Washington D.C. – Page 4 – Teen Observer Archive

July 1, 2016July 1, 2016

Smithsonian Folklife Festival features international cultures

The opening ceremony of the annual Smithsonian Folklife Festival on the National Mall commenced Wednesday to celebrate both Basque culture and the sounds of California.

The Folklife Festival showcases each year cultural identity from the featured locations including art, food, dance, clothing and games.

Jacob Jaureguy, 21, and Sebastian Caldoron, 22, are both from Spain’s Basque region but now reside in California and perform in Basque dance group called Gauden Bat. Both men explained t

Traditional Mexican dancers at the Smithsonian Folklife Festival Opening Ceremonies on Wednesday, June 29. Photo by Lauren Markwart.

hat many people from that northeastern part of Spain who move to the United States choose the West Coast as their home. They feel it is important for them to inform others about their culture through the performing arts.

“The basis of this is to get our name out there and show what we are about,” Jaureguy said.

Tradition is a major component of Basque culture. The people of the region have great pride in their language that predates both Spanish and French. Dancing in Basque has deep cultural roots and it is a, “mix between Irish and Ballet– but not at all,” Caldoron said.

The dancers also felt it was important to share their culture due to their country’s unique political situation.

Basque is a region officially described as an “autonomous” community sandwiched between Spain and France– both countries claim part of the region.

“At one point we were our own independent kingdom, but Spain took over and gave part of us to France,” Caldoron said.

Halfway around the world lies another culture featured in the Folklife Festival: California, and specifically, its music scene.

A music group from Southern California came to the festival to perform their traditional Mexican religious dance that has survived in the United States.

Diego Solano, 27, explained that when the Spanish came to his ancestors’ town of Santiago, in the Juxtlahuaca district in Southern Mexico, the foreigners did not understand their religion.

“When they came over to civilize everyone they turned our god to a devil,” said Solano, who held a devil mask as he spoke in the Smithsonian’s Arts and Industries building.

The men perform their religious dance called the “Dance of the Devil” as they dress in colorful costumes with masks made by Alex Vasquez, 28, an active member in the group who was born in Tecomaxtlahuaca, a town in Southern Mexico.

Similar to Basque culture, traditions are very important to the people of Mexico who have come to live in California. Vasquez has made decorative masks his whole life with his father. Each mask takes about two weeks to create due to the attention each one needs. The masks are made in vibrant hues of reds and oranges and have horns poking out of the top.

Regions are chosen for the Smithsonian Folklife Festival to, “show and honor all of the different cultures that have immigrated here,” said Caldoron.

June 30, 2016June 30, 2016

Smithsonian Folklife Festival Kicks Off This Week

The annual Smithsonian Folklife Festival kicked off Wednesday, June 29, with an opening ceremony of traditional Basque music.

Festival organizers chose the Spanish region of Basque, in the northeast corner of the country, and California to celebrate.

Max Walker, 21, explained where exactly Basque is located.

“Basque lies between Spain and France, in the Pyrenees mountain range separating the two,” said Walker who was working in the Festival’s Marketplace, which featured wine, hand-crafted jewelry, pottery, textiles, as well as books and music CDs representing the featured nations.

The festival, located on the National Mall, is laid out with different booths and activities, including arts and crafts as well games and sports. This year their were many music booths featuring Basque music and the sounds of Latino USA, California. There will be Basque American Stories at the Euskaldunak Dialogues stage and Mixteco Fiesta Traditions, located at the Sounds of California stage and plaza.

A food station at the Smithsonian Folklife Festival. Photo by Yarah Swan-Sullivan.

Food booths served dishes from Basque culture as well as California. One in specific was a Guillermo’s Artisanal Gelato booth serving traditional Basque Gelato. Also at the festival is Rollo’s Tacos, serving tacos and burritos of California’s Latino roots.

Featured at the festival was an area for the traditional Basque game Fronton. There was a Fronton team present demonstrating how the game works. Fronton or Frontis, is a game played with a ball that is hit against a wall with one’s hand.

