Thomas Jefferson, Slave Owner

"If there be an object truly ridiculous in nature, it is an American patriot, signing resolutions of independency with the one hand, and with the other brandishing a whip over his affrighted slaves." --Thomas Day

Slave owner. That's not ususally  what first comes to mind when we think of Thomas Jefferson. This weekend, I had the opportunity to visit Monticello, Thomas Jefferson's home, near Charlottesville, VA. Jefferson made all sorts of advancements for this country, being the principal writer of the Declaration of Independence, the President for two terms,  and serving in other public offices. He also founded UVA, sent the Lewis and Clark expedition, and studied health, science, and architecture. As a founding father, this country was built on his principals and values-- including the one that states "all men are created equal."
Yet, Jefferson was also a slave owner. While a tour guide at Monticello will tell you that Jefferson was "different" than other slave owners, and he was so nice to his slaves and kept their families together as best he could and provided food for them all, slavery is still slavery is it not?

This country has a racist foundation--it was built by enslaved men, women, and children. And now we wonder why everyone just can't get along, why racism still exists, why we need affirmative action, and why we have such significant portions of our minority population in prison, in poverty,  and without education, jobs, and other resources.

 All men are still not equal in the US. Can you right a wrong that is written into your history books? That your country's values are based upon?
Can we recover from the evil that was done here? Some people can't trace their families lineage because last names were changed, families were split, and children were born without ceremony--no birthday recorded or family tie remembered.
Other people can--straight to slavery, and that's where it stops. Where did their families originate from?

Thomas Jefferson and the other founding fathers created a nation, but they left us with all the baggage. The discrepancy between Jefferson's words and his actions should be admonished.  What sort of men did he mean when he said "all men"? What message was he sending as a leader?

 This history impacts our lives everyday. It affects the way we interact, what sort of status we have, how we grew up, and our social class. This history continues to hold people back from their full potentials, and it continues to hold our society back from any sort of progress. What can we do about it?

I have no answers there, except that we can't ignore it. So many white Americans live their day-to-day lives not once thinking about their race or complexion. In fact, many don't even identify with their race--it's not a way they describe themselves to others, and it's not something that adds or takes away from their life (from their perspective, at least). Not so for the minorities and people of color in this country, who are always aware of their race. By living a more mindful life, allowing your race to be part of your identity, and being fully aware of what has happened in this country.

--Megan

The Heartbeat of a Community

The beauty of African traditions is that they can be expressed through many different art forms including; music, dance, art, sculpture and beadwork. These traditions are deeply rooted into African culture and carried out in various ways. In Africa, music is a form of communication and it plays a functional role in African society. With many different musical styles and purposes throughout the African continent one thing that remains common in all African music is the is the beat and use of the African drum. The drum can illustrate the mood of the people and evokes emotion from all within its reach. The rhythm of the drum flows throughout your body, swaying you from side to side, like therapy for the soul.

Meridian Hill also known as Malcolm X Park, is where African tradition meets the D.C. community every Sunday evening. Individual members of community come together each Sunday, forming a drum circle and dancing to the beats of the drum. While at the drum circle you will see individuals dressed in full African attire, performing African dance, and you may even be lucky enough to hear a few chants. This is a great way to see the community coming together without any restrictions, rules or worries. Come join your community with this wonderful opportunity to celebrate culture and unity. You can bring a drum, saxophone, whistle or any other instrument or noise maker you may have to contribute. Even if you're not ready to show off your musical talents you can relax in the grass, read a good novel and let the rhythm of the drum take you away.

Check out the greyinthedark production video and let us know what you think of Malcolm X Park. Have you ever been for a visit? Ever joined the drum circle? You can also watch more of our videos on our youtube page

--Krystal

Helping others better

Having the opportunity to better yourself intellectually, physically,  professionally or emotionally is something everyone should take advantage of. Bettering yourself in these ways can increase your capability of helping other in the most efficient way.

 Working within our communities and with our many clients we strive to do the best possible for these individuals. We all work hard to provide them with the services and supports to better their lives, their family’s lives, and their future. Providing these supports and services require additional skills related to the media, community and establishing relationships with elected officials.  In the work environment it is important that we are constantly enhancing our skills and abilities to continue to better our community and ourselves. 

