By Katherine Shaver February 25, 2022 at 6:00 a.m. EST Washington Post
Montrose Parkway in Montgomery County will be renamed Josiah Henson Parkway to honor the 19th-century Methodist preacher who became an abolitionist after escaping enslavement on a plantation in present-day North Bethesda.
The change, approved by the Montgomery planning board Thursday, is scheduled to take effect March 4 with a ceremony to replace the street signs, said Montgomery planning director Gwen Wright.
The road runs through the northern part of the formerplantation where Henson was enslaved until he escaped to Canada in 1830. The county’s Josiah Henson Museum and Park stands on Old Georgetown Road, just south of the parkway.
Henson’s 1849 autobiography inspired Harriet Beecher Stowe’s popular 1852 novel, “Uncle Tom’s Cabin,” credited with building support for the anti-slavery movement before the Civil War. In addition to being an abolitionist, planners said, Henson led 118 people out of enslavement to Canada as part of the Underground Railroad.
Wright had the authority to make the name change but said she sought the planning board’s approval because of the “very special circumstances” of Henson’s ties to the county. The board approved her request unanimously.
“He was an absolutely remarkable human being and is someone who is locally, regionally, nationally and internationally important as a historic figure,” Wright told the board. “We are very, very lucky to have that part of Montgomery’s history to share with the world.”
She noted that the name change will apply only to Montrose Parkway, not the parallel Montrose Road. Of the two properties with addresses on the parkway, she said, one owner endorsed the change. The other is a vacant parcel owned by WSSC Water.
Planning board members said they readily agreed with the idea of honoring Henson.
“He just had such an incredible life, and I think it’s important to celebrate that,” said planning commissioner Partap Verma, the board’s vice chair.
Montgomery council member Hans Riemer (D-At Large) had requested the name change in January.
“It is important that we provide the Rev. Josiah Henson with the public recognition he justifiably deserves,” Riemer said in a statement, “and this new street name is a great step forward.”
By John Kelly Columnist Yesterday at 12:00 p.m. EST Washington Post
As I waited to board a flight to Wilmington, N.C., last week, my biggest worry was whether I’d have to fight anyone for the last overhead storage space, given my cellar-dwelling position in boarding group eight.
Then an announcement came over the intercom: The 5 p.m. flight was overbooked by a single seat. They needed someone to take a later flight – well, two flights: Instead of a quick direct flight arriving at 6:26 p.m., the volunteer would take a 7 p.m. flight to LaGuardia, transfer, then fly back south, arriving in Wilmington at 10:59 p.m.
Good luck with that, I said to myself. Even with the $200 in airline credit they were offering, why would anyone give up his seat? Still, I was curious how they would select the unlucky passenger. A lottery? A spelling bee? A boxing match? I took a seat near the gate to watch how things would play out.
About 20 minutes before boarding was due to begin, the gate attendant clicked his microphone and made another announcement. “We’re still looking for a volunteer to take a later flight to Wilmington. You will get in at 11 p.m. and we can offer you a $500 travel credit.”
The ante had been upped.
I could hear a couple behind me weighing it. They sounded like practiced hands, reminiscing about wonderful trips they’d managed to assemble from the scraps of inconvenience. If you had all the time in the world — and didn’t mind roaming the terminal for a place to spend your complimentary $12 meal voucher — why not volunteer? Two hundred dollars here, $500 there and soon you had yourself a vacation, or at least the airfare to one.
But not this time. They wanted to arrive in Wilmington together.
A few more minutes passed uncomfortably. There was a second airline employee at the gate now and the two co-workers conversed in hushed tones. Was it time for the battle royal at last?
One of the gate agents walked from behind the desk and approached a man I’d noticed sitting by himself in one of those airport wheelchairs. The man was elderly and wore an embroidered ball cap that marked him as a veteran. I couldn’t see what was written on it. “Vietnam,” probably. Or maybe “Korea.” A few people had thanked him for his service, though exactly where that service was, I couldn’t be sure.
The gate agent leaned down to the old man and nervously explained that the flight to Wilmington was overbooked by one seat. If no one volunteered to stay behind, the man would be bumped. But he shouldn’t worry. He’d be put on a flight to LaGuardia and then on one to Wilmington. He’d get in at 10:59 p.m.
“I bought my ticket three weeks ago,” the man protested.
And then the gate agent explained the pitiless calculus of the oversold flight: The man had been the last to check in. Last to check in, first to get booted off.
Boarding was about to begin. The gate agent made another announcement: The flight credit for the volunteer was now $700.
Even before the enticement had been sweetened, I’d made my decision. I walked to the elderly man. I could see now that his hat said “Iwo Jima.”
“Looks like you’re on the bubble,” I said.
“I bought my damn ticket three weeks ago,” he said.
“Do you live here or in Wilmington?” I asked.
Wilmington, he said. He’d been at the Hilton Crystal City for a reunion of veterans of Iwo Jima, the bitter battle that began in February 1945 and ended five weeks later at the cost of 27,000 U.S. casualties, including 7,000 Americans killed.
What’s the youngest he could have been today? 95? And they were going to bump this guy?
I explained that I was going to visit a veteran myself: my father, who flew jets in the Vietnam War. I said I hoped that if my dad was in the same situation, someone would give up their seat for him. I thanked the man for his service and walked to the gate.
“I’ll give up my seat,” I said.
The gate agents looked like they wanted to hug me. I really couldn’t blame them for the situation. I blamed the airline for relying on some algorithm that predicts no-shows — imperfectly, as it turns out.
While one agent typed up my volunteer papers and printed out my $700 credit, the other went over to the World War II vet and told him he could board.
“I can wheel you to the plane,” he said.
With the help of a cane, the vet levered himself out of the wheelchair and stood up.
“It is difficult / to get the news from poems / yet men die miserably every day / for lack / of what is found there.” William Carlos Williams
LYUBA YAKIMCHUK
Died of Old Age
granddad and granny passed away they died on the same day at the same hour at the same moment — people said, they died of old age
their hen met its end and so did their goat and their dog (their cat was out) and people said, they died of old age
their cottage fell apart their shed turned into ruins and the cellar got covered with dirt people said, everything collapsed from old age
their children came to bury the granddad and granny Olha was pregnant Serhiy was drunk and Sonya was only three they all perished, too and people said, they died of old age
the cold wind plucked yellow leaves and buried beneath them the granddad, the granny, Olha, Serhiy and Sonya who all died of old age
Translated from the Ukrainian by Anatoly Kudryavitsky
Photo Essay: Preserving Ukrainian culture with the Baba Yelka project
The Baba Yelka Project tells a story of Ukrainian culture little known to the public.
Michael Andrews, a Peace Corps Response Volunteer in Ukraine, is using his photography expertise to connect with and help preserve Ukrainian village culture and traditions. Michael began his Peace Corps Response service as an organizational capacity building specialist for 100% LIFE Kropyvnytskyi, an HIV-service nongovernmental organization, and has expanded his service to encompass a secondary project as a photographer in the Baba Yelka cultural expedition. He has taken on an important role in Ukraine that has enabled him to immerse himself in the culture of a region not well represented there.
“Like most Americans, I knew nothing about Ukraine before I came here,” Michael said. “Learning Ukraine’s history, traditions and culture, and experiencing first hand their challenges as an emerging democracy – sharing myself with them – has had a profound impact on my life.”
Peace Corps Response plays an important role in building bridges between people and local organizations. The Baba Yelka Project is sponsored by the Nova Gazeta, a regional Ukrainian newspaper based in Kropyvnytskyi.
Baba Yelka is named for a woman named Elka, who lived in the Maloviskivskyi district of the Kirovograd region of Ukraine. “She knew hundreds of folk songs, treated people with herbs, raised ten children, and experienced the Holodomor.” She is the inspiration for this cultural preservation project, one that resonates with the team; many of the team members see their own grandmothers as their very own “Baba Elkas.” It is in memory of them that Michael and the Baba Yelka team work to ensure these cultural traditions are not lost.
