Excerpts from oral history interviews about the Anacostia neighborhood of Washington, DC that appear in the Smithsonian Anacostia Community Museum’s exhibition, “A Right to the City” (April 21, 2018-April 20, 2020). In a moment of rapid population growth and mounting tensions over development, “A Right to the City” explores the history of neighborhood change and civic engagement in the nation’s capital by looking at the dynamic histories of six Washington, D.C., neighborhoods: Adams Morgan, Anacostia, Brookland, Chinatown, Shaw and Southwest. The exhibition tells the story of these communities through the eyes of the Washingtonians who have helped shape these neighborhoods in extraordinary ways. They have used their collective community power to fight for quality public education, healthy and green urban spaces, equitable development and transportation, and a truly democratic approach to city planning. MORE INFORMATION: www.anacostia.si.edu/Exhibitio...
Interviewees include:
- Arrington Dixon, native Anacostian, elected to the first DC City Council (1974), and co-founder and former chairman of the Anacostia Coordinating Council (ACC)
- Sheila Cogan, former Far Southeast DC resident, member of the first integrated class at John Philip Sousa Junior High School
- Rosalind Styles, native Anacostian and longtime neighborhood advocate