 In June you will have the opportunity to learn important practices to better help others and help yourself at the same time. Susie Cambria and Diana Winthrop will be sharing information, best practices and strategies, community-based organizations can use to skill-up in advocacy and media relations. These women are experienced in these practices and have gathered and used this information over the years. Many organizations throughout the District will be present at all of these workshops, which will present an excellent opportunity to network with others.

For more information on these workshops and how to register visit the helping others site Be sure to register soon because the workshops begin the first week in June and continue throughout the month of June.

--Krystal

All Cats Presents: "How Aggressive Daily Deals May Hurt D.C Businesses and How You Can Help"

Guest-Blogger Rohan wrote this piece for us....you can usually find him at http://district365.com/.


In the land of the most socially networked people in the country, he who harnesses the network is king.  

But when navigating that network requires a grasp of Google Adwords, Facebook campaigns, Twitter strategy, and mobile apps, your typical local business doesn't know where to start.This is no surprise.  Marketing is a difficult science to begin with.

But creating a social media strategy that generates foot traffic is like dating online and trying to get hundreds of beautiful singles to meet you for lunch.  Each and every day.A tall order for anyone.

And more difficult still for folks who spend their time serving up delicious cupcakes and not coding css.

Processing refunds, and not retweets.

It’s not hard to see why many small businesses stay on the sidelines, cross their fingers, and hope their Yellowpages subscriptions pay off.  This time around.

The Emergence of Daily Deal Sites

When the Groupons of the world emerged, businesses convinced themselves (or were convinced) that the social-media-meets-main-street holy grail had arrived.

Local businesses pretty much fell over themselves to slash their prices by 50% and hand over half of the remaining 50% to Groupon.   “Cut your prices in half, and give us half of what’s left!”  

So for example, for $40 worth of goods and services, businesses might only collect $10.  Well at least they get the money up front right?  Nope.  The payouts are made in installments.  So many businesses find themselves delivering thousands of dollars in goods and services without actually receiving a penny from the deal site.  It's not difficult foresee the cash flow problems that quite a few businesses have reported to date.

And all of this is assuming that the business collects any money at all.  Quite a few folks have reported that for deals that are less than $10, Groupon keeps 100% of the money.  This is not a typo. 

Well The businesses Agree To This

This is true.  I’ve wrestled with this myself and can’t help but be reminded of folks who agreed to predatory lending practices and got stuck with bad subprime mortgages.  One could argue that they agreed to these deals as well, but we recognize that many of these folks were unfamiliar with mortgage finance, and were taken advantage of by a well oiled marketing machine.

Well I do believe a similar thing is at play here.  A sort of hubris driven by an aggressive and sophisticated sales team.

And just like the subprime folks were unable to refinance those mortgages as promised, quite a few small businesses have yet to see the repeat customers and other promised benefits that persuaded them to essentially give away their goods and services in the first place.

To Be Fair Groupon Can Be Great for some businesses
There are some businesses, that really benefit from all of this.  Some of these include:

1. New businesses needing a boost in awareness and see this as advertising cost
2. Service businesses with very high margins
3. Places where there is very little variable cost like museums and dentists
4. Businesses with high repeat customer rates
5. Locations with a sound strategy on how to collect customer info to market to them again

For many other companies however, the aggressive pricing required to participate in a Groupon may at a minimum not be worth it, and at a maximum dangerous for the company.  And when it's all said and done, we all rise and fall together as a city.

THINGS YOU CAN DO

So what can you do to help even things out a bit?

1. Support Local Deal Sites. They tend to offer better deals to local businesses and they also support our local non-profits.  Spoonbytes and Deedsfordeals come to mind.

2. Be Courteous. For deals that are under $10, there is a chance that the Deal site (if it’s one of the large national deal sites) gets all the money.  So keep this in mind as you’re tipping, and do remember to tip on the value of the deal and not on what you paid for the coupon.

3. Share the word. If you did enjoy your time with your coupon, do spread the word about the business.  For many of these deals, the business is dependent on new repeat customers to break even.  If they're lucky.

THE FINAL WORD

I’m not arguing that the sky is falling, or that we have a Daily Deals bubble on our hands.  While there are plenty of horror stories of businesses unable to make payroll or being faced with serious cash flow problems in the surge that invariably happens near coupon expiration, I do recognize that some of these reflect worst case scenarios.

And I certainly am not aiming for a “bash Groupon” post, by any means.  I really set out to be as fair as possible.

