Washington Post/The Root DC

Kinda exciting news! My piece (heavily edited) made it to the Washington Post/The Root DC. I am hoping this is another step to get the DC leadership to understand that DC Carnival is important to its residents.

For the Washington Post/the Root DC:  http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/therootdc/post/love-for-the-dc-caribbean-carnival/2012/04/23/gIQAfXbZcT_blog.html

Below find the full letter I sent:

Dear Mayor Gray and Members of the City Council,

On any given day, you can find me discussing policy, raising dollars and building relationships to ensure that justice and resources are available for all. In addition to being a social justice advocate, I am also a DC Carnival reveller. I proudly dance and sing down Georgia Avenue covered in mud, paint or jewels, depending on the year. For many onlookers, Carnival is merely a fun parade. For me, it has been the origin of creativity in my life. As a child, Carnival was my outlet. It replaced the need to succumb to peer pressure, drugs, and violence. As an adult, it continues to be my personal emancipation from the pressures of life. The potential cancellation of this event is unfortunate to say the least. As a longstanding participant in Carnivals worldwide, I am writing to encourage further collaborative thinking with your leadership towards finding a way to sustain this cultural gem.

DC prides itself as a haven for cultural authenticity and preservation. DC Carnival is an authentic representation of what began in Trinidad and Tobago in the 1800s as a form of celebration for emancipation. By dancing and singing in unison in the streets, emancipated slaves celebrated their new freedom and promise of equality- a struggle that people worldwide still fight for some 200 years later. This story is a vital component in the fabric of the history of the world. It also is the story of the residents of African descent that make up over 50% of the Washington, DC population. Like the many treasures that reside in DC, the DC Carnival is worthy of being preserved.

DC Carnival is also seen by many as an international attraction on par with the Cherry Blossom Festival and Fourth of July Fireworks on the National Mall. Increased tourism from the event boosts local commerce in the Georgia Avenue area, a community often forgotten during other city-wide celebrations. Anyone who has ever attended this celebration knows that Carnival is one of the most exuberant festivities one can experience.  The event brings an energy that draws hundreds of thousands of people to the DC area. Thanks to the many supporters of DC Carnival, it continues to be of financial benefit to the city.

Although it is easy for me to see the positive, it is also important to discuss and suggest a resolution for the city’s concerns. With regard to the crowds, managing large groups is a difficult task for any city. However, if large crowds and their propensity for violence were justification for event cancellation, we would have discontinued the Olympics after the Centennial Olympic Park Bombing at the 1996 Summer Olympics, and never had the March on Washington in fear of racially charged violence.

Similarly, financial difficulties are a reality, but they are not insurmountable. In place of cancellation, and understanding that the DC Carnival is all volunteer-based, an alternative would be to include the DC Carnival in the city’s budget as a cultural component of city development as well as arts and culture. Additionally, there should be a plan in place by the Carnival organizers and DC government that plans out how the DC Carnival can be improved and better supported by the DC police force, sanitation workers and all those who have a part in making the festival a success. I also recommend that DC leaders seek support from engaged supporters of the DC Carnival, both new and old, to gain a new perspective on the ways to continue to make this event mutually beneficial. As we saw with “Screen on The Green” in 2010, committed DC residents can make a difference. DC Carnival is deserving of further consideration and innovative resolutions.

I do hope that we can turn this struggle into a success for all and position the DC Caribbean Carnival as a consistent piece of the fabric that makes Washington, DC the great city that it is today.  

Respectfully,

DA Lovell

An Open Letter to the Leaders of Washington, DC: Save DC Carnival

To the Leadership of Washington DC,

My name is DA Lovell. I am a first generation American of Trinidadian and Panamanian heritage and a resident of Washington, DC. As a professional, I work to ensure educational resources are available for all despite financial circumstances. As a resident of the District, I look to leaders, like each of you addressed here, as mentors, in the community effort to ensure that DC remains a premier example of a diverse 21st century American city. However, in addition to that, each summer I proudly promote this diversity as a reveller covered, in mud, paint or jewels, depending on the year, at the annual D.C. Caribbean Carnival. I participate in traditional dance and song with the 400,000 revellers that partake in this cultural celebration annually. As you may know, this event is being canceled this year and I am writing to encourage each of you to reconsider and understand that DC needs the Caribbean Carnival.

