The owner and a potential developer oppose listing, but many community members support saving the French Gothic mansion. On July 12, 2022, the Landmarks Preservation Commission held a public hearing for the designation of the Jacob Dangler House as an individual monument. Located at 441 Willoughby Avenue at the intersection of Willoughby and Nostrand, this Bedford-Stuyvesant mansion has been scheduled for review on June 7, 2022.

The building was constructed from 1897 to 1898 and built in the French Gothic style for prominent Brooklyn merchant Jacob Dangler. Although there are modifications, including a significant addition that prompted questions from the commissioners, the integrity of the building is intact. Dangler House was purchased in 1954 by the Universal Grand Lodge, a Masonic organization, and has been home to the United Grand Chapter of the Order of the Eastern Star ever since. The Order is very involved in Bed-Stuy, using the house as a community gathering space and pantry and providing scholarships to local students. Despite the Order’s engagement with the local community, the owners are in the process of selling the property to a developer, Brooklyn 360, who plans to demolish the house and build new apartments. Landmarks was only able to reach the Order after the building schedule.

Potential Brooklyn 360 developer Tomer Erlich was represented with a statement read by his company’s attorney, Eliad S. Shapiro, opposing the landmark. Shapiro alleged that Landmarks “damaged Brooklyn 360” by leaving them off guard for this hearing. According to Shapiro, on April 8, 2022, Brooklyn 360 requested status reports on six properties, including the Dangler House. Brooklyn 360 received four reports on April 11^e and a fifth report in May, but did not receive a report on the Dangler house. After more than a month, Brooklyn 360 sent a follow-up request to Landmarks regarding the Dangler house. May 24^e, Landmarks informed Brooklyn 360 that the Dangler House was unlisted. On June 3, 2022, Brooklyn 360 moved forward and applied for a demolition permit from the Department of Buildings. The building permit application form was rejected on June 7^e, on the same day, Landmarks voted the Dangler House schedule for review. Shapiro claimed that “this intentional delay violated LPC precedent” and asked to delay this Landmarks hearing due to Brooklyn 360’s lack of preparation time due to short notice. Shapiro added that the developer is willing to build a large community center and affordable housing in the new apartment complex.

Representatives from the United Grand Chapter also testified to the sale decision, with member Arlene Punnett explaining that they have been struggling financially since the COVID pandemic. According to Punnett, the pandemic interfered with the chapter’s ability to rent out the mansion as event space; that the building is in disorder; and that financial difficulties led to the difficult decision to sell. While the chapter is open to saving the building and adding new housing around it, Punnett strongly opposed the establishment of monuments, arguing that leaving the building as is would render it “unsaleable”. and “Nostrand and Willoughby’s greatest horror”.

The chapter’s deputy grand matron, Celeste Jefferson, also testified in opposition, with several members relying on her for testimony. Jefferson reiterated that COVID “really destroyed [the Chapter’s] finances” and that their “only recourse” was to sell. Jefferson pointed to the strong possibility that Brooklyn 360 will back down if the house is listed, which she says would force the chapter to sue and file for bankruptcy. Since the building is already “decayed”, Jefferson thinks the neighborhood would be better off with new development.

Mark Brandoff, the attorney for the United Grand Chapter, added that there are currently foreclosure proceedings against the owners, who owe $2.5 million on the mortgage. Brandoff echoed Jefferson’s belief that if the sale failed, the chapter would go bankrupt and spoke out against the potential staking.

Elected officials and many members of the community have spoken out in favor of saving the Dangler House and enhancing the building. Council member Chi Ossé, who represents the district, wants the building to be a landmark because of its historical and cultural impact, and noted that “Bed-Stuy’s proud culture is not only represented in this space, but facilitated by him”. National Assembly Member Stefani Zinerman, who represents the district, also expressed support.

Brooklyn Community Board 3 Landmarks Preservation Committee Chair Evelyn Collier read a resolution expressing the board’s support for the creation of landmarks. Collier highlighted the historic success of Jacob Dangler and the positive impact of the United Grand Chapter today. Collier said Community Board 3 “stands with residents and conservators” in their support for the construction of the building. Another community board member later spoke out in opposition, suggesting that the Dangler House should become a museum instead, and stressing the need for the new apartments to be culturally diverse.

