DC Humanities Book Reviews: Growing Up in Washington, D.C.: An Oral History

After an Admittedly Long Hiatus... The Book Review Series Continues

The following is Bridget Sullivan's second book review for Human Ties. Sullivan will enter the second year of in the Public History Master's Degree Program at American University this Fall. She has worked extensively this Summer as a liaison to the Humanities Council's DC Community Heritage Project grantees, and on other projects related to District history and culture.

Connors, Jill, ed. Growing Up in Washington, D.C.: An Oral History. The Historical Society of Washington, D.C. (Charleston: Arcadia, 2001) 158 pgs.

This work is the end product of an oral history project completed by the Historical Society of Washington, D.C. It is a compilation of quotes taken from the wide spectrum of oral histories collected. The body of interviews is comprised of residents of all DC neighborhoods, and a wide range of ages. This variety creates a picture of a vibrant community, and reflects the changes the DC community has experienced over the last few decades.

The Historical Society grouped quotes around seven major facets of everyday life including, holidays, working in the city, school, and the creation of communities. These categories allow the reader to truly explore many of the unique aspects and historical traditions of the neighborhoods of Washington, D.C. In addition to the breadth of knowledge available in this work, the Historical Society has presented it in an easily readable and simple format.

The strength of this project comes from the gems of knowledge and history within the interviews conducted, which allow these resources to speak for themselves. There is no attempt to force a traditional narrative. Instead, quotations from the oral histories are organized and presented in a way that gives the reader a strong sense of the environment in DC during any given period or event. An introduction to the oral history participants is another warm touch of this work.

The book is designed not only to give a sense of the DC community, but also to welcome the reader into that community. It presents an important, and often overlooked, side of the history of Washington, D.C. Washington as a community as well as Washington as our nation’s capital. Overall, I would recommend this book to anyone interested in the local history of Washington, D.C.

Post Article Examines New Stone Carving on the Mall

For Stone Carvers, Their Profession is Their Tradition

During the late 1980s, the Humanities Council funded a documentary film project on the dedicated craftsmen who carved the hundreds of gargoyles, statues, and architectural embellishments adorning the National Cathedral. The film called The Stone Carvers was produced by Marjorie Hunt and Paul Wagner, and is available at a number of local libraries. Because stone carving is such a high-skill profession, requiring years to master, the expertise is usually passed down from parent to child. This was certainly the case for many of the carvers featured in Hunt and Wagner's documentary, but, according to a recent Washington Post article it holds true for the craftsmen steadily chipping away at the new Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial scheduled to open this Summer.

According to writer Brett Zonger, at least one of the carvers working on the MLK memorial is continuing in the tradition of his father and grandfather. Though Nicholas Benson and his ancestors did not work on the National Cathedral, it is fair to say that they, more than most, have literally carved Washington. Benson's grandfather carved portions of the Iwo Jima Memorial just across the Potomac in Arlington, his father worked on the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial, and Benson carved inscriptions on the World War II Memorial.

Benson relishes the opportunity to leave his mark on history, and seems to have gained a deep, personal connection with the words of Dr. King. The total number of letters comprising the inscriptions is 2,085, and each one takes Benson an hour to complete, so it stands to reason that he and his colleagues will have had plenty of time to carefully reflect on these memorable quotations by the time they complete the project.

Some of the carvers in Hunt and Wagner's documentary confessed that they viewed their profession as one on the verge of extinction. Mechanization and changing architectural styles have decreased the need for hand carved pieces. But on the Mall in Washington, as long as there are heroes to immortalize, and histories to transform into legends, it seems there will be a place for the artisan mason – master carvers.

Check out the Post article for more on Benson and his work on the MLK Memorial.

Of Shrines, Talking Drums & Religioius Chants: Santería in DC

Footage From Last Year's Panel Discussion and Performance Now Available on HCTV

Last Summer, the Smithsonian Latino Center held a workshop at the GALA Theatre in Columbia Heights to discuss an often overlooked part of Washington, DC's cultural heritage. A panel of scholars, artists, performers, and practitioners traded stories about Santería and Afro-Cuban music and dance entitled Of Shrines, Talking Drums, & Religious Chants: Santeria in D.C. 

Since the 1950s, the practice and the sense of community associated with these traditions has emanated from a single house on Parkwood Place, NW. The house's current owner, Eloy Hernandez described the building's early role in fostering a sense of camaraderie among the Cuban immigrants who came to DC throughout the latter 20th century, and he and his wife's current efforts to pass traditions on to new generations. 

