The Georgetown Metropolitan

1500 block of 33rd St.

Tonight the Citizens Association of Georgetown will be hosting a forum for candidates for the ANC. The meeting will be at Dumbarton House from 7:00 to 8:30.

GM and John Lever will be moderating the forum. So if you have any questions that you’d like to hear addressed, drop it in the comments below. And see you there!

Photo by Mike Maguire.

Good morning Georgetown, here’s the latest:

• The New York Times writes about Mt. Zion cemetery.
• Bar á Vin has a working wood burning fireplace, which seems like a good reason to visit (once it’s colder, at least).

3100 block of Q St.

GM’s daughter’s fantastic school, the Children’s House of Washington, is having a yard sale this weekend to help raise money. It will have some great stuff. Just imagine, you could even walk home with GM’s very own vacuum cleaner! Please stop by this Saturday at the Dumbarton Ave. Methodist Church (just off of Wisconsin) from 9 am to 1 pm!

Photo by Mike Maguire.

Good morning Georgetown, here’s the latest:

• In GM’s opinion, off-street parking is so expensive, because on-street parking is so cheap.
• Barefoot in Georgetown.

1500 block of 31st St.

There is no municipal body called Georgetown. But once there was. From the founding of the District of Columbia, in 1801, until 1871, Georgetown was a separate city within the District. After the District of Columbia Organic Act of 1871, Georgetown and the City of Washington were merged together and with the surrounding Washington County to form a unitary body simply called the District of Columbia. There were many stated reasons for this move, but one of the main reasons behind it were, frankly, quite rotten.

GM came across this topic while reading Howard Gillette’s fantastic book “Between Justice and Beauty“, which tells the sad story of the negative impact Congressional interference has had on the people of DC. In one section, Gillette writes about the state of DC immediately following the conclusion of the Civil War.

In the wake of the emancipation of the enslaved peoples, radical Republicans in Congress took up the cause of the extension of the vote to Black men. After some failed attempts to pressure President Andrew Johnson into forcing the newly re-formed southern state governments to guarantee the vote, legislators like Massachusetts Senator Charles Sumner turned to the District. Using the power of Congressional autonomy over DC, Sumner pushed for and achieved the vote for African American males in DC in early 1867. It took a Congressional override of Johnson’s veto to pass.

The first black votes in DC history were cast in a Georgetown municipal election just weeks after the passage of the bill.

As elections then took place in the City of Washington, race became a defining issue. Local radical Republicans reached out vigorously to the newly enfranchised voters and promised that the extension of civil rights was critical to the rehabilitation of a city torn by war.

In 1868, Sayles Bowen, a radical Republican, was elected mayor of the City of Washington with strong support from the black population. He quickly moved to make good on his promises of expanded civil rights and targeted social welfare spending. He pushed for the full integration of schools. When that effort failed, he pushed for the construction of new schools for black students. Continue reading →

Photo by Mike Maguire.

Good morning Georgetown, here’s the latest:

• As GM reported a long time ago, Hinckley Pottery is planning to open a studio space on Blues Alley. Unfortunately they’ve run into a lot of complications and legal fights with their landlord. They seem like a good group, why don’t you consider helping them out?
• GM can confirm the Georgetown Running Company offers great advice about shoe selection.

1500 block of 33rd St.