Archives for 2019

Dopesick – Beth Macy

Dopesick Beth Macoy (March 2019) Beth Macy again brings her keen skills in research and journalism to tell another story about Virginia. A long time journalist with The Roanoke Times, she brings to life the stories of Virginia few people have heard before – as she did with her two previous books Factory Man and Truevine.

In Dopesick she pulls back the curtain on the genesis of the opioid epidemic that continues to ravage Virginia and the rest of the nation. No longer confined to rural Appalachia where it all began, it has now spread to the white suburban and affluent communities throughout the Commonwealth.

Those who were earliest to sound the alarm about the addictive threats of Purdue Pharmaceutical’s new drug Oxycontin were ignored. Despite the fact that John Brownlee, US Attorney for the Western District of Virginia, successfully prosecuted Perdue Pharmaceutical for “criminal misbranding” in 2006, that did not sound alarm bells for public health officials or law enforcement. The first successful case against the pharmaceutical company (owned by the billionaire Sackler family) resulted in an award of $634.5 million dollars but failed to signal what was happening in the larger context.

Beth Macy details how the drug epidemic followed I-81 north through the Shenandoah Valley. Drugs were being brought into small towns along the route and down into Roanoke from Baltimore on a daily basis by a network of distributors and users.

She also covers the detrimental effect of the fight for Medicaid Expansion in Virginia and how four years of Republicans putting up road blocks starved a growing number of addicts of the resources they needed for recovery and rehabilitation. She calls out the role Democratic Senator Phil Puckett’s resignation in 2014 played in handing the Republicans in the legislature the majority they needed to block Medicaid Expansion. Puckett represented five rural counties in southwest Virginia where the opioid epidemic was raging unabated.

There is a tremendous stigma around this epidemic because it has struck hard at suburban middle class and affluent white families, as well as poor and rural white families. Drug addiction has turned the corner from simply being deemed criminal activity to being addressed as a disease. It has been a disease all along, but now that respectable people are falling prey to addiction and death from drugs, there is a greater urgency in finding ways to prevent and rehabilitate.

The most compelling parts of this book are the stories of the individuals that Beth Macy got to know in the years she spent researching this book. So many lives wasted so tragically.

I highly recommend this book to everyone. If your life hasn’t been touched in some way by the opioid epidemic raging through Virginia, it is likely just a matter of time before it is. We all need to get involved in advocating for better resources and programs to meet this crisis that exists in every community in Virginia.

by Rachel Simon

Stroke Comeback Center with Darlene Williamson

(March 6, 2019) Catherine Read interviews Darlene Williamson, founder of the Stroke Comeback Center. Their mission is to provide ongoing and personally meaningful programs within a peer-driven environment that is affordable for all stroke and brain trauma survivors, enabling them to achieve their maximum potential.

Darlene Williamson is a speech and language pathologist whose career is focused on stroke recovery, specifically with patients who suffer from aphasia. Stroke is defined as an interruption of the blood supply to the brain for a significant period of time. Aphasia is the loss of language that happens when the language center of the brain is injured. Survivors who are plagued with this condition have full intelligence and the ability to think, however, the language center of brain keeps them from being able to communicate with those around them. There are approximately 2 million people nationwide who are living with the aphasia today, and there are very few programs that are specifically geared toward helping these patients with long-term recovery.

Williamson was prompted to found the Stroke Comeback Center after her experience of working with patients in the hospital and rehabilitation setting. Since insurance only covers a short period of time as an in-patient, she would often need to say goodbye to them after their insurance coverage ran out. Her patients would inevitably ask “What’s Next?” and she never had a truly good answer, as there were not many places for them to go to continue on their recovery journey.

The Stroke Comeback Center program is different from what patients experience in the hospital or rehabilitation settings. They offer classes and activities, facilitated by professionals, which allow individuals to work toward goals that they have chosen for themselves. Williamson explains that this approach allows the survivor to define what “living successfully” means to them, whether it be skyping with their grandchildren on a video call or being able to order their own Starbucks drink with a cashier. The classes encourage communication and give patients an opportunity to practice their skills and develop camaraderie with those who are in a similar situation.

The flagship location of the Stroke Comeback Center is in Vienna, VA. The center has grown tremendously over the years, thanks to a combination of grants and individual donors. Classes are offered at an affordable rate, and financial assistance is available for those who need aid. The need in the community has been so great, that they opened a second location in Rockville. There are now efforts underway to expand into Loudon County via a partnership with the Community Foundation of Northern Virginia. The Stroke Comeback Center is the only community based non-profit that does this in the DC metro area, and they are working hard to serve the 1 in 250 people who are affected by aphasia.

