We enjoyed a moving tribute to civil-rights legend Dorothy Height and celebration of civic participation in the African American community. Read on to find out who was there and what they said.
Michael Strautmanis, chief of staff for the assistant to the president for Intergovernmental Relations and Public Engagement. Photograph by Kyle Gustafson.
What: The 14th annual Spirit of Democracy Awards, presented by the National Coalition on Black Civic Participation.
Where: The Renaissance Hotel in downtown DC.
When: Wednesday, May 19, 6:30 to 10:30.
Ticket price: $175.
Attire: Women wore high-powered office attire, and men were decked in pinstripes.
Who: Washington’s African American elite mingled and dined at the benefit gala celebrating the presentation of five Spirit of Democracy Awards to honor achievements in corporate leadership, economic and community empowerment, and black-civic-participation trailblazers. A special Chairman’s Circle award was presented to Representative William Lacy Clay, Jr. of St. Louis for his dedication to minorities in his home community. Everyone felt the absence of civil-rights matriarch Dorothy I. Height, a founding board member of the organization and the 2009 ceremony’s honorary chair. Height was repeatedly eulogized by nearly everyone who took the podium, including Mistress of Ceremonies LaToya Foster, Southeast Tennis and Learning Center founder Cora Masters Barry, and Michael Strautmanis, chief of staff for the assistant to the president for Intergovernmental Relations and Public Engagement.
Scene: The Renaissance ballroom, glistening under chandeliers, was filled with tables draped in navy cloth. Elegant but simple flower arrangements sat in the middle of each table, and at each place setting sat a scroll with a speech given by Height on election night in 2008. A live band featuring the sultry sounds of Julia Nixon, a jazz singer and Washington fixture for more than 20 years, played throughout the evening.
Food and drink: Ravenous diners queued at a generous buffet, which featured cheese tortellini in a sage cream sauce, braised lamb, grilled vegetables, and a carving station with beef. A decadent dessert included strawberries dipped in both milk and white chocolate, delicate petits fours with a chocolate glaze, and mini pecan- and key-lime-pie squares.
Most touching moment: The organization’s interim chairman, Richard M. Womack, paid homage to Height, calling her the “queen mother” and “esteemed leader” of the civil-rights movement. He asked patrons to “think of her as an eagle because sparrows fly in flocks. Eagles fly alone.”
Cutest moment: Seven-year-old Leah Long, a young tennis scholar at the Southeast Tennis and Learning Center, gave a costumed rendition of Height that described the civil-rights leader’s life and accomplishments. No detail was spared, including Height’s famous penchant for hats and flowery dialect. Hardly a face in the house wasn’t grinning from ear to ear.
Most political moment: Strautmanis offered greetings from the White House and shared his feelings about our country’s first African American President. He also took the opportunity to assure the audience that President Obama’s choice for the Supreme Court, Elena Kagan, was indeed a devoted partner in the fight for civil rights. This was in response to a letter delivered to the President last week by the National Coalition on Black Civic Participation, in which the organization expressed concern over Kagan’s record on equal-rights protection.
Ratings: Boldface guests: 2 (out of 5) Swankiness: 3 (out of 5) Food and drinks: 3 (out of 5) Overall exclusivity: 2 (out of 5) Total score: 10 (out of 20)
A Night Out: Spirit of Democracy Awards
What: The 14th annual Spirit of Democracy Awards, presented by the National Coalition on Black Civic Participation.
Where: The Renaissance Hotel in downtown DC.
When: Wednesday, May 19, 6:30 to 10:30.
Ticket price: $175.
Attire: Women wore high-powered office attire, and men were decked in pinstripes.
Who: Washington’s African American elite mingled and dined at the benefit gala celebrating the presentation of five Spirit of Democracy Awards to honor achievements in corporate leadership, economic and community empowerment, and black-civic-participation trailblazers. A special Chairman’s Circle award was presented to Representative William Lacy Clay, Jr. of St. Louis for his dedication to minorities in his home community. Everyone felt the absence of civil-rights matriarch Dorothy I. Height, a founding board member of the organization and the 2009 ceremony’s honorary chair. Height was repeatedly eulogized by nearly everyone who took the podium, including Mistress of Ceremonies LaToya Foster, Southeast Tennis and Learning Center founder Cora Masters Barry, and Michael Strautmanis, chief of staff for the assistant to the president for Intergovernmental Relations and Public Engagement.
