New PG Basketball Team Plays First ABA Game
The first official sports team of Prince George’s County, the PG Valor, has officially started what they hope will be a long, successful legacy as a member of the American Basketball Association [ABA]. And while they lost their first game to last year’s regional champion, the DMV Warriors, 125 – 188, Valor Owner LaDonna M. Smith said she’s proud of the team’s efforts, led by Head Coach Chuck Pickard and Assistant Coach Will Robinson.
The team prepares for their “home opener” on Saturday, Nov. 5 at the Eleanor Roosevelt High School, 7601 Hanover Parkway, Greenbelt, MD at 8 p.m. Halftime features a performance by the County’s own 2 Determine Team. For more information visit www.pgvalor.com.
County Men Share Memories from Civil Rights Movement
A hearty group of 1960s civil rights activists gathered at the Publick Playhouse in Landover on Sunday, Oct. 30, including the Rev. Perry Smith, 82, pastor emeritus of the First Baptist Church of North Brentwood, who talked about the multiple times police arrested him during efforts to integrate Prince George’s County. Others, like former Maryland State Senator Tommie Broadwater, also shared their harrowing memories during a forum entitled “There was a Time . . . Black Men in Conversations.”
The Association for the Study of African American Life and History [ASALH], founded in 1915 by educator Dr. Carter G. Woodson, sponsored the event. Most speakers reflected on the past; others like Broadwater emphasized the collective political power of the Black community.
“Politics is about coalescing power – some politicians are looking good, talking good but know nothing. The election is coming up; make sure that you vote.” Former PG County Councilmember Dorothy Bailey, president of the Prince George’s County Truth Branch of ASALH, reminded participants, “Dr. Woodson said if we don’t share our history and our legacy, we’re prone to be a dying community.”
Each man emphasized his recollections from just a generation ago when then-segregated Prince George’s County was a less than friendly place for Blacks.
Annual Conference to Highlight District’s History
The 43rd Annual Conference on D.C. History, sponsored by The Historical Society of Washington, D.C., kicks off on Thursday, Nov. 3 with an 8 p.m. lecture on Georgetown University and its legacy of slavery at the National Archives. Events continue through Sunday, Nov. 6.
Sessions will look at Black fraternal life, immigrant communities, journalism, gentrification, architecture and literature. There will also be a screening/discussion of the documentary “Southeast 67” on Friday, 6:30 – 8 p.m. with all sessions taking place at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Northwest. Besides a Friday walking tour, “Race, Space and the Power of Place on Mt. Vernon,” two guided neighborhood tours have been scheduled to close out the conference on Sunday: Ivy City Photo Walking Tour and D.C. Murals Bus Tour.
Since its founding, The Historical Society has remained true to its mission of providing a friendly, rigorous forum for discussing and promoting original research in the history of Washington, D.C. and the surrounding metropolitan area. Visit www.dchistory.org for more information.
Party Showcases D.C.’s Hand Dancing Tradition
Enthusiasts and participants of the District’s homegrown form of “partying,” hand dancing, closed out the season with a celebration under the stars on Wednesday, Nov. 2 on Freedom Plaza in Northwest.
The event, sponsored by the Premier Community Development Corporation, addressed the continuing challenge that many of the District’s long-term residents, while being removed and displaced, as have their once-favorite pubs, restaurants, and clubs, face in securing places for hand dancing. The dance party on historic Freedom Plaza was initiated to call attention to the demise of clubs in the District that welcome and encourage hand dancing. Many Washingtonians may recall former hotspots like the Channel Inn and the Eclipse, both now closed, where hand dancing once reigned. The hand dancing tradition on Freedom Plaza will resume in May 2017.
