"DC RAMBLINGS'

 DC RAMBLINGS

We spent last week in DC in a family reunion, as our granddaughter Emma finished the last week of her summer internship in Representative Hank Johnson’s office.  She had a great time and seems to have gotten the political bug.  We were glad to connect them through our longtime friend and Oakhurst member Christine Callier, who is Hank Johnson’s mother.  We have been glad to watch Hank develop from the early beginnings as an attorney to the fine Congressman that he is now.  

This week caused me to recall a case from early in our tenure at Oakhurst. One of our Black church member’s sons – I’ll call him Sam - was accused of manslaughter in the death of a friend.  Sam had significant learning disabilities, and the police had coerced a confession out of him, after 15 straight hours of questioning - without an attorney, of course.   Through Christine, Hank volunteered to be the pro bono attorney for Sam.  We talked with the church member and Hank about the case, and he felt certain that he could have the confession disqualified because of the learning disabilities and because no attorney was present.  

    He began to work on the case, but in the meantime, the church member decided to hire a white attorney because she did not feel that a Black attorney could provide adequate representation for her son.  We tried to talk her out of this because she did not have money, and because Hank was an outstanding attorney. We were all dismayed to learn that she hired the white attorney.  The white attorney decided to have Sam plead guilty to manslaughter, and Sam was sentenced to 30 years for a  crime with no evidence against him except for his illegal confession.  I have always been grateful to Hank for his willingness to take this case and always dismayed at the mother’s internalized oppression, which told her that an incompetent white attorney was more qualified to represent her son than a highly competent and passionate Black attorney.

    We were so glad to see our family in DC and to have time to be together in one place, especially after David’s year-long sabbatical in Italy.  We toured many museums on the National Mall in DC – the National Library of Congress, the African-American Museum (the best museum in the country in my opinion), the Museum of the American Indian, the Museum of American History, the Hirschhorn Art Museum.  Emma also gave us a tour of the Capitol (though thanks to the January 6 insurrection, the Senate and House chambers were closed to the public), and of offices of Congress, including Hank’s.  

    We felt a special throb as we walked past the entrance to Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s office!  We had a great visit with the remaining skeleton staff in Hank’s office, especially one of his assistants Antwoin Manoch.  I have been to DC at least 10 times – the first time getting tear-gassed at a demonstration against the Vietnam War in May, 1970, after the killing of the Kent State students – and every time I get a sense of being in a special place.  Especially as we saw the Capitol come into view this time, I felt a strong appreciation for our democracy. 

     Thinking about the January 6 insurrection 18 months ago and seeing that space now.  Thinking about how close we came to the end of democracy then and how close we still might be to that disastrous end.  Thinking about the FBI Mar-a-Lago search and the suspicion of espionage by the former president (a search that happened at the first of our week in DC).  Thinking about how important the January 6 hearings are.  Thinking about the super importance of the November elections.  And thinking that the most recent attack on the Capitol early Sunday morning was only a few blocks from where we were staying.  Seeing the physical localities of these American institutions up close and personal stimulated all kinds of thoughts and feelings for me.  I am grateful for the opportunity to be with our family, and I am grateful for the opportunity to experience the presence of our democratic institutions.  The next few months are crucial to us all – find your place and time to be a witness for justice and equity.