Several members of the Willoughby Nostrand Mercer Block Association expressed their support, starting with testimony from Vice President Lauren Cawdry. Cawdry explained that the block association tried to work with the owners, but they never responded and argued that they should have asked the community for financial help if they were in trouble. She expressed concern that the sale was never made public and the environmental impact of a potential new development.

Cawdry said illegal work was currently taking place at the mansion and 311 had stopped receiving complaints despite the home’s proximity to two elementary schools. Cawdry also praised the architecture, saying “we’ll find another space to meet, but we’ll never find another structure like this.”

Other community members and landmark advocates have spoken out in favor of establishing landmarks. Silvana Tropea read a statement on behalf of actor Edward Norton, a New York resident who shot much of the 2019 film motherless brooklyn on Willoughby Ave. Norton believed that buildings like the Dangler House were a valuable piece of history and should be considered a “major city asset” when it came to creative productions in New York.

Christina Conroy of the Victorian Society noted that although the owners have applied for a demolition permit, no plans or applications for new buildings have been filed, fearing that the house will be “unnecessarily demolished” and that the land will remain vacant for years.

Suzanne Spellman, an architectural historian and longtime Bed-Stuy resident whose work has been used in this historic process, disagreed with the chapter’s sentiment that no one would buy the land if the sale at Brooklyn 360 was failing. “I strongly disagree that no one wants a historic building,” Spellman said, adding that developers just have to be willing and creative.

Andrea Goldman of the New York Landmarks Conservancy urged Landmarks to hold a vote quickly and offered the Conservancy to possibly to help the owners financially.

Landmarks President Sarah Carroll concluded the discussion by stating that the Commission will consider all testimony and vote on the Dangler House landmark at a later date.

By: strong cassidy (Cassidy is an intern at CityLaw and a student at New York Law School, class of 2024.)

LPC: Jacob Dangler House, 441 Willoughby Ave., Brooklyn (LP-2261) (July 12, 2022).

Railroad call coordinator Trevor Swainson said: “The station buildings were built in the Victorian era and are now showing signs of wear and tear.

“We regard Horsted Keynes as our ‘crown jewel’ and hope this appeal will make the station shine again.”

Horsted Keynes has been used by many film crews and TV production companies as a location for period dramas thanks to his appearance.

Shows featuring the habe station included Downton Abbey, Poirot and the film version of The Woman In Black.

Built in 1882, Horsted Keynes was originally part of the Lewes-East Grinstead line of the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway.

It was purchased by the Bluebell Railway in the 1960s, who preserved, maintained and decorated it in the style of a 1930s Southern Railway junction station.

A study of the station by the railroad calculated that the first phase of repair work will cost at least half a million pounds, with the initial repairs to be made on the station and platform five.

Members of the Bluebell Railway Preservation Society have already pledged £ 20,000 for the restoration, and the charitable branch of the railway is pledging to match all public donations by the end of January up to a total of £ 150,000.

Mr Swainson said: “For its age, Horsted Keynes station is in remarkably good condition, but now is the time to weather the deterioration.

“We believe it is one of the largest stations on preserved railway tracks and the only preserved junction station.”

The Bluebell Railway is the oldest heritage railway of its kind, spanning 11 miles of track from Sheffield Park in East Sussex to East Grinstead in West Sussex.

Do you have a story for us? Send an email to [email protected] or contact us here.

follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to follow all the latest news.

Sign up for our newsletter to receive updates straight to your inbox.

You can also call us on 01273 021 400.

JEFFERSON PARK — A Far Northwest Side group wants a historic church that held its last mass last year to be given historic status to save it from potential demolition.

Our Lady of Victory, 5212 W. Agatite Ave., closed her parish as part of the Archdiocese of Chicago renew my church consolidation plan. The building is still a Catholic church open for services under the permission of the Archdiocese for the time being.

