Celebrate Black History this month and year-round by supporting local Black-owned businesses and brands, learning about DC icons from the Black community, tuning into conversations about Black U.S. Naval officers' original journey to freedom, and much more. Here are six ways to honor, support, and celebrate Black History Month in Capitol Riverfront.
Visit "The Beauty of Buzzard Point" Mural
The “The Beauty of Buzzard Point” mural by Kaliq Crosby and Rose Jaffe celebrates DC icons like Chuck Brown, Marvin Gaye, and Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton; as well as their contributions to the District. While in Buzzard Point, be sure to also stop by and learn about the James C. Dent House (156 Q St, SW). This was the residence of Reverend James Clinton Dent, an esteemed community leader who was enslaved at birth, before gaining the freedom he should have always had as an adult, and served as the pastor of Mount Moriah Baptist Church. Opened on Juneteenth 2019, the Dent House serves as a community center and was in fact the place where many ideas for "The Beauty of Buzzard Point" mural were first conceptualized.
Check out a pop-up art exhibit
Explore a mobile art gallery exhibit, Bundlehouse: Ancient Future Memory, stationed right here in our neighborhood by artist Nyugen E. Smith. This exhibit builds on Smith’s ongoing "Bundlehouse" series, which uses found-objects to represent the layered identities of Black African diasporic descendants and the forced migration or rehousing (physical & spiritual) of the African diaspora. This exhibit is open Wednesdays through Sundays, from 12:00 pm to 5:00 pm, until March 12.
Listen to a conversation with Jair Lynch
Listen in to Jair Lynch, Founder & CEO of Jair Lynch Real Estate Partners on the “Icons of DC Area Real Estate” podcast via Spotify, iTunes, and Stitcher. From his participation in two Olympic Games to his leadership in the development of real estate throughout the District—including Capitol Riverfront’s own eNvy condominiums and The Kelvin apartments—Jair Lynch is full of interesting perspectives.
Support Black-Owned Businesses
This month and throughout the year, support Black-owned restaurants, shops, and services in the neighborhood including Somewhere, BOOMBOX Boxing Club, Navy Yard Dental, Ovation Eye Institute, Agua 301, 9Round and Sandlot Southeast (hello summer!).
Shop Black Brands at Steadfast Supply
Steadfast Supply is celebrating National Black History Month throughout February (and year-round) by supporting Black makers, businesses, and creatives highlighted throughout their storefront. Check out the store to learn more about the products, inspirations, and stories behind the talented Black-owned brands being featured. Stop by Tuesday through Sunday to shop brands from Black artisans like Bailiwick, 228 Grant Street, Aburi Botanicals, Aster & Tulips, and Machee Creates; plus check out and purchase books for all ages that celebrate diversity and honor Black history in literature.
Celebrate Abolitionist Frederick Douglass and The Bridge That Honors Him
Learn more about and celebrate the life of abolitionist leader Frederick Douglass, after whom the neighborhood’s newest bridge is named, by attending a Frederick Douglass Birthday Celebration at the neighborhood's Capitol Turnaround on Saturday, February 11, from 2:00 pm to 4:00 pm. The celebration will feature live performances by both the Jubilee Voices of the Washington Revels and the student winners of the Frederick Douglass Oratorical Contest. Follow the celebration with a peaceful fifteen-minute bike ride across the new Frederick Douglass Memorial Bridge which opened in September 2021.
Attend a Curator Talk Presented by the National Museum of the U.S. Navy
Join the National Museum of the U.S. Navy for the "Currents of Emancipation: Black Americans, the U.S. Navy, and the Civil War" curator talk. Historian Edward Valentin Jr. will lead a lecture on Black Southerners' connection to the water which greatly aided them in escaping from slavery before and during the war, and how formerly enslaved people’s understanding of Southern waterways later proved to be a valuable asset for the U.S. Navy during the Union war effort. This is an in-person event and will take place in the museum's Francis A. Gregory Library on February 16 at 12:00 pm.