Looking toward the future, Williamson hopes to setup a virtual center so they can serve people in remote areas, or those who lack transportation to travel to their centers. This form of tele-rehabilitation would allow a patient to video call into a group therapy session, such as a conversation group or a book club.

The Stroke Comeback Center strives to meet the needs of as many people as possible, but in order to do so they need funding. They are holding a fundraiser called The Benefit of Chocolate on March 28^th at Columbia Country Club in Chevy Chase, MD. Eventually, Williamson would love to expand programming to include fitness and music therapy to round out their class offerings. Sponsor information and registration for this fun and unique event can be found on their website – she encourages anyone who is interested to attend.

by Rachel Simon

Four Women of Color Candidates in Fairfax County

(March 11, 2019) Catherine Read interviews four women of color who are running for office in Fairfax County in the June 11^th Democratic primary elections. Karen Keys-Gamarra is running for Member-At-Large on the School Board; Ricardy Anderson is running for Mason District School Board; Kelly Hebron is running for the Board of Supervisors in the Lee District; and Alicia Plerhoples is running county-wide for Chairman of the Board of Supervisors.

Karen Keys-Gamarra, FCPS School Board At-Large

In the first segment Catherine speaks with Karen Keys-Gamarra, who is the current At-Large School Board Member and is running for reelection. Keys-Gamarra was first elected in a 2017 special election. Her current roles on the board consist of serving on the committees that oversee Governance and Audit, as well as being the Board liaison to the Title 1 Parent Advisory Committee and the Community Criminal Justice Board. She has a strong commitment to transparency and good governance practices. With the school system being allocated approximately 50% of the county budget of 1.5 billion dollars, she aims to ensure that the school system is a good steward of those funds.

Additionally, Keys-Gamarra is strongly committed to the One Fairfax policy, recently adopted by both the School Board and the Board of Supervisors. This policy promotes equity, and asks all policy makers to put on their equity lens when crafting programs and agendas. This effort is to ensure that the county is offering a quality, world-class education to all students who live in all corners of the county. It is also designed to so that children have access to the necessary services in order to thrive. During her time on the Board, she has also worked collaboratively to rewrite the Memorandum of Understanding for School Resource Officers, in order to provide guidance and ensure equity on how disciplinary challenges are managed.

The School Board is currently tackling a number of other very important issues, including setting up policies for boundary changes, addressing overcrowding in certain communities, improving access to advanced academic services to underserved communities and reviewing discipline policies. The ultimate goal is to deliver a world-class educational experience for all 190,000 students across the school system. As the 10^th largest school system in the county, with a proud history of achievement, Keys-Gamarra believes it is imperative for the school board to address these issues head on with innovative and forward-thinking solutions. To learn more about her platform you can visit her website.

Dr. Ricardy Anderson, FCPS School Board in Mason District

Dr. Ricardy Anderson, a resident of Mason District since 2008, is running to represent her home district on the FCPS School Board. She is seeking the Democratic nomination in the Mason District. Anderson, a former teacher and principal, holds a Doctoral Degree, and is the only professional educator running for the seat. She brings with her a wealth of experience, and a desire to tackle the challenging issues that the School Board faces.

With deep roots in the community, along with raising her two young boys in Mason District, Ricardy is acutely aware of the challenges and needs of her district. She has never thought about running for public office in the past, but was moved to serve her community in an educational capacity. She has a lot of ideas and comes with a variety of perspectives to share, as she says there are “many ways to peel the onion”. She is excited to bring some of those ideas to the table in Fairfax County.

Her goal is to foster confidence in the school system to all families throughout Fairfax County, no matter where they live. She understands that education is the great equalizer, and wants to ensure that all students have equal access to education. She herself is an immigrant and first generation American, and has seen first hand that her education gave her the opportunity to advance and make a better life for herself and her family. Anderson is also a fierce advocate for competitive teacher pay, and believes that the teachers are the foundation of a strong school system.

Her platform includes strengthening equity across the county by strategically implementing the One Fairfax policy, focusing on teacher pay, encouraging the Board to look at restorative justice practices in regards to discipline procedures, strong support of mental health services for students, and opportunities for high school students to access dual enrollment classes through the Community College system. Voters can learn more about Dr. Ricardy Anderson and her platform, along with current endorsements, by visiting her website. Residents of Mason District who would like to have an opportunity to weigh in on this endorsement need to join the Mason District Democratic Committee by 5pm on March 22^nd in order to be eligible to vote in the April 24th election.

