Potomac Gardens , known to some of its residents as " The Gardens ", is a housing project located at 1225 G Street SE, in Capitol Hill , Southeast , Washington, D.C. , thirteen blocks to the southeast of the United States Capitol building .
96-574: The property is owned by the District of Columbia Housing Authority, and its 352-units are divided into family and senior housing. It was constructed between 1965 and 1968. In the summer of 1967, the first families moved in. Potomac Gardens was designed by the Metcalf and Associates architectural firm, and was built from 1965 and 1968 by Edward M. Crough, Inc. It contained the innovative Potomac Gardens Multi-Service Center, bringing community services into
192-697: A Bulletin, containing updates about various leagues, and an annual conference. The national association was named the Association of Junior Leagues of America, Inc. and acted as an umbrella organization (Volunteer, 61). A new Constitution was written, and the Board was tasked with acting as an information bureau for the leagues, as well as continuing to publish the Bulletin and coordinating the annual meeting (100 Years, 47.) After serving as New York City's Junior League president from 1907 to 1910, Dorothy Payne Whitney
288-685: A March 2013 article in Education Week , Potomac Garden resident Kourtney Mills said, "I was lucky," because she only waited 5 years to move into Potomac Gardens and found stability there while she studied full-time in a medical-technician program. In March 2013, the Huffington Post met with a group of teens and young adults at Potomac Gardens where they discussed their own encounters with violence and guns outside of Potomac Gardens (in other parts of Washington, DC). On June 24, 2013, Tywayne Thompson, 25, died from gunshot wounds while visiting
384-508: A New York businessman, on December 7, 1991, she changed her name to Sharon Pratt Kelly. After their 1999 divorce, she resumed her maiden name, Sharon Pratt. Pratt is a member of The Links . Initially her political energies were drawn to national rather than local politics. She was a member of the Democratic National Committee from the District of Columbia (1977–1990), the first woman to hold that position. She
480-496: A barrage of attacks on the District as a "national disgrace" of "one-party rule...massive dependency, hellish crime...and unrelenting scandal." The attacks brought unwelcome negative press to the District, and the ultimate failure in the House of Representatives of DC statehood legislation weakened her political capital. She lost standing with the D.C. Council when she supported Council member Linda Cropp to serve as acting Chair after
576-581: A billionaire bully." She announced that she had offered as much as she was willing to offer the Redskins and would go no further. Although an agreement was ultimately reached, in 1993 Cooke withdrew from negotiations and moved the team to what is now FedExField in Landover, Maryland . Kelly began her term having extremely good relations with Congress, including successfully lobbying them to increase federal aid for D.C. by $ 100 million and to authorize
672-656: A concession stand that is well-known for certain menu items, including its pimento cheese sandwiches. The Par 3: Tea-Time at the Masters includes a recipe for "Four-Cheese Pimento Sandwiches" which is said to resemble the ones served at The Masters. Members of The Junior League obtain knowledge, skills, and experiences in areas such as: Leadership, Organizational development, Community needs assessment, Mentoring, Advocacy, Communications, Fund development, Strategic planning, Negotiation, Consensus-building, and Networking. "The Association of Junior Leagues International, Inc. (AJLI)
768-545: A core tenet of the Junior League since its conception. In the Junior League’s 1906 Annual Report, Harriman Rumsey emphasized the organization’s imperative to alleviate civic ills: “It seems almost inhuman that we should live so close to suffering and poverty ... within a few blocks of our own home and bear no part in this great life” (100 Years, Introduction). This altruistic spirit inspired Harriman Rumsey to organize
864-444: A form of community service for League members and as way of introducing live-performance to children who might not have experienced it otherwise. The Junior League of Chicago was the first to stage children’s theater in 1921, and by 1929, it hosted “America’s first conference on children’s theater” (100 Years, 57). Following the conference, the Junior League of Chicago produced a national tour of The Blue Bird by Maurice Maeterlinck, which
960-459: A four-month run (100 Years, 57). As children’s theater grew into a national movement, it eventually evolved into other mediums like radio and television as well. The popular children’s television show Kukla, Fran and Ollie originated from puppet shows staged in Chicago by Burr Tillstrom and the Junior League in the 1940s (100 Years, 59). Fred Rogers’ daily television program The Children’s Corner
1056-551: A group of 80 young women to volunteer for the College Settlement on Rivington Street on the Lower East Side of Manhattan. Every week, League members would teach classes, hand out library books and engage in other enriching activities for children at the settlement house. Eleanor Roosevelt , who joined the Junior League in 1903 and served as League secretary in 1904, also taught dance and calisthenic classes at
