February 9, 2016
Join us at the Takoma Busboys and Poets location for the third installment in our Humanitini series celebrating the 225th Anniversary of Washington, DC!
Arlington County and the City of Alexandria were once part of the 10×10 square mile District of Columbia. In many ways residents of these jurisdictions and other Washington suburbs are isolated from the city’s core by more than just political boundaries. Whether you live within the city’s borders, within the beltway, or in the greater Washington area, join us and add your perspective. We’ll explore how the city has related to it’s surrounding communities in the past and present.
The program will be moderated by Adrienne Washington. Washington, a native Washingtonian, is an award-winning Washington, DC-based Commentator, Columnist and a College Professor, teaching Journalism, English and Urban Studies at local universities and community colleges. She earned a master’s degree in writing from Johns Hopkins University in 2008. The mother of two adult children, she resides in Alexandria, Va., where she is the Director of The Ft. Ward and Seminary African American Descendants Society. Her writing has appeared in several anthologies, including “Black Voices in Commentary.”
Craig Syphax – President, Arlington Black History Museum – Syphax, is a native Arlingtonian whose ancestors were slaves at Mount Vernon and Arlington House. He serves on the board of the Arlington House Foundation, and has been a real estate investor since 1997 and manages the properties he owns. He has also been a TV producer at Arlington Independent Media since 2004.
John West-Bey – Chief Curator and Operations Officer, Prince George’s County African American History Museum and Cultural Center – West-Bey is also the Founder and Chairman of the American Poetry Museum in Washington, DC. His research interests include African-American literary history, US military history, and post-modern American cultural history. Mr. West-Bey has a BA in History from Virginia Commonwealth University and a Master’s of Science in Museum Leadership from Bank Street College in NY.
Kate Stewart – Mayor of Takoma Park – Stewart lives in Takoma Park with her husband Jon Griffith and two daughters, Maya & Bridget. Kate & Jon started their lives together renting a house on Philadelphia Avenue and then moved to Elm Avenue where they have lived for almost 20 years. Kate has also taught as an Adjunct Professor at American University and is currently on the Urban Institutes Internal Review Board. Kate received her BA from Haverford College and her Master of Science from the University of Maryland.
When: Thursday, March 3, 2016 From 6:30 to 8:30pm
Where: Busboys and Poets Takoma (235 Carroll St NW, Washington, DC 20012)
On the first Thursday of each month in 2016, at the various Busboys and Poets locations throughout the city, we will look at the history of the city in 20 year increments. Specially chosen moderators and panelists will help link the obscure, monumental, marginalized, and mainstream stories about the city’s past with issues that are are relevant to present-day Washingtonians.