Kelly Hebron, Lee District Board of Supervisors

In the third segment of the show Catherine speaks with Kelly Hebron, who is running for the Lee District Board of Supervisors on the Democratic ballot. Kelly is an attorney and business owner who has lived in Lee District for 20 years. She and her husband have settled in the community and are raising their two daughters there. Kelly is invested in Lee District, and believes that there needs to be a new voice at the table in order to represent all of the residents of her district.

Hebron notes that there are a wide variety of neighborhoods and constituents in the Lee District. It is home to some of the most affluent neighborhoods in the county, but it there are also pockets of extreme poverty. The district covers 30 square miles of land south of the beltway (I-495), between Franconia and Ft. Belvoir. With many languages that are spoken, and many cultures that are represented, she believes that the diversity is Lee District’s strength. She aims to bring people together and work toward making her home district the best place to work, live and play.

Her platform covers strengthening County support for affordable housing, improving workforce development by working closely with the community college system, improving transportation options and taking care of the environment. There are many challenges facing the County today, but by working together to come up with creative solutions she is confident that she can help build a better community for all of her residents.

Hebron brings a wealth of experience to the table. She has served on the Criminal Justice Board, the Small Business Commission, the Economic Advisory Council and has been a board member on the Commission for Business Partnerships, which promotes minority and women owned business. With an economics degree from the University of Maryland, and both a Masters of Public Policy and a JD from Catholic University, Hebron feels that she is well suited to step into the Supervisor role. To learn more about Kelly, visit her website , meet her at the upcoming candidate forum on May 4th at 10am, and make a plan to vote in the primaries on June 11^th.

Alicia Plerhoples for Chairman of the Board of Supervisors

Alicia Plerhoples, an attorney and professor at Georgetown University Law School, is running for Chairman of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors. A graduate of Harvard College and Yale Law School, Alicia launched her career in NYC as a commercial real estate attorney.

She then turned her ambitions to her passion of community economic development, working mostly in the nonprofit arena. As a current professor at Georgetown, she heads the legal clinic, through which she and her students represent nonprofits, small business, incubators, co-working spaces and community organizations.

Plerhoples lives in the Dranesville District, where she and her husband are raising their two daughters. She serves at the PTA president of her children’s elementary school, as well as holding a spot on the Governing Board of the McLean Community Center and serving on the board of her neighborhood citizens association. As a co-founder of Virginia Democracy Forward, a progressive grassroots organization based in Northern Virginia, Alicia has worked to raise money and elect Democratic candidates throughout the commonwealth.

Alicia decided to enter the raise for Chairman of the Board because she did not see her voice represented in the current slate of candidates. While Fairfax County is has great wealth and success, there is an underlying issue of growing poverty, and she believes that bold action needs to be taken to ensure that we stem the tide of inequality.

She knows personally about how quickly a family can fall from making ends meet, to being in a dire situation of finding themselves without a permanent place to call home. When she was in the fourth grade her father lost his job, and they were subsequently evicted from their home. This set off a period of economic instability, and her family was not able to find affordable housing. At the tender age of nine, she spent her entire fourth grade year living in a hotel room and experiencing food insecurity. This made a huge impact on her, and is the driving force behind her desire to work toward economic opportunity for all.

Plerhoples is running on a platform that supports these ideas. She wants to improve access to workforce development and affordable housing, address climate change through innovation with local business, and work toward universal preschool for all children in Fairfax County.

To learn more about Alicia you can visit her website. She encourages all Fairfax County residents to make a plan to vote in the June 11^th primaries. The chairman race is a county-wide election, so all residents will have an opportunity to make their voices heard.

by Rachel Simon

Virginia Association for the Education of Young Children with Mary Braxton

(February 27, 2019) Catherine Read sits down with Mary Braxton, Board member of the Virginia Association for the Education of Young Children (VAAEYC), to discuss early childhood education in the state of Virginia.

Braxton has had a long career in early childhood education. She was an owner/operator of her own in-home childcare business for 27 years, and is a long-time board member of the VAAEYC. Additionally, Braxton also serves on the Southern Early Childhood Association (SECA) Board, as well as being a former President of the Virginia Alliance of Family Childcare Associations. Her breadth and depth of knowledge surrounding early childhood education is wide and deep. Braxton has stood as a strong advocate for Virginia’s children by promoting policies that help improve access to quality early childhood education options.