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#17327981448971152-672: A large margin of undecided voters remaining. However, even with the smallest campaign staff and least money, Pratt won the election , defeating second-place Ray by 10%. As Washington is a heavily Democratic city, her victory over the Republican candidate, former police chief Maurice T. Turner, Jr., in the November 6 general election was a foregone conclusion . She was sworn in as mayor of Washington on January 2, 1991. Once in office, Pratt's grassroots , reform posture met resistance. She made good on her promises to clean house, requesting
1248-564: A leg up on reading before entering school (100 Years, 144). In 1914, the St. Louis Junior League mobilized to support women’s suffrage. They staged a demonstration – what the St. Louis women referred to as a “walkless, talkless parade” - at the 1916 Democratic National Convention , which ultimately resulted in the Democrats voting to include a plank for women's suffrage. The St. Louis League expressed their support in various ways, including reforming
1344-516: A local school teacher from financial ruin. The League staged a fashion show, barbershop quartet, and follies to raise funds, eventually securing enough resources to take over an abandoned day nursery for a nature center. By 1951, the League pitched in to help the museum move into a larger, $ 68,000 building (100 Years, 103). In 1959, the Junior League of the Palm Beaches founded and incorporated
1440-593: A model for Junior Leagues in other cities, many of which sponsored their own residential hotels and services for working women (100 Years, 21). As Junior Leagues began to crop up in cities across the United States during the 1910s, the organization restated its mission with a focus on bolstering “an interest in all kinds of charitable and social effort” among its members, as well as supporting “already organized philanthropies” (100 Years, 27). This wide-ranging agenda would go on to encompass volunteering efforts around
1536-644: A noticeable demographic shift in League members. More and more league members were young, working women or were older, suburban housewives as opposed to debutantes (100 Years, 94). In 1985, a Junior League was established in London which was the first League established outside of North America (100 Years, 154-155). This prompted a name change with the organization official becoming the Association of Junior Leagues International, Inc. (History Timeline). The idea that women can meaningfully contribute to solving social issues and bettering communities through voluntarism has been
1632-749: A plan for organizing community volunteer initiatives entitled “A Central Volunteer Bureau in Defense," a plan for coordinating community volunteer efforts (100 Years, 80). The Junior League of the Palm Beaches grew out of the World War II effort when 15 women established a Junior Welfare League in 1941, focused on supporting the WWII training bases that had opened in Palm Beach County. The women hosted canteen events for soldiers and worked with
1728-456: A series of televised debates during the last few weeks of the campaign, Pratt received the endorsement of The Washington Post . The day the endorsement appeared, her poll numbers skyrocketed, with many political observers attributing the rise specifically to the Post' s backing. On the eve of the election, polls showed Councilmember John Ray holding the lead, but Pratt gaining ground fast and
1824-485: A shaky agreement evolved where Leagues could act on public issues locally (Volunteer, 100), however, this would continue to cause debate at League Annual Conferences. Early on Leagues began to form State Public Affairs Committees (SPAC) where Leagues within a state would cooperate on PACs (Public Affairs Committees), SPACs (State Public Affairs Committees) and LICs (Legislative Issues Committees) are individual, apolitical Junior Leagues or coalitions of Junior Leagues within
1920-490: A shortage of teachers, League members volunteered in diagnostic programs and those for gifted and challenged children. By the mid-1950s, over 100 Leagues established public play areas for children (100 Years, 104). In the 1980s, the Junior League participated in and led several campaigns for literacy. Along with other national organizations, the League joined in PLUS (Project Literacy US), a coordinated effort to expand literacy as
2016-413: A state that form to educate and take action on public policy issues relevant to The Junior League Mission. Having begun to take shape in the 1930s, they are collectively governed by their member Leagues and the methods by which they operate vary by state, as do the issues chosen for study and action. Junior Leagues played an important role in spreading children’s theater across the United States, both as
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#17327981448972112-461: A total 1,230 units located on the two public housing sites and in the adjoining neighborhood." In a 2010, a team of students from the University of Pennsylvania School of Design proposed a redesign of Potomac Gardens and nearby Hopkins Apartments to deal with "a now outdated model of public housing design, the buildings are conspicuous and isolated from the neighborhood context." On June 7, 2012,
2208-621: A traveling museum exhibition and a documentary about their historical experiences. Many musicians and bands have emerged from Potomac Gardens, including The East Coast Connection with its single "Summer in the Parks" and, more recently, SouljaGanG Bilal. Potomac Gardens also figures in numerous novels, such as James Patterson's Cross (2006) and George Pelecanos' The Cut (2011). Former White House aide Lieutenant Colonel Oliver North , USMC , performed some of his court-ordered 1,200 hours of community service there before his Iran-Contra conviction