Although the archdiocese has no immediate plans for the building, it mentioned options to sell the property when it announced the closure in 2020. This has caused panic among parishioners and community members, as they want to ensure the building is preserved and remains a neighborhood asset.

A petition by the neighborhood group Save Our Lady of Victory calls on elected officials to work with the city to grant the church landmark status.

“It’s one of the most fabulous pieces of architecture on the northwest side – we don’t want to lose it,” said Susanna Ernst, president of the Chicago Northwest Historical Society and a Our Lady of Victory parishioner who organized the petition.

Our Lady of Victory, founded in 1906, is oldest catholic church on the far northwest. It has hosted Irish, Polish and German congregations. Its architectural significance, community outreach and growth between the 1920s and 1950s make it important to the region, Ernst said.

The church has been suggested for landmark status for the Chicago Landmarks Commission by the Northwest Chicago Historical Society, Ernst said. The commission, which is a branch of the City Planning and Development Department, is responsible for recommending sites for legal protection as official city landmarks.

If the commission finds that Notre-Dame de la Victoire meets the requirements of historical, architectural and cultural significance to become a landmark, the approval of the alderman and the property would be necessary, according to the city. landmarks ordinance. A public hearing, followed by a decision by the commission, is then presented to the city council before the monument becomes official.

Credit: Colin Boyle/Block Club Chicago

While some people view the Notre Dame de la Victoire group as prejudicial to a possible sale of the church, Ernst said she fears it could be sold to an entity that would destroy it.

“Because the archdiocese hasn’t told anyone who the potential buyers are, we have to assume the worst,” she said.

Archdiocesan spokeswoman Susan Thomas said options are still being considered for the property, but those owned by the archdiocese are not considered a landmark by the Catholic organization.

“To the extent that we sell or transfer ownership of a property to another owner, that owner is free to pursue this designation if they wish,” the archdiocese said in a statement. “We are not aware of any decision to designate Our Lady of Victory as a landmark.”

The petition for landmark designation has been signed by over 400 people.

RELATED: Ahead of Last Mass at Our Lady of Victory Church, Jefferson Park Community Pledges to Preserve Historic Building

Preservation Chicago added the church to its list of 2021 endangered buildings and recommended that it be repurposed as another religious space, event venue, or housing.

“The church could still remain a sacred site, but perhaps be wrapped up in other uses, perhaps community-related, or perhaps an educational institution,” said Ward Miller, executive director of Preservation. Chicago. “The historic designation encourages the right kinds of ideas and a creative imagination applied to these structures.”

Credit: Colin Boyle/Block Club Chicago

In addition to benefiting the Far Northwest Side, which has few iconic buildings, the designation could benefit the archdiocese, Miller said. With the closure of the churches of the archdiocese and parishes of the region as part of his renew my church plan, its Catholic churches could see new life and sustainability with the city’s help, Miller said.

The archdiocese “could still mark the exterior of the building and encourage the city to maintain large structures, even if they are closing or in disrepair,” Miller said.

Since the archdiocese does not view its properties as a landmark, Miller said consent to ownership of religious buildings — added to the ordinance in 1987 — should be repealed.

“City funds could be used to repair these buildings…. It would show collaboration rather than a corporate hierarchy in an ivory tower making decisions that impact communities across the city and many, many people,” he said.

Local aldermen and state officials have joined in the outreach effort to keep the church in the community. Last year Ald. Nick Sposato (38th) named North Laramie Avenue of West Agatite Avenues in West Sunnyside as Honorary Our Lady of Victory.

“It’s our history, our architecture. This is ours,” Ernst previously said of the church. “He belongs to the community. And when you take that away from us, you don’t just take it away from Catholics – you take it away from every person.

Subscribe to Block Club Chicago, an independent, 501(c)(3) newsroom run by journalists. Every penny we earn funds neighborhoods across Chicago.

Click on here to support Block Club with a tax deductible donation.

Thank you for subscribing to Block Club Chicago, an independent, 501(c)(3), journalist-run newsroom. Every penny we make funds Chicago neighborhoods. Click on here to support Block Club with a tax deductible donation.