Baba Yelka was conceived in 2018 by Inna Tilnova, editor of Nova Gazeta, Svіtlana Bulanova, a performer of traditional Ukrainian songs, and Viktoria Semenenko, a journalist and public relations professional. Photographer and video expert, Alexander Mayorov, helped launch the project. Michael became intrigued with their work soon after arriving in Ukraine and asked to join them. After deliberation, they said yes. That was ten months and thousands of photographs ago.
The team of five Ukrainians and one American, Michael, has visited 30 villages now with the goal of documenting and preserving authentic Ukrainian culture. During their visits, grandmothers in the villages share their stories, songs, traditional clothing and handiwork.
“One of the cultural markers of the true Ukrainian identity is the folk song, which Baba Yelka reveals and preserves,” said Inna Tilnova, one of Baba Yelka’s founders. “For some people, the Ukrainian folk song is something forgotten and not relevant. But for others, it is the whole universe, a way of identification and self-expression. We travel in search of authentic folk songs that have survived to record and share them. These are our greatest treasures, our sources, our depth.”
The team didn’t just interview Ukrainian villagers; they became a part of their culture, sharing meals and stories with one another. “I am overwhelmed by the generosity, hospitality and resilience of the people of Ukraine,” Michael said. “I have been welcomed with open arms since the day I arrived in country, by my host families, at 100% LIFE Kropyvnytskyi (the organization that has enabled me to make an impact as a Response Volunteer), and by my Ukrainian friends on the Baba Yelka team.”
This brochure, created by the team, is used to promote this exhibition of authentic Ukrainian culture. Michael says it also serves as one of the only pieces of written material for the general public about folk culture in an oblast that is least represented and obscured by history.
“In spite of incredible hardships endured by Ukrainian people, particularly village grandmothers, they still have songs in their hearts and sparks of happiness in their eyes.” – PCR Volunteer Michael
These gallery-style photo presentations of village visits paint a larger picture. “Promoting understanding about these unique traditions both inside Ukraine and with the world is an important part of the country’s emerging freedom and independence,” Michael said. “We want other communities to work to preserve and transfer the wisdom and knowledge of the ‘old-timers’ in the same fashion as the Baba Yelka expeditions.”
On serving as a Response Volunteer, Michael says, “I think it is important this story not be about me as much as it is about the important role Peace Corps Response fills in building bridges, what we accomplish together with our Ukrainian hosts. I hear this sentiment echoed by my Peace Corps Ukraine Volunteer peers; we feel we have two families – those we love back home and those we love here.”
Peace Corps Response sends experienced professionals on short-term, high-impact assignments in collaboration with local host country organizations around the world. View all PCR openings here.
About Michael Andrews: Michael is a Peace Corps Response Volunteer serving in Ukraine as an Organizational Capacity Building Specialist for HIV-service NGOs. He was expected to complete his service in July 2019 but is planning on extending his time at his current post by at least a year because he is committed to reaching PEPFAR’s goals in combating the Ukrainian HIV/AIDS epidemic. __________________________________________________________________________________
The great Russian dissident poet on Russian ambitions and the revival of Stalin.
Editors’ note: This article is from the Winter 2021 issue of the Nonprofit Quarterly, “We Thrive: Health for Justice, Justice for Health.”
In recent years, a growing uneasiness and an undercurrent of anxiety have emerged in the United States. Psychologists, therapists, social workers, and doctors across the medical spectrum agree that we are in the middle of a genuine national mental health crisis. A time like this can serve as an impetus for reclaiming self-care as a movement, which could have a profound and lasting impact on this country and the world. As the late beloved activist and writer Audre Lorde said, self-care is not “self-indulgent” but rather an act of “self-preservation.”1
Self-care reaches beyond the individual. In Sanskrit, the term for self-actualization and individuation is samadhi, which means enlightenment or unionwiththedivine. This word recognizes that we are more than just our individual selves: we are a sum of all the parts that surround us. Every life is of value, and we are all connected; when we recognize this, we can embark on the healing work that addresses the traumas of our culture.
Today, we are seeing calls for change and transformation of our world. We are seeing people rise up in their power to assert that their lives are important, valuable, and worth fighting for. We are also showing solidarity by giving our friends and loved ones messages of strength and support as they dismantle systems that are oppressive and archaic. By starting with the inner work, we address many of our root issues and work our way through them. If we all simultaneously commit to healing ourselves and healing our trauma, our own healing becomes a contribution to the health and wellness of our communities, our descendants, and the world.
Take a moment to imagine the power of a self-care movement—a wave of kind care connecting communities, healing our bodies and minds, sustaining our energy and momentum, and helping us all live healthier, happier, and more balanced lives.
Self-Care as a Movement
As a movement, self-care has a rich and radical history.2 It was born at the intersection of the women’s liberation movement and the civil rights era—a time when courageous individuals and communities fighting relentless prejudice and discrimination created the first formalized communities of care, which allowed them to stand strong together in the face of seemingly impossible challenges and unspeakable treatment. In fact, a core piece of what civil rights activists were and continue to be fighting for can be seen as the basic human right to self-care—for when the government turns its back on its people, self-care literally becomes a matter of life and death. Often denied medical treatment at hospitals and healthcare centers in the past, and facing any number of dangers stemming from unequal and unjust treatment in the present, part of what people of color are fighting for is the freedom, time, money, and resources to care for themselves. In this exhausting battle, often the only support they find is with one another and within themselves. Thus, civil rights leaders made healthcare a priority. As Martin Luther King Jr. said, “Of all the forms of inequality, injustice in health is the most shocking and the most inhuman.”3
What has been true for the civil rights movement has also been true for the women’s liberation movement. Women across the board have viewed controlling their own health as a corrective to the failures of a white, patriarchal medical system to properly tend to their needs. Self-care, as described by Natalia Mehlman Petrzela, an associate professor of history at the New School, in New York City, became “a claiming [of] autonomy over the body as a political act against institutional, technocratic, very racist, and sexist medicine.”4
In this age of the industrial wellness complex—an era of bath bombs, drop-in meditation studios, and self-help quick-tips lists—capitalism ignores that for populations most in need, self-care is neither frivolous nor easy. As a movement, self-care and communal care make the declaration that we don’t just deserve to be alive, we have the right to live our best lives. Genuine self-care and communal care are long and hard paths. They require diving beneath the surface problems, which are just the symptoms of the deeper, more enduring traumas that all of us carry. What we need, and what this movement seeks, is—to use a concept coined by Ghanaian playwright and journalist Esther Armah—emotional justice.5 Emotional justice can provide us with a steady undercurrent, like a river flowing beneath the exterior crust of the Earth, as we embark on dismantling and rebuilding social systems that don’t work for us. Emotional justice depends upon our commitment to doing the inner work; it cannot exist without it.
This type of work can show up in different forms, like healing from an offense that was never recognized by the offender or by society, or having the courage to speak up for ourselves and write our own stories. Individual inner work is not enough to support a movement. In social and political movements, commitment to community care, which means our own and others’ emotional justice, is a fundamental building block. What defines any movement— including the self-care movement—is people coming together with a shared purpose to create change that benefits everyone. Movements need people with skin in the game and the energy and desire to move the needle and drive change.
Standards of Self-Care
I define self-care as the practice of taking an active role in protecting one’s own well-being, pursuing joy, and having the ability, tools, and/or resources to respond to periods of stress so that they don’t result in imbalance and lead to a health crisis. Ultimately, every person should have access to the caregivers, transportation, treatment, and funds needed to properly address their health. Building a self-care movement—one that can support every other movement in turn—requires incorporating it into our communities and workplaces so that communities of care become part of our culture.