But even in the best of scenarios, where spending is literally cut in half each day for several DC area businesses, and half of what is left is spirited off to an outside company, I'm at a loss at how this is a net benefit to Washington DC?  I’m not convinced that it is.  

Maybe I'm wrong about this.  My mind is open.  I’d be glad to hear your thoughts.



Rohan is an accountant based in Washington DC, who stumbled and fell in love with the city.  On a whim, he started the blog District365.com, which has since blossomed into a daily online magazine on 365 Things to Do in Washington DC.  You can also catch him on Twitter@365thingstododc.

Service Learning

Happy Americorps Week!

There are hundreds of Americorp volunteers in Washington. Americorps is similar to many other volunteer programs in that volunteers are offered a placement in an area of need--education, social services, community development-- and in return for their service hours get a modest living allowance and an educational award upon completion of the program.


Volunteers in any form are a vital part of a community; I think the benefits of having volunteers are apparent.

But how does volunteering benefit the individual?
For starters, it allows growth in a new area that one might be interested in learning about. It gives individuals an opportunity to become part of their neighborhoods and interact with others that share similar values. It is rewarding to be an integral part of one's community.

Service learning classes are becoming much more prevalent on college campuses. These classes allow for students to gain credits through doing volunteer work in the community and reflecting on their experiences. I think this is an excellent way for students to not only gain work experience but to give back to the surrounding communities.
I think quite often there is a huge disconnect between the locals of a "college town" and the college students. Many students never set foot off campus. They don't take time to understand the community around the college, and merely attend classes in the university. "Townies" see their towns over run with college students running around but not attaching themselves to the community or growing any roots.
By service learning, students are asked to step off the campus, away from this alter-reality where everyone is between 18-25 and middle class, where everyone is studying or taking classes, and interested in the same things. It gives students an entirely new perspective on the place they've been calling home and a chance to serve the community that serves them.

Service is learning, no matter how much or how little you do. You are applying yourself to something you are interested in. You will form relationships with people and you will learn how other people live.

Through service, volunteers understand their purpose and feel self-actualized through these experiences. In order to be a complete person, you must be a vital part of a thriving body.

--Megan

The Prison Population

The United States of America has the highest incarceration rate in the world. There are more people locked up here than anywhere else. Americans don't make up even 5% of the world, but 23.4% of the world's prison population.

Do you know who is filling (and rotting in) our prisons? Our minorities.


The US Bureau of Justice Statistics reports that in 2009, 39.4% of our prison population was comprised of non-hispanic blacks. Non-hispanic blacks make up only 12.9% of the US population.
Hispanics made up 20.6% of the prison population in 2009 and 16.3% of the US population.
This  means that per 100,000 US citizens, 4,749 black males were locked up, 708 white males, and 1,822 hispanic males.

The face of crime in America is a black man. One in four black men between 18-35 will serve time.

What is with the disproportionate figures?

There are many factors contributing to this issue. Minorities are typically the ones being marginalized by our education and social systems; this discrepancy leads to crime and violence in desperate neighborhoods. In fact, the majority of inmates are functionally illiterate (can't even fill out a job application). America's "War on Drugs" is also putting minorities behind bars--not because minorities partake in more drug use than whites-- it is quite the contrary-- but because it is more visible (on the streets where police already regulate as opposed to behind closed suburban doors). Most alarmingly, black men go to prison because it has become a cultural norm in their communities. Going to prison brings a man notoriety in his neighborhood. The more we lock people up, the more acceptable we make it culturally.


How is this impacting our communities?

People who have committed felonies lose the right to vote. Are we silencing our minorities? In some states, as many as one in four men of color have lost their right to vote forever, meaning this particular demographic's voice is being drowned out.

Black men who go to prison are fathers, husbands, neighbors, and sons. Because they are in prison, they are not making money for their families, their skill sets are not being used, and their communities are dealing with their absences. They leave behind single mothers who need to care for their families alone. They leave behind children who will fall victim to the same animal.

Worst of all, racism is not an arbitrary player in all of this. Police admittedly put more of their resources into dealing with crimes in areas where it can be easily found. "Police go looking for crimes in the ghetto, and that's where they find them," GWU sociology professor William Chambliss says. Additionally, African American men still receive a sentence on average 6 months longer than a white man's for commiting the same crime, and are more frequently pulled over and targeted in raids.