The festival will run until July 4 and then kick off again July 7 through July 10. Festival hours are 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. with special events taking place at 6:30 p.m. most nights.

July 9, 2015July 9, 2015

Smithsonian’s newest museum to celebrate black culture

Tourists on the National Mall on Monday acknowledged the potential for the National Museum of African American History and Culture to broaden understanding of black culture as the building nears completion, but many were unaware of the museum’s construction before they arrived.

When asked about the site, reaction to the building and its future was overwhelmingly positive.

The museum will “help us understand what people of color have gone through,” said Michael Wolf, 51, a white man from Minnesota. It will educate us “so that we don’t repeat stupid things like slavery.”

Construction began in 2012 and is expected to be completed in 2016 according to the Smithsonian website.

The National Museum of African American History and Culture under construction at 14th Street and Constitution Avenue on the National Mall.

Although the reaction to the museum was overwhelmingly positive, many white tourists were uncomfortable talking about the museum in the wake of a year in which racial tensions have flared. Many who agreed to be interviewed declined to comment once told the subject of the story.

Those who did share their opinions agreed the museum would help people appreciate the role blacks have played in American history.

The museum will highlight African American “achievements and accomplishments that have made the United States great,” said Wolf, who was touring the World War II memorial.

Stacey Jones, 46, a black woman from Houston, Texas said the museum will “help people see the contributions that African Americans have made to our society.”

The construction of the museum is a milestone for African Americans, and President Barack Obama weighed in on that significance during a groundbreaking ceremony in 2012.

“I want visitors to appreciate this museum not just as a record of tragedy, but as a celebration of life,” Obama said according to a transcript of the groundbreaking ceremony posted to the White House website.

On the Mall this week, tourists said they hope the museum will provide education and connect races.

“A better outlook at the other people,” said Marco Middleton, 25, a black man from Georgia about his hope for the museum.

It will “help us not compete against one another,” Middleton said.

The museum’s website reflects Middleton’s opinion, describing the museum as “a place that transcends the boundaries of race and culture that divide us.”

“It is the only national museum devoted exclusively to the documentation of African American life, art, history, and culture,” according to the Smithsonian website.

Different ethnicities will be able to understand black culture, Jones said.

“People will see things from our point of view,” Jones continued. “History textbooks are from a white perspective.”

Exhibits will focus on slavery, Reconstruction, the Harlem Renaissance and the Civil Rights Movement, among others, according to the museum’s website. The collection is being formed.

Some people are blind to real history, said Pamela Clerk, 51, who is black.She hopes it will help younger generations learn.

The museum will have student workshops to offer that perspective that Jones said cannot be found in schools.

Student workshops at the museum “are a resource for youth (ages 10-18) in which themes in American history are illuminated through the lens of African American experiences,” according to the museum’s website.

That’s good news to Clerk.

“We have a great history and we’re great people,” Clerk said.

July 9, 2015July 9, 2015

SCOTUS same-sex ruling brings diverse opinions

Students and residents in the Washington D.C. area offered diverse opinions regarding June’s historic U.S. Supreme Court same-sex marriage ruling, with many people’s views mirroring how they feel about homosexuality as more than just the right to marry.

On June 26, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled same sex marriage is a Constitutional right, prompting passionate response from dissenters but candid support from those who contend homosexuality is natural and the denial of rights misguided.

People celebrate the June 26 same-sex marriage decision by the U.S. Supreme Court decision. Associated Press photo by Jaquelyn Martin.

“It isn’t right to denigrate people for something that isn’t their fault,” said Cafoncelli Antonio, a 76-year-old professor at American University, who explained that revolutionary genetic studies have proven the genomes of a person determine their sexuality.

While Antonio cited scientific arguments about homosexuality’s origins, others interviewed cited personal relationships and religion as reasons to favor or oppose same-sex marriage.

Pro-gay sentiment however, was rather high amongst the majority of people interviewed in Northwest Washington D.C. as many believed that they were not affected by homosexuals getting more rights, so they said it made no sense to fight against same-sex marriage.

