Letter: One Nation ... Indivisible
Letter to the Editor
To the Editor: I was surprised at a letter last week [“Learn from History”], but then I realized that writer must be a young man. Those of us who lived through the ‘50s and ‘60s lived through the history of the Confederate flag being used as a symbol of defiance to the Supreme Court decisions on equal rights and desegregation as well as the Federal Government’s use of force to enforce these decisions. The Confederate flag did not fly over the South Carolina capitol building until that time, and I remember clearly the searing images of policemen in the south wearing the flag on their helmets, white supremacists using the flag as a clear symbol of opposition to what was happening, and simmering racism boiling over into the streets in many locations.
Letter: Disappointing Coverage
Letter to the Editor
To the Editor: I was disappointed that your July 2 cartoon pictured Miss Dixie, gazing at the Confederate flag, disrespectfully with her hoop skirt billowing up to show her undergarments. This was an unnecessary attack on a lady; she could have been portrayed in a more dignified posture. Or was this an attempt to put humor into the drawing? Of the adolescent variety if that. How does this drawing prove modern cultural superiority to that of the 19th century South?
Letter: Quantrell Avenue?
Letter to the Editor
To the Editor: As the city considers what to do about street names and monuments honoring the Confederacy, let me suggest that a good place to start is with Quantrell Avenue in the city’s West End. In 2011, the Office of Historic Alexandria pretty much confirmed what I had long suspected.
Alexandria: New Season Focuses on Symphonic Traditions
Where have all the symphonies gone? To the Silver Screen! Contemporary symphonic film composers are carrying on the tradition of Wagner, Tchaikovsky and Puccini by writing music that accompanies theatrical genres.
Letter: Preserve History
Letter to the Editor
To the Editor: The Military Order of the Stars and Bars at its convention held on July 10, 2015 in Alexandria passed the following resolution: Resolved that: History should not be abolished or wielded in the pursuit of vengeance. It is a tool that is to be used to build a better future. The Confederate heritage community acknowledges that the battle flag has been inappropriately used and abused by certain hate groups. We will not surrender to hate, or abandon our heritage.
Letter: Reflect on This Monument
Letter to the Editor
To the Editor: While we realize that there has been no official call to remove or move the memorial to Alexandria’s fallen Civil War soldiers, we write to express our point of view, which is of deep appreciation for this historic monument and the story it tells.
Alexandria and Mount Vernon: Keeping Guns from Criminals
Focusing on private gun sales.
What are you going to do about gun safety and gun violence? These were words I heard over and over again from constituents last year when I first ran for Congress. They couldn’t understand why in the world I would want to be part of a Congress they largely viewed as dysfunctional. And the next words out of their mouth would be an impassioned plea, dysfunction be damned, to reach across party lines and find a compromise — any incremental step — that would begin to make our society safer from horrific shootings.
Letter: Solemn Sentiment
Letter to the Editor
Calls to take down the statue of the Confederate soldier at the corner of Washington and Prince streets may be understandable, but ultimately misguided. In the wake of the Charleston shootings, the efforts to remove the Confederate battle flag from state houses, license plates and other venues is completely justified. The flag had been captured by racist elements and made deeply offensive to many Americans.
Letter: Reduce Power Plant Pollution
Letter to the Editor
Alexandrians deserve to learn of a recent act of political courage and wisdom on the part of U.S. Rep. Don Beyer.
Editorial: Backpacks for All
Thousands of students will begin school this fall at a disadvantage; help now so they have the basics.
The first day of school each year is fraught with anticipation and anxiety. Many local students will be concerned about what they wear, who they will see, what it will be like. They’ve already had multiple shopping trips, online and otherwise, to be sure they have the supplies and extras they need.
Unscheduling Summer Play
Experts praise the benefits of free play for children.
What was once a time for catching fireflies, swimming and exploring has evolved into a period of elite day camps, academic enrichment classes and top-dollar sports clinics.
Q&A: SSSAS Grad Majure Competes in Under Armour All-America Game
Majure to play lacrosse at Duke, looking forward to watching Duke basketball.
Q&A with St. Stephen's & St. Agnes graduate Ellie Majure.
Column: My Manifesto, Sort Of
Being diagnosed with a terminal form of cancer (no, they’re not all “terminal”) is “a heck of a thing,” to extrapolate a bit from Jim Valvano’s memorable 1993 ESPY Awards speech given a few months before he succumbed to his cancer.
Alexandria: Community Lodgings Opens Doors for Those Facing Homelessness
Tours offered at Fifer Family Learning Center.
Community Lodgings seeks to promote self-sufficiency and break the cycle of poverty in the city. In operation since 1987, the nonprofit founded by a collective of Episcopal churches works with families to create stability.
Service and Brotherhood
Mentor of The Month
“The most rewarding thing about Space of His Own was the interaction with the kids and seeing them transform from the beginning of the program where everyone’s nervous and there’s a sense of formality, and seeing it evolve to where there’s a level of comfort between the mentor and the mentee.”
Alexandria: Walking Aboard History
Lycee Rochambeau students, French expatriates, and many Americans visit L'Hermione
Students from the Lycee Rochambeau looked up at L'Hermione and called it “a ship with feelings.”
Committing to Cautious Driving
Senior Driving Tips
As the old saying goes, we are all creatures of habit. It’s true of life — and it’s definitely true of driving.
Letter: Place Plaque In Museum
Letter to the Editor
It’s about time we discuss whether the city should have a statue of a Confederate soldier facing south in the middle of Washington Street (“Confederate Concerns,” July 1). While that debate proceeds, another and more offensive Confederate marker needs to be removed
Letter: Testimony to History
Letter to the Editor
The Appomattox soldier should be left where is. The Confederate flag has unfortunately come to symbolize racial hate. But this soldier, facing south, with his back turned on the source of his troubles, has nothing to do with hate.