By David J. Kent
Washington, DC
Thursday, August 3, 2023
We're only a few weeks away from our first dinner meeting of the fall season. Join us at Maggiano's Little Italy restaurant in Chevy Chase for a very special live program featuring Marcia Cole as Charlotte Scott, the woman whose contributions started the Emancipation Memorial statue in Lincoln Park, Washington, DC.
Marcia Cole is a native Washingtonian who has been playing Charlotte Scott for many years. She recently played her at the unveiling of a new marker in Charlotte's home in Marietta, Ohio. Marcia is a gifted writer, playwright, and poet whose work is used to teach African American history. She also performs with Female Re-Enactors of Distinction (FREED), a DC based organization of historic women portrayers. Check out the summer issue of the Lincolnian newsletter for an extensive interview with Marcia Cole.
Click here to read more about Charlotte Scott and to register for the September 12th dinner at Maggiano's. From the Event page:
When she learned of Lincoln’s assassination, Charlotte “was in great distress” and declared, “The colored peoples have lost their best friend on earth! Mr. Lincoln was our best friend and I will give five dollars of my wages towards erecting a monument to his memory.”
Marcia tells the fascinating story of how Dr. Rucker made strategic contacts that put Charlotte’s vision and donation into a movement that captured the enthusiastic support of thousands of new freedmen, including many who were former U.S. Colored Troops. The result was the Emancipation Memorial in Washington D.C.’s Lincoln Park that was unveiled by President Grant on April 14, 1876. Charlotte Scott died in 1891, but she was acknowledged for her powerful vision with having her name inscribed on the Memorial.
To help us out and give us a head count, please register, then pre-pay your $50 dinner reservation at the Join Now button in the upper right-hand corner of the website. Doors will open at 5 p.m. for the social hour, dinner at 6, and the program at 7. Note that as restaurant costs continue to rise, we have increased the price of dinner, which remains a bargain for the DC area. This will help us limit losses to the Lincoln Group, which has been subsidizing the shortfall of previous dinners. Donations to help the Group deliver benefits to our members are always welcome at the Donation page.
Enjoy the rest of August and be sure to join us for the September 12, 2023 dinner at Maggiano's!