Listen to “It’s Alright: A Block Club Chicago Podcast” Here:

They survived the vacuum of space and even came back to life after being frozen for decades in the moss of Antarctica. But as hard as it is to kill the bizarre microscopic animal, the tardigrade, it’s harder to find a fossilized one. In fact, only two have been discovered and officially named – so far.

In in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B, principal researchers at the New Jersey Institute of Technology and Harvard University described only the third tardigrade fossil ever recorded, a new genus and a new species Paradoryphoribius chronocaribbeus gen. and sp. Nov. (Pdo. Chronocaribbeus), which is entirely preserved in Dominican amber dating from the Miocene, 16 million years old.

Measured at just over half a millimeter, the specimen has been identified as a relative of the modern tardigrade superfamily, Isohypsibioidea, and represents the first tardigrade fossil recovered from the Cenozoic, the current geological era beginning 66 million ago. years.

Researchers say the pristine specimen is the best-represented fossil tardigrade to date – capturing micron-level detail of the mouthparts of the eight-legged invertebrate and needle-like claws 20 to 30 times thinner than ‘a human hair. The new fossil is deposited in the Invertebrate Division of Zoology of the American Museum of Natural History.

“The discovery of a fossil tardigrade is truly a once-in-a-generation event,†said Phil Barden, lead author of the study and assistant professor of biology at the New Jersey Institute of Technology. “What is so remarkable is that the tardigrades are an ancient ubiquitous lineage that has seen everything on Earth from the fall of dinosaurs to the rise of terrestrial colonization of plants. Yet they are like a ghost lineage to them. paleontologists with almost no fossil record. Finding the remains of tardigrade fossils is an exciting time where we can empirically see their progression through Earth’s history. “

“At first glance, this fossil appears similar to modern tardigrades due to its relatively simple external morphology,†said Marc A. Mapalo, lead author of the study and graduate student in the Department of Organic and Evolutionary Biology at Harvard. “However, for the first time, we visualized the internal anatomy of the foregut in a tardigrade fossil and found combinations of characters in this specimen that we don’t see in living organisms now. Not only does this allow us to place this tardigrade in a new genus, but we can now explore the evolutionary changes this group of organisms has undergone over millions of years.

Tardigrades, or water bears, are renowned for their unusual appearance and self-sustaining abilities – some species are known to survive extreme conditions by curling up in a dehydrated ball and entering a state of animation. suspended where their metabolism is virtually paused, known as cryptobiosis.

Rare finds of late fossils such as PDO. chronocaribeus, suggests the team, could provide new molecular estimates that offer new insight into the major evolutionary events that have shaped the more than 1,300 species on the planet today, such as the miniaturization of their bodily plane into one of The smallest known animals on Earth with legs.

Perhaps the biggest challenge in finding tardigrade fossils is their size.

“It’s a slight dot in the amber,†Barden said. “In reality, PDO. chronocaribeus was originally an inclusion hidden in the corner of a piece of amber with three different ant species our lab had studied, and it hasn’t been spotted for months.

Barden says the non-biomineralized microscopic bodies of tardigrades are also particularly suited for preservation in amber derived from plant resin, which is able to safely envelop and preserve organisms as tiny as water bears and even individual bacteria.

“This particular mode of fossilization helps explain the uneven fossil record,†Barden explained. “Fossil amber with arthropods trapped inside is only known from 230 million years ago to the present day… it is less than half of the history of tardigrades.”

Placement PDO. chronocaribeus on the tardigrade tree

While tardigrades are believed to have diverged from other pre-Cambrian panarthropod lineages 540 million years ago, only two definitive tardigrade fossils have been formally described, both from Cretaceous fossil deposits in America. North.

To explore PDO. chronocaribeus and Out of its place on the tardigrade ancestral tree, Mapalo used high-power laser confocal fluorescence microscopy to finely image the specimen. The team then compared it to a range of morphological features associated with the main tardigrade groups living today, including key identifiers such as body surface, claws, oral system, and egg morphology. .

