Second Gentleman Pool Reports of April 5, 2022

Second Gentleman Douglas Emhoff arrived at Dunbar High School at 10:47 am for a tour. It's his second time at the high school after a previous visit was interrupted by a bomb threat and his first event with a media presence since recovering from COVID-19.

"Okay. Let's try this again!" Emhoff said as he greeted school officials.

He mentioned it was "good to be back" and commented at one point on his ties to Hollywood.

(Will try to grab more of this later from audio.)

School leaders talked with him about how Black History Month came about and Carter Woodson, who went to Dunbar.

Fowler of National Parks Service spoke about historical sites honoring the contributions of African Americans.

"Black history is American history," Fowler said.

Fowler said they hope for Woodson's home, which is being restored, to be open next year to the public. (More on this below.)

"I can't wait to see it," Emhoff replied.

As he finished his tour of Dunbar's museum, pooler was led out and to a media center where Emhoff will host a roundtable with students momentarily.

Emhoff is in a gray suit and light blue button down today. No mask.

BACKGROUND:?SECOND GENTLEMAN

VISIT TO DUNBAR HIGH SCHOOL

Embargoed?until 10:45 AM ET on 4/5/22

Second Gentleman Douglas Emhoff will visit Dunbar High School in Washington D.C. to meet with students who are participating in a program that helps them relate to history on a personal level. The Historical Scholar and Docent Program is comprised of students grades 8-12 from the Carter G. Woodson Academy of Black Studies at Dunbar High School and the Kiamsha Youth Empowerment Organization. Through a partnership with the National Park Service, students participating in this program are provided opportunities to serve as docents and historical scholars on the life of Carter Woodson and local Black history.

Through a $150,000 National Park Foundation grant via National Capital Parks–East, students from this program are finalizing an oral history project designed to help them connect their family histories to overall African American history. The students are producing videos about the importance of National Park Service sites to African American history.

During his visit, Mr. Emhoff, joined by Park Ranger John Fowler, will meet with school leaders and program directors, prior to having a conversation with a group of students about the films and projects they're creating as part of their involvement in this program.

Additional Background:

· Carter G. Woodson Academy of Black Studies works to deepen students' understanding of the beauty and resilience of the Black Diaspora while empowering students to be critical thinkers through reading, writing, discourse and creative expression.

· The Carter G. Woodson Home, temporarily closed to public as of March 2020, is located less than half a mile from Dunbar High School. Dr. Woodson's home served as the headquarters for the Association for the Study of African American Life and History. Before Dr. Woodson, there was very little accurate written history about the lives and experiences of Americans of African descent. Dr. Woodson established Negro History Week from his home and headquarters in 1926, which we celebrate today as Black History Month. Dr. Woodson is also known as the "Father of Black History".

· Kiamsha Youth Empowerment Organization is a group mentoring organization that uses history, character development training and intergenerational interaction to empower youth. Since 1995, Kiamsha has invested its time and resources to supporting the National Park Service in getting the word out about the importance of the National Park System to its peer group.

Emhoff arrived in the Dunbar media center for the roundtable at roughly 11:02 am that ended close to a half hour later.

"Take two on this event....Sorry about last time," he told the five students present.

Emhoff said that the event combines his interest areas, which include visiting national parks.

They were seated in arm chairs, socially distanced, for the discussion. They began by watching a compilation video.

The students told him about themselves and what they are learning in their internship program (see background.)

"Don't be shy. Those videos were great. That's a great way to express yourself," Emhoff said.

As a part of the internship, one of the male students said he learned more about his family history and talked about the video he made for the presentation.

Emhoff went around the room asking other students similar questions about how the video project and internship affected them and what they learned about their family history. (Four students were women, only one was a male.)

"My wife is half Jamaician. I don't know if you knew that," he told one of the female students.

Emhoff noted that his wife met with the Jamaican PM last week, describing the experience as "emotional" for her.

"Did you know the vice president was half Jamaican?" he asked the school principal.

"Of course I did!" she replied to laughter from the group.

He asked students if they watched Judge Jackson's Supeme Court hearing and asserted that the country is about to have its first Black female justice.

The male student said that while he may not be the first (Black person) to have powerful positions, young Black people can aspire to be part of that legacy.

"It feels good" to see another Black female be the first at something and be noticed, one of the female students said.

Asked about being the first secong gentleman, Emhoff said he understands he feels "a lot of obligation" and he doesn't "want to be the last" and he takes it "very seriously."

He repeated much of what he has said before about the experiences he takes back to the dinner table and how he wakes up thinking about ways to serve the administration.

He said that Harris' service "really inspired me" now that he's doing public service full time to "live up to her standards."

He also said it's been a big change to be in the public eye.

"But it's been an amazing opportunity" that he says he is trying to "take full advantage of."

Emhoff was asked what he and Harris do for the community. He said they support small business and talked about Harris going to college and interning in DC.

"This is good!" he said of the students' questions.

He also spoke about being a father and said he likes speaking with students because they ask the best questions.

He said issues such as climate affect them too and encouraged them to register to vote.

"You've got to get engaged now," he said, saying there were so many issues.

He told them to fund something they are passionate about. He mentioned twice during the discussion that his brother is a fireman. He said they had a kind of "weird childhood" where this brother was watching fireman shows and he was watching law shows.

Asked a question by Fowler, the NPS official about what's happening in schools Emhoff said:

"I couldn't agree more with the concept" that we should not ban books and that "real history" should be taught in schools.

"It pisses me off and we all have to stand strong against that...Here as we sit in a library."

He was asked by a student how he met his wife and he told the story of their introduction.

"So blind dates, they can work," he quipped.

He apologized again at the end for having to postpone this event from before.

He also said he has a passport book for the national parks and he is trying to get it stamped and looks forward to visiting the restored Woodson home.

"This is one of the benefits of living here," he said of national parks.

After the event, he exchanged off the record pleasantries with the pooler and took a photo with students who participated in the event.

Audio of the tour and roundtable and/or fuller quotes from the event are available upon request.