Maryland

When Cousin Angie becomes Senate candidate Angela Alsobrooks

Published

2 months ago

October 21, 2024

When Cousin Angie becomes Senate candidate Angela Alsobrooks

I was waiting in a fancy chair in a dark, exquisitely decorated room in Baltimore’s historic Clifton Mansion, taking a last-minute glance at the questions I had prepared for a VIP. I had been going back and forth with press people for months for an interview and credentialing and now it was finally happening.

I knew I probably only had 10 minutes or so to talk, a limited time I’d usually protest. I once accepted a 5-minute phone chat with Ringo Starr, which is OK because he’s a Beatle and that makes sense. And while the person about to walk into the room was a big deal, too, the difference is that Ringo doesn’t have me over for his New Year’s potluck every year.

“There she is!” said Prince George’s County Executive and Maryland’s Democratic candidate for the U.S. Senate Angela Alsobrooks, also known as my cousin Angie. If she wins, she would be the fourth Black female senator, and the first Black senator from Maryland. It blows my mind that these milestones haven’t been achieved yet, but even more so that it could potentially be done by my relative.

It is not usual for me to hug interview subjects, but I’ve never before had to write about someone I’ve known all my life — who taught me how to do the Electric Slide in my little pink bedroom in Northwood, and whose daughter was one of the flower girls in my wedding.

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Alsobrooks ahead of a panel about gun violence in Baltimore. (Kaitlin Newman/The Baltimore Banner)

Writing this column about Angie — sorry, County Executive Alsobrooks — is new and weird to me. I was living in Florida when she first ran for the top job in Prince George’s County (though my son, mother and I surprised her by coming to her announcement). In 2022, I declined to attend her second inauguration because I was already here at The Banner and wanted to avoid an ethical conflict.

I also avoided writing about her during the Senate primary. Once she won that, though, and the chance of becoming a U.S. senator was now a real possibility, I knew I needed to chronicle the unique experience of having to go through layers of representatives and staff to interview someone I would once text, “Girl, when we talking?”

This column is not about swaying your vote. That’s not my business. It’s about how surreal it is to watch your cousin become a national star, speaking at the Democratic National Convention and getting so many huge endorsements. I literally got a text asking for donations for her from Mark “Luke Skywalker” Hamill! (As a journalist, I don’t donate to her or any candidate, no matter how good hugs are.)

So when we sat down Thursday, I started by asking “How’s Angie?” — meaning how was she feeling as a human, not a candidate. “I am doing well, because I am doing the things we were raised to do,” she said. That includes prayer, exercise “and I just try to keep first things first. If I didn’t believe in what I was doing, I would have collapsed by now.”

For clarification, Angie and I are second cousins on our maternal side. Our mothers, Tina Streeter Smith and Patricia Alsobrooks, are first cousins who were raised like sisters in Prince George’s and, for a while, South Carolina. My twin sister Lynne and I are just two months younger than Angie, who, along with her older sister Kim, were the cool cousins.

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“No, we were not,” the Senate candidate said last week. It sure felt that way. (My sister and I wore bifocals.) I admit Angie’s dance tutelage was less than successful, because I’m not a great dancer. And while Lynne and I adored Kim and Angie, them being in Prince George’s and we in Baltimore meant we only got to see them a few times a year for holidays and the occasional sleepover growing up.

Alsobrooks speaks on stage during the second day of the Democratic National Convention in Chicago in August. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

About 20 years ago, though, the four of us pledged to be closer as adults. We’ve tried, including a weekend in Palm Beach when I lived there, and a hilarious karaoke night outside Annapolis. Angie was my sister’s hype woman during her rendition of Nelly Furtado’s “I’m Like A Bird.”

We renewed that pledge when my son and I moved back to Maryland in 2020 — even in a pandemic, we kept up a weekly family Zoom. But then somebody decided to run for office. Angie was already bad at responding to messages before her Senate run, and it hasn’t gotten any better.

“I have a bad reputation with texting in our family,” she said, admitting she has 3,000 unanswered texts. “I got to get my reputation together.” That’s alright. We know you’ve been busy.

