In these uncertain and difficult times, we wanted to take this Thanksgiving weekend to feature some things in D.C. that we are thankful for:
Eleanor Holmes Norton
Eleanor Holmes Norton has been fighting for human rights since she was young. A D.C. native, she was part of the last segregated high school class at Dunbar. When she was a lawyer at the ACLU, she took and won the 1970 landmark case of the women at Newsweek, who did all the work of reporters but were not allowed to have their names on the stories they wrote. She’s broken many other barriers for women and minorities and so many others, and has served the District as its sole (non-voting) representative to Congress since 1991.
Victoria
Huntley Meadows Park
Just a half an hour away from downtown D.C., Huntley Meadows Park is a true gem for nature lovers in the DMV. In 1975, President Gerald Ford signed papers donating the site, which contains wetlands, forests, and an abundance of wildlife to Fairfax County, Virginia. Over the course of a year, you can observe more than 200 species of bird — everything from raptors like eagles and hawks to water fowl to small songbirds. Huntley is also a place to spend time with plant and flower species, mammals (including otters, beavers, muskrats, and deer), reptiles (most notably turtles), and amphibians, including the beloved and tiny green tree frogs. I am thankful to have such a natural wonder so close to our city.
Miki
Drum Circle
One of my absolute most favorite parts of living in DC is the Sunday drum circle at Malcolm X Park. It’s always a joyous occasion where people from all different backgrounds and walks of life gather to let themselves be free, to dance, to drum and to celebrate and honor life. I love the challenge of trying to capture the spirit of the drum circle . I’m so thankful that after all of these years the drum circle is still thriving and always evolving.
Rob
Japanese-Americans sharing their stories of the internment
This year I am grateful for the elders who generously share their stories, such as Cpl. Norio Uyematsu, the Veterans Day keynote speaker at the Japanese American Memorial to Patriotism During World War II. Cpl. Uyematsu served in the U.S. Army Military Intelligence Service during the Korean War. He shared vivid memories of Korean refugees, women and children, and the extremely cold weather. During WWII, when he was 11 years old, his family lost their farm and were incarcerated for three years at the Heart Mountain Wyoming internment camp. He shared that it was the first time he was around other kids who looked like himself. He also still remembers being surrounded by barbed wire and soldiers with machine guns.
Most Americans approved of the internment camps at the time, but a federal commission subsequently found that “Executive Order 9066 was not justified by military necessity, and the decisions that followed from it – exclusion, detention, the ending of detention and the ending of exclusion – were not founded upon military considerations.The broad historical causes that shaped these decisions were race prejudice, war hysteria and a failure of political leadership.”
– Angela
National Zoo’s great apes
Orangutans and Western Lowland Gorillas are critically endangered, meaning they face an extremely high risk of extinction in the wild. I am grateful for the National Zoo’s great apes for being such beautiful and expressive ambassadors for their species. They inspire visitors to care, and the National Zoo’s staff educate visitors to recycle their electronics, to avoid buying unsustainable palm oil products, and to think about issues like climate change and deforestation.
Angela
Rock Creek Park
I’m so very thankful to live next to Rock Creek Park. I’m in the park every day and can’t imagine living anywhere else. One of my greatest pleasures in life is to walk through the park and see what Mother Nature has in store for me. Every day is different and also brings with it a different set of challenges. I may find an eagle one day and a group of snakes on another day….that’s the magic of the park. We are blessed and lucky to have this incredible park in our city.
Rob
Cultural Festivals
Immigrants make up 15 percent of the District’s population and we benefit so much from their contributions to the cultural and economic life of our city. As a photographer, I am grateful for the opportunity to capture images from the many cultural heritage festivals that take place each year. Perhaps the best known is the Smithsonian Folklife Festival, which attracts more than one million visitors annually. In addition, I make sure to mark my calendar for Fiesta DC, Fiesta Asia, the Turkish Festival, Lunar New Year, Dia de los Muertos, and Sakura Matsuri and other cultural events.
Miki
Philipos Melaku-Bello
Almost every tourist and most locals have passed by Philipos at some point – he’s been in Lafayette Square directly across from the White House as part of the peace vigil for many years. The vigil was started by William Thomas in 1981 with Connie Picciotto, and Philipos helping out periodically. Since 2011, he’s been the lead, and is found there most days of the week for long hours. It’s a monumental task and demonstration of a peaceful protest that quietly draws the notice of everyone passing by.
Victoria