“Who am I to judge?” said Sarah Belson, dean of the American University’s School of Education.

However, on the opposite end of the spectrum, those who didn’t favor the ruling, were firm in their dissent.

“Family business is a woman’s business,” said Alex Medouni, a 50-year-old resident of Washington D.C. discussing his opposition the same-sex marriage ruling. “The victims are children.”

Four people interviewed this month who were against the ruling agreed children would not have a solid family foundation or moral compass under laws granting same-sex marriage.

But, Ned McFadden, 45, found the argument that children would be harmed unpersuasive. He noted children who grow up in a society that grants marriage rights to those regardless of sexual orientation will be better off.

“The family is changing,” McFadden said while discussing the ruling’s societal consequences.

Others interviewed this month said they were opposed to the ruling because the federal government had no business interfering in state and local self-rule.

That argument, however, didn’t sit well with American student Kara Suvada.

“Human rights take precedent over states’ rights,” Suvada.

July 9, 2015July 9, 2015

Students get inspired on visit to downtown Bloomberg offices

Students in American University’s Discover the World of Communication professional news-writing program visited on Wednesday Bloomberg’s Washington D.C. news headquarters to see how a professional media outlet runs.

Bloomberg White House reporter Margaret Talev takes American University Discover the World of Communication students on a tour of Bloomberg's TV studio. Photo by Margot Susca. — Bloomberg White House reporter Margaret Talev, far right, takes American University Discover the World of Communication students on a tour of Bloomberg’s TV studio. Photo by Margot Susca.

The professionalism of the Bloomberg offices gave the aspiring journalists high expectations for their future careers.

“If I weren’t interested in sports I could definitely see myself working there,” said DWC student Sam Goldfarb, 15.

Students arrived at the New York Avenue office building in downtown Washington and took the elevator up to the top floor. At its district branch, Bloomberg has offices on the 8th, 10th and 11th floors.

“All Bloomberg offices are on the top floor,” said Margaret Talev, 43, Bloomberg’s White House correspondent.

At Bloomberg bureaus Talev explained the company always occupies the top floor, has an aquarium and displays fresh flowers.

Students also noted that journalists were grouped into cubicles based on the subject they cover. Each person had two monitors: one with Bloomberg’s internal system and another used to write articles or access the internet.

“It was a lot bigger than I expected,” said Goldfarb, who had previously visited Comcast Sportsnet’s D.C. offices.

The 11th floor is home to TV and radio personnel, as well as the snack bar and makeup room. Tours aren’t open to the public, but the staff created a welcoming environment for the students and encouraged them to ask questions.

Students had to remain quiet as they passed by one man reading out stock information into a microphone as he concluded a radio broadcast.

A column in Bloomberg's downtown D.C. offices. — A column in Bloomberg’s downtown D.C. offices.

After visiting the snack bar, students took the stairs down to the 10th floor, where the print journalists work, and where the television studio is housed. Students visited the TV studio and observed the teleprompters and microphones that are central to a television operation.

The print journalists’ offices share the same cubicle layout as the 11th floor. Columns dispersed among the cubicles were wallpapered with news articles.

On the 8th floor, students met with famed Bloomberg journalist Albert Hunt. Hunt spent 39 years at T

he Wall Street Journal before moving to Bloomberg news in 2005.

Hunt gave students a key piece of writing advice: be concise and simple.

“If I don’t understand a story in the first three paragraphs the odds are I’m going to stop reading it,” Hunt said.

Hunt encouraged students to pursue journalism because it allowed writers to meet people from a variety of backgrounds.

“In journalism, everyone you meet is interesting,” said Hunt.

July 9, 2015July 9, 2015

Scraping by on D.C.’s minimum wage

Steve Monroe, a retired editor and current freelance communications professional, reads The Washington Post. Photo by Madeline Jarrard. — Steve Monroe, a retired editor and current freelance communications professional, reads The Washington Post at the Tenleytown Starbucks. Photo by Madeline Jarrard.