Even though the Alsobrookses and the Streeters didn’t live down the street from each other, “we were raised the same way,” she said, with an emphasis on faith, family and education. We have always showed up for each other, in good and in bad times.

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She was at my 2010 wedding in Florida, and five years later, she was the first relative to call me in the terrible, hazy hours after my husband died. I was on my way to pick out his casket, and she said simply, “Cousin, this sucks.” She didn’t try to tell me Scott was with the Lord or there was some higher reason he had suddenly passed or any of that crap. She just acknowledged how terrible it was.

I try to create professional distance, but sometimes that’s hard when every five minutes there’s a commercial targeting your cousin. I’m from Baltimore. We don’t take it lightly when folks talk trash about family!

Alsobrooks and Streeter. (Kaitlin Newman/The Baltimore Banner)

“It’s been hard, especially when it’s something that’s not true,” Angie said, noting her parents “sometimes turn off the TV” to avoid the negative ads. She’s also grateful her daughter, Alexandra, in her sophomore year in college, “isn’t here to see it.”

But alongside the difficulty also comes moments of excitement.

My son and I watched Angie debate former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan a few weeks ago, and when moderator Chuck Todd asked whether she was a Ben Cardin Democrat or a Chris Van Hollen Democrat, she confidently answered, “Neither. I’m Angela Alsobrooks.” My reaction? Screaming, “It’s handled! Gladiators!” because it seemed like we were watching her Olivia Pope moment. (For the record, she has always looked like Kerry Washington from “Scandal” to me.)

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We have no idea what’s going to happen on Election Day, but I asked Angie what she’s going to do, win or lose, on Wednesday, Nov. 6. “I think a day without a schedule — I don’t even know what I might do,” she said. “Get up and drink coffee at the table?”

No matter what, though, “we’re going to see each other at the holidays, and we are going to get together more,” she promised. And I know we’re going to try. I’ll be happy if she just texts me back.

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Maryland

Top 25 Maryland Boys High School Basketball State Rankings (12/25/2024)

Published

2 hours ago

December 25, 2024

Press Room

Top 25 Maryland Boys High School Basketball State Rankings (12/25/2024)

There’s no change at the top of the latest Maryland high school boys basketball Top 25 rankings. Bullis School, DeMatha Catholic, Georgetown Prep, St. Frances Academy and Glenelg Country School maintain their positions in the Top 5.

Edmondson-Westside is the biggest mover this week, going from 24th to No. 21 after knocking off then-No. 21 Baltimore City College. Prince George’s Christian Academy debuts at No. 22, thanks to its win over then-No. 20 Clinton Grace Academy.

Previous rank: 1

The Bulldogs, who lost in the Signature Series final at the City of Palms Classic in Florida, will play at the Jordan Brand Holiday Classic starting Friday.

Previous rank: 2

The Stags will play at the Governor’s Challenge in Salisbury, Friday and Saturday.

Previous rank: 3

The Little Hoyas will play at the Torrey Pines Holiday Classic in San Diego starting Thursday.

Previous rank: 4

The Panthers, who defeated No. 7 Our Lady of Mount Carmel in overtime, will play at the Jordan Brand Holiday Classic in New York, Saturday and Sunday.

Previous rank: 5

The Dragons will play at the Governor’s Challenge Saturday and Sunday.

Previous rank: 6

The Cavaliers will play at the Governor’s Challenge Friday and Saturday.

Previous rank: 7

The Cougars, who lost to DeMatha Catholic and St. Frances Academy, will play at the Mid Penn Bank Classic in Pennsylvania Friday and Saturday.

Previous rank: 8

The Gaels will play at the Junior Orange Bowl Classic in Florida starting Friday.

Previous rank: 9

The Warriors will play at the Governor’s Challenge Saturday and Sunday.

Previous rank: 10

The Lions will play at the Governor’s Challenge Friday and Saturday.

Previous rank: 11

The Bengals have scored 90 or more points four times.