2304-547: A trustee at Teachers College, Columbia University (100 Years, 24). When a League was organized in Brooklyn in 1910, the members petitioned the Board of Education to provide free lunches in public schools and transform vacant lots into playgrounds (100 Years, 26). This advocacy work continued after World War II, when the Baby Boom created an additional need for resources to support schools, playgrounds, and teachers. With
2400-493: A tuberculosis clinic and treatment center known as the Pine Health Preventorium, through which it provided assistance to 150 children between 1933-34 (100 Years, 65). In the wake of the 1952 polio epidemic, the Junior League played a critical role in promoting the use of the polio vaccine, discovered by Dr. Jonas Salk, and for advocating for the rehabilitation of polio patients. In recognition for its efforts,
2496-472: A way of preventing against the spread of homelessness (100 Years, 140). Later that decade, First Ladies of the United States and Junior League members Barbara Bush and Laura Bush founded The Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy. The Foundation granted over $ 6 million to more than 200 Family Literacy Programs across the country in its first decade of operations. Laura Bush spearheaded an initiative in early childhood development to help infants and children get
2592-727: Is a private, nonprofit educational women's volunteer organization aimed at improving communities and the social, cultural, and political fabric of civil society. With 298 Junior League chapters in the United States , Canada , Mexico , and the United Kingdom as of 2024, it is one of the oldest and largest of its kind. Members engage in developing civic leadership skills, fundraising, and volunteering on committees to support partner community organizations related to foster children, domestic violence, human trafficking, illiteracy, city beautification, and other issues. Its mission
2688-694: Is an American attorney and politician who was the mayor of the District of Columbia from 1991 to 1995, the first mayor born in the District of Columbia since Richard Wallach who took office in 1861 and the first woman in that position. Sharon Pratt was born to D.C. Superior Court judge Carlisle Edward Pratt and Mildred "Peggy" (Petticord) Pratt . After her mother died of breast cancer , her grandmother, Hazel Pratt, and aunt, Aimee Elizabeth Pratt, helped to raise Sharon and her younger sister. Pratt attended D.C. Public Schools Gage ES, Rudolph ES, MacFarland Junior High School, and Roosevelt HS (1961, with honors). She excelled at baseball but did not pursue
2784-597: Is an organization of women whose mission is to advance women's leadership for meaningful community impact through volunteer action, collaboration, and training. Its purpose is exclusively educational and charitable." As of 2023 there are 296 Leagues of 140,000 women in the United States, Canada, Mexico, the UK, and Kenya. including but not limited to: Arizona California Canada Florida Georgia Sharon Pratt Kelly Sharon Pratt (born January 30, 1944), formerly Sharon Pratt Dixon and Sharon Pratt Kelly ,
2880-702: Is to advance women's leadership for meaningful community impact through volunteer action, collaboration, and training. It was founded in 1901 in New York City by Barnard College debutante Mary Harriman Rumsey . The first Junior League was founded in 1901 in New York City as the Junior League for the Promotion of the Settlement Movement . This original chapter is now known as the New York Junior League (NYJL). Its founder
2976-447: The 120th Anniversary Cookbook (2021). The Junior League of Augusta's cookbooks include the three volume, The Masters golf tournament themed Tea-Time at the Masters series: Tea-Time at the Masters (1977), Second Round: Tea-Time at the Masters (1988), and Par 3: Tea-Time at the Masters (2005). Some book collectors have taken to collecting cookbooks from various chapters of the Junior League. The Masters golf tournament features
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3072-586: The HOPE VI or the Choice Neighborhood programs to create mixed-income housing . The 2006 Washington, D.C. city budget included funding for "A joint venture redevelopment between DCHA and a private developer to do a one-for-one replacement of 510 units of public housing located in the present Potomac Gardens and Hopkins Plaza developments. The proposed redevelopment will be a mixed income rental and home ownership containing 510 replacements units out of
3168-418: The Post reflected that Kelly "has not been a coalition builder, which a mayor – and perhaps particularly the mayor of a city under enormous financial and social stress – needs to be...the most aggressive members of the city council, those most sympathetic to her cost-cutting message, are not with her. Nor are key elements in the business community. She has lost them and with them, we believe, her chance to enact
3264-750: The Architecture of Washington, DC: Twenty Walking and Motoring Tours of Washington and the Vicinity. Potomac Gardens was part of the guide's Southeast Washington tour. Many of the earliest residents had escaped the harsh life of agricultural work, especially cotton picking , in the South . As part of the City Lights Program funded by the DC Humanities Council, senior residents worked with curators and public historians to create
3360-518: The Association was to focus League energies towards their purpose of fostering interest among their members in the social, economic, educational, cultural and civic conditions of their own communities and to make efficient their volunteer service (this is quoted in Volunteering, 97 but is cited from AJLA Yearbooks https://archives.lib.umn.edu/repositories/11/archival_objects/490625 ). The 1930s were rife with disagreements on this issue and eventually
