Women of Ward 6: Bonny Wolf
March’s Woman of Ward 6 is Bonny Wolf, an accomplished food writer, who lives on Capitol Hill. You may have heard her on NPR’s Weekend Edition or bought a book she’s written. If you’ve lived in the neighborhood for while, you probably already know Wolf. She shops regularly at Eastern Market and is passionate about the Capitol Hill community. She’s won two writing awards from the Association of Food Journalists.
The Ward 6 Democrats are recognizing and honoring Ward 6 women who have made significant contributions to better our community for the 2020 anniversary of the 19th Amendment, which gave women the right to vote.
A Minneapolis native, Wolf moved to Baltimore, Md., to study European history at Goucher College and married Michael Levy soon after graduation. They moved to New Jersey, where she landed her first job in a newsroom. “Over the course of six years,” she told the Hill Rag, “I had almost every position at the New Brunswick Home News.” She said she memorized the AP stylebook.
After a stint in Texas where she was the features editor for the Bryan-College Station Eagle and taught journalism at Texas A & M, she and her husband moved to Capitol Hill in 1985. She was an assistant managing editor at Congressional Quarterly and the managing editor for Roll Call.
During the early 1990’s, she started a newsletter, The Food Pages, when she decided she wanted to write about food. “It was an artistic success,” she said, “but was a challenge to sustain financially, as I didn’t take advertising.”
She was the chief speechwriter for two USDA secretaries of agriculture – Mike Espy and Dan Glickman – during the Clinton Administration, where she had an up-close and personal view of food policy issues.
She has worked as a freelance writer since 1997 and was a food commentator on NPR’s Weekend Edition for 17 years, often talking about the Eastern Market neighborhood. She had a column in the Washington Post food section and contributed to other newspapers and magazines.
“Food really is the thing that brings us together,” she said. “It connects us with family and traditions, provides comfort and companionship.”
Wolf published her first book in 2006: Talking with My Mouth Full: Crab Cakes, Bundt Cakes and Other Kitchen Stories, a collection of essays. In the book, Wolf journeys into the heartland of America to discuss the foods that we eat for holidays, family gatherings, comfort and other occasions. The book includes more than 70 recipes for such classics foods as popovers, Southwestern chili, shepherd’s pie, Irish raisin soda bread and chick a la king.
In 2012, she and several other food writers launched American Food Roots, an online magazine that explored American culture, history and identify through the food that we cook and eat. “The idea was to tell the story about American food,” she said, “offering a window onto the makeup of the country where we come from – our ethnicity, religion, travel, who are grandparents are, maybe our politics.”
Wolf served on the boards of the Capitol Hill Arts Workshop and the Duke Ellington School of the Arts. She currently serves on the board of the Hill Center and teaches journalism at The Washington Nationals Youth Baseball Academy.
About the Initiative: The Women of Ward 6 Initiative is a non-partisan recognition of Ward 6’s women. The initiative, in partnership with the National Woman’s Party, Capitol Hill Restoration Society and the Hill Rag, will culminate in the 2020 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment, which gave women the right to vote.
Marci Hilt is a retired communications coordinator and press secretary for the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the office of the U.S. Trade Representative. She currently writes and edits EMMCA MATTERS and is the treasurer of the Ward 6 Democrats.
URGENT: Call for Delegates to the State Convention
We need you to represent Ward 6 at our state convention, Saturday, April 18 at the Walter E Washington Convention Center (801 Mount Vernon Place NW). Delegates from all eight Wards will establish the DC Party platform and caucus to elect 13 National Delegate Candidates who will represent DC at the Democratic National Convention (DNC) in Milwaukee, July 13-16, 2020. To serve, you must be a registered Democrat living in Ward 6.
Apply at https://www.ward6dems.org/delegate.
Questions? Contact Chuck Burger at chuckburger.ward6dems@gmail.com or 202.258.5316.
URGENT: Call for Delegates for the DNC
Do you want to represent DC as a National Delegate at the DNC in Milwaukee, July 13-16, 2020? Thirteen National Delegate Candidates will be elected at the 2020 DC Democratic Party State Convention on April 18.
In order to run, you must file a Statement of Candidacy with the DC Democratic State Committee by Saturday, March 21, 2020. Final selection will be determined after DC primary election on June 2, 2020.
For more information or to file, visit: https://www.dcdemocraticparty.org/run-for-delegate.
#WinningWednesdays With the WNDC
Did you know that the Women's National Democratic Club meets for #WinningWednesdays on the 2nd and 4th Wednesday of the month?
The events are free to everyone - you don't have to be a member - and are focused on HOW WE WIN this fall. Sometimes it's voter reg, sometimes it's training in how to use social media effectively, sometimes it's postcards to voters - the topics and activities vary, but the goal is always the same: #BlueTsunami2020.
Find out more and register at https://democraticwoman.org/event/feb-12-winning-wednesday/.
Save the Date: Ward 6 Middle Schools Today & Tomorrow - Tuesday, March 17
What are the greatest assets and challenges facing our middle schools? How are our middle schools preparing students for high school and beyond?
Join the Ward 6 Public Schools Parent Organization for an evening panel discussion: "Ward 6 Middle Schools Today & Tomorrow," featuring principals from Jefferson Academy, Capitol Hill Montessori, Cardozo Education Campus, Eliot-Hine Middle School, and Stuart-Hobson Middle School.
Event: Ward 6 Middle Schools Today & Tomorrow: A Discussion with Principals
Date/Time: Tuesday, March 17, 6:30-8:00 p.m.
Location: Jefferson Academy, 801 7th Street Southwest
Childcare is available for those who indicate they need it on the RSVP form. Questions? Email w6pspo@gmail.com.
Save the Date: Ward 6 Budget Town Hall - Wednesday, March 25
Charles Allen, our Ward 6 Councilmember, will be holding his annual Ward 6 Budget Town Hall meeting on Wednesday, March 25, from 6:00-8:00 p.m. at Maury Elementary School (1250 Constitution Avenue NE). CM Allen will provide an overview of the proposed city budget for the next fiscal year and then open the floor so we can share our concerns and priorities with him and his team. Information and RSVP at http://www.charlesallenward6.com/ward_6_budget_town_hall_2020.
Local Presidential Candidate Events
DC is so reliably Democratic, and our electoral college allocation is so small, that we don't tend to draw a lot of attention from presidential candidates. But Virginia does, and there are volunteer opportunities both in DC and in NoVA to support your favorite candidate(s). We've put together a handy guide, by candidate, to local opportunities, at https://www.ward6dems.org/upcoming_presidential_candidate_event.
Represent Ward 6 at the 2020 Democratic National Convention
Interested in running to be a national delegate? Make sure you first sign up to join the Ward 6 delegation at the State Convention on April 18th! Caucuses will be held that afternoon to vote on slates for Milwaukee.
Information on how to run for a delegate spot at the 2020 Democratic National Convention can be found here.