Jacob Atkins, 24, has worked several minimum wage jobs and participated in a service program called AmeriCorps to put himself through several colleges including American University in Washington D.C.

A Maine native, Atkins has been living in Washington D.C. for a few years, but he believes the city’s minimum wage is not enough to live on.

“I’ve been working since I was 15 years old, so I’m pretty used to being relatively broke all the time,” Atkins said, “but learning how to still pursue my dreams and gain experiences through different jobs.”

Minimum wage workers like Atkins must work 118 hours a week to be able to afford a typical two bedroom apartment in Washington D.C., according to a recent National Low Income Housing Coalition report. That leaves many cash-strapped and unable to plan for a future.

Steve Monroe, a 66-year-old Washington D.C. native, sat at a high top table at the Tenleytown Starbucks sipping a $2 cup of coffee with a crinkled Washington Post off to the side while he talked about his own experience with minimum wage as a young man.

Monroe, a retired journalist, says his career and current freelance work means he lives a comfortable lifestyle now. He can afford his rent, take vacations and eat at upscale restaurants. But he remembers his own struggle with low-wage work and sympathizes with those now who earn the city’s hourly $10.50 minimum wage.

“I have been involved with people who were just scraping by or were on welfare or working minimum wage,” said Monroe, who noted he has done both community work and mentoring. “I’m kind of a humanitarian by nature.”

Sylvia Davis, 48, who is also a Washington D.C. native, believes wealthy people’s awareness about the income gap and the struggles of low-wage workers in D.C. is relative.

Jacob Atkins (left), 24, a rising senior at American University in Washington D.C., jokes with Dylan Liberman, a 17-year-old high school student from Manhattan.

Davis feels she’s aware because of her own humble beginning and her experience working her way through college, but she said it ultimately depends on people’s exposure and compassion.

“I think people who are spending lots of money on discretionary items sometimes can overlook folks,” Davis said. “But then there a lot of people that don’t and who are compassionate and realize that folks, they rely upon their tips, they rely upon keeping that job, and paying for their family to have food.”

Atkins, a teaching assistant for a summer communications camp in Washington, said while there are people who work minimum wage jobs for an interim period to put themselves through college, he noted there are others who rely on those jobs as adults. He feels the wage should accommodate all people.

“You need to be being paid a reasonable rate to survive because they are supporting families,” Atkins said.

July 9, 2015July 9, 2015

Books aren’t going anywhere at AU’s Bender Library

Computer stations near print reference materials at American University's Bender Library. — Computer stations near print reference materials at American University’s Bender Library. The library offers 50 computer stations. American University library. Photo by Nima Padash

Even in our technologically advanced society, both American University students and professors think books are here to stay.

At AU’s Bender Library, Alyse Minter, 27, a librarian, said books will never go away, but on a recent July morning in the basement level five people were plugged in with print material nowhere in sight.

AU’s Bender Library offers 50 computers and plenty of spaces to plug in a laptop or smartphone, but it’s the permanent print and reference collection that really stands out to Minter.

“Some information is only in books,” Minter said.

Information is everywhere and people have to preserve and maintain this information, which would be hard to do on the computer, Minter continued.

Books have a kinesthetic feedback which you can not get from a computer, said Minter. Because of this, people learn better from books in her opinion.

Dr. Pilar McKay, 32, a professor of public communication at AU’s School of Communication, encourages technology in the classroom.

“I will use technology whenever I can,” McKay said.

Although many people think computers in the classroom may be a distraction, McKay disagrees. She uses and loves Twitter in class and focuses lectures around Power Point presentations and videos.

A 2011 Pew Research Center poll agreed.

“The average reader of e-books says she has read 24 books…in the past 12 months, compared with an average of 15 books by a non-e-book consumer,” the Pew report stated.

Audrey Schreiber, 21, prefers pen and paper.

“Laptops are a distraction,” said Schreiber, a rising senior at AU, noting she has seen students in class going on social media sites or texting.

Schreiber would buy online materials and print those out if it was cheaper than the book, but still prefers a hard copy.

