In this episode, Laura and Julie explore the new permanent exhibit, Up From the People: Protest and Change in DC, located on the 4th floor of Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Library. Plus book reviews of The Washington Century and Chocolate City, and new collections in Dig DC.
Check out a copy of The Washington Century
Check out a copy of Chocolate City
Washington Community Video Center Collection in Dig DC
Seng Luangrath’s oral history in Dig DC
Transgender Histories of D.C. in Dig DC.
Laura Farley 0:03
Hello and welcome to The People's Podchive recorded in the labs at Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Library. I'm Laura Farley, Digital Curation Librarian.
Julie Burns 0:14
And I'm Julie Burns, Library Associate in The People's Archive.
Laura Farley 0:17
Julie, welcome! I'm so thrilled to be joining the pod. Tell us, who are you? And what do you do at The People's Archive?
Julie Burns 0:27
Well, I do everything. Just kidding. But really, one of the things I love about my job is that as a Library Associate in more of a support type role, I do get to assist with lots of different things. So I do some reference work, assist with programs like house history workshops, but I also do slash have done some more behind the scenes projects like processing archival collections, putting together our departments newsletter, and creating metadata for some of our digital collections. And now though, I am feeling a little nervous and intimidated, I am excited to be here to help out with the podcast. So thanks for having me, Laura.
Laura Farley 1:09
Well, I'm so excited that you're here, Julie and I can confirm that Julie does indeed do everything and she makes it look easy.
On this episode, Julie and I are going to explore the new permanent exhibit on the fourth floor of the MLK Library "Up From the People : Protest and Change in DC". Plus book reviews and more.
"Up From the People : Protest and Change in DC" is the new permanent exhibit on the fourth floor of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Library. This exhibit features two galleries and uses audio, video, images, documents, and artifacts to tell the story of the District and the people who live here. The exhibit includes materials from The People's Archive, as well as from local residents and outside organizations.
Julie Burns 2:00
The west side of the exhibit is titled "A Revolution of Values" and it explores Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s connection to Washington DC and local activism. It covers the Prayer Pilgrimage for Freedom, the March on Washington, the civil disturbances following King's assassination in April 1968, and The Poor Poor People's Campaign. This portion of the exhibit also highlights several individuals who are influenced and or influenced by King, including politicians Julius Hobson, and Walter Fauntleroy, welfare rights advocate Etta Horn, and civil rights leader Nannie Helen Burroughs, and educator who founded the National Training School for Women and Girls. There's a video on a brief history of Home Rule in DC as well.
Laura Farley 2:47
And Julie, what kind of items are on display in this exhibit?
Julie Burns 2:52
There's so much to see! Newspaper articles, posters, photographs of historic events, archival materials like letters, flyers and pamphlets. And there are even some objects like Julius Hobson's calculator and Walter Fauntleroy's shoes that he wore at the March on Washington. And those are on loan from the George Washington University Library's Special Collections Research Center.
Laura Farley 3:15
There's just something about seeing items Hobson and Fauntleroy actually used in their day to day life that connects you to them in such a personal way.
Julie Burns 3:24
Definitely.
Okay, so a little bit more about "A Revolution of Values". It is not chronological, so you can sort of roam around and it can be viewed in any order. And there are a few recurring elements that you'll see throughout, such as these tactic buttons, which highlight various strategies employed by activists throughout history, and panels featuring present day artists and activists, including one of our co-worker, Archivist, Derek Gray. There's even the section toward the back that includes items on loan from these individuals illustrating some of the many ways that King's legacy lives on.
Laura Farley 4:02
We've walked past the exhibit a bunch of times every day and I'm always really happy to see people sitting and watching the videos about Dr. King, Nannie Helen Burroughs and the fight for Home Rule. I always seem to walk by during the Nannie Helen Burroughs section when the narrator says, "Who's that young woman? She's just an upstart. But Nannie Helen Burroughs was just starting up." That quote, makes me feel proud to live in a place with a legacy of activism.
Julie Burns 4:31
I know! That quote in particular, and some of the songs always get stuck in my head.
Laura Farley 4:35
So moving over to the east gallery, the exhibit is titled "DC Represented" and is less thematic than "A Revolution of Values". This exhibit highlights the collection strengths of The People's Archive. That means "DC Represented" draws directly from our collections and you can view them anytime in our reading room. Right away, you'll notice sections on DC activism, which include the Home Rule movement from the 1960s, and the 1970s, which was the fight for DC residents to elect their own mayor and city council. The fight to keep freeways out of the heart of the District, a cause that brought together a cross section of DC residents in opposition to freeway construction, and the ongoing fight for DC statehood today.
Julie Burns 5:26
Also highlighted in the activism section is the legacy of DC Mayor Marion Barry often referred to as "Mayor for Life", who served as Mayor from 1979 to 1991, and again from 1995 to 1999. When planning the exhibit, designers heard over and over from the public that they had a desire to honor Marion Barry in the permanent exhibit, and this section includes photographs, documents and oral history clips that cover a variety of perspectives on his public service. You cannot miss the giant photo of Marion Barry on horseback with a cowboy hat in front of the White House.