The VAAEYC has its roots in the Virginia Council on Social Work. Efforts began in 1955 to bring together child care personnel and others interested in preschool children. In 1956, sixty individuals attended a Child Care Preschool Institute in Roanoke, VA. A year later, 200 advocates met, adopted a constitution, and selected the name – the Virginia Association for the Education of Young Children. In 1969 the state association decided to affiliate with the national organization (NAYEC), and then in 1972 the group also affiliated with the Southern Early Childhood Association (SECA).

The mission of the VAAEYC is to promote the professional growth of persons working with young children, improve the availability and quality of developmental and educational services and resources for young children, to advocate and promote public policy decisions which improve the quality of life for young children and their families, and to support, disseminate and utilize research related the well being and education of young children. The organization focuses on children ages birth to eight years of age, and there are eight chapters of the VAAEYC located throughout the commonwealth.

Braxton speaks passionately about the importance of quality pre-K education as the foundation of learning for children. Preschool is where children learn the social and emotional skills that they need for success in both school and in life. Studies have shown that children who have access to quality preschool education have better outcomes than their peers who do not. Braxton and her colleagues work tirelessly to help advance the cause of making affordable childcare accessible to all children. She notes that over 1/3 of the state of Virginia is considered a “childcare desert”, meaning that there are not enough programs to meet the needs of all children who want to access preschool education.

Former Governor Terry McAuliffe established the first ever Children’s Cabinet in Virginia to spotlight the importance of early childhood education. This group has continued under current Governor Ralph Northam, and has expanded to include the first School Readiness Officer in Virginia, Jenna Conway. Her role is to help expand access to quality pre-K education to all Virginia children.

Access and quality of childcare varies widely from jurisdiction to jurisdiction throughout Virginia. In Northern Virginia, there are strict licensing requirements for child care providers in Fairfax, Arlington and Alexandria. This assures parents that their children are in a safe environment, weather they are at a daycare center or with an in-home daycare provider. These include things like background checks, CPR certifications and property assessments to ensure a safe environment. In Prince William County, however, providers can have up to 4 children in their home without being subject to any licensing requirements whatsoever.

The many statewide organizations are working together to help bring about positive policy change in regards to early childhood education. They are in regular contact with local, state and federal representatives, and often speak and testify at public hearings in order to advance their issues. As the critical importance of quality early childhood development is more widely accepted as an integral factor in future wellbeing, Braxton is optimistic that their agenda will be more widely accepted, and she encourages everyone to visit their website to better understand the policy initiatives that they are advancing.

The VAAEYC is holding the 63^rd annual conference, entitled Constructing Solid Foundations for Children, on March 14-16 at the Hotel Roanoke in Roanoke, VA. The conference is the premier professional development event in Virginia for early childhood educators. The conference will feature 100+ workshops, catering to all aspects of preschool education. Braxton is excited to bring together childcare professionals from around the state to share ideas and best practices. One of the things she loves most about these conferences is that childcare providers are treated as true professionals. Braxton shares that the energy at the conference is palpable, and the attendees find it both empowering and motivating when networking with others in their field. Those interested can visit the website to learn more and sign up for the conference.

by Rachel Simon

Formed Families Forward on Your Need to Know

(February 20, 2019) Catherine Read interviews Kelly Henderson and Dee Robinson-Rutkowski of Formed Families Forward (FFF). Their organization is dedicated to supporting foster, kinship and adoptive families of children and youth with disabilities and special needs. They serve families, educators and child welfare professionals in the Northern Virginia area.

Formed Families Forward is a non-profit supported through a federal grant, established to assist adoptive and foster families navigate the complicated world of acquiring services to support children with special needs. Studies show that youth in foster and kinship care are at a higher risk of having disabilities, and therefore requiring special education services. In addition to medical needs, many of these children have suffered emotional trauma from being in an unstable environment, and need extra support to recover and become healthy and whole.

Dee came to Formed Families Forward after she and her husband adopted their two sons through the foster care system. They faced many challenges and had some very rocky years, especially during middle school. She became connected to FFF after meeting Kelly through her Middle School PTA. Dee is thankful to have had someone to help her navigate the system so that they could access the much needed resources to help her sons. It helped to ease their burden, and put her boys and their family on a path to wellness.

In addition to connecting families with the resources that they need, FFF also runs support groups for both students and parents. These groups are very important because families can connect with one another, and understand that they are not alone. FFF also conducts one on one consultations, so individual families can make sure that they understand how to find the support and resources that they need for their children, and get what their children need to thrive at school and at home.

