communitylife
Thriving on Capitol Hill
Newcomer John Bratton Finds a Neighborhood
A
by Celeste McCall
s I knocked on the door of John Bratton’s Capitol Hill home, I was greeted by a chorus of barking. “My rescue beagles,” Bratton explained, adding that he would meet me in his side patio, on the corner of 10th and C SE. As I waited at his picnic table, my host appeared carrying a tray of freshly baked beignets, steaming coffee and fresh juice. What a greeting! As I munched a powdery donut—which Bratton made from scratch using the Café Du Monde (New Orleans) recipe—John praised his neighborhood. “In so many places, people live near each other but don’t know each other,” he said. “So I started introducing people. I love living here and some people even call me the Mayor of 10th Street. We host Flamingo parties where any neighbor who puts out a flamingo is inviting people to drop in. ” As we talked and sipped coffee on the patio, neighbors dropped by, including Michelle, who lives across the street, and Dana with her three small children. “I have been so welcomed, so blessed, by our neighbors,” said Bratton, who looks younger than his 48 years. “We have such a sense of community. Look how we came together after the June 5 Frager’s fire.” A successful book author, youth counselor John Bratton makes beignets. Photo: Andrew Lightman and real estate agent, John Bratton was born and raised on Kent Island near the Eastern Shore. He After college, Bratton founded Mercury Outreach graduated from Salisbury State University (the first member of his family to attend college), and Solutions, and he coached young men for free. He earned an MBA at Strayer University. He also did still does. “I can’t bring myself to charge them.” All a stint in in Iraq, where he served as 1st Lieutenant this and more is described in Bratton’s book, “Armed with the 1229th Transportation Company in Desert & Ready to Live: Life Skills to Survive and Thrive.” He was inspired to write it after the 2006 VirginStorm. “Upon arriving in Washington in 1988, Bratton ia Tech massacre. As described in the book jacket, accepted a position with a company which manu- “Armed and Ready to Live” is about the life of John factured high-tech gizmos. Then he walked away Bratton and others who have played a defining role from a career with George Washington University in his life as he triumphed over hardships….this to pursue real estate. He started with Long & Foster guide will arm young men with everyday survival before launching his own brokerage firm, Bratton strategies to improve their lives and relationships…” After living in Shaw and Clarendon, Bratton Realty, which sells, rents and renovates properties moved to the Hill two years ago, where he dwells throughout the Washington area. with life partner Eric. Their three-level townhouse Bratton’s real passion, however, is life coaching. was built in 1969. Originally, the first floor was a 62 H hillrag.com
separate apartment, but the new owners converted it into one residence. “When we moved here, the yard was a train wreck…weeds and ivy growing everywhere,” Bratton said. “When we ripped the weeds from the median strip, neighbors came by with wine and even garden gnomes. Someone was finally beautifying the corner.” While we were talking, my iPhone buzzed to announce the Supreme Court’s decisions striking down portions of DOMA and Proposition 8. That led to a sensitive topic: “When I was 10, I realized I was different,” Bratton said. “But I did not know why, and I couldn’t talk to anyone…I did not know one single gay person. Then, when I was 17, I worked as a handyman at Camp Wright. That experience changed my life. The Camp director begged me to return as a counselor, and after my first year I received the Spirit Award. That’s how I started life coaching.” Bratton pointed to a large photo taken by Michael Payne, a fellow counselor, with whom he keeps in touch. “When I was 29, I “came out” to my oldest brother, and he said he would never stop loving me. When I told my mother, she asked: ‘Do I have a choice?’ I said no, and she said she loved me. “My mother (Alice Giddens) is amazing,” Bratton said. “My father died when I was three, and my mother raised the five of us by herself. “She held down a job oyster shucking and crab picking, then she came home and fixed us wonderful meals—soul food: fried chicken, sweet potato pie, rolls baked from scratch. Her friends have begged her to open a restaurant. “Her whole life is about food…She believes you care for people by feeding them. Even if there is drama surrounding you, that all goes away when we sit down to eat. Even now, I never miss a holiday with her (she still lives on Kent Island). When I shipped out to Desert Storm, she celebrated Thanksgiving early so I would not miss it. She instilled in me that you can do anything you put your mind to if you work for it. Don’t let anyone make you feel you are less than you are.” H