As summer began in 1949, African American residents of far Northeast and Southeast looked forward to finally having access to a swimming pool on their side of the Anacostia River.

"They say we have outside agitators . . . . Heck, when you're living like this, you don’t need anybody from outside to agitate [for] you." (The Washington Post, December 25, 1966).

“Hardly anything of significance to Washington – and most particularly to black Washington – came to fruition without Billy Simpson’s significant – albeit non-public – role in it.”

Marguerite Daisy Carr was only 13 years old in 1947 when she found herself at the center of a legal battle over equal education.

Ralph J. Bunche was among a group of young Howard University social scientists who focused on economic-based solutions for racial discrimination.

“Work. Support thyself. To thine own powers appeal.” (Motto of the National Training School for Women and Girls)

All Souls Church—one of the few places in the city where mixed-race groups could meet—would emerge during the 1940s and 50s as an important center of the Civil Rights Movement in DC.

Mary McLeod Bethune (1875-1955) worked tirelessly for the economic advancement of African Americans, and especially for the empowerment of black women and youth. Her "combination of deference,…

In the 1940s, Campbell African Methodist Episcopal Church was a hub of resistance to school segregation in the District. In collaboration with local and national organizations, the church planned for…

When the building that houses Cardozo High School was first constructed in 1914-1916, it was called Central High School and for the next thirty-five years was open to white students only. Then in 1950…