Previous rank: 12

The Patriots, who dropped close decisions to No. 5 Glenelg Country School and No. 6 Archbishop Spalding, will play at the Benedictine Capital City Classic in Virginia starting Friday.

Previous rank: 13

The Lions rebounded from loss to SIdwell Friends School (D.C.) with victories over Mount Zion Prep-Blue team and New Hope Academy.

Previous rank: 15

The Dons, who’ve won three straight, will play at the Blue Jay Christmas Classic in New Orleans starting Friday.

Previous rank: 16

The Eagles will play at the Benedictine Capital City Classic starting Friday.

Previous rank: 14

The Mustangs, who went winless at the City of Palms Classic in Florida, will play Archbishop Wood (Pa.) at the Governor’s Challenge Monday..

Previous rank: 17

The Eagles will play at the Severna Park Winter Jam Tournament Thursday and Friday.

Previous rank: 18

The Lions have lost two of their last three decisions.

Previous rank: 19

The Crusaders knocked off District of Columbia No. 3 St. John’s College.

Previous rank: 22

The Pumas will host the Lou Wilson Holiday Tournament, Friday and Saturday.

Previous rank: 24

The Red Storm, who defeated then-No. 21 Baltimore City College, will play at the Governor’s Challenge Thursday and Friday.

Previous rank: Not ranked

The Flyers, who defeated then-No. 20 Clinton Grace Christian, will play at the Beach Ball Classic in South Carolina starting Friday.

Previous rank: 21

The Black Knights, who dropped decisions to then-No. 24 Edmondson-Westside and West Catholic Prep (Pa.) will play at the Governor’s Challenge, Friday and Saturday.

Previous rank: 23

The Seahawks will play at the Governor’s Challenge, Friday and Saturday.

Previous rank: 25

The Hubs will play at the Skip Fowler Memorial Tournament in West Virginia, Friday and Saturday.

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Maryland

The rich and controversial history of Maryland’s clown ministers

Published

11 hours ago

December 25, 2024

Press Room

The rich and controversial history of Maryland’s clown ministers

We are fools for Christ’s sake.

So believed the apostle Paul when he penned a letter to the Corinthian church. And so, too, believed Maryland’s pioneering clown ministry.

This niche style of Christian outreach is as outrageous as it is earnest, and traces some of its roots back to Columbia. It’s perhaps a legacy that James Rouse never imagined when he founded the Howard County town, with its distinctive urban plan, efficient use of land and commitment to diversity. Rouse included a series of interfaith centers intended to bring people of different beliefs under one roof. The model inspired one local pastor at Abiding Savior Lutheran Church to pursue his own experiment blending liturgy with laughter.

These days, Rev. Floyd Shaffer is remembered by some as the “clown father” of modern Christian clowning. Though liturgical clowning already had a history in Europe, Shaffer spent his time in Columbia in the 1970s dabbling in clown ministry and eventually became known as a leader of the movement in the United States. He died three years ago, his wife Marlene Shaffer confirmed.

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Even though the whimsical ministry’s heyday was in the 1980s and ’90s, some Christians continue to answer the call to clown. And the practice has captivated new audiences on TikTok and YouTube.

Earlier this year, the Columbia Maryland Archives put together an online exhibit about the town’s nondenominational clown ministry, called Faith and Fantasy, which Shaffer founded in 1974. Archivist Erin Berry said staffers were inspired after stumbling across a popular YouTube channel’s episode on Christian clowning.

Shaffer’s idea for a clown ministry came to him in 1964 on a beach in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The pastor was in town for a Bible study and leafing through some books when he stumbled across the etymology of the word clown. He connected it with Jesus’ command to be a servant.

That same year, Lutheran church leaders were getting creative with clowns — and it wasn’t going over well.

The National Lutheran Council produced the short film “Parable,” which depicted Jesus as a white-faced clown and the world as a circus.

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The film’s 1964 debut at the New York World’s Fair roiled event organizers, some of whom resigned in protest. One “disgruntled minister threatened to riddle the screen with shotgun holes if the film was shown,” the Library of Congress noted when it announced that it had selected “Parable” for preservation in the National Film Registry in 2012.

