THIS MONTH IN DC HISTORY

Ward 1 – U Street / Shaw:

In June 1919, a young Duke Ellington gave one of his earliest public performances at the True Reformer Building, located at 1200 U Street NW.

Ward 2 – Downtown / Foggy Bottom:

Frederick Douglass Advocated from Downtown D.C.
In June 1874.

Ward 3 – Tenleytown / Chevy Chase:

Lafayette Elementary School Desegregated after Bolling v. Sharpe (1954)—a companion case to Brown v. Board.

Ward 4 – Brightwood / Petworth:

Paul Robeson Spoke at Roosevelt High School (June 1949).

Ward 5 – Brookland / Trinidad:

In June 1925, the renowned poet Langston Hughes was residing in the Brookland neighborhood of Ward 5, Washington, D.C. During this period, Hughes worked as a personal assistant to historian Carter G. Woodson at the Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH).

Ward 6 – Capitol Hill / Southwest:

In June 1876, renowned abolitionist Frederick Douglass delivered a powerful oration at the dedication of the Emancipation Memorial in Lincoln Park, located in Ward 6.

Ward 7 – Deanwood / Fort Dupont:

Nannie Helen Burroughs School Opened (Commemorated in June)
Founded by educator and activist Nannie Helen Burroughs, the National Training School for Women and Girls opened in Deanwood.

Ward 8 – Anacostia:

Frederick Douglass’ Cedar Hill Home Nationalized (June 1962)

Washington D.C.'s Rich and Often Dark History
Man in hat pondering with hand on chin.
Duke Ellington
Man sitting at desk with documents, writing.
Charles Hamilton Houston
Portrait of a woman with short hair.
Ruth Bates Harris
Man in suit and tie, dark background.
Walter Washington
Smiling man wearing knit cap, hand near face.
Marvin Gaye
Smiling woman in black and white portrait.
Margaret Justin Butcher
Smiling man in suit and tie.
Sterling Tucker
Man in suit, hand on neck, smiling.
Marion Barry
Bolling v. Sharpe information and students reading.
Bolling v Sharpe
Man in suit smoking a pipe thoughtfully.
Julius Hobson
Text from Berman v. Parker, 1954 decision.
Berman v Parker
Elderly woman wearing purple hat and suit.
Dorothy Height
Civil rights leader speaking to large crowd.
March on Washington
Smiling man wearing glasses and a bow tie.
Chuck Stone
Person singing at outdoor event near columns.
Marion Anderson on the Mall
Smiling man in suit with American flag.
Walter Fauntroy
Newspaper headline about extra patrols and rioting.
DC Riot of 1919
Smiling woman with curled hair and earrings.
Willie Hardy
Antislavery broadside with illustrations and text.
Slave Market of America

The District has a rich Black History dated back to the 1800’s. We will  celebrate that history throughout the year and grow the list persons, groups, or events we consider iconic to DC’s Black history. This image carousel is the start of that list. Some are obvious and others aren’t. It only further highlights the diversity of a people who others fight so hard to  stereotype. Who’s on your list? Contact us and let us know!