The slow adoption of self-care in our culture is in large part due to a lack of definition. Standards for self-care have never been clearly established. Creating a well-defined vision for self-care grounded in clear principles and standards is a good first step to take, because defining the standards and providing a clear road map for people to follow helps to legitimize the cause. It allows people to create plans, measure progress, and make changes based on realistic and achievable goals rooted in sustainability, which in this hyperproductive capitalist culture is rarely if ever prioritized.
In terms of movement work, exhausted leadership is poor leadership. The reward for productivity should not be the assignment of more work—whether for leaders, paid employees, or volunteers. Exhaustion leads to shorter attention spans, increased emotional volatility, and poor decision making. If movement leaders burn out, that will be replicated by others in our sphere of influence—coworkers, staff, volunteers, children, and so on.
Social transformation work begins with the self. Imagine advocacy work as a series of peaks and valleys. The peaks are where advocacy work happens, and the valleys are where we rest, celebrate, and reflect, gathering our strength to climb the mountain ahead. If we conduct our lives this way and model this workflow in our organizations, we can build resilience, make sure that we keep people engaged, and ensure that none of us falls victim to burnout.
The modern self-care movement can embody practices that avoid burnout rather than merely being a response to it. The movement must demand that individuals put their health and wellness first without feelings of guilt for doing so. If we all collectively share our plans for self-care, we declare boldly that our needs, our state of mind, our body, and our overall health matter. This gives others permission to invest in themselves and take the courageous step to acknowledge that they have needs, that their needs are important, and that those needs deserve to be met.
There are key reflective questions we can ask ourselves and those on our teams and in our communities at every turn and with every incremental step forward that can improve our actions and build momentum to climb the next peak. For example:
How does the quality of my leadership diminish due to lack of my own self-care?
Which habits negatively impact my self-care, and what new behaviors can I substitute for them?
Do I have a self-care plan in place to ensure I follow up on new behaviors, and have I shared this plan with others who will hold me accountable?
How will I track my progress along the way?
How can I best support others in their self-care endeavors?
Such questions will help us to integrate self-care with community care and social movements, paving the path forward to achieve balance among all three and to cease having to choose one over the other.
When we work on the self, we do not need to abandon the world. When we begin the process of care with ourselves, we begin the journey of working to heal our community and the world. It is my hope that we each show up, fractured or whole but always beautiful, with our unique talents and skills to create the world we envision. No action is too small, no voice too quiet, and no person too insignificant to make a change. May we realize that our investment in the inner work awakens awareness to something else, something radical and liberating: a possibility. We matter, our voices matter, our lives are precious, and we have many gifts to offer. When our inner work is deeply embodied in the collective life of those working for social transformation, this creates resilience within the group, so that when natural bumps or boulders in the journey arise we don’t give up. Instead, we stay the course, adjust course, or shore up our reserves and capacity. We celebrate and introduce play, creativity, and lightness into our efforts. We remember the purpose, meaning, and inspiration behind what we’re doing, and it supports us in moving forward.
My eldest uncle, a very pious man, would often share with me wisdom from the Old Testament and the Talmud (also known as the Oral Torah). One of the verses that he shared when I was barely thirteen has been a guidepost for my work: “Do not be daunted by the enormity of the world’s grief. Do justly now, love mercy now, walk humbly now. You are not obligated to complete the work, but neither are you free to abandon it.”6
Movementsarenotgoals.Therearenofinishlines.Movementsembodyincrementalgains that require consistent forward motion born out of actionable intentions. Creating sustainable movements requires widening our perspective of self-care—shifting it from a purely individual pursuit to one that embraces the entire community and uses the entire toolbox of best practices and resources. While self-care and communal care are movements in themselves, they also provide the primary infrastructure that supports every other movement, whether for equity, justice, peace, or freedom. In order to sustain forward movement—even if it’s millimeter by painful millimeter at a time—the pillar of societal care must be championed.
NOTES
Audre Lorde, A Burst of Light: Essays (Ithaca, NY: Firebrand Books, 1988),
Martin Luther King Jr., speech at the second convention of the Medical Committee for Human Rights, Chicago, March 25, 1966, quoted in John Dittmer, The Good Doctors: The Medical Committee for Human Rights and the Struggle for Social Justice in Health Care (New York: Bloomsbury Press, 2009).
When The Washington Post published the first list of members of Congress who were slaveowners last month, the article included a call to action: Help us complete the database.
Ruette Watson was among dozens of readers who responded with searing evidence of enslavement. The outpouring included wills handwritten in the 19th century; birth certificates of babies born into slavery on congressmen’s plantations; newspaper ads placed by senators or representatives seeking the return of Black people who fled captivity; letters and book excerpts and journal articles. And in the case of Watson, an oral history project focused on Black women that included a 1977 interview with her remarkable grandmother, Esther Mae Prentiss Scott.
Thanks to Watson and scores of other amateur and professional researchers — who emailed from as far away as China and France and ranged from high school students to presidential historians — The Post’s tally of slaveholders who once served in Congress has grown from 1,715 to 1,795.
Post readers helped reveal even larger share of congressional enslavers
More than half the men elected to Congress from 1789 to 1819 were slaveholders, the research showed. Readers helped The Post identify dozens more enslavers since the initial story published on Jan. 10.
The list of congressmen still left to research remains long as well — it shrank from 677 names to 587. In other words: You too can help.
Watson, 67 and retired from a career in IT at Rutgers University, was reading The Post’s story about congressional enslavers when she was surprised to see a familiar name: Rep. Seargent Smith Prentissof Mississippi. He was on The Post’s list of congressmen who still needed to be researched.
Prentiss, who served in the House of Representativesfrom 1838 to 1839, is known to historians as one of the wealthiest men in Mississippi in his time and as an exceptional orator. Daniel Webster is said to have called Prentiss the greatest speechmaker he ever heard. But Watson knows him for something else: She has Prentisses in her family, who took that name from the man who enslaved them.LEFT: Jefferson Prentiss Sr. shown in a photograph from about 1919, was born into slavery, like his father Monroe. (Family photo) RIGHT: Seargent Smith Prentiss, a Mississippi slaveholder, served in Congress from 1838 to 1839. (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images)
Watson pointed a Post reporter to the oral history, in which a Radcliffe researcher recorded an interview with Watson’s grandmother 45 years ago. In the interview, Esther Mae Prentiss Scott remembered her grandfather Monroe Prentiss telling her about his brutal journey to America. He was smuggled in secret long after the U.S. prohibition on the importation of enslaved people took effect in 1808, kidnapped from Africa and taken first to Holland and then to Seargent Smith Prentiss’s Mississippi plantation.
“He said they were in the hull of the ship like sardines in a can,” Scott, who died in 1979, told the interviewer.
Heartbroken by his separation from his brother Jefferson, who was enslaved on a different plantation, Monroe named his son Jefferson — also born into slavery — in honor of his brother, Scott recalled.
The Black Prentisses understood the origins of their name.
“I’m wearing a slave name now,” she recounted. “My mother died with a slave name, Prentiss, and my grandfather died with a slave name. … He got that Prentiss from Seargent S. Prentiss. … Well, I’m not ashamed of it.”
Seargent Smith Prentiss is now on The Post’s list of slaveholders. And Watson said she’s proud to help preserve the memory of her grandmother’s grandfather.
“We’re not that far out of slavery itself,” she said. “I could reach back one person away.”
Watson knew her grandmother, a gifted blues musician who performed with Ma Rainey and Bessie Smith as a young woman. Scott worked as a maid in Mississippi and then eventually followed her daughter to the nation’s capital, where she became the beloved “Mother Scott” of her Columbia Heights church. She recorded an album at age 79, which Watson recently digitized and made available on YouTube.
