One of the great qualities that attracted me to the “Village movement” and our Village in particular, was that the very foundation is community. That is, support for one another. For some that means doing things together, such as our walking group. For those that need it, it’s having a younger volunteer who still drives to take them to a needed medical appointment or climb the ladder to change the light bulb in the pesky fixture. We rely on each other not only for companionship, but also for practical solutions to everyday issues.
Like many of you, I was particularly saddened and angered by the killings of eight people, including six Asian women, in Atlanta. I’m left numb thinking about the increase of hate incidents in the last year against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, with Asian American women reporting more than twice as many incidents as Asian American men, according to Stop AAPI Hate.
So how can we, as Village members, volunteers, and supporters help? Here are a few ideas: Check in on Asian American friends and let them know that you care. Support our neighborhood AAPI owned businesses that may be experiencing less business. Be a welcoming community where no one is excluded and every person is embraced as a vital thread in the fabric of our community. For more information on donating, volunteering, and reporting hate incidents, read this article from Time. In our individual actions and collectively, we can make a powerful impact. I hope you’ll join me in finding some way to make a difference. The last twelve months have certainly been hard in so many ways, but we’ve also learned that coming together and being there for one another is how we persevere.
Tuesday Talks
On Tuesday, March 23, at 7 pm our Tuesday Talk series, in partnership with the Cleveland Park Library and the Main Street programs, will feature Cleveland Park resident Diane McWhorter in conversation with Diana Veiga on “From Birmingham to Black Lives Matter: Will America ever learn the hard lessons on civil rights?” You can click this link on Tuesday at 7 and join easily for this important conversation.
Be sure to check out our listing of programs (always available on our website) which includes our own programs (such as Thursday’s Dial a Docent program on the Smithsonian Castle at 11am) or other Village’s programs (such as Northwest Neighbors’ Speaker Series on “How to Avoid Being Defrauded in the Times of COVID-19” on Tuesday at 11am.)
Finally, many thanks to our volunteer, Peggy Bosch, who coordinated our first cooking demonstration with Cleveland Park’s Sababa Restaurant. We had a record crowd and the restaurant also enjoyed an uptick in orders placed that evening. Next month, we’ll feature Woodley Park’s Duke's Counter. So peruse their menu and queue up your questions for their chef!