It seems that in order to reverse these injustices, we need to look at the root of the problem. Systemic problems such as lack of education, lack of community autonomy, and lack of resources, are clearly impacting  these statistics, as is the institution of racism.
By putting more emphasis on success in school and programs for workforce development, and putting resources in these communities and in general breathing life and making whole these quite stagnant, at-risk living situations, we could give people the opportunity to break the cycle. Allowing returning citizens basic rights also seems democratic and just.

The fact that we even have a term--"prison population"-- is vile. If we put more resources into public schools, job trainings, mental health facilities, etc, in the first place, we would not be pumping so many resources into a "population" of our society that cannot contribute anything to counterbalance it's own cost. But that's another post...


--Megan

Expanding opportunity or Bad public policy

Societal values drive public policy. When supports or services are needed and advocated by the public, elected officials have to take note. The national immigration debate has been a popular topic in the media and in legislation. Earlier this week Maryland took a controversial step in immigration policy.

Religious leaders, political officials, immigrant activists and community members formed a coalition advocating for equal opportunity for higher education for immigrant students, and on Tuesday this policy was adopted. Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley signed off on legislation that offers in-state tuition opportunities to illegal immigrant students of Maryland. Prior to receiving in-state tuition these students must receive an associate's degree from a local community college, have graduated from a Maryland high school, provide proof their parents are state taxpayers, and express intent to become a citizen. If all of these stipulations are met these students have the opportunity to pay in-state tuition for Maryland state colleges regardless of citizenship status. Maryland is the only state this year to pass a bill extending benefits to illegal immigrants. In Maryland, opponents have already started mobilizing and gathering petition signatures to get a referendum on the law for various reasons.

Some of the opposition to this legislation is the fear that undocumented students will be prompted to apply  and crowd out others while competing with other Marylanders at state universities. Prior to the bill being signed similar bills were shutdown by communities and local officials in other states for some of these same reasons. Mostly because of this same fear of immigrants and their affect on other students. Now that the bill has been signed by Governor O'Malley the participation process has begun and the opponents are speaking out. Opponents of the bill have until June 30 to collect more than 55,000 signatures needed to hold a public vote on the law.

Proponents of this bill say that allowing illegal immigrants to continue their education by paying in-state tuition at Maryland state schools is the right thing to do for our people and our country. O'Malley's labor secretary, Alex Sanchez stated that "we should not allow our nation's broken immigration system to serve as an excuse to escape our basic, moral obligation to expand opportunity for all Marylanders." For many of these individuals in-state tuition discounts would mean the difference between going to college or not going to college because these students are not eligible for aid or scholarships making affording school near impossible.

With all of these philosophies there are many debates that can be made regarding this policy. In public policy whenever someone wins someone loses. In this case if this bill was not made law then the obvious losing side are the immigrant students. These high school students who may or may not have chosen to come to the US and simply want the opportunity to achieve higher education could lose their chance because of  lack of finances. The winners would be the opponents of this bill who feel that allowing illegal immigrants in-state tuition infringes upon their citizenship and threatens Maryland students. If the bill was signed into law these immigrant students have a great educational opportunity to attend top state schools for a reduced price, but who really loses in this case. Does allowing illegal immigrant students to pay in-state tuition really threaten Maryland resident students? Is the opposition to this bill simply based on fear or is it bad public policy for our society? These questions can continue to be debated and we should keep an eye on how this bill plays out. You can read more about this bill and the Washington post article here

--Krystal

Gardening with Bread for the City

Limitless

Don’t let the world dictate who you are or who you are going to be.

Poverty, illiteracy, racism, and crime plague our neighborhoods, community, and nation. Regardless of your circumstances it is possible to do whatever you desire. Many people may say this, but I actually mean it. I believe we are limitless; unbound by our social status, ethnicity, ancestors, region or creed. We can overcome our misfortunes and achieve greatness. Others have agreed with me and have established programs and organizations to assist individuals in this effort. One idea that is sweeping the nation is Promise Neighborhoods.