Watson knew her grandmother, and her grandmother knew Monroe Prentiss. Slavery feels not so far away sometimes to Watson, who lives in Princeton, N.J. “We haven’t been that long from that situation. People seem to think it was forever ago, and it wasn’t,” she said. “They not only survived, but I exist today because of their strength and their ability to cope and to make the best of what life gave them.”
Watson was one of many readers who wrote to The Post about their families. Some were descendants of congressmen and others of the people the congressmen enslaved.
The research that Chris Pupke, who works in wildlife conservation and lives in Centreville, Md., had conducted on his family led him to a congressman. Pupke, 51, found that an ancestor of his had been a major slaveholder, leaving more than 100 enslaved people to his heirs when he died.
One of those enslaved people was Alfred Cooper. Pupke traced Cooper’s story — eventually he was enslaved by Rep. John Brewer Brown of Maryland, who gave Cooper his freedom when he joined the military to fight for the Union during the Civil War.
“I don’t find it an obligatory connection. There are members of the family that say, as Henry Louis Gates says, guilt is not inheritable,” Pupke said. “But I also feel like there’s a story here to be told that needs to get out there, and somebody needs to tell it.”
He gives presentations at libraries and churches about the Black soldiers from his Maryland county who fought for the Union. And he sent documents to The Post to demonstrate that Brown belongs on the list of slaveholders.Georgia Sen. Augustus Octavius Bacon, who served from 1895 to 1914. (George Grantham Bain Collection/Library of Congress)
Mary Louisa Bacon Sturges saw her great-great-grandfather Augustus Octavius Bacon on The Post’s list of people to research. She had done some genealogy on her family, and sent documents showing that Bacon was a Georgia slaveholder as a young man — including letters that Bacon wrote home to his family during his time as a Confederate soldier, in which he wrote about an enslaved man named Richmond whom he brought to the battlefield with him and who became ill and died there.
Bacon’s addition to The Post’s database of slaveholders in Congress makes him one of the last former slaveholders to serve as a U.S. lawmaker — he represented Georgia in the Senate from 1895 to 1914. (He left his mark on the District by successfully campaigning to have the street named Georgia Avenue re-designated to its current location. In his home state, he has a county in his name.)
Other readers who wanted to contribute to The Post’s database researched congressmen who represented their home states. One Ramapo College class got to work researching several New York congressmen as a class assignment. Workers at Alabama’s state archives department searched for records from their state.
And for some, the database inspired their own projects. Sarah Cate Wolfson, a high school junior in New York City, started making a list of New York mayors who enslaved people, which she hopes to publish. Her father, who pointed out The Post’s article to Wolfson and inspired the 16-year-old to start her own project, once served as New York’s deputy mayor.
“It’s opened my eyes to how intrinsically linked New York and enslavement were,” Wolfson said. “I feel like you don’t need a street named after someone who owned slaves who you don’t even know about. There was a mayor named Richard Varick — I didn’t even know he existed before starting this. What’s the point of having a Varick Street if it’s tied to not a great person?”
Readers turned up many forms of records. Vera Cecelski, a 30-year-old manager of a historic site in Durham, N.C., sent wills and probate records demonstrating that several congressmen from her state were slaveholders. In one will, Rep. George Mumford’s aunt left him an enslaved girl named Flora. Mumford’s aunt left an enslaved woman named Dinah to another nephew. She wrote that if Dinah had future children, she wanted each of Dinah’s next four children to go to four different people among her beneficiaries.
David B. Mattern, a historian who lives inCharlottesville, said he spent more than 30 years editing the papers of James Madison, one of 12 American presidents who enslaved people. He pointed The Post toward a letter from Madison’s wife, Dolley, to her sister Anna, in which Dolley complained about her enslaved maid and asked about Anna’s.
“I would buy a maid but good ones are rare & as high as 8 & 900$— I should like to know what you gave for yours,” Dolley wrote. Along with an 1820 census that a Post journalist found, Madison’s letter helped demonstrate that Anna and her husband, Rep. Richard Cutts of Massachusetts, were slaveowners, adding Cutts to the database.An 1804 portrait of U.S. First Lady Dolley Madison by artist Gilbert Stuart. (ASSOCIATED PRESS)
By far the most prolific contributor has been Luke Voyles, a 26-year-old pursuing his PhD in history at the University of Alabama, who has identified 39 slaveholders and counting.
Voyles was already well-versed in methods of combing censuses and historical journals for his own dissertation research, which focuses on the Confederate veterans who became congressmen after the Civil War and the influence they had on the course of American civil rights.
The thought of a list of all the slaveholders in Congress had crossed his mind as he worked on his list of more than 300 Confederates who served in Congress. When he was reading the news last month and saw The Post article, he joked that his first thought was, “Gosh darn it, somebody did it.”
Voyles got interested in civil rights as a child in rural Missouri reading biographies of presidents, then studied African historyin college before turning his attention to the American South. He dove into helping with The Post’s project, often late at night after a day of teaching and working on his dissertation. He would turn on classical music from YouTube, then look at handwritten 19th-century documents until he found the name he was looking for.
“It was just a great way of trying to do the right thing, trying to do something ethical in my downtime,” he said. “When you do find the name, it’s a big rush. But also you know that you’ve done something that’s very meaningful.”
The Post’s original story said that slaveholders represented 37 states in Congress. Voyles has made that 38 states — he found an 1850 census demonstrating that Charles Debrille Poston, known as the “Father of Arizona” and its first delegate to Congress, was a slaveholder.
Adrian Blanco contributed to this story.
About this story
Story editing by Lynda Robinson, photo editing by Mark Gail and Mark Miller, graphics editing by Kevin Uhrmacher, copy editing by Anne Kenderdine, design by Leo Dominguez. Reader submissions managed by Teddy Amenabar.
How a rookie writer’s Reader’s Digest story spawned two monumental works of Black history
Alex Haley’s 1960 article led directly to ‘The Autobiography of Malcolm X’ and ‘Roots’
By Dave Kindy February 4, 2022 at 1:30 p.m. EST Washington Post
In March1960, a rookie reporter published a magazine article that would spark a historic shift in African American literature. Appearing in Reader’s Digest, “Mr. Muhammad Speaks” was an in-depth examination of the Nation of Islam, led by Elijah Muhammad, and its growing attraction to Black Americans.
The story itself was nothing groundbreaking, though it provided a balanced representation of the facts and offered insight into a movement that many White Americans found frightening. But for its author, it led directly to writing two of the most consequential works of Black history of the 20th century, books that would redefine American literature and change the way the country viewed race relations.
The writer was Alex Haley, who had just retired from the U.S. Coast Guard at age 39. Following the publication of the Nation of Islam story, he would co-author “The Autobiography of Malcolm X” and chronicle his own heritage in the fictionalized “Roots: The Saga of an American Family,” which became a groundbreaking and massively successful TV miniseries. Haley wrote both books while working at Reader’s Digest, which marks its 100th anniversary Saturday, and the publication funded his work on “Roots.”
“I read all of Alex Haley’s books before working at Reader’s Digest but was really surprised that I didn’t realize he was on staff here,” said Jason Buhrmester, the magazine’s chief content officer. “Reader’s Digest basically paid Haley for 12 years and covered all of his travel expenses to write ‘Roots.’ That book had such a big impact on America.”
Indeed, “Roots” was monumental as literature — it won the Pulitzer Prize in 1977 — and as a means for getting American society to examine the darker aspects of its history. The 1976 novel, based on Haley’s research into his ancestors’ origins in Africa and then in slavery, took the country by storm. It was number one on the New York Times bestseller list for 22 weeks and would have a lasting impact on generations of African Americans who wanted to know more about their forebears.