“The fact that we have had to rely on imaging techniques usually reserved for cell and molecular biology shows how difficult it is to study fossil tardigrades,” said Javier Ortega-Hernandez, assistant professor of biological biology and scalable at Harvard. “We hope this work will encourage our colleagues to take a closer look at their amber samples with similar techniques to better understand these cryptic organisms.”

The team’s places of analysis PDO. chronocaribeus in one of the three basic classes of tardigrade, Eutardigadra, and makes them the first definitive fossil member of the superfamily called Isohypsibioidea – a diverse species that today inhabit aquatic and terrestrial environments and are generally characterized by their distinct claws which vary in size from leg to leg.

The discovery also places a minimum age on the Isohypsibioidea family.

“We are only scratching the surface when it comes to understanding living Lateigrade communities, especially in places like the Caribbean where they have not been studied,†Barden said. “This study is a reminder that as little as we can get any tardigrade fossils, we also know very little about the living species on our planet today.”

Pictures illustrating the work are available at Google drive.

… ..

Mapalo MA, Robin N, Boudinot BE, Ortega-Hernández J, Barden P. 2021, A tardigrade in Dominican amber. Proc. R. Soc. B 20211760. https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2021.1760

---

---

Disclaimer: AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of any press releases posted on EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information via the EurekAlert system.

A new construction and renovation project is set to begin soon on the historic Georgia Military College campus, the school said in a news release Friday.

Wilder Hall, located on the south side of the main square on campus, will undergo renovations and get a new adjacent annex building to create more space for GMC Prep School’s growing elementary enrollment.

The military readiness school is expected to inaugurate the $6.3 million state-funded project with a ceremony at 1:15 p.m. Friday. GMC officials say completion should be in time for the start of the 2023-24 school year.

When complete, the renovated Wilder Hall and new annex will span over 17,000 square feet. The facility will house three fifth-grade classrooms, three fourth-grade classrooms, a student testing room, an auxiliary classroom, a teacher workroom, an administrative office, a reception area, and space for future classrooms. GMC Prep currently has two classes at the fourth and fifth grade levels. The renovation will allow the addition of a class at each of these two levels, bringing enrollment to just over 60 students per year K-5.

“We are thrilled to have completed our growth at GMC Prep School with the expansion into K-2 grades last year,” said Lt. Gen. William B. Caldwell IV, GMC president, in an e -mail to The Union-Recorder. “As the size of these classes increases, the demand for more space is evident in our primary school.”

Space has long been an issue for GMC Prep, especially since the school began expanding at the elementary level in 2018 when fourth and fifth grades were added. Third grade arrived in 2019, and kindergarten through second joined the fray in 2021. Classrooms were moved to campus while construction and renovation projects were carried out to make room for students. additional grade levels. The ground floor of the old Capitol building has been renovated. Jenkins Hall was given a makeover and an annex was also built there to accommodate the lower classes. Work at Jenkins Hall was completed in the fall of 2019 and GMC received Recognition of Excellence in Rehabilitation from the Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation for this project.

The school aims to take the same level of care with the work at Wilder Hall.

“We at Georgia Military College are great stewards of preserving our community’s history,” Caldwell said. “Over the years, we have had the privilege of restoring several historic properties, including the old Capitol building, which we use as the operating headquarters at the Georgia Military College, as well as our bookstore and visual arts department. , the Alumni House, Jenkins Hall (also known as ‘Little GMC’), and more. Preserving and honoring the history of our community and our state is extremely important to us and we are grateful to the Historic Preservation Society for working with us to return Wilder Hall to its original state. Students at Georgia Military College Prep School will continue to carry the legacy of structures in the historic Old Capitol Square.

If campus visitors walk through the south gate of the GMC on Franklin Street, Wilder Hall is the first building on the left along the brick walkway. Built by the Civilian Conservation Corps, it was opened in 1939 to serve as the third training facility for the U.S. Army Instructors Group, which was the predecessor of the Army ROTC according to information provided by GMC. The building has supported GMC’s mission to train and prepare cadets for more than 70 years as army officers. Now, most of these instructions take place in what is called the headquarters of the former Capitol Guard Battalion located near the James E. Baugh Barracks. Wilder Hall is currently home to GMC’s online college staff. These staff members will be relocating to the Carolyn Building next to the Milledgeville-Baldwin County Chamber of Commerce on Jefferson Street. Formerly apartments, GMC says its engineering team brought the Carolyn building up to code so it could house college staff online.

