OUDC Learns About the Wilmington Massacre
Monday, 04 November 2024
by William Merlo
Students at the Wilmington Heritage ‘N Color Tour where they learned about the history of the African American community in Wilmington. Photo Credit: Freeman Long. On November 10, 1898, the city of Wilmington, North Carolina, witnessed one of the most egregious episodes of racial violence in American history. The Wilmington Massacre, as it came to
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The Haitian Diaspora: Controversy vs. Reality
Wednesday, 23 October 2024
by William Merlo
Operation Understanding DC’s mission is to oppose racism, antisemitism, and bigotry against any ethnic, racial or religious group. Our mission leads us to condemn such bigotry when we see it, and to celebrate differences among ethnic communities. For reasons obvious to anyone following the current campaigns for President, OUDC is celebrating the history of Haiti
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OUDC Holds its First “College Day”
Monday, 07 October 2024
by William Merlo
An OUDC Social Justice Fellow never leaves our community. On Sunday, OUDC invited Fellows from Class 28 to join us at George Mason University campus to receive advice and assistance in the next phase of their high school journey — the college application process. About a dozen volunteers — including OUDC alumni, parents, staff
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Hispanic Heritage Month: Remembering Cesar Chavez
Monday, 07 October 2024
by William Merlo
CopyrightedCreative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial 4.0 International (CC-BY-NC 4.0) Hispanic Heritage Month runs from September 15th to October 15 every year. We are honoring Hispanic contributions through the legacy of Cesar Chavez, an important leader in the worker’s movement. Cesar Chavez was born in 1927 on a small farm outside of Yuma, Arizona. When he was
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OUDC’s First Weekend Retreat of the Class 29
Wednesday, 02 October 2024
by William Merlo
Class 29’s Social Justice Fellows had their first weekend retreat of the program. Here, Fellow Max Ekstein posts his report about the retreat. Fellows gather outside. All photos courtesy of Kayla Floyd To kick off OUDC’s 2024-2025 Social Justice Fellowship, the new Class 29 Social Justice Fellows went on a retreat together as a fellowship
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OUDC Celebrates the 60th Anniversary of the Civil Rights Act of 1964
Wednesday, 14 August 2024
by William Merlo
It was the summer of 1964, just months after President John F. Kennedy had been assassinated, and the civil rights movement was in full swing. President Kennedy had campaigned on enacting civil rights protections, and was fighting to achieve that goal when his presidency was tragically cut short. In the face of sharp divisions on
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The 2d Half of OUDC’s Summer Journey Continues the Adventure
Tuesday, 13 August 2024
by William Merlo
After their visit to cities and sites in Alabama, the Fellows spent the second half of the Summer Journey visiting Memphis, TN, Wilmington, NC, and Farmville, VA. These destinations proved to be enlightening, exciting, . . . and hot! Memphis, TN The Fellows visited the National Civil Rights Museum, which is situated in the Lorraine Hotel, where
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OUDC’s Summer Journey is Off to an Active and Intense Start
Tuesday, 13 August 2024
by William Merlo
Africatown, Alabama After departing on Saturday, June 15, the Fellows arrived in Africatown, Alabama, the location of a descendant community from the last ship that illegally imported slaves in 1860. (The community is featured on a Netflix documentary, Descendant.) The high point of their visit to Africatown was the major contribution they made to the
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