This Monday’s Sept. 8 meeting of the Falls Church Council goes down in history as one of the most meaningful affirmations and celebrations of, as Mayor Letty Hardi put it, “who we are as a city,” made more important in the context of the current egregious assaults on democracy and the rule of law by the U.S. President and his actions.
The capacity audience in the Council chambers at City Hall participated in a series of poignant special recognitions, highlighted by the unveiling of portraits that will henceforth hang in those chambers of, for the first time ever, a woman (the City’s first ever woman mayor, Carol DeLong) and an African-American (Falls Church’s first African-American Council member, Frederick Foote Jr.).
The dramatic unveiling of the portraits, commissioned by the Council as part of the independent city’s 75th anniversary year, included remarks by a number of important citizens, including Nikki Henderson of the Tinner Hill Foundation who said, “All of us here are part of making history, witnessing for the very first time ever the City of Falls Church has ever had portraits of a female mayor and African-American leader in its City Hall. This is truly an historic moment, and for the young people here, they will carry this on and tell this story.”
Mayor Hardi opened the ceremony saying, “With these portraits, we see the story of progress, of leadership in many forms, showing what it looks like when we are better when everyone has a seat at the table, with new voices, many perspectives and possibilities bringing the promise of a more inclusive, diverse and vibrant future. Future generations of leaders still to come can now come in, look up and see themselves reflected in these portraits.”
The artists, Asia Anderson of the Foote portrait and Deborah Conn of the DeLong portrait, selected and commissioned in an arduous two year process as part of a celebration of the City’s 75th anniversary, spoke about the inspiration for their works, and former Councilman Phil Duncan, son-in-law of DeLong, and Chet DeLong, the former mayor’s husband now 100 years old, spoke.
Then Ed Henderson and wife NikkI Henderson, accompanied by a number of youngsters, spoke about the legacy of Foote and the big picture of the pictures. Veteran Councilman Dave Snyder then spoke about Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s claim that the “arc of history bends toward justice, but only if we do it,” and that the portraits reflect that.
But the momentous event was only one part of a series of recognitions that underscored the City of Falls Church’s commitment to democracy, inclusiveness and fairness.
They included a resolution honoring Hispanic Heritage Month that was read by Council member Erin Flynn, who choked up reading the portion that read, “We are proud of the cultural enrichment of the Hispanic population as it contributes to the great diversity and unity of the City of Falls Church and the City will continue to protect and celebrate the history of its Hispanic and Latin American residents.”
She subsequently explained that her emotional reaction came in the context of the current “gross federal overreaction” underway. Mayor Hardi added that her sentiment “reflects the views of all of us up here.”
Representing a proclamation declaring Disability Voting Rights Week, noting the importance of ensuring the voting rights of all, long-time City of Falls Church resident Renee Andrews noted that she is the daughter of parents who fled Hitler’s Germany.
Another resolution affirmed Welcoming Week in Falls Church, noting that “immigrants and refugees are a vital part of our community, enriching our culture, bringing fresh perspectives and new ideas, starting businesses and fueling the economy, and contributing to the vibrant diversity that our City values.”
Still another one declared Sept. 28 as “Good Neighbor Day,” and yet another supported by the Daughters of the American Revolution, declared Sept. 17 to 23 as “Constitution Week” on the 238th anniversary of the drafting of the U.S. Constitution noting “the Constitution does more establish our rights as a people in America, but continuously defends those rights.” The resolution “urges all to reaffirm the ideals of the Constitution by vigilantly protecting the freedoms guaranteed to all through this guardian of our liberties.”
Another important ceremony at the meeting honored the City of Falls Church’s Employees of the Year, being Bethany Tran Howard in the City Finance Department and Paula Hawkins with the Mary Riley Styles Public Library.
Finally, there was an annual report on the same library by its new director Megan Dotzler that use of the library is way up and now there are twice as many library cards in citizens’ possession as there are residents of the Little City.
(More on the Employees of the Year and the library’s annual report will appear in next week’s edition).
Finally, the Council gave a unanimous final approval to a bill shifting the cost of trash pickup from being included in the general real estate tax to a complex pay per household model, as detailed in earlier editions of this newspaper.