3456-592: The DC Humanities Council and National Endowment for the Humanities, to make a video about the lives of seniors in Potomac Gardens. In connection to this project, some of the seniors testified before Congress in support of NEH funding. In 1983, Martha Queen, the ANC representative for the area and herself a resident of Potomac Gardens for more than a decade, said: “I like it here. I like the people. I don't like
3552-636: The Denver Children’s Museum. In 1950, the Junior League of Miami opened the Junior Museum of Miami, a small house that brought in more 2,000 children in its first three months and eventually evolved into the Miami Museum of Science. League members also mobilized to secure funds and necessary resources for children’s museums. In 1946, the Junior League of Charlotte stepped in to save a small but popular Children’s Nature Museum thought up by
3648-547: The District Building, although they had approved the proposal that spring. In February 1993, after accusing Kelly of deliberately neglecting maintenance in order to force them out, they voted to take full and exclusive control of the District Building. According to the Washington City Paper , Kelly "was never able to get control of a city government still loyal to Barry, and she often mistrusted
3744-560: The Don’t Wait campaign garnered wide-spread attention – President George Bush called the program “a point of light” (100 Years, 166). Despite the Women’s Suffrage movement fueling the establishment of a number of Junior Leagues, the official stance on engaging in public policy efforts for the Association in the early 20th century was to avoid any partisan issues and stay away from public arena (Volunteering, 97-98). The official position of
3840-415: The Junior League for the Promotion of Neighborhood Work. Under President Dorothy Whitney, the League introduced formal training on “social problems” and expanded the scope of their work to include civic issues such as the civic role for women, police, and immigration (100 Years, 25-26). During this time, a number of sister leagues formed in cities including Brooklyn, New York and Portland, Oregon although there
3936-433: The Junior League of Montreal was the first to spring into action, initially by raising money for refugees. Almost all Leagues in the U.S. became involved by 1916, despite the nation’s stated neutrality which lasted until April 1917 (timeline). In addition to fundraising efforts, Leagues organized classes, including those focused on home nursing, as well as “preparedness” initiatives that were often organized in coordination with
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4032-462: The League received the March of Dimes Service Award in 1957 (100 Years, 101). In the 1990s, the Junior League played a pivotal role in advocating for children to have greater access to health care. In 1991, the League launched Don’t Wait to Vaccinate, a public awareness campaign focused on encouraging early childhood immunization (100 Years, 11). All 276 Leagues joined in to distribute information about
4128-569: The League was supplying schools with visiting teachers and volunteer tutors (100 Years, 23). School and Home Visitors, which began as a pilot project, was ultimately so successful that in 1910, New York state absorbed responsibility for the program and expanded its funding and reach. Nathalie Henderson, a League co-founder and chair of the organization’s Committee on Visiting Teachers of the Public Education Society, went on to chair New York’s joint Committee for Education and serve as
4224-666: The Museum of the City of New York, which was staffed by volunteers and financed by the League (100 Years, 103). Beyond the 1950s, the Leagues continued to meet the needs of communities around the country by opening children’s museums. In 1976, the Junior League of Pittsburgh contributed to the founding of the Pittsburgh Children’s Museum, and in 1982, the Junior League of Chicago organized around fighting cutbacks in funding for
4320-658: The NYJL's clubhouse was located at 221 East 71st Street in Manhattan. Designed by architect John Russell Pope and opened in 1929, the building contained a swimming pool on the top floor, bedrooms for volunteers, a ballroom, a hairdressing salon, and a shelter for up to 20 abandoned babies. Marymount Manhattan College currently owns the building. In 1950 the NYJL clubhouse moved to the former Vincent Astor townhouse (Astor House) at 130 East 80th Street, where it remains as of 2020. The League quickly branched out and in 1907 became
4416-741: The New York League organized the first network of volunteers in an outpatient department in New York City through the Children’s Clinic at Bellevue Hospital (100 Years, 38). During the Great Depression, Junior Leagues ramped up efforts to care for infants, children and families in need. Junior Leagues established and operated milk stations and nurseries for the children of working women, and also ran soup kitchens (100 Years, 65). The Tampa Junior League supported and built out
4512-635: The Presidential race. Also in April 1989, Geraldo Rivera featured Potomac Gardens during a segment for his TV talk show, called “Bloodied Streets and Broken Dreams.” As part of the show, Geraldo referred to that block as the most dangerous in America. In 1995, Little Lights Urban Ministries was founded by Steven Park, serving children in Potomac Gardens and the surrounding area. In Faith Forward , Steven and Mary Park discuss their religious conversions and