When McDonald County Sheriff Rob Evenson looks at a pile of checks that will help fund a child safety initiative, he’s amazed — but not surprised — at the county’s support.

“I’m amazed at the support for this and law enforcement,” he said. McDonald County neighbors “really step in” when the cause centers on helping children.

The checks are the direct result of a fundraising letter distributed about two months ago. The letter was sent by the National Child Safety Council, with Evenson’s signature, so people know it’s a legitimate cause, he said.

The NCSC is a federally tax-exempt 501(c)(3) nonprofit charitable organization dedicated to keeping children safe, according to its website. Materials are available exclusively through local law enforcement agencies nationwide.

The NCSC holds an annual fundraiser, with money earmarked for specific agencies. All contributions sent in support of the McDonald County Sheriff’s Office are specifically for publications and resources, which Evenson says are used in conjunction with DARE (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) and other outreach opportunities in schools.

Educational materials range from drug prevention to stranger danger, bike and playground safety, how to call 911 and more.

These funds enable the MCSO to purchase these materials. When the materials arrive, they’re not a full palette, but they come in multiple batches, Evenson said.

Companies, organizations and individuals all contribute. Nearly two months later, Evenson is still receiving — on average — a check a day. For that, Evenson is grateful.

“Anything we can do to make the world a little safer,” he said.

For Gayla Baker, the cause directly helps children and also benefits the entire county.

Baker, who is a board member of the Jane Preservation Society, said the organization’s leaders recently voted to donate $1,000 to the cause.

Although some may think their organization is solely about history and preservation, Baker said helping county children is a big mission.

“We care deeply about our community,” she said. “It will help to do some good.”

The bar has been instrumental in creating LGBTQ+ social spaces and stopping discrimination from the State Liquor Authority. On September 13, 2022, the Monuments Preservation Commission voted for the calendar Julius’ bar to be considered an individual landmark. Julius’ Bar, located at 159 W 10th Street at the corner of W 10th Street and Waverly Place in Greenwich Village, is a notable part of the city’s LGBTQ+ history. The site is located in historic Greenwich Village, but the added distinction as an individual landmark may recognize the bar’s role in the development of LGBTQ+ social spaces.

The building which houses Julius’ Bar was originally constructed as three separate buildings. The original piece is the corner part of Waverly Place, built in 1826. The western part of the structure was built in 1845 and the buildings were raised to their current height in 1874. At this time buildings may also have been connected. The building’s original facades were stripped and stuccoed in the 1920s, creating an Arts-and-Crafts style that was fashionable in the area at the time.

A bar has been on site since the 1860s. Julius’ was founded around 1930. Between 1959 and 1966, police used undercover stings to entrap and arrest gay New Yorkers in bars and restaurants. The State Liquor Authority has supported this discrimination through the practice of routinely revoking liquor licenses for establishments serving LGBTQ+ patrons, claiming that the very presence of LGBTQ+ patrons is disorderly.

During the 1950s, Greenwich Village’s LGBTQ+ community moved to Sheridan Square, and more gay people began to meet at Julius’s, even though the management at the time was unwelcoming. In April 1966, members of the Mattachine Society organized a “Sip-In” at Julius’s to denounce discrimination. Earlier that year, Julius had been raided by police and faced possible consequences from the State Liquor Authority. The members entered the bar, ordered their drinks and announced that they were gay. The bartender refused them service, and the members announced the event, and the Sip-In was even covered in the New York Times.

After the Sip-In, the head of the city’s Human Rights Commission, William H. Booth, pledged to end discrimination against gay New Yorkers. Members of the Mattachine Society unsuccessfully sued the State Liquor Authority, but a later court ruling found that the presence of gay customers alone did not make an establishment disorderly and that the State Liquor Authority could no longer shut down a bar due to the arrest of a single gay patron (Chipman Associates, Inc. v. New York State Liquor Auth.363 NYS2d 162 (NY App. Div. 4th Dept. 1975)).

