The Magical Turning Point

My “Facebook memories” informs me that five years ago someone called me downright nasty and a member of the radical left and I only vaguely remember the experience. I don’t recall who it was, either. I’ll take that as a win. They must not have hung around to do any permanent damage.

Looking back at Aprils past I discovered that some things seem awfully familiar:

Counting Down, 4/12/2018

Almost.

It’s almost Spring—the kind of Spring we want, that is. Flowers are coming up and the forsythia is looking good but can’t we just have a warm day that comes back again the next day without the threat of flurries or a startling drop in temperature?

Today might just be that day. Wear your jacket this morning but you just might not need it by this afternoon.

Once we finally reach that magical turning point we’ll be looking for outdoor experiences. Restaurants where one can eat outside will be a popular destination, even if the views leave something to be desired. Outdoor concerts and festivals will start to fill our weekends. Wine in the Woods will return, Merriweather’s roof will be restored, and the Chrysalis will kick off a season of dynamic community programming. Columbia Festivsl of the Arts is gearing up for Lakefest. There will be opportunities to enjoy the outdoors at the Howard County Conservancy and the Robinson Nature Center, as well.

There will be concert dates, festival dates, special event dates. Columbia and Howard County do outdoors well.

A reminder: Spring around here goes into hit and humid pretty darned fast. So, don’t just wait for a special event to get outside. Just go. Seize one of those lovely mornings or golden afternoons and take a walk, go to the playground with your kids, sit outside with your coffee and soak up the joy of Spring weather.

Make your own Spring celebration.

It’s almost here. I don’t know why it seems like we’ve been waiting forever, but, it does.

So here we are. Another weekend in April. If someone is out there calling me “downright nasty” and “a member of the radical left” I’m not aware of it. I have far more important things to be concerned about.

Who knows? Today may be that magical turning point. Here’s a sampling of HoCoLocal activities going on today:

Greenfest, HCC 10 am - 3 pm

Historic Landmark Dedication, Thomas Viaduct, 11 am

Celebrating Autism Acceptance Month, Laura’s Place Playground, 10 am - 2 pm

Youth Poetry Slam, Common Kitchen, 5 - 7:30 pm

Drag Story Time with Ms. Bella, Owen Brown Interfaith Center, 10 am - 12 pm

Math All Around Us, East Columbia 50+ Center, 10 am

April 13th is also Columbia Cleans Day. You can find more information at this link. Want to know more about these events? Many, though not all, have postings through Facebook events. Take a look.

I make no promises, but today is looking pretty good.

Village Green/Town² Comments

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Teacher Gifts

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They Can Wait

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Separate and Unequal

Remember “Separate but equal”? Remember how that really meant that Black schools languished in broken-down buildings without adequate heat or toilet facilities, with cast-off, ragged learning materials, underfunded and largely ignored? The Supreme Court struck that down in 1954. The evidence was clear that separate was not equal. Plessy v Ferguson had led to - - no, endorsed - - deeply unequal schooling and opportunities. We tend to think of Brown v Board as being purely about racial integration. It was not. It was about the logical consequences of segregation. And they were not, not, not equal. The ruling in 1954 didn’t transform public education for non-whites into a land of milk and honey by any means. But it articulated some essential truths in a way that made including everyone a legal precedent which could be relied upon and built upon. It was better than what came before it but it rested upon unsteady ground. It did not necessarily change the hearts or minds ...

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