Haley’s depictions of the Middle Passage — the brutal forced transportation of enslaved people from Africa to America — would leave a mark on countless readers, including a young Henry Louis Gates Jr. The literary critic, historian, author and host of “Finding Your Roots” on PBS was profoundly changed when the book was printed in a condensed version by Reader’s Digest in 1974, two years before the full text was released by Doubleday.
“When I read the Reader’s Digest excerpts of ‘Roots’ in 1974, I was mesmerized — that’s the only word for it,” Gates wrote for the magazine’s centennial commemoration. He added: “I had a serious bout of envy toward Alex Haley. I wanted to be like him: I wanted to reverse the Middle Passage and find out where my ancestors were from in Africa, the motherland.”Press Enter to skip to end of carousel
“Roots” would also be revelatory for White Americans, who read the book and watched the miniseries by the tens of millions. Many would have their eyes opened to the uncomfortable reality that slavery was more than a “peculiar institution,” as Vice President John C. Calhoun had called it in 1830: It was a violent, vicious system of oppression based on racial indignity.
“Alex Haley later said that 99 percent of the letters he got were from White readers who said the book completely changed the way they viewed race relations in America,” Buhrmester said.
Published in 1965 following Malcolm X’s assassination, “The Autobiography” would have a similar impact on literature and society. Haley met the outspoken human rights activist while working on the article about the Nation of Islam. He interviewed Malcolm X several times for the piece and realized there was a bigger story in describing how the Muslim minister’s experiences with racism and bigotry shaped his character and fiery oratory.
Malcolm X speaks to reporters in D.C. on May 16, 1963. (AP)
Haley convinced Malcolm X to collaborate on the project. Haley wrote most of the book, toning down some of Malcolm X’s anger to make the text palatable to a wider audience.
Critics hailed “The Autobiography of Malcolm X” as a masterpiece in explaining the divide between White and Black America. The New York Times called it “brilliant, painful, important.” The book is now considered a classic, and its narrative would influence generations of writers and readers, who were beginning to view racism and civil rights through a new prism.
Unlike “Roots,” this book was not published by Reader’s Digest; Haley pursued it as an independent project, spurred on by his work on the Nation of Islam story — and the lessons he learned about writing in his early years at the magazine.
“In Haley, the editors found someone who could untangle sensitive topics in a way that was relatable,” Buhrmester said. “He could take someone controversial like a Malcolm X and get to the root of the thinking and the logic behind the person. Haley went by the maxim, ‘Find something good and praise it,’ which he picked up at Reader’s Digest. It was evident in all of his writing for the magazine.”
Though it’s sometimes seen today as a “grandma” magazine (in spite of its large global readership), Reader’s Digest was hugely influential in the 1950s and ’60s. As the highest-circulation magazine in the United States, it often influenced public opinion on such matters as communism, democracy, morality and values.
Haley started writing for Reader’s Digest as a freelancer in the 1950s. He joined the publication as a reporter in 1959 and eventually retired as a senior editor in 1991. He died the following year.
He was proud of his tenure at the magazine and acknowledged an “undying debt” for helping him succeed.
When the full version of his novel was published in 1977, Haley wrote an article for Reader’s Digest titled “What ‘Roots’ Means to Me.” He discussed its success as a book, its impact on race relations and the way it inspired millions of Americans of all creeds to learn about their origins.
“In this country, we have been like people who live in the same house and tend to stay in our own rooms, doing no more than peeking out and then ducking back,” he wrote. “If only we could all come out together, say in the living room, and learn more about each other, we couldn’t help but benefit. It would show us our future as a collective people — retaining, being proud of, our differences, but coming together in collective strength. That, I believe, is the hope for America.”
By Dave KindyFebruary 4, 2022 at 1:30 p.m. EST
In March1960, a rookie reporter published a magazine article that would spark a historic shift in African American literature. Appearing in Reader’s Digest, “Mr. Muhammad Speaks” was an in-depth examination of the Nation of Islam, led by Elijah Muhammad, and its growing attraction to Black Americans.
The story itself was nothing groundbreaking, though it provided a balanced representation of the facts and offered insight into a movement that many White Americans found frightening. But for its author, it led directly to writing two of the most consequential works of Black history of the 20th century, books that would redefine American literature and change the way the country viewed race relations.
The writer was Alex Haley, who had just retired from the U.S. Coast Guard at age 39. Following the publication of the Nation of Islam story, he would co-author “The Autobiography of Malcolm X” and chronicle his own heritage in the fictionalized “Roots: The Saga of an American Family,” which became a groundbreaking and massively successful TV miniseries. Haley wrote both books while working at Reader’s Digest, which marks its 100th anniversary Saturday, and the publication funded his work on “Roots.”
“I read all of Alex Haley’s books before working at Reader’s Digest but was really surprised that I didn’t realize he was on staff here,” said Jason Buhrmester, the magazine’s chief content officer. “Reader’s Digest basically paid Haley for 12 years and covered all of his travel expenses to write ‘Roots.’ That book had such a big impact on America.”
Indeed, “Roots” was monumental as literature — it won the Pulitzer Prize in 1977 — and as a means for getting American society to examine the darker aspects of its history. The 1976 novel, based on Haley’s research into his ancestors’ origins in Africa and then in slavery, took the country by storm. It was number one on the New York Times bestseller list for 22 weeks and would have a lasting impact on generations of African Americans who wanted to know more about their forebears.
Haley’s depictions of the Middle Passage — the brutal forced transportation of enslaved people from Africa to America — would leave a mark on countless readers, including a young Henry Louis Gates Jr. The literary critic, historian, author and host of “Finding Your Roots” on PBS was profoundly changed when the book was printed in a condensed version by Reader’s Digest in 1974, two years before the full text was released by Doubleday.
“When I read the Reader’s Digest excerpts of ‘Roots’ in 1974, I was mesmerized — that’s the only word for it,” Gates wrote for the magazine’s centennial commemoration. He added: “I had a serious bout of envy toward Alex Haley. I wanted to be like him: I wanted to reverse the Middle Passage and find out where my ancestors were from in Africa, the motherland.”Press Enter to skip to end of carousel
“Roots” would also be revelatory for White Americans, who read the book and watched the miniseries by the tens of millions. Many would have their eyes opened to the uncomfortable reality that slavery was more than a “peculiar institution,” as Vice President John C. Calhoun had called it in 1830: It was a violent, vicious system of oppression based on racial indignity.
“Alex Haley later said that 99 percent of the letters he got were from White readers who said the book completely changed the way they viewed race relations in America,” Buhrmester said.
Published in 1965 following Malcolm X’s assassination, “The Autobiography” would have a similar impact on literature and society. Haley met the outspoken human rights activist while working on the article about the Nation of Islam. He interviewed Malcolm X several times for the piece and realized there was a bigger story in describing how the Muslim minister’s experiences with racism and bigotry shaped his character and fiery oratory.
Malcolm X speaks to reporters in D.C. on May 16, 1963. (AP)
Haley convinced Malcolm X to collaborate on the project. Haley wrote most of the book, toning down some of Malcolm X’s anger to make the text palatable to a wider audience.
Critics hailed “The Autobiography of Malcolm X” as a masterpiece in explaining the divide between White and Black America. The New York Times called it “brilliant, painful, important.” The book is now considered a classic, and its narrative would influence generations of writers and readers, who were beginning to view racism and civil rights through a new prism.
Unlike “Roots,” this book was not published by Reader’s Digest; Haley pursued it as an independent project, spurred on by his work on the Nation of Islam story — and the lessons he learned about writing in his early years at the magazine.
“In Haley, the editors found someone who could untangle sensitive topics in a way that was relatable,” Buhrmester said. “He could take someone controversial like a Malcolm X and get to the root of the thinking and the logic behind the person. Haley went by the maxim, ‘Find something good and praise it,’ which he picked up at Reader’s Digest. It was evident in all of his writing for the magazine.”