As the organization evolves, Kelly and Dee note that they are working on different initiatives to meet their clients’ needs. They are just finishing up the production of a webinar focused on Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, and the impacts and effects that this has on children as they age. They also have programming focused on ADD and ADHD, which is one of the most common diagnoses that children in foster and adoptive care face. In addition to helping families understand how to establish classroom accommodations, there are many things that parents can do with children at home to help manage symptoms.

In addition, there is a growing movement recognizing how trauma can affect children, and have an impact on their ability to learn and fully participate in the classroom. Trauma Informed Community Networks are being established in Fairfax County for the first time. These networks are designed to help educators and service providers better understand the obstacles and challenges faced by students who have suffered from traumatic events at a young age, and help coordinate efforts in supporting these children.

Formed Families Forward is sponsoring their annual event on April 27^th called Spring Forward Family Fun Day, which will be held on the Science and Technology Campus of George Mason University in Manassas. This year’s theme is Navigating Systems to Build Stronger Families. While parents, educators and caregivers enjoy presentations by experts on education and support of foster, adoptive and kinship families, children ages 4 and above will be able to access experiential learning at GMU’s outdoor learning program called “The EDGE”. More details about the day, along with information about how to purchase tickets, can be found on their website

by Rachel Simon

Abrar Omeish and GIVE on Your Need to Know

(February 13, 2019) Catherine Read sits down with Abrar Omeish, co-founder of GIVE Youth (Growth and Inspiration through Volunteering and Education) about her organization she founded, and her candidacy for the FCPS School Board.

Omeish and her friends came up with the concept of GIVE when they were in high school at Robinson Secondary School in Fairfax. They identified a need in the community amongst low-income students who could not afford expensive tutors and academic prep courses to help them stay competitive when it came to applying to colleges. Additionally, they saw that many of these students did not have role models or mentors to look up to.

Omeish and her contemporaries founded GIVE in 2010, with the mission of promoting civic engagement and giving back to the community. Their goal is to invest in the next generation by striving to provide opportunities to those who seek them in the fields of education, empowerment and leadership. The program gives teens the opportunity to serve as mentors to young children, provides resources to underprivileged students, and promotes the importance of an enthusiastic attitude toward learning.

Starting in the basement of her parents’ home, Omeish and her friends organized and planned the launch of their first tutoring and mentoring site at the Mason District Government Center. Since that time, they have grown GIVE to over 20 centers throughout the county. What is truly remarkable about GIVE is that it continues to be run solely by students. They have various work groups that focus on different aspects of their organization, such as web development, fundraising, volunteer mobilization, student engagement and parent outreach.

Abrar Omeish GIVE FCPS GIVE focuses on pairing high school students with elementary school children, with the goal of developing relationships, inspiring younger students and helping to create continuity in the lives of the younger children. Many times, these young children do not have many strong role models in their life, so having an older student who gets to know them can be enough encouragement that helps them believe in themselves and have success in the classroom. Omeish notes that the high school students learn through the experience of teaching, and they get as much as the younger kids do out of the entire experience.

Additionally, the more experienced Board members help to mentor the new board members by teaching them how to run the organization. They also lift each other up during the college application process, and help one another by reading essays and giving feedback. GIVE aims to build community in a variety of ways.

In the second segment of the show Catherine speaks with Abrar about her run for at-large member of the Fairfax County School Board. She is passionate about creating a school system that offers equity and inclusion in education for all students, no matter where they live or what their ability is. Her idea of targeted universalism, where teachers prepare for the hardest case scenario, will create an environment where all students can achieve success.

As Omeish matriculated through the FCPS school system, she noticed the inequities that exist for low-income students. As a student, she worked to close the achievement gap through her founding of GIVE. Her run for school board is an extension of this philosophy, and she is excited to launch her campaign. She strongly believes that the diversity in Fairfax is one of its greatest strengths, and she would like to see more representation in both the teaching and administrative staff, as well as amongst the school board members. She strives to draw on her experience to move these issues forward, while also inspiring and standing up for children.

by Rachel Simon

The Dyslexic Edge Conference on Inside Scoop

(February 4, 2019) Catherine Read speaks about the upcoming Dyslexic Edge Conference with Kristin Gauthier of Sliding Doors, Tracy Mason, Assistant Dean at George Mason University College of Science and Shannon Duncan of Decoding Dyslexia Virginia. In addition to discussing the upcoming conference, they talk about information regarding dyslexia advocacy in the Virginia General Assembly.