The Sip-In at Julius’ is considered one of the key events in the development of LGBTQ+ social spaces and the establishment of legitimate gay bars. The bar now openly welcomes the LGBTQ+ community and hosts “Mattachine Parties” that celebrate LGBTQ+ icons. Julius’ was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2016.

Landmarks President Sarah Carroll said: “We have staff working specifically on identifying sites that are important to the LGBTQ community and the city’s heritage. And [Julius’] has always been the one we thought of. President Carroll thanked the LGBT Historic Sites Project for their collaboration in pursuing the identification of significant sites.

The Monuments Preservation Commission voted unanimously to put the Julius’ Bar building on the calendar. A public hearing will take place at a later date.

By: Veronique Rose (Veronica is a CityLaw Fellow and a graduate of New York Law School, Class of 2018).

LPC: Julius’ Bar Building (LP-2663, September 13, 2022).

In 2022, Alabama will offer residents four new license plate designs representing tourism, military heroism, education and the cure of childhood cancer. Sadly, these license plates will also continue to feature “the heart of Dixie”, resulting in a story of oppression and racial hatred.

Supposedly, to escape the equally problematic “cotton state” label it bore in the early 20th century, Alabama began to refer to itself as “Dixie’s Heart.” The state then passed legislation that all license plates display the term.

Despite its prominent location on Alabama car tags, Dixie is a racist term related to the pre-war period, which initiated some of the most vile and brutal aspects of American history. It was a time when white personal and economic gain unabashedly took precedence over black humanity. The word perpetuates white supremacy, which has been used to intimidate, instill fear and remind black people that white supremacy is the law of the land.

Personalized car labels reflect the sensitivities of each individual driver, and most causes deserve the high profile they command on our roads. They should be considered prime real estate that can be used to promote Alabama values, ethics, and spirit. Still, “Heart of Dixie” is sure to make visitors think, and residents may resent being forced to pay homage to the slave-era South on their license plates – in the sense both literally and figuratively.

Labels with the slogan were issued in Alabama in 1955, shortly after the United States Supreme Court’s unanimous decision. Brown v. Board of Education ruling that the racial segregation of children was unconstitutional. Like the placement of Confederate symbols in public spaces, the term “the heart of Dixie” was strategically placed on car labels to remind black people of their place (or lack thereof) in society.

More recently, the state continued this trend by passing the Alabama Memorial Preservation Act of 2017, which prohibited the removal of Confederate symbols from public property. Alabama is one of six Southern states that enacted unfair preservation laws decades after losing the Civil War. This effort to protect Confederate relics undermined the will of communities that sought to eliminate symbols of hate among them.

The reference “The Heart of Dixie” is a nod to white slave owners and does not represent Alabamians today. Nothing that idealizes the pre-war period, slavery, Confederacy, or the Jim Crow era should ever be associated with state-sanctioned speech. The requirement to display this wording on our license plates is an outdated holdover from the old South that should be eliminated from state law immediately.

Because citizens of Alabama shouldn’t be forced to buy a car tag with racist implications or display this state-required messaging, I will introduce legislation once the regular session resumes to finally end to this practice. Instead of sending the message that Alabama is choosing to stay on the wrong side of history, we should be looking for ways to embrace our bright and inclusive future.

According to the Southern Poverty Law Center Who owns the heritage? Public symbols of the Confederation report, Alabama is one of seven states in the United States that sell car tags or license plates associated with the Confederacy. Currently, there are 156 Confederate memorials sitting in public spaces in Alabama, and 56 of them are monuments.

From staff reports

The Franklin State Chapter of the National Society of the Girls of the American Revolution will host the eighth annual Constitution Week bell on Sunday, September 12 at 1:30 p.m. at the Historic School of ‘Oak Hill, located at 214. East Sabin Drive in Jonesborough across from the Jonesborough Public Library. This event is free for the public.