Though it’s sometimes seen today as a “grandma” magazine (in spite of its large global readership), Reader’s Digest was hugely influential in the 1950s and ’60s. As the highest-circulation magazine in the United States, it often influenced public opinion on such matters as communism, democracy, morality and values.
Haley started writing for Reader’s Digest as a freelancer in the 1950s. He joined the publication as a reporter in 1959 and eventually retired as a senior editor in 1991. He died the following year.
He was proud of his tenure at the magazine and acknowledged an “undying debt” for helping him succeed.
When the full version of his novel was published in 1977, Haley wrote an article for Reader’s Digest titled “What ‘Roots’ Means to Me.” He discussed its success as a book, its impact on race relations and the way it inspired millions of Americans of all creeds to learn about their origins.
“In this country, we have been like people who live in the same house and tend to stay in our own rooms, doing no more than peeking out and then ducking back,” he wrote. “If only we could all come out together, say in the living room, and learn more about each other, we couldn’t help but benefit. It would show us our future as a collective people — retaining, being proud of, our differences, but coming together in collective strength. That, I believe, is the hope for America.”
By Dave Kindy February 4, 2022 at 1:30 p.m. ES Washington Post
In March1960, a rookie reporter published a magazine article that would spark a historic shift in African American literature. Appearing in Reader’s Digest, “Mr. Muhammad Speaks” was an in-depth examination of the Nation of Islam, led by Elijah Muhammad, and its growing attraction to Black Americans.
The story itself was nothing groundbreaking, though it provided a balanced representation of the facts and offered insight into a movement that many White Americans found frightening. But for its author, it led directly to writing two of the most consequential works of Black history of the 20th century, books that would redefine American literature and change the way the country viewed race relations.
The writer was Alex Haley, who had just retired from the U.S. Coast Guard at age 39. Following the publication of the Nation of Islam story, he would co-author “The Autobiography of Malcolm X” and chronicle his own heritage in the fictionalized “Roots: The Saga of an American Family,” which became a groundbreaking and massively successful TV miniseries. Haley wrote both books while working at Reader’s Digest, which marks its 100th anniversary Saturday, and the publication funded his work on “Roots.”
“I read all of Alex Haley’s books before working at Reader’s Digest but was really surprised that I didn’t realize he was on staff here,” said Jason Buhrmester, the magazine’s chief content officer. “Reader’s Digest basically paid Haley for 12 years and covered all of his travel expenses to write ‘Roots.’ That book had such a big impact on America.”
Indeed, “Roots” was monumental as literature — it won the Pulitzer Prize in 1977 — and as a means for getting American society to examine the darker aspects of its history. The 1976 novel, based on Haley’s research into his ancestors’ origins in Africa and then in slavery, took the country by storm. It was number one on the New York Times bestseller list for 22 weeks and would have a lasting impact on generations of African Americans who wanted to know more about their forebears.
Haley’s depictions of the Middle Passage — the brutal forced transportation of enslaved people from Africa to America — would leave a mark on countless readers, including a young Henry Louis Gates Jr. The literary critic, historian, author and host of “Finding Your Roots” on PBS was profoundly changed when the book was printed in a condensed version by Reader’s Digest in 1974, two years before the full text was released by Doubleday.
“When I read the Reader’s Digest excerpts of ‘Roots’ in 1974, I was mesmerized — that’s the only word for it,” Gates wrote for the magazine’s centennial commemoration. He added: “I had a serious bout of envy toward Alex Haley. I wanted to be like him: I wanted to reverse the Middle Passage and find out where my ancestors were from in Africa, the motherland.”Press Enter to skip to end of carousel
“Roots” would also be revelatory for White Americans, who read the book and watched the miniseries by the tens of millions. Many would have their eyes opened to the uncomfortable reality that slavery was more than a “peculiar institution,” as Vice President John C. Calhoun had called it in 1830: It was a violent, vicious system of oppression based on racial indignity.
“Alex Haley later said that 99 percent of the letters he got were from White readers who said the book completely changed the way they viewed race relations in America,” Buhrmester said.
Published in 1965 following Malcolm X’s assassination, “The Autobiography” would have a similar impact on literature and society. Haley met the outspoken human rights activist while working on the article about the Nation of Islam. He interviewed Malcolm X several times for the piece and realized there was a bigger story in describing how the Muslim minister’s experiences with racism and bigotry shaped his character and fiery oratory.
Malcolm X speaks to reporters in D.C. on May 16, 1963. (AP)
Haley convinced Malcolm X to collaborate on the project. Haley wrote most of the book, toning down some of Malcolm X’s anger to make the text palatable to a wider audience.
Critics hailed “The Autobiography of Malcolm X” as a masterpiece in explaining the divide between White and Black America. The New York Times called it “brilliant, painful, important.” The book is now considered a classic, and its narrative would influence generations of writers and readers, who were beginning to view racism and civil rights through a new prism.
Unlike “Roots,” this book was not published by Reader’s Digest; Haley pursued it as an independent project, spurred on by his work on the Nation of Islam story — and the lessons he learned about writing in his early years at the magazine.
“In Haley, the editors found someone who could untangle sensitive topics in a way that was relatable,” Buhrmester said. “He could take someone controversial like a Malcolm X and get to the root of the thinking and the logic behind the person. Haley went by the maxim, ‘Find something good and praise it,’ which he picked up at Reader’s Digest. It was evident in all of his writing for the magazine.”
Though it’s sometimes seen today as a “grandma” magazine (in spite of its large global readership), Reader’s Digest was hugely influential in the 1950s and ’60s. As the highest-circulation magazine in the United States, it often influenced public opinion on such matters as communism, democracy, morality and values.
Haley started writing for Reader’s Digest as a freelancer in the 1950s. He joined the publication as a reporter in 1959 and eventually retired as a senior editor in 1991. He died the following year.
He was proud of his tenure at the magazine and acknowledged an “undying debt” for helping him succeed.
When the full version of his novel was published in 1977, Haley wrote an article for Reader’s Digest titled “What ‘Roots’ Means to Me.” He discussed its success as a book, its impact on race relations and the way it inspired millions of Americans of all creeds to learn about their origins.
“In this country, we have been like people who live in the same house and tend to stay in our own rooms, doing no more than peeking out and then ducking back,” he wrote. “If only we could all come out together, say in the living room, and learn more about each other, we couldn’t help but benefit. It would show us our future as a collective people — retaining, being proud of, our differences, but coming together in collective strength. That, I believe, is the hope for America.”
Opinion: Friendship Heights has a chance to begin to rectify its racist past
By Aaron L. Alexander, Ledlie Laughlin, Hannah Goldstein, Doug Robinson-Johnson and Molly Blythe Teichert February 18, 2022 at 10:00 a.m. EST Washington Post
Aaron L. Alexander is a rabbi at Adas Israel Congregation. Ledlie Laughlin is a pastor at St. Columba’s Episcopal Church. Hannah Goldstein is a rabbi at Temple Sinai. Doug Robinson-Johnson is a pastor at National United Methodist Church. Molly Blythe Teichert is a pastor at Chevy Chase Presbyterian Church. The writers lead congregations that are members of the Washington Interfaith Network and the Washington Interfaith Network Ward 3 Congregations Affordable Housing Work Group.O
This year, city planners, residents and landowners will come together to consider the future of Friendship Heights — the area around Wisconsin Avenue NW and the Maryland border. That effort, led by the Office of Planning as part of an extensive planning exercise for commercial corridors in Rock Creek West, should be driven by the need to repair past wrongs and to move toward a more equitable and dynamic future.
The area draws its name from a 3,124-acre parcel — Friendship — granted by Charles Calvert to James Stoddert and Thomas Addison in 1713. The name reflected the friendship of the families. Much of Friendship remained sleepy until the early 1900s and the arrival of the streetcar.