In the first segment, Catherine interviews Kristin Gauthier, founder and director of Sliding Doors, a STEM and dyslexia learning center. Her organization aims at helping students who have dyslexia, and includes a formal 2-year instruction program coupled with STEM focused enrichment. Students with dyslexia are shown to have a natural talent in STEM related fields. Therefore, one of Gauthier’s goals is to promote this amongst students, families and STEM professionals. Gauthier has been instrumental in getting the Dyslexic Edge Conference off the ground, and is working to get the word out into the community. She emphasizes that their philosophy is to focus on nurturing strengths in students with dyslexia, as opposed to looking at their challenges, and to use that as a launching pad for future endeavors.

The conference is geared toward three audiences: children and their families, teachers and STEM professionals.The day will be divided into two parts, the morning programming will consist of speakers for teachers and parents, while the afternoon will be hands-on learning workshops for students and families.

Dyslexia is said to affect 1 in 5 students nationwide. Gauthier shares that early detection is key, in order to ensure that children do not fall far behind their peers. If a child is identified during kindergarten in the early stages of learning to read, then they would need approximately 30 minutes of daily intervention to stay on track. If that same child is diagnosed in third grade, the needed intervention time jumps to a whopping 3 hours a day. A conference goal is to raise awareness so that teachers can recognize warning signs and red flags, ensure that children are properly screened, and provide teachers with resources that they can use in their curriculum.

In the second segment Catherine speaks with Tracy Mason, the Assistant Dean for the College of Sciences at George Mason University. She is thrilled that the University is hosting this conference as a collaborative effort between the Colleges of Science and Education. Her desire is to promote education that is accessible to all individuals.

People with dyslexia tend to have natural talents in STEM related fields. These students, however, are often overlooked in the sciences because they struggle with reading when they are young. So much of their time and energy is spent on acquiring the reading skills, that many children get frustrated and give up on academics altogether. This conference aims to spark curiosity in the children, while also inform parents that they should nurture their children’s passions for the sciences. The goal is to demonstrate pathways to the future for these students. Mason notes that if they can reach children when they are young and curious, then they hope to make an impact and help inspire them to follow their passions.

Additionally, Mason finds it important to inform STEM professionals that students with dyslexia can have very successful careers in the sciences. Raising awareness, and forming partnerships with these companies, can help produce the workforce of the future. Currently, there is a shortage of professionals in the STEM workforce, so nurturing these relationships will be a critical step in helping to fill this gap.

In the third segment, Shannon Duncan of Decoding Dyslexia Virginia speaks with Catherine about advocacy efforts in the Virginia General Assembly. Her organization was founded in 2015, and over the past few years they have grown their membership and worked hard to move the conversation surrounding dyslexia forward. Decoding Dyslexia strives to define dyslexia, promotes early identification of dyslexia, supports quality teacher training and encourages school districts to offer assistive technology to help dyslexic students.

Decoding Dyslexia Virginia has had two legislative victories since inception, and one bill that is making its way through the legislature this year. The first bill passed in 2016, which requires teachers to go through a training module with VDOE to educate them about dyslexia, and raise awareness about the condition. The second bill that passed in 2017 requires that each school division employ an expert in dyslexia, in order to be a resource to both parents and teachers. This year’s bill, SB 1718 requires mandatory K-3 screening for children in an effort to identify the condition early on. Duncan notes that the earlier that a child can be identified as dyslexic; the less intervention is required to get them on track.

The Dyslexic Edge Conference will be held on March 23^rd on the campus of George Mason University. Mason and Gauthier note that they are still open to brining on partners in the form of sponsors for the event and display tables to run activities with children. If you are interested in getting involved you can reach out to them via their website www.thedyslexicedge.org or you can email directly at [email protected] .

by Rachel Simon

The Underground Free Press with Dale Brumfield

(January 30, 2019) Catherine Read interviews Cultural Archeologist Dale Brumfield about the history of the Underground Press. Brumfield has written two books on the topic, the Independent Press in DC and Virginia, and the Richmond Independent Press.

The Underground Press was born out of the Free Speech movement, which originated in Berkley, California. Opposition to the Vietnam War united students who disagreed with America’s involvement in Vietnam. Students across the country banded together to elevate their voice, and the Underground Press emerged. The purpose of these publications was to find voices of dissidence, and to challenge conventional wisdom.

