EDITORIAL & OPINION

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Sound & Fury

Happy 250th, Dumbarton Methodist Church!

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.

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 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.

Our Best Approach to Stemming Homelessness

BY BROOKE PINTO, WARD-2 D.C. COUNCIL 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 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.

Encampments by Kennedy Center from August 2021. Georgetowner photo.

Letter to the Editor

Ukraine vs. Russia

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

Afro-Atlantic Histories

April 10 – July 17, 2022

nga.gov/aah | @ngadc

Co-organized by the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, and the Museu de Arte de Sāo Paulo in collaboration with the National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC. Major support for this exhibition is provided by the Ford Foundation. Additional funding is provided by the Exhibition Circle of the National Gallery of Art and the Annenberg Fund for the International Exchange of Art. Zanele Muholi, Ntozahke II, (Parktown), 2016, photographic wall mural from digital file, National Gallery of Art, Washington, Alfred H. Moses and Fern M. Schad Fund, 2021.88.1, © Zanele Muholi. Courtesy of the artist, Yancey Richardson, New York, and Stevenson Cape Town/Johannesburg

Welcome Back!

THE 89TH GEORGETOWN HOUSE TOUR: PERFECT RECIPE FOR COMING HOME APRIL 23

BY ROBERT DEVANEY

Since 1931, the Georgetown House Tour has been described in many ways: “architectural gems,” “historically significant,” “stylish homes with stylish owners.” But, perhaps, two words best describe this year’s house tour on Saturday, April 23: “Welcome back!”

“The third year approached since the last tour, and there was some hesitation about what might happen for the 2022 tour,” said Donna Leanos, chair of the 2022 Georgetown House Tour. “Surprisingly, as the pandemic waned, homeowners began to come forward with their homes for the tour. Securing the Julia Child house helped to create excitement.”

“It is considered to be the oldest tour in the country and always much anticipated, the Georgetown House Tour brings the community together to support the many ministry outreach programs sponsored by St. John’s Church on O Street,” added Leanos, who is a real estate agent and vice president at TTR Sotheby’s, a sponsor of the tour for many years. The energetic mother of two adult sons, she holds a master’s degree from Georgetown University and “loves to cook, loves the Shakespeare Theatre, the arts in general, painting, tennis, biking, weight training and is passionate about most things Italian,” she told us. “I have always loved Georgetown from a very young girl when my mom would bring us here to shop!”

“The committee of volunteers that works on the tour is just tremendously dedicated and sincere about the mission of the tour,” said Leanos, a St. John’s parishioner, and a volunteer since 2017. “Our volunteers from St. John’s, Georgetown, and the community have rallied around the return of the House Tour. The tour is very near and dear to many, and its return marks a return to socializing with friends, family and community once again.”

Another big part of the Georgetown House Tour is the Patrons’ Party, held this year on Wednesday, April 20, at the Langhorne residence on 31st Street, next to Tudor Place. The party is a tradition invented by decadeslong tour organizer and promoter Frida Burling, who died in 2016 and was a force to be reckoned with in Georgetown.

In 2001, when Ben Bradlee and Sally Quinn hosted the tour’s Patrons’ Party, The Georgetowner newspaper arrived at their N Street home to take photos. An editor asked Bradlee why he was involved, and the Washington Post executive editor roared back: “Because Frida told me to.”

Co-chaired by Emily Sower and Kathryn Minor Jones, this year’s top social scene soiree will pull in half of the money the tour generates to benefit St. John’s Church programs. “It’s a fun way to contribute to important work,” said Sower, a real estate agent with Washington Fine Properties, also a tour sponsor. She’s a mother of three and also a St. John’s parishioner — and married to her high school sweetheart, Cleaver. She and Jones are planning for “a memorable evening on April 20.” Jones is a lawyer who worked in the Obama administration and is a vice president of EverFi. She and husband Geoff try to keep up with their boy and girl twins.

After all, the Georgetown House Tour with its past and present stories of homes is also the story of families and their love of this place in all its many ways.

“We have eight homes on the tour this year, ranging from pop culture, Julia Child’s home, to one of eight original Victorian farm homes on P street, to designer homes on R and P, to some of the first homes in Georgetown dating as far back as 1796,” said Leanos, who added that the tour “attracts more than 1,600 guests each year, gives locals and out-oftowners alike the opportunity to visit historic homes in a variety of styles. More details at GeorgetownHouseTour.com.”

Welcome back, indeed.

In front of the Langhorne residence on 31st Street, site of the April 20 Patrons’ Party: Kathryn Minor Jones and Emily Sower, Patrons’ Party co-chairs, and Donna Leanos, chair of the 2022 Georgetown House Tour. Photo by Greg “Fritz” Blakey of Fritz Photographics.