“I feel like I learn better from paper than computer,” Schreiber said.

In a 2014 article in the journal Teacher Librarian, researcher Shannon Hyman wrote that to develop lifelong readers, students must be able to access a wide range of formats and materials.

“Children must see books as a friend and be surrounded by and immersed in print at home and at school,” Hyman wrote.

Minter agreed.

“We shouldn’t love books or hate computers, they should work together,” Minter said.

July 8, 2015July 9, 2015

Covering politics, taxes Bloomberg reporters motivate young journalists

Discover the World of Communication students sat in on a question and answer session Wednesday with some of Bloomberg’s top staff at the company’s Washington D.C. headquarters.

Students had the opportunity to meet writers, editors and analysts to find out about their background in journalism.

Margaret Talev welcomed the group with a tour of the building which started on the television floor and then proceeded to the newsroom. After the tour, students were taken to a board room to meet the staff.

As Talev stressed the importance of making connections, long-time friend and colleague, Al Hunt entered the room. Hunt spent 39 years at The Wall Street Journal and then joined the Bloomberg team 10 years ago.

Students questioned him about the triumphs and tribulations of his career.

He revealed covering business stories during the first year of his career was most difficult for him because of their complexity. He went on to cover taxes and ultimately politics.

“I have a confession; I like politicians,” said Hunt, rousing a laugh from his audience. Hunt finds taxes most fascinating because of their complicated nature; he likes to know “who gets what.”

Despite coming from various backgrounds, all of the journalists at Bloomberg can agree that the world of journalism is changing. The practice has transformed drastically since they began and with be completely different when the students pursue it as a career. But that shouldn’t discourage hopeful reporters from going for it.

Hunt told the story of how he originally started off as a journalist. He was speaking with James Reston and mentioned he was considering either journalism or law. Reston turned to him and said, “That’s an easy one: choose journalism.”

Back in the 11th floor conference room, Peter Russo introduced himself and explained his role in managing campaign information and lobbying data. Russo said he collects data to help tell a story.

Mike Shepard, a deputy managing editor, followed Russo. He has covered the White House, Congress and the Defense Secretary. He spent 22 years at The Washington Post and has been with Bloomberg for five.

Loren Duggan graduated with a degree from American University’s School of Public Affairs and College of Arts and Sciences. Duggan said a journalism degree is not required to be in the journalism field. He works for Bloomberg Government, looking at bills passed by Congress and summarizes them for his readers.

“You have 535 people competing for attention,” Duggan said of Congress.

Talev relayed the importance of starting from the bottom and working up. She started as a columnist for her school paper in addition to covering state politics in Florida. She later moved on to the Los Angeles Times and eventually came to the district.

By the end of the visit, students were motivated to go out and continue pursuing careers in journalism.

DWC student Madeline Jarrard, 17, said that the most important thing she got out of Wednesday’s visit was the genuine conversation she shared with the professionals.

“This is going to push me to work in an office like that some day,” Jarrard said.

July 8, 2015July 9, 2015

Public preference shifts towards digital news as cable news declines

A broadcast tower stands above American University’s campus in Washington D.C. Photo by Peter Billovits

People on American University’s campus gave their opinions in July regarding digital methods of accessing news in contrast to cable news services, an increasing concern about accessing information in a democracy.

The decline of broadcast and print news sources is no secret to the American public, as the Internet gains popularity as an alternative news source. The prominence of social media, current events websites, and other means of communication make the Internet an all too tempting alternative to replace the organizations displayed daily on linear broadcast television.

Emily Davis, 28, believes that an array of news sources is necessary in order to dodge political bias and get a balanced perspective.

Others, like international student Shuang Shan, 23, are distrustful of large sources of information.

“I think almost every news source has its own biases,” Shan said.

Shan’s home country of China is known for its censorship of news, a practice which she disagrees with. As such, she embraces the accessibility of sources like Vox, a popular news website. Shan predicts broadcast news will stick around.

