November Project and the Lincoln Memorial
Dear Mr. Vogel,
While part of this email is written on behalf of all of those who go to November Project every Wednesday at the Lincoln Memorial, most of it comes from my own experience being part of this community for almost 3 years.
I lived in Boston when November Project was created in 2011 but could never attend the workout at Harvard Stadium due to the location. I simply couldn’t get there and back and get to work on time. That’s why when a friend from Boston, Steve Christensen, moved to Washington, D.C. in 2013 and started the DC “tribe” I was elated. I knew that he was continuing something special and after 2 years, I finally had the chance to be a part of it.
Since my first workout with November Project DC on September 18, 2013, I felt like part of a community. As a young adult in DC, finding a community that isn’t centered around bar-hopping in Adams Morgan is very difficult. If memory serves me correctly, there were 9 of us at that workout. Today it’s a rarity if fewer than 300 people show up at 5:30am and 6:30am, rain or shine.
November Project has not only gotten me faster and stronger, but it’s introduced me to some of my best friends. We’ve been there for each other through celebrations, illnesses, tragedies, and everything in between. We are a family, plain and simple. I can’t count the number of times someone asked about joining us at the Lincoln Memorial when they’re visiting DC or planning to move to DC. People understand that if they show up, just once, they’re part of a family.
In DC we are in a unique situation because of the 24 National Parks scattered throughout the city and the 6,832 acres of land the National Park Service oversees. I can assure you, though, that every person who has come to November Project, whether at the Lincoln Memorial, Meridian Hill or another location has nothing but complete respect for the land and history on which they are running. To run up the stairs and look at the statue of Abraham Lincoln every Wednesday is awe-inspiring. Then to run down the stairs and look at the sun rising over the Washington Monument and the Capitol is breath-taking. In the 3 years I’ve been a part of NP I’ve never taken the location or view for granted.
During the spring and summer when the tourists begin to descend on the city, I love watching those brave enough to join us on the stairs, or get in the group photo, or high-five us as we run by. They are seeing a different side to the city. They see the city isn’t just made up of college students, congressmen and lobbyists on K Street.
Your job is not easy and I don’t envy you. You have to make tough decisions every day and think about the millions of tourists and locals who walk on your (our) National Parks every day. Some do so without knowing they’re in a National Park. We are all too aware of where we run every Monday, Wednesday and Friday and we would be devastated if that opportunity were to be taken away from us simply because of the city we live in. The dozens of other cities in which November Project operates don’t have to navigate these issues.
On behalf of all of us at November Project, I respectfully request that you allow us to continue running the stairs at the Lincoln Memorial, Meridian Hill and other National Park land at 5:30am and 6:30am every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. To have that taken away from current and future November Project members would be a devastating blow to a community that brings together people regardless of class, gender, religion or age. I have yet to find another group of people in DC that can make that claim.
Sincerely,
Katie Corradini
Alexandria, VA
P.S. On January 5, 2015 the Washington City Paper interviewed you, and you hit the nail on the head: “…as we continue to work on seeking more federal funds to [take care of these properties], we also need to work on getting more partnerships involved. That’s really where things happen, when we get citizens to say, “These parks are mine” — which they are.”