4608-663: The Red Cross (100 Years, 39). Perhaps even more so than the first world war, World War II galvanized Junior Leagues into action. In July 1940, as awareness spread that the United States would join the war, the AJLA called a special meeting to mobilize all Leagues in the United States to form central volunteer bureaus. This movement built off of capabilities already developed during the Depression that matched volunteers with agencies in need of help. In August 1941, all Leagues were sent
4704-512: The Red Cross. In the United States and Canada, volunteer efforts for the war took on many different forms. Junior League members organized blood drives, worked for the Red Cross, volunteered in daycare centers, sold US Treasury War Bonds and Stamps, and performed for servicemen at the USO and other venues (100 Years, 86). Overseas, League Members volunteered with various organizations, including an 125-person unit of Junior League Members who served with
4800-670: The Rivington Street Settlement House (100 Years, 21). The Junior League House for Working Girls (Junior League Hotel) grew out of the organization’s early volunteer work with settlement movements. Dorothy Payne Whitney , president of the New York League from 1907 to 1909, and League members began to engage in conversations around how they might best support working women in the city. There was an interest in creating affordable, sanitary and comfortable accommodations solely for women – an alternative to tenement housing that would also protect against discrimination on
4896-555: The South Florida Science Museum, today known as the Cox Science Center and Aquarium . The museum opened in 1961, and in 1964 added a new wing housing the planetarium which was dedicated by and named after astronaut Buzz Aldrin . In addition to opening new museums, Leagues also worked with existing museums to support children-friendly sections. This was the case for the “Please Touch” Gallery at
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#17327981448974992-594: The U.S. Attorney's office, the MPDC, the FBI and the U.S. Park Police, who all worked together on the arrests as part of a long-term task force combating gangs, drugs and violence. The bust yielded heroin, cocaine, guns, scales and other drug trafficking paraphernalia and was described as significant by the MPD1 Commander David Kamperin. In November 2011, a series of violent attacks in the area surrounding
5088-462: The WAAC, Hobby was promoted to Major Hobby. As director, Major Hobby was charged with mobilizing and training women to be soldiers, and, “making available to the national defense the knowledge, skill, and special training of the women of the nation" (100 Years, 84). The WAACs under Major Hobby’s charge initially took on roles ranging from clerks and secretaries to aircraft warning observers. However, as
5184-516: The Washington, D.C. Housing Authority issued a statement on potential redevelopment of the housing project, stating "We considered several sites for our HUD HOPE VI applications. We chose Capper/Carrollsburg, which was selected and received a HOPE VI grant for $ 34.9M. We do not have plans to redevelop Potomac Gardens at this time." Other speculation has circulated that Potomac Gardens was slated to be sold for use as additional U.S. Marine barracks, as
5280-796: The YMCA in France (100 Years, 80). As volunteerism flourished, Junior League members also took on more official responsibilities in war efforts. It was through the work of Oveta Culp Hobby, member of the Houston Junior League and Director of the Women’s Interest Section of the War Department, that the Women’s Auxiliary Army Corps (WAAC) was formed in 1941. After President Roosevelt signed the bill establishing
5376-445: The adjacent park. In November 2016, a 40-year-old man was stabbed to death at 7pm on a Sunday night. The homicide remains under investigation. Then, on November 25, 2016 Sixteen-year-old Breyona McMillian was fatally shot at 11:40 a.m. in the courtyard of Potomac Gardens. The matter is under investigation. On Monday, May 1, 2017 gunman opened fire with assault weapons into Potomac Gardens at 6:45 PM. More than 30 shots were fired down
5472-474: The advice she got from aides." In the spring of 1992, just over a year into her term, Barry loyalists mounted a recall campaign, which, although unsuccessful, weakened her administration and forced Kelly to tread more carefully with the public, backing away from her reform efforts. Kelly's drive to achieve D.C. statehood in order to improve the District's financial and political standing created fierce opposition from Republican members of Congress, who unleashed
5568-472: The basis of nationality or religion. In 1909, the Junior League erected a six-story building on the corner of 78th street and East End Avenue, which would serve as the Junior League Hotel until its closure in 1931. At a rate of $ 4 to $ 7 a week, residents were provided a range of amenities including a library, roof garden, laundry, and tennis and basketball courts. The Junior League Hotel served as
5664-526: The city. Kelly was at odds with several D.C. Council members with her proposal to temporarily move the city government to the building at One Judiciary Square , ten blocks away from Washington's incumbent city hall, the District Building , while the latter underwent renovations. When Kelly moved her office and administration departments to One Judiciary Square in 1992, the Council refused to leave