Laura Farley 6:07
Yeah, that photo is quite spectacular, not to be missed.
"DC Represented" highlights two local music collecting initiatives at The People's Archive, the Go-Go Archive, which was founded in 2012 after the passing of legendary musician Chuck Brown, and the Punk Archive founded in 2014. This exhibit is pure energy with large screens playing clips from shows. Quite honestly, it's hard not to wiggle and dance in the section.
Julie Burns 6:38
That I have to agree with. We actually had a class in last week and it was so fun to see the students dancing and singing along in the galleries.
Laura Farley 6:45
Oh for sure! The giant Go-Go and punk screens gets everybody moving.
Besides video, the Go-Go exhibit includes photographs, audio and posters. The punk section includes the same, but also has a wall of local zines, which are handmade publications that are Xeroxed and have a small scale circulation. Both Go-Go and punk have deep roots in DC and tie into the greater theme of activism that threads throughout "DC Represented". Musicians and fans from both genres of music have often been advocates for social and political movements in the District, including DC statehood.
Julie Burns 7:26
The final section, "Voices of DC", features video interviews with DC residents and invites you to share your own thoughts and experiences through some interactive elements, including what they call a card catalog. Remember this?
Laura Farley 7:40
Oh I sure do.
Julie Burns 7:42
And a digital map of the city. You'll hear snippets of interviews with individuals such as Citlali, a tenant organizer, Aristotle, a civil rights attorney, and Seng, a Lao chef and restaurant owner all of whom touch on their relationship with and work in the DC community.
Laura Farley 7:59
Side note, the Library also has an oral history of Seng in the Asian American Voices in the Making of Washington DC's Cultural Landscape Collection, part of the DC Oral History Collaborative.
Julie Burns 8:12
In the "District Catalog", as they call it, there are cards where you can answer questions like "What are your favorite places in DC?", "What do you hope for the future of DC?", and "What positive steps are you taking in your community?" You can also ask your own questions, share a little bit about yourself, say what makes you curious, or just explore others' responses. Have you had a chance to fill one out yet, Laura?
Laura Farley 8:36
I have not filled one out, but I definitely sneak a peek of what people have to say on trips back and forth across the Library. Y'all are passionate about this city and I'm here for it. Today I saw some great restaurant recommendations.
Julie Burns 8:50
The remaining portion of this section focuses on maps. There's a map with all DC Public Library locations, as well as a historic Baist Atlas from 1932 showing the location where the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Library stands today. I just love looking at these old real estate atlases. Oh, and one final note, you can add a story or experience to the digital map that I mentioned earlier. So there's a lot to explore. And this piece of the exhibit serves as a reminder of all of the wonderful, varied, passionate, and curious voices of DC residents.
So that's a lot for what at first glance might seem like a smallish exhibit. Do you have a favorite item or section?
Laura Farley 9:33
Oh, that is such a tough question, Julie. But, I think what draws my eye the most are the posters that appear throughout both galleries. You've got the big Go-Go concert posters painted with that Day-Glo paint, signs from demonstrations with bold statements like "White man's road through black man's home", posters from organizations like the Peace Corps. My very favorite though is a silk screen poster created by Lou Stovall and Lloyd McNeil in 1969, titled "Do Your Own Thing". This poster is abstract and colorful with big blocks of purple, pink and green. It features two figures dancing, swaying their arms to music unheard. "Do Your Own Thing" appears and jagged, blocky type all over the poster. The abstract style and bright colors gives this poster an energy you just can't turn away from. The phrase is attributed to Tony Taylor, the owner of the Bohemian Cavern jazz club. So Julie, what I don't mean sticking with you?
Julie Burns 10:38
Oh, that's a great one. I know exactly which one you mean. For me, it is really hard to decide. But I think I would have to say that my favorites, or one of my favorite, is the letters from the DC Public Library Archives. And these are messages that were written by DC residents, including some children, to the DC Public Library, requesting that the central library be named for Martin Luther King, Jr. The groundbreaking ceremony for the construction of the building took place in 1968, got a photo on Dig DC, and it opened just a few years later in 1972. So these letters kind of help provide context for what was going on at the time and give some insight as to why our Library is named in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
"Up From the People : Protest and Change in DC" is now open on the fourth floor of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Library. Come visit!
Laura Farley 11:35
The People's Archive is a special collection. We have both unique unpublished archival materials like manuscripts and photographs, and published materials including nonfiction and fiction books. Our book collection is non circulating, meaning you have to come into the Library to read the books and you can't take them home. The collection is split into two sections, Washingtoniana, which is a collection of local DC history books, and Black Studies, which is a collection of books about the African American experience. And get ready. We're going to do a whole episode on the Black Studies collection in February. Julie and I are going to share two books from our collection that dig deeper into the new exhibits. Julie, I can't wait to hear what you picked.