The program will focus on the story of the First Amendment to the Constitution which reads: “Congress shall not make any law respecting the establishment of a religion or prohibiting the free exercise of it; or restrict freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people to assemble peacefully and ask the government to redress their grievances. The program will honor freedom of religion with Reverend Samuel Doak’s speech at the Battle of Kings Mountain, freedom of the press and freedom of assembly.

Several heritage groups will participate, including the Kings Mountain NSSAR, the Overmountain Victory Trail Association and other NSDAR locals.

The event will follow CDC guidelines. Social distancing will be observed on the school lawn as there is space for guests to spread out.

Bring your own chair and a bell to ring. No seat will be provided on site.

The Daughters of the American Revolution began the tradition of celebrating the Constitution. In 1955, the DAR asked Congress to set aside September 17-23 each year to be devoted to observing Constitution Week. The resolution was passed by Congress and proclaimed August 2, 1956 by President Dwight D. Eisenhower. The Franklin State Chapter of the NSDAR has been based in Jonesborough since 1929.

The Heritage Alliance is dedicated to preserving the architectural, historical and cultural heritage of this region and providing educational experiences related to history and heritage for a wide range of audiences. For more information, visit heritageall.org or call (423) 753-9580.

Mermaid Capital of Texas and Mermaid Society SMTX announced their first-ever Mermaid Society Aqua-Reinas (Queen of the Waters).

The AquaReinas will assist with Mermaid Society SMTX youth eco programming, river cleanups, community outreach, the Mermaid Capital of Texas Fest, and represent the Mermaid Capital of Texas at public appearances including parades in surrounding towns and creative media efforts to promote guardianship of the San Marcos River, the society said.

Mermaid Society SMTX held its first-ever AquaReina Welcome and Orientation on Thursday night at Mermaid Headquarters, located at Wonder World Cave & Adventure Park.

“We have members who are passionate about eco-education, art, environmental stewardship, the mermaid festival and everyone who is involved in our public relations efforts and parades. It is so exciting to have a group that is wholeheartedly excited to support the Mermaid Society,” said July Moreno, Founder of Mermaid Society SMTX.

The 2022 AquaReinas are Charlene Tiner, Angela Turner, Jill Lemoine, Mary O’Hara, Meagan Lavender, Chelsea Cancem, Kristian Chen, Emily Avila, Claire Thorpe, Ines Magaña, Kimberley Johnson, Sheila Beck, Joanne Beaton, Terri Mitchell, Celeste Hollister, Laura Cardona, Katie Schutze, Marisol Muth, Norma Jimenez, Lenisa Careaga and Tiffany Morvant.

“I am so blessed to be surrounded by an incredibly powerful and talented group of women who I can now call my MerSisters,” AquaReina Laura Cardona said. “I look forward to the opportunity to connect and build lasting relationships with them.”

Cardona says she wants to continue educating those around her about the importance of our San Marcos freshwater mermaids and support the Mermaid Society in any way she can.

“It is an absolute honor to be a Mermaid Ambassador,” said AquaReina Ines Magaña. “It represents something beautiful, organic and powerful.”

Magaña said she hopes to build relationships through the program and focus on empowering youth and the community to do everything in our power to keep the San Marcos River clean and safe for all unique species.

“The AquaReina initiative has been a dream of the Mermaid Society for several years and has finally achieved a goal for this year. We are pleased to announce that we can now share this exciting milestone with the community,” said Mermaid Society SMTX in a newsletter.

The company put out a call for AquaReinas in February. Moreno said there were more requests than expected.

“Our MerTeam selected people who are passionate about protecting our natural environment to include the San Marcos River. We were intentional in choosing people who represented a wide range of talents, skills and experiences that support our founding pillars – l stewardship, preservation, local, arts, sustainability and heritage,” she said.

The title of the new Mermaid Society Ambassadors pays homage to the legendary Aquamaids of San Marcos, who were underwater performers at Aquarena Springs – an amusement park – from the 1950s to the early 1990s.

[email protected]

Twitter: @coltonash