5760-736: The city’s public schools by helping to establish the Chicago Children’s Museum. In 1961, the Junior League of Chicago co-founded the Art Institute 's volunteer Docent Program to revitalize and expand "programming for children." In 2017, the Association of Children’s Museums granted the 2017 ACM Great Friend to Kids Award to the Junior League in recognition of the organization’s contributions to advocating for children and their education and for their work developing children’s museums. When World War I broke out in Europe in 1914,
5856-422: The country related to education, voting rights, child welfare and historic preservation, among other areas. Over the early years of the League’s development, education emerged as a central aspect of the organization’s efforts to advance social causes. Through the School and Home Visitors program, the League sponsored teachers to assist with bolstering communication between schools and immigrant parents, and by 1909,
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#17327981448975952-480: The federal anti-deficiency act , which prohibits over-spending of a federally approved budget." The report, coupled with Congress' subsequent assertion of power over DC's budget (including deep cuts and new requirements for mayoral compliance), provided political ammunition for her challengers and effectively destroyed Kelly's reelection campaign. The Washington Post , which had endorsed Kelly in 1990, instead in 1994 endorsed Councilman John Ray. In its endorsement,
6048-433: The fences. "It’s disrespectful. We aren’t animals. We don’t need to be caged," one resident told The Washington Post . It took 45 police officers to quell a violent negative reaction. Mayor Kelly was vindicated, at least in the short term: Drug arrests declined dramatically after the fence went up, though crimes did continue. But much of the drug activity just shifted to other areas, and assaults and robberies remained high—to
6144-471: The first woman and first African American to serve in that role. The same year, she won the Presidential Award from the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). Upset with the decline of her hometown, Pratt announced at the 1988 Democratic National Convention that she would challenge incumbent mayor Marion Barry in the 1990 election. Pratt was the only candidate to have officially announced her plans to run for mayor when Barry
6240-403: The housing complex. Carlos Parks, 19, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder while armed. A series of shootings in Spring of 2015 at Potomac Gardens, including shots fired at EMS and police, prompted renewed concern from area residents, yet violent crimes continued to increase. In the summer of 2016, residents reported nearly nightly sounds of gunfire and multiple people were shot in the complex and
6336-431: The importance of Potomac Gardens' residents to their religious work. Potomac Garden resident, Khaulysha, was profiled in a June 2014 article on the success of the Little Lights program. In 2013, Liane Scott brought Grassroots DC to Potomac Gardens to provide training in journalism and media production to residents, who then go on to produce information to educate policy makers and the public about issues and causes vital to
6432-631: The importance of vaccination, utilizing multilingual radio announcements, billboards, and handouts to spread the message. Along with these efforts, the Leagues tackled problem areas such as the lack of health clinics, insurance and language barriers that they recognized as factors in preventing wider-spread immunization (100 Years, 101). To eliminate these barriers, Leagues identified the issues that were most relevant to their own local populations and then deployed educational materials and collaborated with health agencies and other Leagues to create effective children’s health programs (100 Years, 161). The success of
6528-524: The last year of the second World War, Leagues staged 36 live radio programs for children (100 Years, 87). As was the case of children’s theatre, Junior Leagues were also instrumental in opening children’s museums to help expose children to science and technology, art and nature. By the end of the 1950s, Leagues across the country – from San Francisco to Jacksonville, Florida – established or entered into partnerships to open up museums for children in their own communities (100 Years, 102). The Denver Junior League
6624-567: The location is one of only a few locations meeting the criteria set forth by the U.S. Marine Corps. There is concern among the Potomac Garden residents that redevelopment will displace them. A January 2015 segment on WAMU discussed the future of Potomac Gardens, including redevelopment efforts. One resident Leila Williams voiced her fears of being displaced: “They will probably be asking us to vacate sooner or later, you know, which I hope they don’t!” Junior League The Association of Junior Leagues International, Inc. ( Junior League or JL )
6720-558: The measures she has stood for." In the Democratic primary that September, Kelly finished a distant third, with only about 13% of the vote. Barry won the primary and would go on to win the general election in November against an unusually strong Republican opponent, Carol Schwartz . In 2003, Pratt was awarded a $ 235,000 contract from the District of Columbia's Department of Health to be the city's main contact with federal homeland security agencies. The contract also calls for her to investigate improved communications and technology to protect
6816-421: The new public housing project. The Friendship House on Capitol Hill ran the Center with the help of site-coordinator S. Preston-Jones and with additional funding from the Junior League . The chief medical officer in the clinic was Dr. John A. Algee. One of the first managers of Potomac Gardens was Majurial Crawley. During the 1980s, Constance Love was the manager. In 1971, the Greater Washington Board of Trade ,