Promise Neighborhoods are a new initiative to break the cycle of generational poverty by improving the educational outcomes and overall life prospects of low-income children and their families. The idea of a promise neighborhood is bringing together parents, children and the community to work together towards a common goal. In Harlem, New York these Promise Neighborhoods were established in some of the most underprivileged areas looking to change the future of its youth and its community. Their belief is that by changing the educational approach they can dictate their future regardless of economic status. This is an excellent example of individuals not settling, but changing their circumstances. This community is taking what they were given and making it into something greater; through structure, education, and commitment. Many political officials including our president have noted the success of this initiative. The Obama Administration has followed through on campaign promises to alleviate poverty with a national commitment to this comprehensive based approach to support children from birth through college through family and community. D.C. has joined this effort with the DC Promise Neighborhood Initiative (DCPNI) in the Parkside/Kenilworth neighborhood of Ward 7.

This weekend I witnessed this same sense of community education approach at Byte Back. Byte Back as we have previously noted, is a nonprofit group that works with local organizations to provide computer access and career ladder computer training to underemployed and unemployed adults. This past Saturday Byte Back held their fifth annual Community Computer Day. As a volunteer at this event I had the opportunity to work with many of the individuals being served by this organization. When talking with them they spoke of how important this computer program was and how it has impacted their careers, family and future. The majority of Byte Back’s staff is volunteers, working for a cause greater than them and serving the local community.

Making a difference is simply taking a chance and being advantageous of the opportunities presented to you. Instead of trying to attribute your situation to someone or certain events, focus on finding a solution and finding a way to change your circumstances. Many times we feel that we can only do things within our capacity, within our limits. But who sets these limits? Does society place these limits on us? Are we forever bound by these limits?

Our destiny is not set in stone and we do have the power to impact our lives and dictate our future, all we need is the presence of mine to do so. If you are interested in learning more about DCPNI check out their website

--Krystal

Your Community Needs You

I was recently chatting with a friend's soon-to-graduate-college brother about his plans for the next year. He had just returned from a semester in Amsterdam. Did he like it? Yes. Could he live there full time? Well, yes, but...

There are no problems there.

"What would I do?" he joked. "You can't make a difference if everything's already perfect."

He's right, though. A huge sector of our economy is based on social services, law-enforcers, safety and security, education, and poverty.

 Everyone plays a role in society, including deviants, homeless, and mentally ill. Without them, many existing jobs would cease to exist.

Is our economic system perpetuating these problems? Is capitalism the culprit for these systemic issues? Or perhaps, if we waged a war on poverty and won, would our economy and job market adapt? What if everyone was well-educated? Who, then, would do menial labor and work for hourly wages? Is that, too, a result of some sort of glass ceiling that our society has put in place?

It's something to ponder--a sort of chicken-and-egg debate even. Do we need police officers or do we need criminals? Which came first?
The truth in it is that our society needs every role filled--the homeless to provide social workers jobs and fill shelters and social workers and shelters to care for the homeless.
Naturally, people benefit from the sector of jobs created to help with social issues. Just as organically, people get paid for dealing with other community members' hardships.

An article in the Post today mentioned the huge shift in DC's population in the last 10 years. 20- and 30-somethings are flocking to DC to take advantage of the city's job market (and problems). This sudden influx in young, educated people opened a new niche in the DC market. Yoga studios, patio bars, dance clubs, boutique shopping, trendy eateries and bike lanes opened up in DC to meet the need. This new niche has come to be an essential part of the community; this special-interest group provides DC with new business opportunities.  The new 20- and 30- somethings need businesses catered to their special interests, and these special-interest shops need this particular clientele to survive.

No matter who you are, your community needs you. We are a food chain, our own little ecosystem, all relying on one another. It's just a matter of where you fall in that order.



