Come Clean on the Clean Up!

Who's really behind cleaning up the Anacostia River? Are we getting action or just the same old lip service? The DC Environmental Network (DCEN) will unveil the major players and the clean up game at their brown bag luncheon this Wednesday, February 23, 2011 from 12-1:30pm.

Photograph of Heron eating dead fish on Anacostia. By Skip Brown, National Geographic

The DCEN leads the pack by holding our environmental leaders accountable and calling previous Anacostia clean up efforts "sporadic, at best". DCEN sort of points to Anacostia's current economic class as a major factor in the slow clean up process.

"Two- thirds of the brown bullhead catfish, a popular catch for local fisherman, have cancerous lesions and sores. Three of these sites are in census tracts where residents have household incomes of less than $40,000. These economically disadvantaged communities are bearing the brunt of contaminants in the watershed."


This event is proof that we must watch every penny spent and listen to every word spoken on the river. I will be in attendance along with fellow twitter-activist, @bcbolin, Brent Bolin, Director of Advocacy for the Anacostia Watershed Society. We expect a fruitful and collaborative discussion on how to keep Anacostia's citizens abreast of the cleanup initiatives.

DCEN Anacostia Clean Up Brown Bag Luncheon
http://www.dcen.net/
Register for Free Here
DATE: Wednesday, February 23, 2011
TIME: 12:00 NOON to 1:30 PM
PLACE: Global Green USA (offices of Friends of the Earth), 1100 15th Street NW, 11th Floor. Near Farragut North & McPherson Square Metro Stations
CALL-IN NUMBER: 775-269-3893 When prompted enter 399602
For more information contact Chris Weiss at 202-518-8782.
CLICK HERE TO REGISTER FOR THIS EVENT!

CALL-IN NUMBER: 775-269-3893 When prompted enter 399602

The Flavor of Diversity, Miami Style!

All this talk about gentrification and race in Anacostia got me to start thinking about other relatively successful attempts at the clashing of class and cultures. And it just so happened that I found myself in South Beach, Miami.



DC can learn a few lessons in Diversity 101 from Miami. Of course, my Utopian view was heavily influenced by my many hours spent thinking and drinking on the beach.


Lesson 1 - Mix it, But Don't Mash ItMiami has an overwhelmingly Latin flavor but it is also fused with memorials, museums, street names and buildings also named after members of Miami's Jewish community. Here, culture is historically preserved and woven into the landscape.

These memorials and museums give honor and respect to the other cultures that help to build the community.

Lesson 2 - Spice It UpWhile tensions may flair between different groups, food always tempers the storm. This beautifully decorated Haitian restaurant, "Tap Tap" offers up cuisine, music and artwork for those seeking a more Afro-Caribbean flair.









Lesson 3 - Preserve The Past Before Cubans, Haitians and tourists, someone had to build the city. Not only did they build it, they used Miami as way to cement an architectural genre. The Art Deco architectural backdrop of the 1920's speaks to the American historical design and influence.



Lesson 4 - Keep it CoolOf course when all these spicy flavors mix together, there are bound to be guts bubbling. The heavy police presence put a damper on my idealistic view of diversity but realistically addresses the high crime in South Beach.



Lesson 5 - Throw in Some Green
The one color that most South Beach inhabitants can agree on is green. The very wealthy and affluent seem to leisurely enjoy the best while those struggling are at the whimsical mercy of the tourist dollar. Where else can you see a "Rent Me" sign on an Aston Martin or a Maybach perched up on the corner?







Miami is far from perfect and has a tumultuous racial history. Yet, this large city with millions of tourists, immigrants, cultures, ages and income levels can somehow make it work. Our little Anacostia can find a way to use our emerging diversity as a strength and not as a tool for divisiveness.

What Do Miami and Anacostia Have in Common?

How does a curious blogger end up in South Beach Miami talking about Anacostia? While vacationing, I stumbled onto the workout scene in South Beach and met 89 year old Sal Cappi. Sal is a proud World War II veteran and served in the United States Military at Anacostia's Bolling Military Base back in the day. Sal later moved to Miami to pursue a healthier lifestyle.



Sal exercises daily on the beach with kids half his age, no, really three times younger. Sal jokingly shares, "I feel better at 90 than I did at 50."

Sal's confidence shines through as he does push-ups next to Miami's cocky hardbodies. Sal stands out because he is relentless, saavy and totally pumped about staying healthy. Sal is an inspiration considering he turns 90 years old on February 20.

He says his secrets are simply fresh vegetables, chicken, fish and "enjoying myself". This is a man who survived WWII, the barracks of Anacostia and can still hang in Miami's beach scene so he deserves to enjoy himself. He is the new millenium Jack Lalanne.

To learn more about Sal Cappi visit his youtube site or send him a "Happy Birthday" email at salcappi@aol.com.

Happy 90th Birthday Sal!

$8 Million Enough for the Anacostia?

So another corporate criminal gets away with environmental murder. CSX "settles", again, with a $7.5 million clean up contribution and measly $500k civil penalty for the petroleum leak that found its way to an Anacostia Tributary.



Looks like the folks who live along the Anacostia River are the ones who really settled.

Does $8 million adequately address the short and long-term clean up efforts? Where were the public forums to ask residents who are forced to ingest petroleum-laced water about our perspective on the settlement? Where were the environmental activists advocating for the wildlife and long-term effects of the spill on Anacostia's biodiversity? How about public education efforts or even a statement of apology to the community of Anacostia? Who is authorized to conduct public and private oversight of the cleanup?

Money too easily placates the disenfranchised and quells the vocal advocates who are supposed to sit at the table to mobilize awareness and justice for residents along the Anacostia River. Worse, in a town where activism, news, money and legal matters rule, it's disturbingly quiet when poor people seem to end up "blacked" out in the fine print.

Breaking the Yoga Mold

It's no secret that when we think of yoga, we often think of a slender, petite, blonde or brown haired 20-something female contorting their bodies into pretzels. Rarely, does yoga connote a full-figured, curvy, thick, voluptuous, brown, or even a male body. Yoga has been co-opted and repackaged by the western and mainstream marketing moguls to represent a very specific demographic- healthy, wealthy and white.

Queen of Curves Serena Williams

I've even fallen prey to the fitness brainwashing that said my body-type was not best-suited for yoga. I used to think yoga was difficult, boring and I felt absolutely no connection to the practice. I overlooked the other benefits such as breathing, healthy eating, meditation and stillness.

Curves don't seem to stop her forward lunge.

This all changed when a fellow yogi taught me postures that worked with my body.

Yoga helped me make peace with my curves.

He introduced me to yoga during an extremely difficult point in my life. He explained that if anything, black people need yoga just as much if not more than anyone else!

 Yoga can help alleviate our daily stressors. Yoga is affordable, easily accessible, and a life-changing practice. Ever since I discovered yoga, I have tried to break the stereotypical yoga mold and share the practice with as many people as possible, especially our youth. If you want to learn more about yoga, check out my free Soulful Flow Yoga class on Monday nights at the Hillcrest Recreation Center.

Soulful Flow Yoga
Mondays
7pm-8pm
Hillcrest Recreation Center
3100 Denver Street SE
Washington DC 20020
Funded by DC Social Innovation Lab, Office of Women's Health and community donations