6912-569: The organization as The League of Women Voters, a new group (100 Years, 36). One year after Congress passed the Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution , the Junior League held its annual conference in St. Louis. With discussions swirling around women’s suffrage at the conference, the League decided to form Legislative committees that would focus on “city or state laws, especially those affecting
7008-493: The point in 1995 that Marion Barry ’s administration hired the Nation of Islam on an emergency contract to restore order. Jesse Jackson used Potomac Gardens as a backdrop for a press conference to announce he would not run for president in 1992, calling it “the urban crisis personified, the epitome of national neglect.” In June 2010, fifteen individuals were arrested, according to a joint press release issued in conjunction with
7104-436: The problems. But the people are good people. But There's a lot of trespassers here.” Deteriorating conditions in some parts of the complex, Queen said, gave the impression that the project had been "abandoned" by the city and was ripe for invasion by outsiders. In 1991, Mayor Sharon Pratt Kelly had fences installed around and within the property to halt trespassers, but this action was controversial. Some residents did not want
7200-614: The project drew widespread media attention and a response from DC Police Chief Cathy Lanier. The FBI announced in July 2013 that sixteen people had been arrested in drug conspiracy charges, "According to the government’s evidence, the drugs were distributed in the Potomac Gardens and Hopkins housing complexes in Southeast Washington, as well as in Prince George’s County, Maryland, and locations in northern Virginia." In
7296-472: The regional business association, gave its Award for Excellence in Architecture to the architectural firm, Metcalf and Associates, and the builder, Edward M. Crough, Inc., of Potomac Gardens. The Edward M. Crough Center for Architectural Studies at Catholic University is named after Potomac Gardens' builder. In 1974, Potomac Gardens was featured in the American Institute of Architects' A Guide to
7392-562: The resignations of all Barry appointees the day after her election; however, as she began to slash the city employment payroll, her political support began to weaken. She angered labor leaders who claimed she had promised not to fire union employees, and began mandating unpaid furloughs and wage freezes citywide. She took great pains to remove all of Barry's political cronies, even though these layoffs hurt her administration as well. Kelly faced criticism due to accusations of being elitist, thus distancing her from poor and working-class blacks in
7488-714: The sale of $ 300 million in deficit reduction bonds. As fiscal year 1994 began for DC government (in October 1993), DC faced a $ 500 million budget deficit, with financial experts predicting that the city's debt would reach $ 1 billion by 1999; the US Congress commissioned a federal audit of the city finances by the GAO . In February 1994, in the face of a ballooning deficit, Kelly faced heavy criticism when The Washington Post reported that she regularly spent taxpayer funds on makeup for cable television appearances. Kelly
7584-518: The sidewalk, forcing kids and families to duck and run for cover. Due to the brazen nature of the shootings, the situation was covered by all local media outlets and the Washington Post. Wayne Tucker, who has lived in Potomac Gardens for six years, said residents live in fear. "You always worry. Why wouldn't you worry? I'm hoping it's not my day." There has been speculation that the housing project would be redeveloped using federal funds through
7680-530: The social welfare of women and children” (100 Years, 37). Junior Leagues have historically advanced causes related to the well-being of women and children in various ways. Leagues across the country pioneered these efforts. Tucson, Arizona established the city’s first day nursery, and Cincinnati established the Junior League Welfare Station, a clinic created to care for the children of indigent families (100 Years, 50). In 1917, members of
7776-612: The sport in adolescence. At Howard University she joined the Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority (1964), and earned a B.A. in political science (1965). She received a J.D. degree from the Howard University School of Law in 1968. She married Arrington Dixon in 1966 and has two daughters with him; they divorced after sixteen years. She campaigned and was elected and inaugurated mayor of DC as Sharon Pratt Dixon, but when she married James R. Kelly III,
7872-653: The suicide of John A. Wilson in May 1993; instead, the Council chose John L. Ray . Kelly was blamed for the Washington Redskins moving out of the city. Redskins owner Jack Kent Cooke attempted to pressure the city to build a new stadium to replace aging RFK Stadium , with the threat of moving the team to nearby Alexandria, Virginia . After negotiations stalled and Cooke was publicly courted by Virginia's governor, Kelly denounced Cooke vocally, saying that "I will not allow our good community to be steamrolled by
7968-411: The under-served communities of the District of Columbia Metropolitan Area. The Senior Resident Council was established in 1979 "to foster and improve relationships within the development and with the surrounding community." The Senior Resident Council organizes activities for seniors and provides assistance during emergencies. In the early 1990s, it worked with the group City Lights, and with funding from
