Skip to main content
RETURN TO Return to WETA website Donate
Boundary Stones logo

Main navigation

  • Washington, D.C.
  • Maryland
  • Virginia
  • Video
  • About

Black History

DC
Eat Anywhere! Mary Church Terrell, the Lost Laws, and the End of Segregation in D.C. Restaurants

Eat Anywhere! Mary Church Terrell, the Lost Laws, and the End of Segregation in D.C. Restaurants

06/08/2017 in DC by Mark Jones

On Friday, January 27, 1950, Mary Church Terrell met three friends for a late lunch in downtown Washington. Terrell, then 86, entered Thompson’s Restaurant on 14th Street NW around 2:45 pm with Rev. William H. Jernigan, Geneva Brown and David Scull. Their party was integrated – Scull was white while the others were black – however, Thompson’s Restaurant was not. Like most other D.C. eating establishments at the time, it was whites only.

As the group went about selecting entrees along the cafeteria line, Manager Levin Ange emerged and informed them that Thompson’s did not serve “colored” people. Terrell clarified, “Do you mean to tell me that you are not going to serve me?” When Ange confirmed that was the case, the group left the restaurant.

The chain of events was, of course, entirely expected. As a leader of Washington’s civil rights movement for half a century, Mary Church Terrell was well aware of Thompson’s policy. But she and the others didn’t go to the restaurant to be served. Rather they went with the expectation of being turned away – the necessary, if also demeaning, first step toward bringing a new sort of legal challenge, which they hoped would topple segregation in the nation’s capital.

  • Share by Facebook
  • Share by Twitter
  • Share by Email

Read More

Virginia
The Edmonson Sisters of Alexandria: Legends in the Fight Against Slavery

The Edmonson Sisters of Alexandria: Legends in the Fight Against Slavery

12/15/2016 in Virginia by Richard Brownell

In the years leading up to the Civil War, the debate over the future of slavery raged through the halls of Congress. Abolitionists in the North, however, had little faith that their fight could be won through political discourse. A quarter of Washington, D.C.’s black population was enslaved, and the slave trade in the District was one of the most lucrative markets in the country. Abolitionists reasoned that they needed to resort to other means to combat slavery in this socially hypocritical and politically entrenched environment. In the early months of 1848, a local cell of the Underground Railroad devised a plan to smuggle slaves out of the area and take them north to free territory.

  • Share by Facebook
  • Share by Twitter
  • Share by Email

Read More

Virginia
Alexandria Library Sit-In, 1939

Alexandria Library Sit-In, 1939

11/29/2016 in Virginia by Claudia Swain

In 1939 — decades before Virginia schools were integrated, and sit-ins emerged as a primary strategy for protesting segregated businesses and public facilities in the South — Alexandria, Virginia lawyer Samuel Tucker organized a successful sit-in to demonstrate against the Alexandria Library's "whites only" policy. It is believed to be the first sit-in for desegregation in American history.

  • Share by Facebook
  • Share by Twitter
  • Share by Email

Read More

DC
The Howard University Fight Over Vaccination

The Howard University Fight Over Vaccination

11/17/2016 in DC by Max Lee

Prior to 1909, Harry Bradford had almost never landed himself in the paper. He appeared in The Washington Post once, when it announced that the Kensington Orchestra was going to be performing in the near future. (Bradford played violin.) But other than that, nothing. And yet, in 1910, Bradford’s name was in all caps on the front page of the Post. “Bradford told to quit,” the headline read.

  • Share by Facebook
  • Share by Twitter
  • Share by Email

Read More

DC
Duke Ellington’s Education at Frank Holliday's Pool Hall

Duke Ellington’s Education at Frank Holliday's Pool Hall

11/08/2016 in DC by Richard Brownell

In 1910, the Howard Theater was founded in Washington's Shaw neighborhood, and it soon became the premier black theater in the country, helping launch the careers of many African American performers. But for Duke Ellington, who was a fixture in the neighborhood as a kid, the pool hall next door to the theatre did more to shape his musical sensibilities.

  • Share by Facebook
  • Share by Twitter
  • Share by Email

Read More

DC
Exploring Local African American History Beyond the New Smithsonian Museum

Exploring Local African American History Beyond the New Smithsonian Museum

09/23/2016 in DC by Lila Spitz

If you live in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area and you are interested in visiting the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC) but have not secured tickets yet, this might be a great time to explore the many African American history focused museums, cultural centers and historic houses in Maryland, Washington, D.C., and Virginia.

  • Share by Facebook
  • Share by Twitter
  • Share by Email

Read More

DC
Dr. Anna J. Cooper: MVP of D.C. Education

Dr. Anna J. Cooper: MVP of D.C. Education

07/06/2016 in DC by Claudia Swain

In the early 1900s, Dr. Anna J. Cooper, eschewed inherently racist notions that education for African American students should be solely vocational. Pursuing more classical studies, she pushed her students toward some of the best colleges and universities in the country, but her dedication raised the ire of the D.C. Board of Education.

