At the complex nexus of three Southeast streets – South Carolina, C and 13th – stands a small historical marker that illuminates much of spiritual life in and around Capitol Hill: “May the memory of St. Cyprian's history ever remain as a testament to the goodness of the Lord and the living faith of the … Continue reading Spiritual Life on the Hill
Author: vspatz
Bridging Differences Across Faith and Race: Hill Havurah and Mount Moriah
Separated by just 14 city blocks, Mount Moriah Baptist Church and Hill Havurah are still quite distant in some ways. Their interfaith alliance both highlights and attempts to bridge their differences.
A Long-Ago Plea to My Neighbors
In 1992, there were 451 homicides in DC and hundreds of nonfatal shooting injuries. (vs 161 last year and 70+ as of June 2019.) My plea then: Live in your community, celebrate the life within it, and help all of your neighbors to thrive.
Imagine Them Grown
Dawoud Bey offers one way to visual what a community loses in the death of its young people. Sans artwork, we can still imagine the grown people we will be missing due to violent deaths of our youth.
#TacoTruckTerry and the Spatula Threat: Murphy Brown, Privilege, and Police
Murphy Brown's Thanksgiving episode, however inadvertently, vividly illustrates crucial lessons about police and privilege....
Opportunity for Deanwood Venture…
“The place looks like a ghost town now,” one Deanwood resident says. “But those few bottles left on the shelves don't tell the whole story.”
Last Breaths Demand
Final breaths from every Tricia who planted seeds for all to enjoy, from every Moe who sought to stop retaliations,...
Community Backbone
“This is a healing model for us as a community,” said April Goggans, looking out on a candle-lit circle of community members outside Marbury Plaza on November 1. The vigil marked the one-year anniversary of the death of Alonzo (Zo) Fiero Smith, age 27, who died following an encounter with special police officers (SPOs) at … Continue reading Community Backbone
Private Security with Badge (and Gun)
My series on policing, with a focus on special (private) police and communities of color, is appearing in East of the River, a Capital Community Newspaper. Across the US, many individuals with badges, often armed, are accountable to no one except their private employer. Accountability and regulation of private security was found wanting in a … Continue reading Private Security with Badge (and Gun)
Virginia Avniel Spatz 