The very first Underground Press publication was the LA Free Press, which was first printed and distributed in 1964. Shortly thereafter in 1966, Tom and Joyce Debaggio produced the Underground in Arlington, VA . Their publication was not as much about the counter-culture, as it was a serious publication looking for alternative points of view. The paper stayed in production for approximately two years. Brumfield was fortunate to have the opportunity to interview Joyce for his book, and she shared the obstacles and challenged that they faced trying to get their paper out into the hands of the people who wanted to read it.

In late 1966 the Washington Free Press started as an inter-collegiate underground newspaper, and evolved by 1967 into a collective-run publication. The paper was produced out of a house in DC, where all involved in the work had equal say in how the paper was shaped. Those who produced the paper lived together and worked together, which posed its own set of problems. However, having a larger group of people working on the paper meant that there were more people working together to get the paper distributed in the community.

The galvanizing force behind the emergence of these publications was the anti-war movement. As time moved on, the Free Press publications adopted other counter-culture movements such as women’s liberation, gay rights and the black power. When the US decided to end the draft in 1972, and then withdraw from Vietnam altogether in 1974, the driving force behind the Free Press publications withered away. Many of these papers saw an end of their run by this time.

In the second segment of the show Catherine and Dale speak about the history of the FBI and the CIA in infiltrating some of these Free Press publications. Although the CIA is specifically not allowed to spy on American citizens, they did work their way into the Free Press movement by convincing higher ups that the Free Press had to have been organized by foreign governments looking to infiltrate American institutions. They launched two investigations, Operation Chaos and Operation Merrimac, to find out more about the inner workings of the Free Press movements. These operations did not yield any evidence of misdoings, as those involved with the Free Press were not operating on behalf of anyone other than themselves.

The FBI attempted to infiltrate the movement by producing their own phony rendition of a Free Press paper on the campus of American University in Washington, DC. Their paper, titled the “Rational Observer” was designed to introduce a moderate voice to the movement, and changes hearts and minds. They also sent agents undercover into the counter-culture movements to gain information and better understand the resistance movement.

As journalism has evolved over the years, and the introduction of cable news channels and the Internet have emerged, there are now more alternative voices than ever before. Today, those voices on the right have been amplified through vehicles like the Alt-Right and the Dark Web. Social media, and sites like “Info Wars” are the free press of the modern times, and often exist to spin the news and espouse conspiracy theories without proof or evidence-based journalism. They exist to fortify and reinforce the beliefs of their viewers. As consumers of modern day journalism, it is important to understand what news is being consumed and also be able to identify the difference between opinion pieces and actual reporting of the truth.

by Rachel Simon

Gay Rights Movement with Dale Brumfield

(January 23, 2019) Catherine Read sits down with Cultural Archeologist Dale Brumfield, to talk about the history of the Gay Rights Movement. Looking back to the administration of Dwight D. Eisenhower, Brunfield outlines the struggle faced by so many LGBTQ individuals, and the ongoing fight for equality.

This year will mark the 10^th year in a row that the Virginia General Assembly will introduce bills to protect LGBTQ people from housing and employment discrimination. These bills do not ask for special treatment for LGBTQ individuals, only equal protection under the law. In years past, these bills have made their way out of the Senate, but failed to gain passage through the House of Delegates. This year, there are two bills regarding employment non-discrimination (SB 998 and HB 2067), and four bills about fair housing non-discrimination (SB 1109, SB 1232, HB 2677 and HB 1823) that are being introduced. These bills are working their way through committee and will hopefully make it to the floor for a full floor vote in both chambers.

Looking back to 1953 when President Dwight D. Eisenhower issued Executive Order 10450, our history shows that it was commonplace to be able to fire someone for being gay. There was systemic racism throughout the federal workforce, and society in general, against homosexuals. Gay people were labeled as sexual deviants, and thus regularly shunned. FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover was notorious for investigating those suspected of being gay, and formulating memos on people that dated back to the 1920’s. This was also during the time of McCarthyism, when many Americans were wrongly accused of being communists, and the two issues were often conflated. Many people who were even suspected of being gay were singled out and fired from government jobs, or shamed to the point of committing suicide.

There was one government astronomer name Frank Kameny who, instead of giving up when he was fired, decided to fight the injustice. He joined forces with Jack Nichols to form the Mattachine Society in Washington, D.C. In addition to acting as a support group for gay people, the Mattachine Society worked to raise awareness and fight for civil rights. Kameny was no stranger to Washington, as his father was an FBI agent, so he changed his name to Warren Adkins to avoid putting his father’s career in danger.

