Skip to main content

The Biggest


 

On New Year’s Eve as we ate dinner I asked my family, “What do you think has been the biggest local story in 2020?” I allowed as how outside forces (COVID, national politics) have had a major influence but that I was specifically looking for a Columbia/HoCo story.

In what is not always the case (see many examples of “Uh, I don’t know” or silent eye roll) we had an excellent conversation which I would like to share with you here. Except there’s only three of us which means there’s no way I can relay it without compromising someone’s privacy. That counts even with your family. Well, the way local social media has become, it matters even more with your family.

So let’s do this another way.

We ended up talking about photographs. 

And the consensus was that the biggest Columbia/HoCo story was the juxtaposition of the images here and here. (I’m sending you elsewhere because they are not my photographs.)

The first shows an enormous gathering in Downtown Columbia organized by HoCo4Justice to protest the killing of George Floyd and so many Black and Brown people across the country at the hands of police. The second shows a far smaller group assembled to protest the closing of businesses during a pandemic.

And that’s the big story of 2020. 

It was probably the big story of 2019 too, we just didn’t know it yet. 

I say that because issues of race continue to be a huge challenge for us here and they certainly didn’t start in 2020. And their companion, the self-centering white privilege that wields affluence like a weapon has been right there along with it. 

It’s not going away anytime soon. Other local new stories will be featured in the paper but this? This is our story until we deal with it.



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Getting Fresh

One of my favorite days in the Spring comes when this year’s list of Farmer’s Markets is released. That happened this week. New this year are markets in Old Ellicott City and the “Merriweather Market” which, according to the address, will be located here . I mistakenly thought at first glance that it was in the new-construction part of the Merriweather District. I find the name confusing considering its actual location. I’m going to guess that this market is an initiative of the Howard Hughes Corporation because the name seems chosen more for branding purposes than anything else.  Alas, the market in Maple Lawn is gone. The thread on the markets on the County Executive’s FB page will provide you with quite the education in who actually runs the Farmers Markets vs what people often think is going on. Short answer: they are not  chosen nor run by the county. Each market is an independent entity, sometimes started by community volunteers, other times supported by local businesses...
Post a Comment
Read more

They Can Wait

This is not a typical Saturday post. That’s because, in my community, it’s not a typical Saturday.  Oakland Mills High School, after years of deferred repair, needs massive renovation. It’s pretty simple: when you don’t fix a problem it gets bigger. The school system itself said the the OMHS school building was  "no longer conducive to learning" back in 2018.  2018 .  But Thursday the Boad of Education voted to push it out of the lineup of important projects which will be given the go-ahead to proceed soonest.  In my opinion it’s a terrible decision and sets a dangerous precedent. To explain, here’s the advocacy letter I sent in support of Oakland Mills High School. I was rather proud of it. I am writing to ask you to proceed with needed renovation at Oakland Mills High School in the most timely and comprehensive manner humanly possible. I have read the letter sent to you by the Oakland Mills Community Association and I am in complete agreement. You are extremel...
Post a Comment
Read more

What Kids Are Thinking

  It’s a Monday in February, and if you guessed that a lot of Howard County students have the new cell phone policy on their minds, you’d be right. It will mean big changes and it will be stressful, no matter how much good we hope it will do in the long run. But on this particular Monday cell phones might not be top of mind, as amazing as that seems. Some kids will go to school wondering if they or family members will be seized by ICE. Some will fear that their parents’ employment will be purged by the ongoing rampage of Elon Musk and his cronies through Federal Government. Some fear heightened and renewed racism as programs that supprted Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion are vilified and destroyed.  Some worry that it soon won’t be safe for them to use the bathroom in school anymore. It goes without saying that some kids fear going to school every day because of the prevalence of school shootings.  And look! Here’s something new to fear. That old hate group, Libs of TikTo...
Post a Comment
Read more