The Faith & Politics Institute and the National Congress of American Indians, along with representatives of six Native American nations, held a two-day event at the Congressional Cemetery in Washington, DC May 18-19 to honor ancestors buried there and to apologize on behalf of the federal government for past wrongdoing. Volunteers cleaned and restored some of the 36 graves of Native Americans, many of whom died in the capital while representing their people’s claims before the government. A joint congressional Resolution of Apology to Native Peoples of the United States, signed last year by President Obama, was read and groups toured the cemetery grounds as tribal representatives recounted the lives of their forebears. Produced by Religion & Ethics NewsWeekly production assistant and researcher Fabio Lomelino.
Patricia Leslie, DC cultural events Examiner
If ever there was a lovelier way to celebrate April beauty’s than by sipping wine while stopping by tombs on a gorgeous day with the season’s fragrant blossoms wafting in the light breeze, led by a humorous guide with lots of tales to tell, prithee what may that be?
Whereas grave hopping is a “no no” at Arlington which shuns anyone on grass and where bodies and tombs are sometimes mixed up, at Congressional Cemetery visitors in the grass are “cause célèbre,” including dog walkers, mainstays of the cemetery. Pooch water bowls abound.
Freedom Marching Through History
By Emily Heil
Roll Call Staff
March 8, 2011, Midnight
SELMA, Ala. — Rep. John Lewis is dancing. It’s Sunday, and the Georgia Democrat is on a cold and windy sidewalk surrounded by a group of his Congressional colleagues there for a re-enactment of his 1965 march across the Edmund Pettus Bridge — the protest known as Bloody Sunday.
In a few minutes, Lewis will march and sing and pray. But right now, on the street leading to the bridge in downtown Selma, he wants to dance. A group of young people lining the march route are moving in unison to a hip-hop beat, and their enthusiasm inspires Lewis to break from his spot at the front of the Congressional delegation and join in.
He throws his hands in the air and wiggles his hips. The kids screech in delight.
Civil Rights Trip Is Personal Journey
By Emily Heil
Roll Call Staff
March 8, 2011, Midnight
Members of Congress might not be so different from the BlackBerrys they carry.
The gadgets need to recharge every now and then, House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer noted — and so do lawmakers. The Maryland Democrat, speaking to a group travelling across Alabama to the sites of the civil rights movement, described his own purpose for attending the annual Congressional trip: plugging in to seminal events of the past in order to confront the challenges of today.
"It’s not just learning, but being reinvigorated and revived," said Hoyer, who has made the trip many times. "It’s being told once again that it wasn’t just ‘them’ and ‘their time’ because there are people in our time who don’t get it."
Many of the 16 Members of Congress describe the lessons that they learned on the three-day journey, led by Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.) and sponsored by the Faith and Politics Institute, in similar terms.
The American Chronicle
New to the pilgrimage this year, and fully one of two nights of the pilgrimage, will be a program devoted to increasing the understanding of the interfaith cooperation stemming from Jewish involvement in the civil rights movement. The Saturday night program is entitled "The Jewish Community´s Contribution to the Civil Rights Movement."
"We too often overlook the common struggle that Jews and African-Americans played in combating racial and religious hatred in America," said Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, a participant in this year´s Congressional Pilgrimage to Alabama. "It is important to remember the bond our communities share in the struggle for equality in America."