Alexandria Gazette Packet 25 Cents Vol. CCXXVI, No. 3 Serving Alexandria for over 200 years • A Connection Newspaper January 21, 2010 Rising Again Confederate past emerges during holiday weekend. By Michael Lee Pope Gazette Packet fficials at state offices Owere not answering their telephones on Fri- day, celebrating the Virginia holi- day dedicated to Confederate he- Joseph Lucus, a musi- roes Robert E. Lee and Stonewall cian and teacher enter- Jackson. Even as the rest of town Photos by Louise Krafft/Gazette tained the guests at the was preparing for the upcoming Retired Colonel Ethel Underwood and Samuel D. Lang. annual awards program. Martin Luther King holiday on Monday, the weekend became a time when the memory of the Old South was resurrected. Sharing This week, the South seemed to Photos by Louise Krafft/Gazette rise again. James Carlin Becker, a The revival began at sunset the member of the R.E. Lee morning after Lee-Jackson Day, Camp, talks to visitors The Dream when a water-main under the Con- about the history of the federate memorial busted open Camp. Alexandria children and threatened the structural in- tegrity of the 1889 memorial hon- celebrate the legacy of oring the city’s war dead. Shortly after crews saved the memorial, a Martin Luther King. private museum warehousing Confederate artifacts opened its hen Ana Humphrey set about to doors to the public for a rare create a poster honoring Martin glimpse at its collection. By Mon- Luther King, one image seemed day, a portrait of General Lee was W watching schoolchildren at City obvious. Her third-grade class at Maury Elementary School had recently listened Hall who were competing in a to the famous “I Have a Dream” speech, and one poster contest to honor King. The following day, the Stars and Bars phrase in the speech stood out. It was the part Retired Colonel Ethel Underwood pre- were flying over Washington about little black girls joining hands with little sents Brenda Delcid Zelaya with the Street at the Confederate memo- white boys and white girls as sisters and broth- third place award for her artwork. rial statue dedicated in 1889 and ers. Ana’s poster featured a black girl and a white Brenda is a second grader at Patrick known simply as “Appomattox.” girl holding hands as the sun shines brightly over- Henry Elementary School. In 1885, Alexandria resi- head. “It’s part of our history,” said dent and civil war veteran “It makes me think of going Mayor Bill Euille, who once pro- Edgar Warfield proposed outside and having fun,” said tested against the presence of the that a monument be Ana, whose poster won a first Confederate flag in the City Coun- erected to the Confederate place award at the city’s 20th cil chamber. “I know it bothers dead of Alexandria. A annual Martin Luther King some people, but I like to think of model of the bronze figure poster contest. Alexandria as a city that celebrates created by sculpture M. The annual celebration of all of its history.” Casper Buberl is on display King dates back to the mid- Nowhere in Alexandria is the in the museum room of the 1980s, when President Ronald city’s Confederate past celebrated R.E. Lee Camp Hall Mu- Reagan signed a bill creating See Memories, Page 6 seum. the federal holiday. For many Alexandria, VA 22314 VA Alexandria, years, King shared the spotlight St., King 1604 To: ted with an uncomfortable combi- Reques Service Address nation that included Confeder- material. Time-sensitive ate heroes Robert E. Lee and Postmaster: Stonewall Jackson. The “Lee- Attention Jackson-King Day,” as it was Permit #482 Permit Alexandria, VA Alexandria, Guest speaker Councilmember Alicia Hughes addresses PAID See Poster, Page 5 Postage U.S. the audience. STD PRSRT www.ConnectionNewspapers.com Alexandria Gazette Packet ❖ January 21-27, 2010 ❖ 1 2 ❖ Alexandria Gazette Packet ❖ January 21-27, 2010 www.ConnectionNewspapers.com News Council Notebook Meet the New Chairman last year? Clark Mercer takes helm at I congratulate all of the mem- bers of Council on their victories Alexandria Democratic Committee. last year, though I believe that we will elect Democrats to those two /Gazette Packet By Michael Lee Pope mittee seats in the next council election. Gazette Packet would While there are always a number you like of reasons why political races are native of Alexandria, to make won and lost, there are some Clark Mercer graduated during takeaways from the last council Louise Krafft from T.C. Williams High your term election that our committee can A learn from. I have mentioned out- School in 1998 before as chair- receiving a bachelor’s degree in man? reach as a priority, and I think as a Photo by Photo American Studies from Yale Uni- The Alex- committee we can be more effec- Carpenters Shelter volunteer Joyce Douglas