the state’s current governor, Glenn Youngkin, won’t let that be taught in the Old Dominion’s schools. Virginia’s kids will need a field trip to Mount Vernon to learn about it. President Washington also signed the Fugitive Slave Act of 1793, requiring authorities in free states and territories to allow slave-catchers to seize escaped refugees and transport them back into bondage.

Happy Black History Month.

More:

“George Washington, Slave Catcher,” Erica Armstrong Dunbar, New York Times

Related:

“More than 1,700 congressmen once enslaved Black people. This is who they were, and how they shaped the nation.” Julie Zauzmer Weil, Adrian Blanco and Leo Dominguez, Washington Post

_____________________
Short Link: https://wp.me/p6sb6-yNB

Image (“George Washington Observes Black History Month”) by Mike Licht. Download a free copy here. Creative Commons license; credit Mike Licht, NotionsCapital.com

Comments are welcome if they are on-topic, substantive, concise, and not boring or obscene. Comments may be edited for clarity and length.

What’s In a Name? Plenty.

More:

“‘Daily Show’ airs segment pitting Redskins fans against Native Americans,” Ian Shapira, Washington Post

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Short link: http://wp.me/p6sb6-jYi

Comments are welcome if they are on-topic, substantive, concise, and not boring or obscene. Comments may be edited for clarity and length

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TV: Will the DC NFL Team Name Be Benched?

Sportscasters Tony Dungy, Phil Simms, Tom Jackson, and Lisa Salters won’t use the racist, derogatory name of DC’s NFL team. Neither will ESPN’s Lindsay Czarniak, who comes from the DC area. But what if the FCC rules that name cannot be uttered over the public airwaves?

FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler says he finds the name “offensive and derogatory” and believes it should be changed. He hopes DC team owner Dan Snyder will come to his senses and change the name voluntarily.

But former FCC Chairman Reed Hundt and former Commissioners Jonathan Adelstein and Nicholas Johnson are urging the FCC to make an indecency case against broadcasters who use the name on the air.

NFL R-Word Rally in Green Bay On Sunday

There will be a protest this Sunday at Lambeau Field when the Packers host a team from the Nation’s Capital, the NFL team with a Native American slur for a name. That game will be played in an Oneida neighborhood, Green Bay Wisconsin. New York’s Oneida Nation will air local radio spots protesting that racist team name, so even the Menominee community 45 miles away will get the message. But will DC team owner Dan Snyder?

Mr. Snyder has thus far avoided hearing the voice of reason calling for a team name change, but the Washington Post editorial board heard it loud and clear. So have many sportswriters, most recently Christine Brennan of USA Today. Mark Murphy, CEO of the Green Bay Packers, a former DC player who wore that racist name on his jersey in two Superbowls, says Mr. Snyder should think about changing it. So does NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell.

As Keith Olbermann observes, the Washington team’s moniker has been “the last racist name you can say at the office without being fired” thanks to Dan Snyder and the NFL.

Ben’s Chili Bowl

Today is the 55th anniversary of a Washington landmark, Ben’s Chili Bowl. It was celebrated by local fans and a visiting long-time diner, Bill Cosby. Washingtonians are also celebrating another DC holiday, Chuck Brown’s birthday. Half-smokes all around!

Joyce Wellman @ The Heurich Gallery

“Intuitive Journeys: Works by Joyce Wellman”

The Heurich Gallery
505 9th St NW
Washington, DC 20004 (202) 223-1626
Through March 13th
Monday to Friday 8:00 AM –7:00 PM; Saturday 9:00 AM-4:00 PM

“There are only six canvases in ‘Intuitive Journeys: Works by Joyce Wellman,’ and yet it’s an expansive show. The pictures are large and the media diverse: oil, acrylic, watercolor, drawing and collage. While Wellman’s style is abstract, and such titles as “Evening Sky” and “Sun Burst” refer simply to qualities of light and color, her art is dense with references.”

— “Whirlwind tour through the District’s many painting exhibits,” Mark Jenkins, Washington Post

Artist Talk: Saturday, February 25, 2012 1:00 PM – 3:00 PM (talk begins at 1:30 PM)

Visit the artist’s website.

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Short Link: http://wp.me/p6sb6-cu9

Comments are welcome if they are on-topic, substantive, concise, and not boring. Comments may be edited for clarity and length.

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