--Megan

The Great American Bake Sale

Next week, on May 9 and May 12 during the budget mark-up process and again on May 24 (the first vote on the budget!) at the John A. Wilson building, Susie Cambria, Mayor Vince Gray, us here at Grey in the Dark, and the Student Leadership Association of Academy of Hope among others are co-sponsoring The Great American Bake Sale.
This project is two-fold. Firstly, it is an opportunity to raise money for Share Our Strength's Great American Bake Sale. All proceeds go to fight childhood hunger. Last year, bake sales raised more than $1 million for the cause. 
Secondly, as we are having it in the Wilson building during budget review and voting, we hope to have the opportunity to speak with officials about our budget issues and where they are making cuts.
I encourage anyone who is passionate about either ending childhood hunger or about one of the social services on the chopping block in DC's proposed 2012 budget (or both!) to come out and support. One could do so by donating baked goods, manning a table during the day at the Wilson building, or advertising with flyers, blogs, etc.
This is a great opportunity for community involvement, and to directly help those in need. As a people, we need to look out for those around us. Big businesses and social services can't do it all. SNAP benefits exclude many, and often don't provide enough for large families. Healthy, nutritious food is not accessible to all. (Anyone see DCist's post about the new Food Desert Locator? There are huge sections of DC that don't have grocery stores anywhere in site.)  And childhood hunger is an epidemic--1 in 4 children go hungry. Imagine what that does for their health, their education and their focus. Children that are concerned about when they will eat next don't have enough time to worry about their classes and grades. SOS believes that children will thrive with proper nutrition. Join in their mission next week with the bake sale at the Wilson Building and come support your cause as well as the budget reviewing begins.


--Megan

Urban Gardening

 Krystal and I each participated in some urban gardening activities this weekend: I worked on the NDMVA community garden in SE, built for the residents of Hope Apartments, and Krystal worked on Bread for the City's rooftop garden.

Urban gardening is really cool for several economical, environmental, and health-related reasons.

1) It's sustainable--small-scale farming and growing is better for the environment. It's done with limited space, and it works for whatever space it is put in. The gardener knows exactly what goes into each and every fruit or vegetable grown. No pesticides are necessary, and no forests need to be cleared. Things are produced organically, and then return to the earth. The cycle of life can actually be fulfilled. 

2) It's cheaper. Growing your own food costs a lot less than buying it at the store.

NDMVA community garden

NDMVA community garden work day

3) It's healthier and safer. Quite frankly, we don't know what kind of fertilizers and pesticides are used on the produce at the grocery store. Mass produce is grown so that it  can be grown quick and appear perfect--often times companies use fertilizers and hormones for this.


Rooftop gardening has additional environmental benefits.
1)Green roofs can bring down the temperature of a city in the summertime. The reason summers in big cities are so hot is that all that concrete is soaking up the sun. With green roofs, carbon emissions from the cities are countered making the temperatures go down. It also solves some cooling and heating problems in the building, as the green roof absorbs the sun and heat or acts as a thermal layer in winter months.
2) It is a brilliant way to make the green space that cities are lacking and so obviously need in order for the air to be cleaner and to start the fight against carbon emissions. Green roofs and rooftop gardening help filter rain water and air pollutants out.


BFC rooftop garden


 3)In additon, rooftop gardens can help with water run-off. When it rains, the gardens on roofs absorb much of the water, and less run-off is created. This means our sewer systems and water-treatment plants aren't working as hard, and pollutants from the streets are less likely to run into our rivers and sewage systems.




And it's fun! Community gardening is a great way to get out in the community, meet neighbors and share with them, and take responsibility for your own health, your community, and our environment. Check your neighborhood for a community garden if you don't have a yard. Or you could try a container garden on your deck, stairs, or window sills! Use found objects and search for bathtubs, sinks, toilets, wooden planters, pallets, coffee tins, and yogurt cups to garden in. Buy local in-season produce when you're at the store. You will be guaranteed a fresher, tastier product and you will rest assured that it hasn't cost the environment nearly as much to create.

BFC rooftop garden construction

--Megan

Community Computer Day with Byte Back

Non-profit and community organizations are extremely important to the community and its residents. In many cases these organizations are more effective at addressing local needs than larger charitable organizations. It is essential for the community to support its local non-profit organizations however they can in effort to sustain and expand the work of these cooperative groups. Byte Back is a non-profit group that works with local organizations to provide computer access and career computer training to underemployed and unemployed adults in the Washington D.C. area. Next Saturday May 7th Byte Back will be hosting their fifth annual Community Computer Day from 10:00am-5:00pm. This is an all day event for current and potential students, volunteers, supporters and partners to come together to learn and celebrate. There will be a variety of free technology workshops offered all day long. This event will also include free barbecue, a moon bounce, family activities, hourly prize drawings and cotton candy. During lunch there will be an opportunity to listen to City Council Members and other local officials. This is a great event for Byte Back members and the community, so make an effort to join them on Saturday and visit with your favorite bloggers while you are there. If you are interested in either being a part of this event and teaching a workshop, or if you just want to come and enjoy you can website check out Byte Back's for additional details. 

--Krystal