As a student of history, I'm not being hyperbolic. The federal government built the Black middle class in DC, and in many parts of the U.S., largely because it was one of the first organizations to hire Black professionals and prohibit discrimination. It is amongst the most diverse US workforce.

Thanks! Good points.

Books were my favorite pasttime when I was a kid. I grew up to be a teen poet, then an adult journalist. I still love to read and I’m working on a novel. I read to my boys, 11 and 14, every night as when they were little ones. Now I can’t get them to read for fun, ever. Advice?