Am I surprised that Ab Jordan, a professional race-based activist, would take the low road? No. He's still playing by Marion Barry's rules. When threatened in any way, play the race card. Oppose change. Jordan was one of the "leaders" who lobbied against Toyota's plan in 2004 to build an automotive training center in Ward 8, then and now home to D.C.'s highest number of unemployed. "Wrong spot!" he declared. Toyota scrapped the plan. Jordan won.

What was lost, of course, was opportunity for those who need it most, just as Jordan's race baiting about change in the schools could give others a reason to turn against reform. Shame on him.

Change is coming to Anacostia. The city has relocated offices to Good Hope Road. Homeland Security is setting up on Martin Luther King Boulevard. New condominiums and apartments are rising. No doubt some white folks might move in. Memo to Jordan: Anacostia was white until the 1950s.