A History Lesson for Mayor Fenty

"Roscoe was able to engender enthusiasm and support from the white . . . members, who felt that he spoke their language and represented their kind of black.

"Black parents accused him of ignoring them, of favoring a certain class of people in his selection, promotion and retention. . . .

"Most of the white . . . officials were nevertheless still smitten by the charming Roscoe who spoke with eloquence. . . . Here, they thought, was a colored man who didn't 'act colored,' 'sound colored,' or even 'think colored.' Here was someone they could completely understand and utterly control."

Graham writes that Bruce tended to undermine his own contributions by being dismissive of black Washingtonians who could have helped him. What's more, Bruce came across as courting white people for their support because he deemed them more important -- an accusation hurled at his parents decades earlier.

Bruce, by catering to whites, lost his foothold in the black community -- ironically, the very leverage he needed to keep white support.

"We want him out of here" was the rallying cry of blacks who filled Metropolitan AME Church (on M Street, around the corner from The Post) on the evening of June 10, 1919, Graham writes. With Roscoe Bruce losing his usefulness, the white board demanded his resignation in the spring of 1921, and he left the city in disgrace.

Does this story have a moral?

Adrian Fenty is no Roscoe Bruce. The mayor is engaging, energetic and intent on doing a good job. He's in no one's pocket, as he has assured me and others. But is he still in step with those core voters who launched him politically?

It's one thing to conduct frequent grip-and-grin visits into the community; tapping the community for talent is another matter. Fenty would do well to remember the old adage that those who ignore history are bound to repeat it.

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The Gates Foundation and the D.C. College Access Program are godsends for D.C. public education. Now the D.C. Council must do its part.

City lawmakers will soon consider Fenty's school-takeover plan. Should it be rubber-stamped as he demands? Before voting, legislators should read the examination of Fenty's four-part achievement plan prepared by the Council of the Great City Schools only a few days ago. The council's 25-page analysis (available with the online version of this column) concludes that the plan's implementation does not match Fenty's vision and that it is not even internally consistent. Those reported shortcomings, however, can be fixed legislatively. At issue: Are council members policymakers or echoes?

kingc@washpost.com