The irony of the cancellation of this event is that, on most days, my culture is applauded as being the cornerstone of my success. As a child, Carnival was my outlet. It replaced the need to succumb to peer pressure, drugs, and violence. It gave me something to look forward to and work towards. As an adult, it continues to be my personal emancipation from the pressures of life. One day a year, I am free to let loose and partake in a replication of an event that symbolizes the hard won freedom of my African ancestors brought to the Caribbean during over 300 years of slavery and indentured labor. For many onlookers, Carnival is merely a drunken parade. For me, it has been the origin of creativity in my life. On one day a year, Carnival, an expression of Caribbean culture, reminds us all that “we is all family”, a saying that teaches love, preaches unity and embraces racial and cultural diversity. DC needs the Caribbean Carnival.

Cancelling the D.C. carnival ignores the importance of this cultural festival for Washington, DC. DC needs the Caribbean Carnival.

History: In one of few majority-minority cities in the United States, it is only right that we preserve events representing the rich tapestry of cultures in the community. Carnival in Trinidad and Tobago began in the 1800s as a celebration of emancipated slaves, singing, dancing, and joyously uniting in the streets to celebrate their new freedom and promise of equality- a struggle that people of color still fight for globally some 200 years later. This history is a vital component in the fabric of the history of the world and the many residents of African descent that make up over 50% of the DC population. DC has also prided itself as a haven for cultural authenticity. Carnival is the manifestation of Caribbean culture and therefore should be welcomed in a city of preservation.

Community Building: Keeping Carnival active allows for a continued dialogue promoting cross cultural understanding, particularly about violence. The music of the Caribbean, particularly soca and calypso, speaks of unity, self-expression and enjoying life. Like any event with large crowds there is the need for increased security. However, if large crowds and their propensity for violence was justification for event cancellation, we would have ended the Republican National Convention after the death of Dean Johnson, a seventeen-year-old Sioux Indian from South Dakota , discontinued the Olympics after the Centennial Olympic Park Bombing at the 1996 Summer Olympics, and never had the March on Washington for fear for racially charged violence.

Attraction: DC Carnival is an international attraction on par with the Cherry Blossom Festival, White House and National Mall. Over 400,000 participants annually boost local commerce in the Georgia Avenue area, a community often forgotten during other city wide celebrations. Anyone who has ever attended this celebration knows that Carnival is one of the most exuberant festivities on par with similar festivals that enjoy municipal support in Toronto, New York City, Miami, London and of course, Port-of-Spain, Trinidad and Tobago.

Transparency: As a member of the DC community, there is still a great deal of information that ought to be shared about the logistics of the DC Caribbean Carnival and its financial status. I offer the recommendation of further transparency from both sides so that interested participants may provide support and expertise where needed to ensure that this is a mutually beneficial experience. We are here and want to help.

As a form of historical preservation, continuation of peaceful gathering, an international tourist attraction, and an opportunity for further transparency, DC benefits by supporting the maintenance of the DC Caribbean Carnival. Without DC Carnival, I and many of your DC residents, lose a piece of our culture, our history and, ultimately, our lives. I do not believe that it is too late to engage new thought leaders on methods to sustain this event. Let us use this as a learning experience and a platform for community building and positive collaboration. So today, I ask you, my mentors in DC leadership, to reconsider the cancellation of this event.

Respectfully,

DA Lovell


To make your voice heard, please find the contact information of key DC officials below:

Mayor and At-Large City Council Members’ Staff Contacts:

• Mayor Gray:  Carl Thompson, 202-340-7141, carl.thomas@dc.gov
• Chairman Kwame R. Brown: Jesse Saucedo, Outreach Coordinator, 202.724.9700, jsaucedo@dccouncil.us
• Councilman Catania: Jordan Hutchinson, Chief of Staff, 202.724.7772, jhutchinson@dccouncil.us    
• Councilman Michael A. Brown:  Carol Sadler, Constituent Services Specialist, 202-724-8198, csadler@dccouncil.us
• Councilman Mendelson:  Celeste Duffie, Director of Constituent Services, 202-724-8064, cduffie@dccouncil.us
• Councilman Orange:  Mark Long, Director, Community Outreach, 202-724-8174, mlong@dccouncil.us

Vintage Chic

Apparently, Essence magazine thinks I am fashionable. How can a girl be mad about that :) Normally, I tend to use this blog as a means of communicating all that should be right in the world. Well, today I am a firm believer that my fashion being highlighted in a world-renowned magazine...is what is right in the world!!

Here's the link to the Essence photo: http://photos.essence.com/galleries/street_style__luncheon#1258763


Here's the photo I want you to have ingrained in your head :)