Julie Burns 12:22
Yeah, so this was one that I came across recently while working with a customer. I had never heard of it before. But it sounds really interesting. So I went ahead and added it to my list later that day. It's called the Washington Century : Three Families and the Shaping of the Nation's Capitol by Bert Solomon. The Washington Century tells the history of DC in the 20th century through the lens of three different families, the Boggs family, the Cafritz family and the Hobson family, as in Julius Hobson, who's featured in the exhibit, as I mentioned earlier. He's a big name in DC history, and The People's Archive actually has his papers within our archival collections. But I seem to recall that there aren't that many books written about him, which surprised me. This one takes a unique approach. It's broken up into chapters based on presidential administrations, and it seems quite comprehensive. I'm looking forward to reading it. Oh, and I'll also add that even though as Laura noted earlier, our books are reference only, there are multiple copies throughout the system, if you're interested in placing one on hold.
Laura Farley 13:28
That sounds excellent, Julie, a different and personal approach to history for sure. I too, will be adding this book to my list.
Julie Burns 13:36
Great. We'll have a little book club. What book did you choose to highlight, Laura.
Laura Farley 13:42
I chose Chocolate City : A History of Race and Democracy in the Nation's Capital by Chris Myers Asch and George Derek Musgrove. Although only just published in 2017, this book has already become an important source and understanding the history and culture of DC, and dives deep into the background of both galleries of the exhibit. The book takes us all the way back to 1608 when Indigenous Peoples thrived on the Anacostia and Potomac Rivers, and then moves us through time and chunks about 30 years per chapter, with titles like "Our Boastings of Liberty and Equality are Mere Mockeries", "There's Going to be Flames, There's Going to be Fighting, There's Going to be Rebellion", and "Go Home Rich White People". DC is unique as the federal seat of government where national issues play out, but it's also home to citizens that to this day lack full voting rights. It's a city full of contradiction, one that prizes freedom and choice, while having openly participated in the enslavement and segregation of people, and the limiting of voting rights. We learned about the long struggle for an equal and inclusive city and how DC rose to become the nation's first Black majority city. And I'm not gonna lie this book, is, it's long. It's 609 pages, but nearly 150 of those pages are notes, which tells you that this book was meticulously researched. Although it's a hefty lift the writing is narrative and personal. Just like the Washington Century, Chocolate City is available in person at The People's Archive and throughout the DC Public Library system to check out.
Julie Burns 15:31
Lisa, maybe taking a break, but we're carrying on with Collections Corner.
That's right! New in Dig DC is the Washington Community Video Center Collection, 23 videos that captured DC in the 1970s. The Washington Community Video Center, or The WCVC, was located at 2414 18th Street Northwest in the Adams Morgan neighborhood, and was a nonprofit community video production training facility that began as a project of the Federal City College, which we know today as the University of the District of Columbia. The WCVC trained community organizations and leaders to use video as a tool for education and organizing in preparation for the coming of public access television channels.
WCVC 16:22
The Washington Community Video Center is a media resource projects serving the District of Columbia and surrounding suburban counties of Virginia and Maryland. Since we began two years ago, our program has centered on the production of videotapes and films for community groups and institutions. We emphasize training and communication skills for both laymen and professionals. We hold free weekly screenings of videotapes and films in the Center's adjoining theater space. A quarterly media magazine is published for national circulation entitled "The Community Video Report". In addition, we serve as media consultants and offer workshops for schools, government, and industry.
Julie Burns 17:05
Public access television was created in the United States between 1969 and 1971 by the Federal Communications Commission, The WCVC was on a mission to educate Washingtonians about the importance of cable TV as a community development tool. They produced educational programs with and for community organizations like a Ayuda, a Spanish language group, and the Adams Morgan Organization.
Laura Farley 17:33
DC's cable television franchising process was delayed repeatedly, which meant public access television was also delayed. So the WCVC got creative and gave screenings at its Adams Morgan storefront, and partner organizations' facilities. Eventually, videos were created by The WCVC that played in health clinics as a form of patient education. Find the Washington Community Video Center Collection in Dig DC now.
Julie Burns 18:16
Also, new in Dig DC is "Transgender Histories of DC", part of the DC Oral History Collaborative. This is our first oral history collection to focus entirely on the transgender experience in DC, and includes eight interviews that document the events of the final decades of the 20th century and the first few of the 21st through the eyes of transgender elders, mostly Black women.
And that's our show. My very first one! I hope I didn't mess it up too much. Join us next time to take another peek behind the scenes in The People's Archive. Until then get vaccinated if you haven't already, wear a mask where it's required, and comes to us on the fourth floor of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Library.
Laura Farley 19:05
This episode was written by Julie and me. Sound engineering was provided by Robert LaRose of The Labs, and Siobhan Hagan of The Memory Lab Network. Music in this episode came from the Washington Community Video Center Collection. Check our show notes for links to copies of The Washington Century and Chocolate City, and links to all the collections mentioned during this episode.
Julie Burns 19:30
You can find us on Facebook at The People's Archive at DC Public Library, and if you have a question, feel free to email us at peoples.archive@dc.gov - or stop by the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Library and say hello. We're open Monday through Thursday 12 pm to 7 pm and Friday through Saturday 10 am to 6 pm.
Laura Farley 19:52
Until next time,
Julie Burns 19:53
see you in the stacks!