30th Annual Creating Change Happening In DC

The 30th annual edition of the LGBTQ Task Force's Creating Change Conference is happening right  now until January 28 at one of my fave Washington DC hotels,  the historic Marriott Wardman Park.

This northwest DC  hotel is also celebrating its centennial anniversary in 2018.  The reason I wrote the  historic Marriott Wardman Park is because since 1984 the hotel has been on the National Register of Historic Places, and has had many historic figures either stay there, work there or hosted historic events inside its walls. 

In addition to Presidents Lyndon B. Johnson and Herbert Hoover staying there along with a lengthy list of political figures, poet Langston Hughes worked at the hotel as a busboy. 

 In 1925 he handed three of his poems to noted critic to Vachel Lindsay who was dining there that evening.  Lindsay read them, was impressed by his work and then launched Hughes'  literary career by announcing he'd discovered the 'busboy poet'

There's a gold plaque in the hotel marking the spot where Hughes handed his poems to Lindsay that i discovered during my 2012 visit because my room was in that part of the hotel. 

In 1954 Thurgood Marshall and his legal team spent several days staying at the Wardman Park to prep for and watch Marshall successfully argue before the Supreme Court the landmark Brown v Board of Education case 

I stayed there for the 2012 NBJC OUT on the Hill conference I was a participant in, and was back four years later for the joint NABJ-NAHJ media conference.

Now the Marriott Wardman Park is hosting the 30th annual Creating Change conference, and for the first time since 2014 I won't be in attendance at Creating Change after being at the last four in Houston, Denver, Chicago and in Philadelphia last year. .   Just couldn't make it happen this year .

I'm even more bummed about it because Miss Major is being honored with an award during this event, and I'm missing getting reconnected with all my movement homies and homettes.

For those of you who are in DC for #CC18, the daylong institutes are happening today as you read this.  they started at 9 AM EST and run until 6 PM.  The first plenary session will take place at 8 PM  EST tonight. 

Starting tomorrow are the  seminars in which #CC18 attendees can get their learn on about different topics that will continue through Sunday.


That's before I even start talking about the various organizations there at #CC18 who will have conversations and strategy meetings that won't be talked about,

But my favorite part of Creating Change it is not only reconnecting and talking to everyone from around the country, it's also having those conversations while hanging out in the various hospitality suites.   The suites allow you to get a complimentary bite to eat, have those moments to talk to people away from the hustle and bustle of the convention, the restaurants or the bar area. 

I also like to take time to step away from the conference hotel and see some of the host city, and DC has plenty for people to see and experience

Just upset that this year, I won't  be there to experience it with you. 

Oh well, I'll just have to catch y'all in Detroit for #CC19