Charles Houston

One of the best things about my quasi-job as poet laureate is the places it takes me. I was recently asked to write a poem for the opening of Alexandria's newly- rebuilt Charles Houston Recreation Center. I was particularly happy to be asked, as I have watched the old center torn down and the new one constructed. It's on one of my customary routes around town, and I have repeatedly remarked on how rapidly it's been going and what a nice building it appeared to be. 

The truth is that, without that invitation, I probably would never have set foot in the building. Recreation? Moi? BUT, writing for the opening not only got me inside, but also made me do a little research on the building's namesake--and I am richer for the experience. Charles Houston was an amazing guy, and I learned a lot. Brilliant pupil of Felix Frankfurter. Teacher of Thurgood Marshall (and author of the brief used in Brown vs. Board of Education). Dean of Howard University Law School. He has a building at Harvard named after him. And a professorship there. He gathered a team of lawyers that brought down the Jim Crow laws. He was the go-to guy in civil rights law from World War 1 until the 1950s. And he worked here in Alexandria as well, helping to bring about the first African-American high school in the city. Wow. (And BTW, where was all this in my kids' history books?)

The building itself is wonderful, and well-worth a tour. An added highlight was that I also got to hear Mayor Euille's State of the City address. I normally would not have dragged myself over to city hall at 8:30 AM on a Saturday to hear it, but I'm glad it was incorporated into the ceremonies at the rec center this year. It's good to know what we've accomplished and where we stand, and I suspect I will try to catch this important address from now on.

I guess the moral of all this is that there are more opportunities to learn out there than we could ever conceive of...if we only made the effort, um...let's be specific here... if I only made the effort.

(BTW, here's the poem...)

Building

New buildings start with tearing down,

With structures being brought to earth,

With land swept clean of all that hinders progress:

Digging deep and building strong

Brick by brick and stone by stone,

We make foundations that endure.

Charles Houston was a builder

Who wrestled with injustice,

Who tore down restrictive laws,

Who swept clean the field of opportunity;

Digging deep and building strong--

Brick by legal brick, stone by hard-won stone,

He built foundations for the future.

This building, his namesake,

Borne of hope and strength,

Honors him...and this community.

His values, rooted deep, maintained so strong,

Brick on remembering brick, stone on history's stone,

Are the foundation that endures.

(February, 2009)