Infrastructure investments always shape residential development, and the early D.C. streetcars were no exception. They launched an era of “suburban” development in upper Northwest, including Friendship Heights, in the first half of the 20th century.
Housing opportunities in upper Northwest in that era were reserved for White people; African Americans were actively excluded and, where present, were effectively expelled at places such as Reno between Woodrow Wilson High School and Alice Deal Middle School and the area around Lafayette Elementary School.
Meanwhile, the Friendship Heights area, as outlined in the extraordinary scholarship of Neil Flanagan and Kimberly Bender, offered a tantalizing glimpse of what might have been and now must be. In 1906, four bold African American men — Alexander Satterwhite, Michel Dumas, James Neill and Charles Cuney — formed the Belmont Syndicate and purchased a parcel of land on the Maryland side of Friendship Heights. They marketed lots to both White and African American purchasers.
In the area known as Friendship, the response was anything but friendly. One White resident explained:No Negro shall ever build a house at Belmont. I speak for 500 men as determined as myself. We do not care what methods are needed to prevent a calamity which appears to be impending. Whatever they are those methods will be taken. To establish a negro colony at Belmont, practically at our doors and beyond the restraint of the District police force, would mean the impairment of our property values, a constant menace to our peace and security and the destruction of the happiness of our homes.
The Belmont Syndicate’s visionary effort was ultimately foiled, and the area remained, as it was intended to be by Francis Newlands and his Chevy Chase Land Company, segregated and affluent. Newlands, who tried to strip African Americans of the vote and casually referred to African Americans as a “race of children,” opined:History teaches that it is impossible to make homogenous people by the juxtaposition upon the same soil of races differing in color. Race tolerance, under such conditions, means, ultimately, race war and mutual destruction or the reduction of one race to servitude.
Sadly, in the first half of the 20th century, Newlands’s segregated, economically exclusive vision became a reality.
Even today, few African Americans make their home in Friendship Heights (or many of the neighborhoods of upper Northwest). Today’s residents of Friendship Heights do not hold the views of their predecessors 100 years ago, but the die of racial and economic segregation cast in the first half of the 20th century remains.
We come from different faith traditions, but we share an obligation to revisit the past to understand more fully our present and seed a different future. A future that, though recognizing our differences, transparently honors our shared humanity. For the moral fiber of any community is not necessarily determined by what its members believe in private (though that’s important), but by who and what its policies promote in public. Where there is a wrong, we are obligated to fix it. Where there is an opportunity to do right, we want to seize it.
And, happily, in Friendship Heights we have such an opportunity. The upcoming planning process offers a moment for repair. Friendship Heights became what it is today through concerted action. And concerted action is required now to create opportunities for African Americans as the Belmont Syndicate sought to do more than 100 years ago.
Over the years, there has been significant opposition to change in Friendship Heights. In the coming planning process, we hope neighbors and landowners will embrace change and together bend the arc. It is imperative that any resulting plan significantly move off the status quo.
Our planners must call for using public lands to build affordable housing and maximizing affordable housing on private land. We must provide affordable housing for teachers, firefighters, police and other hard-working Washingtonians who want to live in Friendship Heights and enjoy its plentiful amenities, as well as deeply affordable homes for those who labor in the upper Northwest’s retail and service sectors. We also need to create opportunities for homeownership for African Americans as part of redressing decades of purposeful exclusion.
Failure to dramatically break from the status quo is to tacitly endorse it. To us, that’s unacceptable. What we need is to embrace friendship not only in our hearts but with our hands as well.
A meaningful life is possible amid suffering, some therapists say
Acceptance and commitment therapy teaches people to acknowledge their negative feelings instead of trying to resist or wrestle with them
By Katherine Kam February 19, 2022 at 9:00 a.m. EST Washington Post
Emily Sandoz, a psychologist in Louisiana, has witnessed clients’ grueling struggles during the pandemic. Many said they felt trapped and deprived of their usual ways of coping. Others began therapy for the first time after the pause in their busy lives forced some existential questions: “Do any of these things that I used to put all this energy into even matter? Does my job even matter? Do my relationships matter?”F
Then, she said, her clients felt guilty.
“I know that this has been stressful for everyone, but . . .”
“I just feel like I should be able to handle this.”
“I know what I need to do, but I’m just not doing it.”
It’s natural to feel distress during such a harrowing time, Sandoz tells them, but even in the midst of inevitable pain and hardship, people can still live meaningful lives aligned with their highest values.
Sandoz provides a form of behavioral therapy called acceptance and commitment therapy, or ACT. Psychologists consider it a third-wave therapy after traditional behavior therapy and cognitive behavioral therapy. Infused with mindfulness concepts, ACT acknowledges that suffering is part of the human condition and guides people in becoming “psychologically flexible” to navigate life’s ups and downs and keep moving forward.
“Traditionally, most people think about psychological wellness in terms of the absence of something — the absence of a painful feeling, the absence of a painful memory,” said Sandoz, who is also a psychology professor at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. When people struggle, they believe it’s abnormal, she said.
ACT, pronounced like the word “act,” defines emotional health differently. “Psychological flexibility is really how we in ACT conceptualize psychological wellness,” Sandoz said. “What we mean by that is people being able to live their lives meaningfully and effectively, regardless of what they’re thinking or feeling, regardless of what memories are coming up, regardless of how they’re thinking of themselves, regardless of how much anxiety they may be experiencing or sadness or hopelessness.”
Steven C. Hayes, a psychology professor at the University of Nevada, originated ACT during the 1980s, but it still hasn’t fully entered the public consciousness. Research has shown that it can work to treat anxiety, depression, substance abuse, pain and other conditions. In one review of 36 randomized, controlled trials, ACT proved as effective as cognitive behavioral therapy in treating anxiety and depression, specifically by increasing psychological flexibility.
ACT diverges significantly from the rest of Western psychotherapy, which tends to label negative emotions as symptoms or problems to overcome. ACT teaches acceptance of negative feelings instead of trying to resist or wrestle with them.
While life has moments of joy, it’s unrealistic to expect happiness all the time, ACT experts say. Indeed, Americans’ love affair with the happiness myth — that we should constantly strive for positivity, productivity, success and a pleasurable life — started to feel hollow for many during the pandemic.
But people who feel unhappy or pressured can still take purposeful action, said Judy Ho, an associate professor of psychology at Pepperdine University in Southern California. “Even if that stress is intense, you don’t have to wait until things get better to do the things that are meaningful to you.”
Those with long-standing anxiety, depression, thoughts of self-harm or suicide, or other serious issues should consider working with a mental health professional who can lead them through ACT or provide other treatment, Ho said.
Tips on using ACT techniques
Many people can try using ACT approaches on their own, however. Three experts offered these tips:
Learn to accept all of your emotions.
Trying to control or suppress difficult emotions often doesn’t work and might even worsen distress in the long run, ACT experts say. ACT aims to help people accept (but not necessarily approve of) all of their emotions instead of avoiding or grappling with them.
That’s in contrast with cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), which seeks to help people identify and change negative or inaccurate thinking. While CBT can be quite effective, it didn’t suit Jennifer Gregg, a psychology professor at San José State University who said that she uses ACT in her own life. “That’s how I manage my own tough moments,” she said.
“A lot of what traditional psychotherapy approaches do is try to help you see the distortions in your thought processes or the ways that you might be thinking yourself into a corner,” she said. “All of the logic I could bring to the way I was thinking really didn’t change what I was feeling that much, and it didn’t really help me think about what I wanted to do differently next.”
By defining what gives her life meaning, she can “move toward those things rather than spending all of my time trying to control my thoughts and feelings,” she said.
Avoiding one’s emotions also can be counterproductive and lead to misuse of alcohol or drugs, Ho said.
