South East DC (Anacostia to be exact) was the butt of so many jokes especially when I was growing up in the late 80s. The city was is the victim of black flight and the DC gov’t. I remember knowing kids who had text books (if they had them) decades old. SE was DC’s secret cross to bear and made B’more’s “Wire” look really tame. But with gentrification on its heels with the brand new spiffy Stadium, I give Anacostia 5 years to become cosmopolitan.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SXp65a4XnYU]
Enter Ballou Sr. High. With my friends, there were two topics of discussion that pertained to it: an ass whoopin’ or its band. You definitely did not want to be involved in any “misunderstandings” with anybody from Ballou.
But this is indeed the marching band that could who made it on Ellen today. http://ellen.warnerbros.com/. She also made sure the kids had school supplies and Paypal donated $25k to the band and $75k to the school.
The band’s determination to make it, and compete in national competitions even when they had to duct tape their instruments inspired a documentary that is going to Sundance 08 http://www.balloumovie.com/screen.html.
This makes me wanna actually go to Utah to see the screening, and with PayPal and Ellen’s generous gesture –it reminds me that (10) the laws of attraction and success require a generous spirit.
