DC History Center

ISO volunteers for the 51st annual #DCHistCon! Help us to create a welcoming environment for the free community conference from April 3-6 at the DC History Center and MLK Library.?? ? How to Volunteer:?? ?? Attend an orientation training? ?? Self-select your role + time slots at the end of the training sessions? ? Training Sessions:? ?? Monday, March 24 | 11:30 am - 1:00 pm?? ?? Tuesday, March 25 | 5:30 - 7:00 pm Sign-up: https://lnkd.in/ebftuJVR ? Questions? Email [email protected]?

ISO: #NHDinDC judges! Does this sound like you? ? You want to help students (grades 6-12) advance their research to a national level. ? You’re a humanities scholar, teacher, university or college professor, archivist, librarian, or museum professional, OR a Washingtonian with an interest in the history of our city! ? You’re available on Saturday, March 15 between 9 am and 3 pm. We are seeking at least 70 judges, so please spread the word to your friends and family! Learn more about National History Day in DC, taking place on March 15th: https://buff.ly/3Zi3cfd

The Whitelaw Hotel opened in November 1919 as Washington’s first hotel/apartment building financed, designed, built, and managed exclusively by and for Black Americans. Its developer was John Whitelaw Lewis, a leading entrepreneur and financier for the Black community. To build a first-class hotel for Black visitors to the nation’s capital, Lewis chose the corner of 13th and T Streets NW. This important landmark was also home to a DC love story. Until 1940, Jean, one of 16 children, was living in Alabama with her family. That year she was sent to live with her aunt, Ella King, who lived in Apartment 404 in the Whitelaw Hotel. At the time, their home was central to Black cultural life in Washington—Louis Armstrong, Joe Louis, Louis Jordan, the King Cole Trio, Earl Bostick, and Earl “Fatha” Hines were among the guests who stayed at the hotel. In 1942, 13-year-old Milton Bess began spending summers in the Whitelaw’s Apartment 302. He lived with his father Milton Bess, Sr., and stepmother Mary Washington, who ran the hotel beauty shop. Jean and Milton grew up together in the Whitelaw building, and it was where they fell in love. The couple married in 1951 and moved away from what had become a rapidly changing neighborhood. Four decades later, the DC government bought the Whitelaw Hotel and sold it to nonprofit housing developer Manna, Inc. After a year of renovations, Manna reopened the restored Whitelaw building in 1992 with 35 one- to three-bedroom apartments and a ballroom for resident activities and community events. Jean and Milton returned in 1994 to participate in a documentary about life in and around the Whitelaw Hotel—from its glory days in the 1920s and 1930s, through its near destruction in the 1970s and 1980s, and its restoration as a home for families of low-to-middle income. Learn about the “Rebirth of the Whitelaw Hotel” from a 2021 article published in Washington History magazine: https://buff.ly/3qdEJ6L #BlackHistoryMonth #BlackOwnedBusiness ?? Lobby of the Whitelaw Hotel, ca. 1919-1929 (Remembering U Street photograph collection, CHS 13589.03)

Celebrate our special issue of Washington History magazine recognizing the 50-year legacy of Home Rule in Washington, DC. On January 30 join us for a timely conversation with historian Michael Fauntroy, nephew of civil rights activist Walter Fauntroy, and journalist Martin Austermuhle considering the long struggle for self-determination in the nation’s capital. During the program, we will recognize the authors and contributors who made this special issue possible The 1973 DC Home Rule Act established a local government for Washington, DC allowing residents to vote for mayor and a city council for the first time in a century. Fifty years later, this special issue underscores the democratic progress that Home Rule represented and highlights its limitations and inherent vulnerability. As Michael Fauntroy writes, “Congress still can do whatever it wants, whenever it wants. A détente of sorts emerged during the past two decades, but, as evidenced by recent events, it is one that can be ended at any time. The District still is not fully free.” This event is free, but registration is required. Learn more: https://buff.ly/4akhNe4

Our Kiplinger Research Library has now reopened after our holiday break! Make an appointment for research or request materials from our collection and you might just meet Sam! ?? Sam joined our team last year and supports all aspects of library services, including pulling and reshelving research materials, welcoming researchers to the library, updating catalog records, and inventorying library materials. Get to know Sam more: https://buff.ly/42aWIAC #MeettheTeamMonday

As we begin a new year, we want to say a huge thank you to the seven Latino/a/x Advisory Group (LAG) members transitioning off from their positions. After two years of service, we bid farewell to: Letitia Gomez, Jose Gutierrez, Rosalyn Lake, Kristy LiPuma, Manuel Mendez, Delia Beristain Noriega, and Daniel del Pielago. Their contributions to the LAG include helping us put together collecting priorities and processes, and shaping our community archiving project by orienting us to community needs and best practices. When we first established the advisory group, we were aware of the ways in which cultural heritage institutions often tap small, inner networks to inform their work. By setting term limits, we hope to expand the voices who are informing and interpreting the histories we are uplifting in our work to document Latino/a/x DC. If you would like to become involved in the work of the LAG: https://buff.ly/4fO86pm We are looking forward to what the new cohort of the LAG will do in 2025!

Every year, the DC History Center counts on the support of its donors, members, and friends to help us deepen understanding of our city’s past. We make the most of every dollar raised, every item donated to our collection, and every attendee at our programs. However you invest in the DC History Center, you helped us reach over 132,500 people this year. Thank you for your continued support!

Just released! Our special issue of Washington History magazine “Home Rule 50th Anniversary” explores the history of the last half century with self-governance, full citizenship, free elections, and DC statehood. Inside the Issue: ? "Congressional Interference and the Failures of Home Rule" by Michael K. Fauntroy ? "Crafting the DC Home Rule Act: A Conversation with Colbert I. King" by Sarah Jane Shoenfeld ? "Timeline: DC's Struggle for Self-Determination" by the editors ? "The Early Days of Home Rule in DC: A Conversation with Arrington Dixon" by George Derek Musgrove ? "The Case for DC Statehood" by Sam Smith ? "'It's in Our Hands to Build Our Country in Our Image' Josephine Butler, DC Statehood, and the Everyday Work of Emancipation" by Timothy Kumfer Plus: an insightful look back at the brief but consequential and utterly polarizing ? "Free DC" movement, led by a young Marion Barry; and a look inside the New Columbia Archives, a trove of materials on home rule that the DC History Center acquired this fall. Purchase the issue through our online store (https://buff.ly/41PBRTy,) or become a member of the DC History Center and receive our bi-annual editions of Washington History as a benefit of membership (https://buff.ly/3tcpGAS)!

Join the team! We’re looking for TWO part-time temporary roles: Education Coordinator ? Assist with all aspects of planning and executing National History Day in DC. (@nhdcontest) Program Coordinator ? Support public programming logistics for the DC History Center, including walking tours, genealogy workshops, book talks, film screenings, and more. ? Assist with the execution of @dchistcon, an interdisciplinary community conference supported by organizational partners and a volunteer planning committee. Learn more + apply: https://buff.ly/4efoyiO

Our newest team member is not so new to DC history! Vanessa Williams, M.S. Ed joined the DC History Conference planning committee in 2022 and elevated opportunities for K-12 educators to get involved in the annual conference. She is continuing this work full time now at the DC History Center. ?? On top of coordinating National History Day activity in DC, Vanessa facilitates field trips, delivers signature professional development opportunities including Teach the District, shares resources in the Education Desk newsletter, supports summer interns, and nurtures the relationships between K-12 students, local school systems, and historical sites and museums. Read more about Vanessa: https://buff.ly/4gfh9k7 #MeettheTeamMonday