The resources below document African American historic and cultural sites in Washington DC, as well as sites associated with the local and national battle for civil rights.
Black History Sites of Washington DC
African Americans have been central to the culture, heritage and civic life of Washington, DC. The website, Black History Sites of Washington, DC records more than 300 places associated with African American history and culture from before the creation of the the District of Columbia to the present. It also provides online access to the African American Heritage Trail Guide.
Black History Sites of Washington, DC
DC Black Power Historic Context Study
Prepared in 2023, the historic context study, The Black Power Movement in Washington, D.C., 1966-1978, identifies important themes, critical players and places associated with the Black Power Movement in the District of Columbia. The Black Power Movement grew out of the civil rights movement and the struggle for Black equality at a time when Washington, D.C. was experiencing a major transformation as a majority white to a majority Black city. The movement encompassed efforts by a myriad collection of activists who, despite differences, embraced three core tenets: Black self-determination; self-love; and self-defense. Read the comprehensive history of the movement to learn about it and the dozens of sites in the District connected to specific events and people who were at the center of this national movement.
Black Power Historic Context Study
African American Heritage Trail
The District of Columbia's African American Heritage Trail Guide is a printed brochure of 100 historic sites associated with African American history and culture in 15 distinct neighborhoods. A map at the center of the publication locates each trail within the city and the location of nearby Metro stops and each neighborhood trail then provides a more precise map locating the individual sites. The brochure provides short narratives on each of the sites, along with selected photos. The sites themselves are marked with informational plaques on or adjacent to the historic building or place. The plaques contain similar narrative histories as those printed in the brochure.
African American Heritage Trail Guide
African American Civil Rights
As the nation’s capital and, by 1957, the first large US city to become majority Black, Washington, DC was central to the 20th century African American Civil Rights Movement. See the below links for information on some of the individual sites, neighborhoods and places that have defined the local and national battle for civil rights in Washington:
20th Century African American Civil Rights Tour
History of Resistance at Lafayette Square and the Black Lives Matter Movement Washington, DC
Barry Farm Dwellings: A Struggle for Civil Rights in Southeast DC
Kingman Park: A Segregated Community and Center for Civil Rights
Racial Discrimination in Housing
The National Park Service has prepared a National Historic Landmarks Theme Study: Civil Rights in America: Racial Discrimination in Housing. The white paper, linked below, was produced in 2021 by the Organization of American Historians with the National Conference of State Historic Preservation Officers as consultant.
Civil Rights in America: Racial Discrimination in Housing
Launched in 2018, the web-based map, Mapping Segregation In Washington, DC reveals the profound role of race in shaping the nation's capital during the first half of the 20th century. The map, conceived by historians Mara Cherkasky and Sarah Jane Shoenfeld of Prologue DC and GIS specialist Brian Kraft is regularly updated, based upon on-going research. The project has received funding from many and various sources, including current funding from the DC Office of Planning/Historic Preservation Office.