The gay rights movement began to churn forward, and chapters of the Mattachine Society began popping up in other large American cities, such as New York and Los Angeles. Mike Wallace of CBS News hosted the first mainstream documentary about the movement in 1967 entitled “The Homosexuals”, and Walter Adkins was interviewed for the show.

At the same time, gay publications were beginning to flourish. The first gay magazine was called One: The Homosexual Magazine, which mostly existed as an underground publication. Interestingly enough, it was rolled off the presses at the same time as the first Playboy magazine. Ironically, ONE was considered to be obscene, and the US Postal Service refused to allow the magazine to be sent through the mail, even though it contained no pictures or imagery. The irony was that Playboy could be sent through the mail, even though it contained nude photos. The publishers of One took the case to the Supreme Court and won, and the magazine survived and thrived for another 25 years.

The first widely circulated newspaper to serve the gay community was the Gay Blade (now called the Washington Blade), first published in Washington DC in 1969. The newspaper brought the gay community together, and chronicled LGBTQ news locally, nationally and internationally. In 1968, the Stonewall Riots in NYC were considered the first big act of the gay rights movement that gained national attention. These events were a jumping point for activists who were looking to gain civil right protections.

To this day, the LGBTQ community are still looking for equal protections under the law. Even after marriage equality was passed in the Supreme Court in 2015 with the Obergefell vs. Hodges case, and the federal workforce is protected with nondiscrimination, states like Virginia still lag behind in offering protections for LGBTQ individuals in regards to housing and employment.

by Rachel Simon

The Women’s Liberation Movement with Dale Brumfield

(Jan. 16, 2019) Catherine Read sits down with Cultural Archeologist Dale Brumfield, for a discussion about the history of the women’s liberation movement. As Virginia kicks off the 2019 legislative session, the Commonwealth is poised to be the 38^th state to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment to the US Constitution. Brumfield provides some history and context of the movement, and what brings us to this moment in time.

Brumfield begins by sharing the history of the women’s liberation movement. It was sparked in 1968, when the leftist hippie counter-culture movement was getting started. Women were brought into the coalition, to essentially provide cover for the men when dealing with the police during protests. When marching or protesting, the men who ran the movement would put the women up front in the marches so that the police would not attack them or use tear gas. When the women started to understand the dynamics of their situation, they decided to break from the ranks and start their own movement.

During the 1968 Miss America pageant, women waged the first large group protest of the movement, coming together to denounce the entire premise of the beauty pageant. The New York Post falsely reported that women were burning their bras, when in reality they were tossing them in the ceremonial “freedom trash can”. Women in support of the women’s liberation movement were forever stereotyped as “bra-burning” radicals. The bad press was hard to shake, so the women decided to take control of their own messaging.

Marilyn Webb, a Virginian, was at the head of the movement at the time. She ambitiously founded Magic Quilt in 1968, designed to help organize the disparate women’s groups nationwide, and help mobilize and the ranks. The task proved to be too daunting, and she did not succeed in establishing Magic Quilt as the umbrella organization for the women’s liberation movement.

She did, however, successfully launch the first news magazine that was dedicated to women’s issues called “Off Our Backs”. Many people think that Gloria Steinem with Ms. Magazine was the first feminist publication of its type, but “Off our Backs” hit the printing press in 1970, several years before Ms. The magazine was meant to set the stage for, and define the narrative about, women’s issues.

Much of the coverage of the movement by the mainstream media was negative, so the purpose of the magazine was to change the tune and offer an alternative voice. At the time, Webb was unable to find anyone in Virginia to actually print the magazine, so they traveled to Atlanta to find a publisher. Off Our Backs continued publishing for 38 years, although they eventually transitioned to online publishing before closing shop in 2008. Archives of the publication can be found online.

Throughout the history of the United States, women have had to fight for equality in so many ways. From suffrage, to entering the workforce and even being able to own their own credit card without their husband’s co-signature, women have had an uphill battle every step of the way. Brumfield notes that it is challenging to maintain a movement over a long, sustained period. There are certain moments in time that spark a light to continue the fight.

Many women found the 2016 election, and the #metoo movement that followed, to be such a moment. Women have been inspired to take things into their own hands, and run for office in record numbers on the local, state and federal level. Here in Virginia, we elected three women to Congress in 2018. As women continue to get elected and hold office, he believes that progress will follow.

(update: The State Senate passed the ERA amendment on the first day of session, however the House of Delegates voted the bill down in committee, along party lines).