Scene: The Renaissance ballroom, glistening under chandeliers, was filled with tables draped in navy cloth. Elegant but simple flower arrangements sat in the middle of each table, and at each place setting sat a scroll with a speech given by Height on election night in 2008. A live band featuring the sultry sounds of Julia Nixon, a jazz singer and Washington fixture for more than 20 years, played throughout the evening.
Food and drink: Ravenous diners queued at a generous buffet, which featured cheese tortellini in a sage cream sauce, braised lamb, grilled vegetables, and a carving station with beef. A decadent dessert included strawberries dipped in both milk and white chocolate, delicate petits fours with a chocolate glaze, and mini pecan- and key-lime-pie squares.
Most touching moment: The organization’s interim chairman, Richard M. Womack, paid homage to Height, calling her the “queen mother” and “esteemed leader” of the civil-rights movement. He asked patrons to “think of her as an eagle because sparrows fly in flocks. Eagles fly alone.”
Cutest moment: Seven-year-old Leah Long, a young tennis scholar at the Southeast Tennis and Learning Center, gave a costumed rendition of Height that described the civil-rights leader’s life and accomplishments. No detail was spared, including Height’s famous penchant for hats and flowery dialect. Hardly a face in the house wasn’t grinning from ear to ear.
Most political moment: Strautmanis offered greetings from the White House and shared his feelings about our country’s first African American President. He also took the opportunity to assure the audience that President Obama’s choice for the Supreme Court, Elena Kagan, was indeed a devoted partner in the fight for civil rights. This was in response to a letter delivered to the President last week by the National Coalition on Black Civic Participation, in which the organization expressed concern over Kagan’s record on equal-rights protection.
Ratings:
Boldface guests: 2 (out of 5)
Swankiness: 3 (out of 5)
Food and drinks: 3 (out of 5)
Overall exclusivity: 2 (out of 5)
Total score: 10 (out of 20)
Subscribe to Washingtonian
Follow Washingtonian on Twitter
More>> Capital Comment Blog | News & Politics | Party Photos
Editors' Picks
How Mindy Thomas Became Your Kids’ Favorite Podcast Star
What It’s REALLY Like to Be a Woman in Congress
How Lobbying Has Changed in Donald Trump’s Washington
The 100 Very Best Restaurants in Washington
Most Popular in News
Please Stop Calling My Humor Dad Jokes
A Woman in a DC Courtroom Got Sick. Good Thing Anthony Fauci Was in the Jury Pool.
Alexandria Dog Owners Don’t Want Their Dogs Smelling a Proposed Halal Butchery
Celebrate the Cherry Blossoms the Trump Hotel Way
New Public Libraries Are Some of the Best Buildings in DC
March 2019: Washington Billionaires
Related
A Look Inside One of the Country’s Biggest Vinyl Record Plants
There Are Still Six Confederate Memorials Around DC. How’s That Possible?
“Investment Layoff” Is a Masterpiece of Corporate Euphemism
Secret Service: Man Claimed to Be Jesus and Plotted to Kidnap One of the Obamas’ Dogs
More from News
Meet the Foreign Correspondents Trying to Translate Trump’s America for the Folks Back Home
Britain Still Plans to Take Part in the EU’s Open House Day This May
Life Gets Difficult for Local Boaters When Trump Golfs. A New Coast Guard Rule May Change That.
A Woman in a DC Courtroom Got Sick. Good Thing Anthony Fauci Was in the Jury Pool.
Vote Now: What’s the Best Local Athlete, Politician, and Neighborhood for Shopping Excursions Around DC?
Washingtonian Today: Russian Man Excited to Visit White House
Please Stop Calling My Humor Dad Jokes
Why Robin Givhan Lives in NoMa