George H. Lambert Jr.
It may seem strange, but I have noticed that traditions thrive only when they are allowed to grow and change. Cling to them too rigidly, and they tend to wither and lose their relevance. One clear example that springs to my mind–the Easter Monday festivities at the National Zoo.
This year’s Easter Monday celebration takes place April 6, and it promises a packed schedule of activities and animal demonstrations.All of us at the Greater Washington Urban League are very pleased to collaborate with zoo director Dennis W. Kelly and his dynamic team. Read more about the event here. (It is free and open to the public—to the whole public.)
I have fond personal memories of Easter Monday at the National Zoo. My mother, a domestic servant and single mother of two boys, looked forward to the event every year for the opportunity to catch up with her friends from church after a long weekend of work. The fun started on the chartered bus to the zoo and continued into the evening. It was a wonderful day of good food, socializing, and the much-anticipated highlight of the day, the egg hunt.
My brother and I may have grumbled about having to wear our good clothes and uncomfortable shoes, but with each year, the tradition acquired greater significance. We knew that the zoo was a landmark for the city as well as the nation, but once a year it belonged to us locals and to our community.
To the best of my recollection, there was no such thing as an “Easter Panda” back then, but that’s something we can anticipate this year. This is what I mean when I say we can make room for new features in our most cherished traditions.
The historical roots of the Easter Monday tradition nourish its continued vitality. My mother was far from the only servant who took part in such festivities. As Kate McCafferty reveals in her historical novel, Testimony of an Irish Slave Girl, servants were given Easter Monday off as far back as the 1500s. In Washington, D.C., the Easter Monday tradition began in the late 1800s as a pseudo-holiday for black domestic workers who had to work on Easter Sunday and were banned from attending the traditional White House Easter Egg Roll.
Of course, today African Americans are welcome to attend the White House event and perhaps to catch a glimpse of its African American residents, and this is a reason to celebrate. It also means that our families, some of whom are descendants of domestic workers, have more than one option for the day.
Compared to my memories, a lot of things will be different this year at the zoo. The fashions, the food, and the technology have changed. There may be different animals to see, different activities to try. The decorations on the eggs won’t be the same. And yet the core of the tradition remains as relevant in the era of Jay-Z as it was in the time of the O’Jays: This is how our community comes together to celebrate the return of spring and the enduring bonds of friendship. I look forward to sharing and creating new memories with my grandchildren at the National Zoo—this year, and for years to come.
George H. Lambert, Jr. is the President and CEO of the Greater Washington Urban League.