Alexandria News Briefs

New Race and Social Equity Officer

    Dr. Emerald Christopher
  

Dr. Emerald Christopher will serve as the City of Alexandria’s new Race and Social Equity Officer, effective Tuesday, Feb. 20.  

Dr. Christopher will direct the City government’s race and social equity programs and continue to build a framework to ensure policy decisions advance race and social equity for all Alexandria residents. 

With over 19 years of experience spanning across higher education and U.S. policy related to equity, Christopher’s professional journey has been driven by a passion for building a community of inclusivity and belonging.

As an Associate Professor of Women and Gender Studies at the University of Delaware and Director of the Anti-Racism Initiative, Christopher put her academic understanding of policy and social issues into practical use. As Director of the Anti-Racism Initiative, Christopher led faculty, staff and students to take definitive action in addressing systemic discrimination in education, the arts, housing, health care, mass incarceration and criminal justice, the environment, and any other dimension of the human experience. 

Christopher has served as the Au Pair Weekend Program City Director for New York City and Washington, D.C., for over 14 years. In this role, she actively oversaw the development of policy and cultural awareness course content and the overall education of au pairs working in the United States.

Earlier, Christopher served as a Congressional Fellow on Women and Public Policy in the House of Representatives, where she aided in the creation of the Women’s Economic Agenda and worked to address gender inequality. 

She holds a Doctor of Philosophy in Language, Literacy, and Culture from the University of Maryland Baltimore County, a Master of Arts in Women's Studies and Higher Education Administration from the George Washington University, and a Bachelor of Arts in English and Women's Studies from the University of Delaware.

Camp Registration Opens Feb. 21

Registration for 2024 Summer Camps offered by the City of Alexandria’s Department of Recreation, Parks, and Cultural Activities will begin at 9 a.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 21 for City residents, and Friday, Feb. 23, for non-residents. Registration is available online, or in person at any of our recreation facilities.

Plan out your summer with the 2024 Summer of Smiles Summer Camps Guide, available online and in print at all City of Alexandria recreation centers. The guide contains 75 camp options available to youth ages 2 to 17, including sports, creative arts, computers, nature, performing arts, excursions, STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math), Camp Adventure, Out of School Time, and classic camps. Campers get the most out of summer by participating in a different camp each week. To make summer planning easy, check out our Summer Fun Finder on the inside covers of the guide.

Extended care options are available for select camps to provide parents extra time, including Before Care from 7 to 9 a.m. and After Care from 4 to 6 p.m. Structured activities include arts and crafts, movies, and games.

For more information, visit alexandriava.gov/Recreation or contact the Registration and Reservation Office at 703.746.5414.

If you or someone you know prefers communication in another language, free interpretation and translation services are available, please email LanguageAccess@alexandriava.gov or call 703-746-3960.

For reasonable disability accommodation, contact jackie.person@alexandriava.gov or call 703.746.5423, Virginia Relay 711.

Exhibit: “Searching for Truth in the Garden” at Freedom House Museum

      

Gonzaga High School's groundbreaking research on slavery, "Searching for Truth in the Garden," found new life at the Freedom House Museum. The traveling exhibition, on view through April 15, delves into the life of Gabriel, a teenager enslaved at Washington Seminary (now Gonzaga) in 1829. Gabriel's story offers a poignant lens through which to examine the complexities of slavery and its lasting impact.