ACT doesn’t aim expressly to eliminate bad feelings, but to help people open up to all of their emotional experiences to live more effectively, Sandoz said.
“Most people who come to therapy want me to help them get rid of something: painful memories, hard thoughts, difficult feelings. But that is not what I do,” she said. Instead, she tells them: “We are going to intentionally look at and welcome in those difficult experiences. We’re going to talk about things that bring up painful memories. We’re going to talk about things that bring up those hard, existential questions. And when we do that, we’ll then be practicing being with that experience in a different way.”
Sandoz said she hopes that clients will move from a rigid, debilitating thought, for example, “I want to go to college, but I’m too anxious about it,” to a more expansive and psychologically flexible one: “I want to go to college, and I’m anxious about it.” With the latter, a person can more readily accept her anxiety and start taking concrete steps toward attending college.
Change your relationship with your negative thoughts.
Most people look at the world from their thoughts and believe that everything they think must be true, Ho said. ACT teaches people to look at their thoughts as a mental event. Thoughts don’t always reflect reality. Instead of telling oneself, “I’m worthless,” a person can say, “I’m having a thought that I’m worthless.”
That small linguistic cue can create some healthy distance.
“Those thoughts and feelings are not you,” Gregg said. “I can just notice that these are feelings and that they are separate from me. From that stance, I might be able to let them come in, let them be there without needing to solve or reduce them or make them go away.”
When people step back to observe a thought, the notion might simply pass on its own, leaving them less likely to be consumed by it, Ho said.
In contrast, when a person gets entangled in a negative thought, “it tends to dominate everything,” Sandoz said. “It’ll feel like I have to do something here. I have to make this anxiety go away, or I have to prove to this person how right I am.”
ACT therapists also speak of an “observing self,” which can sound abstract, but refers to an abiding, detached awareness that notices and watches events unfolding in one’s own life. Ho, who counsels clients using ACT, said, “The observing self is much like an audience watching a play, where they care about the story, but they’re not so attached to it. Yet they’re still engaged in that conversation.”
By taking time to observe what’s going on externally and internally (how one is thinking and feeling), people can decide how to proceed more thoughtfully, the experts say.
Clarify your values and take committed action toward a meaningful life.
ACT doesn’t aim to only increase psychological flexibility. It also emphasizes the pursuit of a meaningful life in accordance with one’s most cherished values, Ho said.
Choosing one’s values creates a north star to guide the journey. “Values clarification is about really connecting to who I want to be today,” Gregg said. “What matters to me? What difference do I want to make?”
People select values that give their lives inherent meaning. Those values might include creativity, compassion, faith, rewarding relationships, knowledge, mentoring and professional accomplishment, among many others.
Values must be connected to concrete goals that flow from them. “If you just think about your values, it can be a little stressful unless you tie it to really specific actions and things that you know how to do,” said Gregg, who has done research on ACT.
For starters, someone who prizes community can text a relative who isn’t doing well, Gregg said. A person who seeks knowledge can start reading a periodical that offers fresh perspectives.
The ultimate goal is to move toward “bigger or more extended patterns of action that we might call valued action or committed actions — these larger goals that are connected to very clear purposes,” Sandoz said.
Sandoz knows that it can be tough to pursue goals fully during the pandemic.
“Sometimes, the only action that we see is the biggest perfect behavior that we can engage in and that feels so far away and so overwhelming and it can be hard to get moving at all,” she said. “So I encourage people to start with the most simple needs,” including taking care of one’s physical needs.
“The world is different today,” Sandoz said. Sometimes, “the only thing that we can do is add to our learning. That’s what healing is.”
If people are struggling, Sandoz said, they can ask themselves: “‘Okay, the learning I’ve had so far didn’t prepare me for this. What new learning can I offer myself? What new experiences can I give myself?”
When people take steps despite their distress, they might start feeling better as a byproduct, Ho said.
During the pandemic, ACT therapists have seen clients move in novel directions. Some have questioned their former values, including career success. New values are trending, including spirituality, community, social justice and adventure.
There’s a greater sense of urgency, too, Sandoz said.
“Some people are recognizing values that maybe they’ve always had on the back burner,” she said. “It always felt like they’d get around to it at some point, and suddenly, it feels like, ‘Oh, this is right now. People are dying. If I want this to happen, I really need to acknowledge and admit this value now.’”
Last year more than 5,200 Americans of all ages and backgrounds united to meet local needs, strengthen communities, and expand opportunity through national service in Maryland. AmeriCorps invested more than $18 million in federal funding to support cost-effective community solutions, working hand in hand with local partners to empower individuals to help communities tackle their toughest challenges.
AmeriCorps members and AmeriCorps Seniors volunteers are preparing today’s students for tomorrow’s jobs, helping communities and families impacted by COVID-19, connecting veterans to services, fighting the opioid epidemic, helping seniors live independently, rebuilding communities after disasters, and leading conservation and climate change efforts.
AmeriCorps members and AmeriCorps Seniors volunteers served at more than 700 locations across Maryland, including schools, food banks, homeless shelters, health clinics, youth centers, veterans facilities, and other nonprofit and faith-based organizations. Through a unique public-private partnership, AmeriCorps and its partners generated more than $8.6 million in outside resources from businesses, foundations, public agencies, and other sources in Maryland last year. This local support strengthened community impact and increased the return on taxpayer dollars.
Our Programs and Initiatives
AmeriCorps State and National awards grants to organizations to engage individuals in sustained service to address local, regional, and national challenges. Thousands of opportunities exist in locations across the country to serve with nonprofits, schools, public agencies, tribes, and community and faith-based groups. Most AmeriCorps grant funding goes to Maryland Governor’s Office on Service and Volunteerism, the Governor-appointed State Service Commission, which in turn awards grants to organizations to respond to local needs.
AmeriCorps VISTA places individuals with nonprofit organizations, public agencies, and tribal governments to expand reach and deepen impact in making sustainable change that alleviates the impact of poverty. Through fundraising, volunteer recruitment, program development, and more, AmeriCorps members gain experience and leadership skills that put them on track for a life of service in the public, private, or nonprofit sector.
AmeriCorps NCCC is a full-time, team-based, residential program for 18–26-year-olds. Whether building homes for families in need or accelerating our nation’s capacity to respond to a crisis, AmeriCorps NCCC members engage in a variety of community identified projects during their service term, while developing leadership, teamwork, and professional skills. AmeriCorps NCCC FEMA Corps serves communities, in coordination with FEMA, through disaster preparedness, response, and recovery.
AmeriCorps Seniors Foster Grandparents provides grants to organizations to engage low-income Americans aged 55 and older in providing one-on-one mentoring and academic support to children with special or exceptional needs. In 2020, Foster Grandparents in Maryland served more than 1590 young people with special needs.
AmeriCorps Seniors Senior Companions provides grants to organizations to engage low-income Americans aged 55 and older in providing supportive, individualized services to help homebound seniors and other adults maintain their dignity and independence. In 2020, Seniors Companions in Maryland provided independent living support to more than 120 individuals.
AmeriCorps Seniors RSVP provides grants to organizations to engage Americans aged 55 and older in tutoring and mentoring youth, responding to natural disasters, supporting veterans and their families, and meeting other critical needs.
Volunteer Generation Fund supports voluntary organizations and state service commissions in boosting the impact of volunteers in addressing critical community needs.
MLK Day of Service is observed each year on the third Monday in January. It is the only federal holiday designated as a national day of service to encourage all Americans to volunteer to deepen ties to communities, expand racial equity, and solidify service to others as a national commitment.
9/11 Day of Service calls Americans across the country to volunteer in their local communities in tribute to the individuals lost and injured in the attacks, first responders, and the many who have risen in service to defend freedom since Sept. 11, 2001.
Learn More
To see other reports about national service in Maryland, email MD@cns.gov.
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