8064-477: The war progressed, WAACs assumed a broader range of primarily communication and clerical responsibilities overseas. By 1943, the initiative had garnered such success that the WAAC was elevated to Regular Army and afforded pay and privileges equal to what was granted to male soldiers (100 Years, 85). Junior League chapters have produced a number of cookbooks. The New York Junior League's cookbooks include New York Entertains (1974), I'll Taste Manhattan (1994), and
8160-505: Was arrested on drug charges and dropped out of the race in early 1990. Shortly thereafter, the race was joined by longtime councilmembers John Ray , Charlene Drew Jarvis and David Clarke . Pratt criticized her three main opponents, referring to them as the "three blind mice" who "saw nothing, said nothing and did nothing as the city rapidly decayed." She was the only candidate who called on Barry to resign from office, and ran specifically as an outsider to his political machine. Following
8256-626: Was DNC Treasurer from 1985 to 1989. At the 1980 Democratic National Convention , she was a member of the Ad Hoc Credentials Committee, member of the Judicial Council, and co-chairman of the Rules Committee. In 1982, she ran Patricia Roberts Harris' mayoral campaign in the D.C. election. In 1983, she was made Vice President of Community Relations at Pepco , the D.C. electric utility. She became
8352-646: Was developed with help from the League, and Margaret Hamilton, who would go on to play the Wicked Witch of the West in The Wizard of Oz, got her start in children’s theater as a member of the Junior League (100 Years, 60). In addition to providing enriching entertainment, Leagues were also cognizant of the comfort that theater could bring to children during times of uncertainty. From 1944-45, Leagues put on 783 theater performances for nearly 370,000 children. And in
8448-563: Was no formal affiliation with the first New York league. A number of other debutante circles, like the Sewing Circle League of Boston began to emulate the League in New York and focus on local social issues (100 Years, 26). Eleanor Roosevelt was an early member of the NYJL, joining in 1903 when she was 19 years old. In 1921, thirty Leagues joined to form a national association. Until this point, Leagues were only connected by
8544-404: Was nominated as the first president of AJLA. Despite the name, there was membership of Leagues located both in America and Canada at the time of the incorporation (100 Years, 61). AJLA continued to expand in the number of Leagues and in programming. By the middle of the 20th century there were over 150 Junior Leagues located in the United States, Canada, and Mexico (100 Years, 10). There was also
8640-491: Was overturned. In April 1989, Jesse Jackson along with Mayor Marion Barry visited Potomac Gardens, where they played a one-on-one basketball game. Jackson was considering running for District Mayor, if Barry chose not to run. In 1991, after meeting privately with supporters from around the country at the Omni Shoreham Hotel, Jackson returned to Potomac Gardens by Metro and delivered his formal withdrawal from
8736-408: Was published on June 22, 1994, and estimated that the city would run out of money in two years and "may be forced to borrow from the U.S. Treasury by fiscal year 1995." The report specifically singled out Kelly's administration for gross mismanagement of city funds and agencies, and accused her of concealing the city's perilous fiscal condition from Congress for two years, "using gimmicks and violating
8832-399: Was reported to have set aside $ 14,000 of city money to pay her makeup artist. In the weeks following, Kelly came under fire for other inappropriate uses of city funds, including the addition of bulletproof glass and a marble fireplace in her office and a series of 1993 televised town hall meetings that she had promised would be paid for with private financing. The GAO's report on DC finances
8928-491: Was staged in 15 cities and seen by 35,000 children. While children’s theater started in Chicago, it quickly spread to Leagues across the country. By 1931, children’s plays were staged by 80 Leagues, and almost all of the 148 Leagues put on some form of children’s theater, marionette or puppet shows by 1938. The Junior League of Chicago even had a presence at the Chicago’s World Fair where they presented weekly shows over
9024-561: Was the first to open a children’s museum in 1945. Co-sponsored by the Denver Art Museum, the Denver Children’s Museum was such a success that its opening weekend brought in 10,000 visitors. Ultimately the museum served as a pilot project, both for the nation and for the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) (100 Years, 103). Many other Leagues followed the example set by
9120-446: Was then 19-year-old Barnard College student and debutante Mary Harriman Rumsey , sister of future Governor of New York W. Averell Harriman and daughter of railroad executive Edward H. Harriman . Inspired by a lecture on settlement movements that chronicled the works of social reformers such as Lillian Wald and Jane Addams , Harriman Rumsey organized others to become involved in settlement work. The organization's first project
9216-417: Was working at the College Settlement on Rivington Street on Manhattan 's Lower East Side . These were the early days of privileged young girls and women leaving their sheltered lives in wealthy neighborhoods to volunteer their time with those who lived in crowded, poverty-stricken areas of cities. This started a legacy of volunteering and social activism that would continue for many decades. For many years
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