Humanities Council of Washington D.C. Offers Humantini Program Series on Gentrification

The Humanities Council of Washington, DC announced the return of its signature “think and drink” program; HUMANITINI™.  The three-part series will run Thursdays, September 13, 20, and 27, from 6:00 pm — 8:00 pm.
The Humanitini program was created to engage D.C. residents in the examination of the many social and contemporary issues that impact their lives.  This year, the series focuses on gentrification, and considers issues like polarization among Natives and Newcomers, Affordable Housing, Quality Schools/Education, and Public Policy and Community/Economic Development.  What happens when a city undergoes historic preservation?  How do the inevitable changes affect communities?
Humantini is open and free to the public, but participants are asked to register online at: http://humanitini1.eventbrite.com/
Humanitini: Where Happy Hour Meets the Humanities
•    September 13, 2012, Tabaq Bistro and Bar, 1336 U Street, NW – Who’s a
Washingtonian? Quelling the Clash Between Natives and Newcomers – The
first in the series will examine the differences and hopefully help to
shed new light on common ground that exist between Natives and Newcomers.
The panel will feature Daniel Silverman founder of the city-wide blog,
Prince of Petworth, Stephen Crockett, Jr. Freelance Writer and author of
the “The Brixton It’s new, happening and another example of
African-American historical ‘swagger-jacking’. ” article that recently
appeared in The Washington Post, Elahe Izadi, a reporter for National
Journal and formerly, writer for DCCentric.org a blog project of WAMU 88.5
FM, Dianne Dale, author of “The Village that Shaped Us: A Look at
Washington DC’s Anacostia Community” and finally, Natalie Hopkinson
scholar and author of “Go-Go Live: The Musical Life and Death of a
Chocolate City”. The panel will be moderated by Clinton Yates, Express
editor and opinion writer for The Root DC.
•    September 20, 2012, JACKIE LEE’S PLACE/UPTOWN LOUNGE, 116 KENNEDY ST. NW
– The Rent is Too Damn High! Gentrification’s Impact on Affordable Housing
and Quality Schools – This second installment in the series will explore
the correlations between gentrifications impact on the D.C. Housing market
and Quality schools. The panel will feature Allison Brown, a civil rights
attorney and President of Allison Brown Consulting, she is a former trial
attorney for the U.S. Department of Justice’s Educational Opportunities
Division for the Civil Rights Division, Daniel Del Piealago, an Education
Organizer with EmpowerDC and finally, Milan Griffin, Director of Training
and Outreach, HomeFree-USA. The panel will be moderated by Kavon Ward,
Spoken Word Artist and President of United Speech Nation.
•    September 27, 2012, Tabaq Bistro and Bar, 1336 U Street, NW
– Is it Renaissance or Gentrification? Examining the roles Public Policy and
Economic Development Play The third and final installment will offer our
panel an opportunity to enlighten the public on how public policy and
economic development plays a part in the city’s renewal with a specific
focus on architectural policy as well. The panel will feature Rauzia
Ruhanna Ally, Architect at Scout Motor Company, Maria Casarella, Architect
at Cunningham|Quill Architects, Jonathan O’Connell, Reporter for The
Washington Post’s Capital Business section and Anthony Williams, former
Mayor and President of the Federal City Council. The panel will be
moderated by Mike Madden, Editor of Washington City Paper.