“I think people will still watch broadcast news for some things like events happening in real time,” Shan said.

According to a Pew Research Center report about news services, cable news lost 140,000 daily viewers in 2014. It also released a report on the digital news media audience, showing the total amount of viewers on digital news sites has increased.

Among the top 10 digital news sources, the combined total of unique daily viewers is more than 1.8 million.

Satire shows also serve as a news source for many like American University student Audrey Schreiber, 21. Schreiber, a rising senior, enjoys watching the Daily Show with Jon Stewart on Comedy Central.

“He presents it in a way that you can swallow it, but presents it with a passion,” Schreiber said.

The question of whether traditional news is still relevant in an era of booming online sources and apps seems to be a subject of never-ending debate. Schreiber sees the decline of cable news as an opportunity.

“The more you try to save these dying newspapers, or whatever you want to call them, the less they get saved,” Schreiber said.

Lindsay Studer, 23, prefers to stay clear of major networks and instead resorts to theSkimm, an online service that emails select articles to a subscriber.

Even so, not everyone seems to want to abandon the tradition of watching their news and entertainment on television sets.

High school English teacher Maria Crudel, 47, think that it is essential for broadcast news to remain as a key source.

“I don’t care to sit in front of a computer and get my information because I already sit at a computer all day long,” Crudel said.

If there’s one thing that people seem to agree on, it’s the importance of keeping up on current events.

“That’s what a democratic process is all about,” Crudel said. “It’s about being informed and not having decisions made for you. And as an electorate, we have to know what’s going on.”

July 8, 2015July 9, 2015

District cost of living keeping quality of life down

Two construction workers wearing neon green vests stood about two blocks from the Washington Monument on their job at the National Museum of African American History and Culture.

They sat in a cloud of cigarette smoke, one drinking a Snapple iced tea, as they discussed rising costs in Washington D.C. and how for some minimum wage is not cutting it as the demographics of the city change.

Anthony Lauchie, 26, a Washington D.C. native, has been able to see the city grow. Areas like the uptown part of D.C. have redeveloped and gentrified.

“You only see it predominately in minority area,” Lauchie said. “Like I said, being here my whole life, most of D.C. has always been, not rundown, but for the most part it’s not nice. Now you go to certain places they’ve got million dollar condos. Who’s supposed to live in these condos? Not minorities.”

Lauchie’s comments come more than a year after President Barack Obama’s State of the Union address, where he called for Congress to raise the national minimum wage from $7.25 to $10.10, according to The White House. The minimum wage in Washington D.C. is even higher than that but still low-wage workers are finding it tough to get by due to the city’s high cost of living.

Lauchie, who does not make minimum wage, said the influence of the wealthy on politics means the wage will keep some people down. He believes that every year as inflation affects the value of a dollar, minimum wage should be keeping up but it’s not. People can’t maintain a healthy lifestyle on minimum wage without living paycheck to paycheck, Lauchie said.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics in a 2013 report on minimum wage workers, said that nationwide nearly 5 percent of African American workers earn at or below minimum wage. For whites and Hispanics, the number is only slightly lower.

Higher minimum wages would require fast food restaurants that operate on small profit margins to raise their prices in order to be able to pay employees’ wages, according to the Heritage Foundation, a conservative Washington D.C.-based think tank.

That stance is little solace for low-wage workers in the district, where the median rental price for a two bedroom apartment is $2,770, according to a February 2015 report from real estate analyst Zumper.

Maryam Khan, 19, a student at American University, works 40 hours a week for $10.50 an hour at the campus book store. Khan said there is no way she could afford to pay rent and buy groceries on that salary.

Juan Ruis, a landscaper at American University. Photo taken by Madeline Jarrad. — Juan Ruis, a landscaper at American University. Photo by Madeline Jarrard.

Juan Ruis, a landscaper at American University with a 4-month-old daughter, doesn’t make minimum wage but said the cost of living in the district is high. He gets to take a vacation every three years.

“You’ve gotta sacrifice,” Ruis said.

Madeline Jarrard contributed to this story.