Other panelists included: Dr. Elaine Peňa, the professor responsible for conducting much of the history research; Smithsonian ethnologist James Early; Smithsonian curator Michael Mason; and Afro-Cuban musician and dancer Oscar Rousseaux. Footage from the event will be archived at the Smithsonian, and is meant to serve as a “living document” that will be used to supplement a written essay to be developed on the subject. 

To close the program, Rousseaux led a talented group of Afro-Cuban musicians, while carefully describing the significance of the instruments used and the chants performed. A brief compilation of the footage is available below and on the Humanities Council's Youtube Channel, but it is well worth viewing the film in its uncut form (coming soon to the DC Digital Museum). Dr. Peňa and the other panelists make a convincing case that sites like the Parkwood Place house serve as focal points for underrepresented cultures; their relative obscurity leading to a paradoxical cultural persistence unusual in a constantly changing urban setting.

Courageous Vision

Poetry From the Miriam's Kitchen Art Therapy Exhibition

Last night's Live to Read event was a great success. Artists from Miriam's kitchen displayed their works and read poetry inspired by the Lynn Nottage's Ruined, and its persistent theme of courage. Below is the exhibition statement written by Kate Baasch, Miriam's Kitchen's art therapist, and a poem by James Morris.

Artwork from the exhibition.

Courageous Vision - Kate Baasch, MA Art Therapy

The Miriam's Kitchen community is proud to participate in this year's Live to Read. Our partnership with the Humanities Council of Washington, DC and the P Street Whole Foods brings our community together in unprecedented ways- and we invite you to join us. This year's literary selection, Ruined, a play by Lynn Nottage, has encouraged the artists and poets who utilize Miriam's Studio to engage in on-going explorations of what courage means thematically and practically. Through artwork and writing, the artists, writers, and staff of Miriam's Kitchen have delved into the complexities of Nottage's play. The artworks on display here can be thought of as visual records of artists' reflecting, offering, and responding to the challenge Ruined presents us all: What is courage, and what does courage mean in this play; in the torn setting of the Congo; in our own country; in our lives?

---

What is Courage

James Morris

Courage, oh Courage, the dictionary says your

origin is France and Rome, Romance Languages

indeed. You began with the concept of hear or

spirit, now you have an English accent of

enduring pain and suffering, not romantic at all.

But, you are still the driving spirit of life.

Those you bless are indestructible. A soldier

touched by you finds enemies hiding in fear not

wanting to feel pain or suffer. Mediocre is not seen when you appear

Cupid, another romantic idea, makes people

embrace, such an easy affair. But when

your sword is raised and put in the hands of

your chosen, his training and more shine

bright accomplishing impossible feats.

But soldiers are not your only vehicle. Teachers,

police, firemen, politicians, social workers and

even fallen heroes that suddenly leap from

the Grim Reaper's cycle like a boxer at the

count of ten.

Many many more heroes abound in all walks

of life. Anybody who can still breathe can

suddenly feel your spirit, and even

if fallen by life's fickle choices

will come roaring back to life

and avoid the final crash.

ALL HAIL MOST honorable

Courage.

Check out more of Morris' work at http://www.poetrysoup.com .

Blast from the Past: The Humanities Council's TV Programs

Humanities Profiled, Humanities Salon, and DC Humanities Return on HCTV

Miller Reads from Fathering Words at the Arts Club
of Washington, DC.

Not long ago, the Humanities Council produced several regular television series for the District's public access cable network, DCTV. The footage from those programs is now part of the DC Digital Museum collection and is making a comeback on HCTV, the Humanities Council's Youtube channel. The first of these programs to be uploaded was an episode of Humanities Salon featuring E. Ethelbert Miller at the Arts Club of Washington, DC. The program features Miller reading from his memoir, Fathering Words, and fielding interview questions from his friend and former wife Michelle Greene.

VHS, DVCAM, and SVHS cassettes in the DC Digital
Museum Collection.

The Humanities Council's longest running television program was Humanities Profiled. Guests of that series included notable DC humanities figures, past Humanities Council grantees, and major political decision-makers. HP episodes featuring grantees Nick Hollis and Beverly Lindsay-Johnson, and humanities luminaries Marcus Raskin and Andy Shallal are coming soon to HCTV. Hollis discussed the James Wormley recognition project which sought to recognize an often overlooked DC historic figure, and Lindsay-Johnson answered questions on her then-forthcoming documentary Teenarama.

Many of these old episodes were archived on media that has either, not stood the test of time, or is difficult to digitize. As a result, some of the videos have significant color bleed, blurriness, and other imperfections. The sound, however, is flawless in most, so we will go ahead and post what we have and continue working to recover the footage in its highest quality. Until then, stay tuned to HCTV, and comment on our new-old television shows on the channel, the blog, or both!