The Month of Ramadan
This year Ramadan is expected to begin on March 22nd, following the sighting of the new moon of the ninth month of the Islamic calendar. It is the holiest month in the Islamic calendar, when observing Muslims do not eat or drink from dawn until sunset for 30 days. Young children, those who are pregnant or sick, and the elderly are exempt from fasting.
Ramadan is a sacred month for the more than 1.9 billion Muslims around the world, because it is believed this is when the Prophet Muhammad received the initial verses of the Quran, Islam’s holy book. For many, it is a time of introspection, prayer, and good deeds. Ramadan ends with a big celebration, known as Eid al-Fitr, or the “Festival of Breaking the Fast.” We wish a Ramadan Mubarak to all Hyde-Addison families who celebrate!
The National Women’s History Museum will celebrate Women’s History Month with an exhibition entitled We Who Believe in Freedom: Black Feminist DC, opening in March. The “exhibition will focus on the stories and voices of Black feminist organizers and theorists … whose expansive work made a difference in the lives of Black women in their Washington, DC communities and for all people throughout the United States.”
March 8 is International Women’s Day
International Women’s Day is celebrated on March 8 in many countries around the world. It is a day when women are recognized for their achievements without regard to divisions, whether national, ethnic, linguistic, cultural, economic or political. This year’s theme is #EmbraceEquity. International Women's Day began more than a century ago, with the first official celebration taking place in 1911, when women came together to demand the right to vote and fight against discrimination in the workplace. Over the years, the celebration has grown both within the U.S. and internationally.
The National Museum of Women in the Arts is holding a free virtual festival on March 8 to celebrate International Women’s Day.
Edna Burke Jackson—A DCPS Historical Icon
As we move into Women’s History Month, let’s celebrate the life and legacy of Edna Burke Jackson. Ms. Jackson was born in D.C. in 1911 and excelled as a young student. She graduated as valedictorian from Dunbar High School, won a scholarship to Howard University, finished her undergraduate degree in three years and went on to earn a master's degree in education from Howard. Despite her stellar academic record, she was unable to find work as a teacher in D.C., so in 1934 she moved to Tulsa, Oklahoma for a teaching position. Six years later she moved back to D.C. for a teaching position at Cardozo High School. In 1954, she and chemistry teacher Archie Lucas were hired as the first Black teachers at the all-white Woodrow Wilson High School. (Wilson remained all-white until September 1955.) Jackson taught history at Wilson for more than two decades and advocated for the incorporation of Black studies courses into the school's curriculum. She retired in 1976. In 2021, the D.C. Council changed the school’s name from Woodrow Wilson High School to Jackson-Reed High School, in honor of Ms. Jackson and Vincent Reed, who served as the school’s first Black principal.