Six years later, Shaffer debuted as a clown minister for the opening day of Abiding Savior’s vacation Bible school, according to a news article preserved in Columbia’s archives.

Floyd Shaffer as Socataco and his granddaughter Erica play with a clown marionette. (Created by Floyd Shaffer/Courtesy of Columbia Maryland Archives)

“I don’t think that something that’s so controversial — I don’t know what other word to use — as clowning ministry could flourish in another place other than Columbia,” Berry said. “You could just try what you wanted to try.”

Other leaders within Columbia’s interfaith centers encouraged Shaffer to keep at it, said 86-year-old Marge Goethe. Her husband, Rev. Jerry Goethe, the pastor for Kittamaqundi Community Church, suggested to Shaffer that he teach a class on clown ministry. Together, the two men designed a seven-week course that covered theology, the history of clowning, skits and games to encourage playfulness.

Many local residents, including Marge Goethe, enrolled in the classes, embraced clown ministry and set out to visit children’s hospitals, retirement homes and domestic violence shelters. She learned how to silently deliver sermons with gestures and humor, but never mockery. Goethe used lipstick to draw a red circle — a symbol of the liturgical clown — on her cheek.

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Goethe developed her clown persona and named him Harry, after a man she knew as a child who lived on the streets. He was a reminder that she could either be the kind of person who brushed him off or helped him out.

Howard County’s clown ministry eventually grew to include as many as 300 clowns, The Baltimore Sun reported in 1994. Members of the Faith and Fantasy ministry went on to teach clown ministry around the country and internationally.

Not every audience loved the routine.

During a worship service at a Virginia college’s youth convention, Goethe and other clown ministers offered to draw the mark of the clown on people’s cheeks.

“What is that, the mark of the devil?” one man asked.

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Goethe couldn’t reply while she was in character.

“All I had to do was accept what he was feeling at the time and hope it changed at some point,” Goethe said.

Goethe still attends Kittamaqundi services and performs clown ministry. When people ask her about the decades she spent cheering up strangers, she worries she won’t find the right words to explain how rich clown ministry turned out to be.

“I did more good for people being silent,” Goethe said.

Shaffer eventually moved to Ohio and authored several books with titles such as “If I Were A Clown” and “Clown Ministry.” He produced instructional videos on clown ministry that lately have found a rapt audience on the internet.

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Jen Bryant realized she had a personal connection with clown ministry while putting together an episode on the subject for her YouTube channel, Fundie Fridays, which features cultural commentary on aspects of fundamentalist Christianity in the United States. The Missouri resident’s grandfather, a Catholic, performed for a time as a clown minister under the name “George-o.”

Every community seems to have its subcultures, Bryant said, and she found that was also true for clowns. There are classical clowns like Joseph Grimaldi, a Regency-era entertainer who introduced the white face makeup. There are dark clowns like Juggalos, a nickname for fans of the hip-hop group Insane Clown Posse. And there are scary clowns like Pennywise, the shapeshifting antagonist in Stephen King’s 1986 horror novel “It.”

At first, Christian clowns sounded like a meme to Bryant. The full story, she said, turned out to be “way more interesting.”

Bryant and her husband James Bryant ordered copies of Shaffer’s books and collected a variety of research on clown ministry for their episode, which posted in April. The hourlong segment earned an “overwhelmingly positive” response from their audience, many of whom are in the midst of deconstructing their faith and understanding of Christianity, Bryant said.

“Everyone just thought this was just the most pleasant little novelty,” James Bryant said.

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Maybe Christian clowns are even the original deconstructors.

“They’re people who went, ‘faith wasn’t working exactly how we wanted it to, so we broke it down and changed it,’” he said. “It worked. It has a legacy.”

Appearing in a video on Kittamaqundi’s YouTube page, Shaffer said clown ministry gives people a new way to live out and enjoy theology, “instead of being so glum and gloomy and solemn, as much of the church has become.”

Many Bible stories defy rational thought and that’s sort of the point, Floyd said in the video.

Scripture, Floyd noted, often suggests that God has a sense of humor.

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