Dear Friends,
The National Mall, the Stage for American Democracy, is in the news almost daily as its popularity grows as a special place to explore our history and celebrate First Amendment freedoms. But the news also reminds us of threats, including potentially catastrophic flooding, security lapses, and controversial memorials. Please take a few moments to read below these recent stories and about the National Mall Coalition’s outreach to DC schools and elsewhere.
Top stories:
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DC’s Shining Stars at the Lincoln Memorial: “And I say to myself it’s a wonderful world”Montessori Academy teacher Louise Parker Kelley offers an overview of her students reading essays from their new book “Called to the Mall: An Anthology of Stories About the Mall.” at the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. — READ MORE |
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GAO Report Calls For Better Mall SecurityGordon Binder looks into the latest General Accounting Office’s report “National Mall – Actions Needed to Better Manage Physical Security Risks” and the report’s analysis of the growing concern about ensuring public access while safeguarding visitors and staff on the National Mall. — READ MORE |
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On the National Mall: The Smithsonian’s Folklife Festival Turns 50!An overview of the annual celebration that constitutes the largest annual cultural event in the U.S. capital. For 2017, the program focused on Circus Arts and American Folk and included live performances, demonstrations, artisans, discussions and exchanges that showcase the transformation of cultural traditions as diverse people and communities migrate and mingle. — READ MORE |
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National Mall Exhibition at The Branch Museum of Architecture and Design, Richmond, VAThe Coalition sponsored an exhibition in partnership with The Branch that tells the story of the visionary design and planning of the National Mall in Washington, D.C., a landscape symbol of American Democracy. It was curated by members of the Coalition and ran through September 3rd. — READ MORE |
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World War II Memorial: History and DebateThe Coalition’s website now features an entire section devoted to learning more about the WWII Memorial controversy that involved citizens, members of Congress, media, and historic preservation groups. The section presents the history, critical commentary from around the country and media coverage on this event including a photo gallery, timeline and media archive. — READ MORE |
National Mall Coalition in the News
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With groundbreaking, elusive Eisenhower Memorial moves from dream to realityJudy Scott Feldman was interviewed by Washington Post reporter Peggy McGlone about the final design and space devoted to the new Dwight D. Eisenhower Memorial. She was disappointed with the results asking “Why do we need four acres of what Frank Gehry called an open-air room? We can make better and more monuments if we can keep that at a human scale.” — READ MORE |
What Happens When a Superstorm Hits D.C.?Judy Scott Feldman was interviewed by Rolling Stone magazine’s Justin Nobel about the potential of a major hurricane paralyze the government and jeopardize national security. “No government agency has authority on this issue,” she says. “The idea is you plan beforehand. You don’t wait until it’s destroyed.” — READ MORE |
President Trump Authorizes A Global War On Terror MemorialJudy Scott Feldman was interviewed on American University’s radio station WAMU (88.5) about the Global War On Terror Memorial calling it “premature.” She further said, “It’s an ongoing conflict. It’s not history. And the whole point of monuments it to remind us of the past.” — READ MORE |
The new edition of our popular, free Mall mini-map is now available at Dulles and Reagan National Airport, Traveler’s Aid desks. Please consider a donation to support our public outreach.
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Tags: Folklife Festival, Lincoln Memorial, Mall security, Shining Stars Montessori Academy