works versity and a master of public andria tive in reaching out to all parts of with Governor-elect Bob McDonnell preparing grilled policy from George Washington Democratic the city and listening to issues and Mercer cheese sandwiches for the clients at David’s Place University. Mercer, 30, served as Committee concerns. Without a doubt, I be- last week on Thursday morning. campaign manager for Mayor Bill is one of the lieve that the Democratic values Euille in the last two election most active and successful politi- and policies that our candidates cycles. He’s also worked on cam- cal committees in Virginia. I would and committee embrace are Finding Shelter paigns for U.S. Sen. Mark Warner like to build on this by focusing shared with the majority of It’s been a long, cold winter for the homeless. Frigid tempera- and Alexandria City Councilman on outreach, candidate recruit- Alexandrians. tures and continued economic turmoil have sent an increasing Paul Smedberg. He co-founded the ment and training, and develop- number of families into seeking a place to stay. Here in Alexan- Alexandria Young Democrats in ing precinct-specific plans that will When you were campaign- dria, the Carpenter’s Shelter has seen a dramatically rising num- 2003, and he is currently em- help to make sure our membership ing for the chairmanship, ber of homeless families. The private charity accepts some city ployed by the Commission on War- is engaged with all of our neigh- you said the party needs to and state money, although most of its funding comes from the time Contracting. Mercer lives borhoods throughout Alexandria. put a greater emphasis on private sector. And its success is so widely known in Virginia it with his wife in the Parkfairfax planning and recruiting was mentioned in the inaugural address delivered last weekend neighborhood. Do you think that Demo- candidates. What changes by Gov. Bob McDonnell. crats will have an easier do you intend to make to “There’s a tremendous amount that’s being done benevolent Why did you want to be- time campaigning for City accomplish this? and charitable organizations like this one,” said McDonnell last come chairman of the Council seats in November, The Alexandria Democratic week during a tour of the Henry Street facility. “I wanted to learn Alexandria Democratic when attention is directed Committee will have a dedicated more about how we can be better public-private partners at the Committee? at national and state elec- process in place to educate and state level to help not only to care for people that are homeless My family has deep roots in our tions? work with anyone in the commu- but do some things to help eradicate the root causes.” community, and I have been active Campaigning in November will nity considering running as a McDonnell said he would like to see increased funding to ad- in Democratic politics and commu- be just like it is in May in the sense Democrat for public office in Al- dress the problem, but acknowledged it would be “tough” in the nity activities for years. The Alex- that voters in Alexandria will con- exandria. Potential candidates will current economic climate. Facing the largest budget shortfall in andria Democratic Committee has tinue to make informed decisions understand all aspects of serving living memory, state and city leaders are cash-strapped and look- an incredibly strong foundation on as to who to vote for. It is up to at the local level, from the time ing for ways to drastically reduce expenditures. When asked to which to build and Susan Kellom our candidates and our commit- commitment it takes to how to put commit to status quo levels of funding for the homeless in his has done a great job serving as tee to work hard to make our case together a campaign team. In ad- upcoming budget, City Manager Jim Hartmann declined. chair. With Susan’s decision not to as to why our Democratic candi- dition, by focusing on outreach, “I can’t right now because we are still working through all the run again, it was an opportunity dates deserve to be elected. I ex- we plan to talk to the larger Demo- numbers,” said the city manager while standing in the front hall for me to take that next step in my pect that we will have a very cratic community that exists in Al- of the Carpenter’s Shelter. “We have a $40 million gap between civic involvement and run for the strong group of candidates run- exandria and, in doing so, we will maintaining the current level of services and the funding, so we chair position. I am grateful that ning in November 2012, and I look bring into the committee more tal- are working through those now.” the committee elected me, and I forward to making that case to the ented Democrats who could po- am excited to get to work in my voters across Alexandria.