EDITORIAL
OPINION
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Sound & Fury Forget the calendar. It may say Spring, but we seem to be stuck in a “winter of discontent” that plays on and on in an endless loop. From Ukraine, where all the miseries of all the wars in all of history have been playing out since February. To Covid, which continues to mock the vaccinated and unvaccinated alike as “follow the science” gives way to “Meh! I’ll take my chances.” Not to mention the ever-present “former guy” whose noxious brand has infected the GOP with a particularly virulent strain of Q-itis, turning a once respected political party into a cabal of conspiracists and fear mongers. All the pretty cherry blossoms cannot hide the ugliness that now blooms in Congress, runs on Metrorail (seriously, WMATA?) or is fomented in our schools by people who should know better, but prefer to take the fact-free road to education. Michele Obama famously said, “When they go low, we go high.” It was hard then but, in our current environment, it seems like
an insurmountable task. But maybe we can start small. By listening more and bloviating less. By withholding judgement. By being vulnerable without, as Brené Brown would say, expecting a specific outcome. By giving people with whom we violently disagree the respect and, yes, “safe space” to share their thinking. A cooling-off period for everyone might be an antidote we all need to survive these turbulent times. This year, Ramadan, Passover and Easter are all being celebrated within days of each other. But whatever your faith tradition, perhaps we can take this time to reflect on the suffering we’ve all been through and consider how we may come together as a community to do a little better in the coming days. Our newest Supreme Court Justice, Ketanji Brown Jackson, shows us the way. Despite the shameful behavior of her Republican inquisitors, she persevered with calm and grace. We can do no less.
Happy 250th, Dumbarton Methodist Church! Dumbarton United Methodist Church celebrated a milestone this past March — 250 years as one of the oldest continuously active Methodist churches in the world. The church has been a part of Georgetown since 1772. Parishioners first met in a cooper’s shop then on 28th Street (formerly Montgomery Street) and finally settled on Dumbarton Avenue in 1850. The church was remodeled around 50 years later with the current Romanesque front added. The stained-glass windows were installed over a two-year period from 18981900. The church was inaugurated before the Methodist Church was even created. D.C. Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton attended a Sunday service in March at the church to celebrate 250 years of Dumbarton UMC. “It all started in a cooper’s workshop in Georgetown before the Revolutionary War,” said Pastor Rev. Rachel Cornwell in a church blog post. “Our church has so much of D.C. history wrapped into its own stories.” Dumbarton UMC is known as the “mother church” for Mt. Zion, Foundry, Capitol Hill and other Methodist churches in the area. If you’re interested in learning more about Dumbarton UMC, the church is well-known for its stainedglass windows. If you visit the church at 3133 12 APRIL 13, 2022
GMG, INC.
Our Best Approach to Stemming Homelessness BY BR OOKE PIN TO, WARD-2 D.C. CO UNCIL MEMBER Thanks to unprecedented investments by the D.C. Council in thousands of housing vouchers this year, the District finally has sufficient resources to offer permanent supportive housing vouchers to all who qualify offering needed stability for individuals and families who have been staying at shelters, couch surfing, or sleeping unsheltered outside. These permanent supportive housing vouchers provide -- as the name suggests -- both housing and supportive services on a permanent basis so that those who receive a voucher will never have to experience homelessness again. These vouchers became available on October 1, 2021, so why are so many people still waiting for housing? Like most important issues our city faces: it’s complicated. Once someone who is experiencing homelessness is engaged with and qualifies for a voucher, significant work begins to coordinate between the outreach workers, the Department of Human Services, and the DC Housing Authority. Some of the challenges include the physical supply of available units of housing, the application process, and paperwork requirements. I’ve worked with my colleagues to remove some of these barriers in order to expedite the process and will continue to do so. Progress is being made and thousands of new placements are expected to be made by the end of the year. I often hear from residents who say everyone should be able to stay on the street and closing down camping sites is never acceptable. I also often hear from other residents who say regardless of the means, these encampments should be removed. As a Councilmember, I am leading with empathy and a need for action and support to
Encampments by Kennedy Center from August 2021. Georgetowner photo. move residents into safe, sustainable housing. I believe the CARE pilot program run by the office of the Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services should be expanded to all of our encampment sites in Ward 2 and the city. Through this program, residents are engaged, matched to qualifying housing resources, and moved into housing. Then these encampment sites are subsequently shut-down. The success found at the first four locations has shown significant progress with dozens of the residents living at these locations having now been housed. There are many reasons someone may be experiencing homelessness. By providing an individualized approach, reimagining our shelter system, and investing in affordable housing, together we can end the cycle of homelessness in the District. It’s my commitment to continue to work every day to help move each resident experiencing homelessness into housing.
Letter to the Editor Ukraine vs. Russia
Dumbarton United Methodist Church. Dumbarton St. NW, you’ll see each window’s QR code that has a story about not only the church, but Georgetown’s rich history.
A hearty thumbs-up for January’s “Ukraine vs. Russia” article by Christopher Jones. Keep that history coming! Your piece brought to mind “The Wages of Destruction: The Making and Breaking of the Nazi Economy,” by Adam Tooze, published in 2006. I did not discover it until 2020. Ukrainians were not only marked by Stalin but also Hitler for eradication. Both wanted Ukraine’s Bread Basket for their own. Someone once wrote “Every garden will be invaded.” Yet, it is so tempting to shrug off its implied obligation during times of peace and plenty. Even after weeks of invasion, I have not seen a single press mention of the historical
migration of Ukrainians to the USA’s Midwest; many motivated by handbills originating from 1870-80s land speculators promising a new life, along the recently completed transcontinental railroad, without the old world’s recuring crises. A land meant for wheat. I wish more Americans understood how today’s choices and challenges are the direct result of earlier peoples’ decisions. Maybe this would inform today’s policies. Excuse my wistful sigh. All the best and keep on pummeling we dense Americans with history’s relevance! — Peter Hubley, Washington D.C
