Date: Mon, 20 Feb 2006 From: "DCCANEWS1" <DCCANEWS1@msn.com> |
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DCCA March Meeting at the RAC March 6, 2006 |
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Have you ever wondered about the DC street sign for 21st
Street between Massachusetts Avenue and Q St? Officially designated Kivie
Kaplan Way in 2003, it was named in honor of the RAC leader who was
President of the NAACP from 1966-1975 and was a significant figure in the
social justice movement. The RAC is the social action center of the Reform
Movement of Judaism.
This building at 2027 Massachusetts Avenue has been at the heart of much political activity in Washington. From 1963 to 1965: the landmark 1964 Civil Rights Act and the 1965 Voting Rights Act were drafted in the RAC's conference room by Jewish, African-American, and other civil rights leaders. In 1994, Bishop Desmond Tutu addressed a RAC conference and thanked the Reform Jewish Movement for its role in the battle to end apartheid. Two years later, the Dalai Lama spoke at a Passover Seder in his honor and told how he came to understand the sources of Jewish survival (and how he loved the matzoh). The building itself, built around 1910 as a private residence, was completely renovated in 2003 to provide handicapped access and is moving towards a goal of being as "green" as possible. Our speaker will be Barbara Weinstein, the Legislative Director of the RAC. Since Washington is a political town, it should be interesting to hear how a local Dupont organization frames and pursues its legislative agenda. As isuggested above, the focus is taken from Judaism’s focus on Tikkun Olam, helping to repair the earth. The RAC has been an outspoken advocate of action in Darfur and dealing with global warming. |
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