  • Share by Facebook
  • Share by Twitter
  • Share by Email

Read More

DC
Jackie Robinson and the House Un-American Activities Committee

Jackie Robinson and the House Un-American Activities Committee

04/08/2016 in DC by Patrick Kiger

Jackie Robinson, who broke baseball's color barrier, was pressured into testifying before the infamous communist-hunting committee in July 1949. But he also used the opportunity to speak out about racial injustice.

  • Share by Facebook
  • Share by Twitter
  • Share by Email

Read More

DC
Frederick Douglass's Career in D.C. Government

Frederick Douglass's Career in D.C. Government

02/18/2016 in DC by Richard Brownell

Frederick Douglass spent time in Washington, D.C. during his career as an abolitionist, writer, and orator, but he was never a permanent resident. His presence prior to and during the Civil War was most notable as an advisor to President Abraham Lincoln during the debate over constitutional amendments to guarantee voting rights and civil liberties for African Americans.

It wasn’t until his Rochester, N.Y. home was destroyed by fire in 1872 that Douglass took up permanent residence in the District. Relocating to Washington seemed a logical choice since he was already spending an increasing amount of time there.

  • Share by Facebook
  • Share by Twitter
  • Share by Email

Read More

DC
Benjamin Banneker's Capital Contributions

Benjamin Banneker's Capital Contributions

02/08/2016 in DC by Richard Brownell

Benjamin Banneker was already a practiced mathematician and astronomer when he was approached in February 1791 by his friend Andrew Ellicott to survey the land staked out for the new United States capital. A free black who grew up in Maryland as a farmer, Banneker was more than a laborer. Though his formal education ended at an early age, he continued to study science and physics and would later write a series of best-selling almanacs. He designed and built a striking clock at age 22 that kept perfect time for forty years until it was destroyed in a fire. But, perhaps him most long lasting mark was the unique role he played in the development of the nation's capital — a job that went far beyond what Ellicott orginally had in mind.

  • Share by Facebook
  • Share by Twitter
  • Share by Email

Read More

Pagination

  • First page «
  • Previous page ‹‹
  • …
  • Page 2
  • Page 3
  • Current page 4
  • Page 5
  • Page 6
  • …
  • Next page ››
  • Last page »
Surprise Me!

Not sure where to start reading? Let us pick a story for you!

Categories

  • DC (565)
  • Maryland (106)
  • Virginia (146)

Latest Posts

"DC" Really Stands for Demon Cat... Which Haunts the U.S. Capitol

03/17/2023

"DC" Really Stands for Demon Cat... Which Haunts the U.S. Capitol

From the Mixed-Up Files of the Smithsonian Museum of American History: The Heist of 1981

03/10/2023

From the Mixed-Up Files of the Smithsonian Museum of American History: The Heist of 1981

The "Capitalsaurus": How a Dinosaur That Never Existed Became an Official Mascot of D.C.

03/03/2023

The "Capitalsaurus": How a Dinosaur That Never Existed Became an Official Mascot of D.C.

Most Popular

How the B&O Railroad Almost Gave Kensington, Maryland its Name

09/23/2022

How the B&O Railroad Almost Gave Kensington, Maryland its Name

Encore: How the Tivoli became the Epicenter of a Debate over Urban Renewal

07/27/2022

Encore: How the Tivoli became the Epicenter of a Debate over Urban Renewal

Mighty Yet Stubby: A Four-Legged War Hero Takes D.C. By Storm

08/09/2022

Mighty Yet Stubby: A Four-Legged War Hero Takes D.C. By Storm

Tags

1860s1870s1890s1900s1910s1920s1930s1940s1950s1960s1970s1980s1990sAlexandriaArlingtonBlack HistoryBygone DCCivil WarGeorgetownMusic HistorySports HistoryWhite HouseWomen's HistoryWorld War IWorld War II
More
Historical D.C. Metro Map
Tweets by BoundaryStones
WETA

Footer menu

  • Support WETA
  • About WETA
  • Press Room
  • Contact Us
  • Newsletter
  • RSS
  • Accessibility

Contact Us

  • 3939 Campbell Avenue
    Arlington, VA 22206 | Map
  • 703-998-2600
  • boundarystones@weta.org

Connect with us

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

About Boundary Stones

Boundary Stones explores local history in Washington, D.C., suburban Maryland and northern Virginia. This project is a service of WETA and is supported by contributions from readers like you.

DONATE

Copyright © 2023 WETA. All Rights Reserved.

Bottom Footer

  • Terms
  • Privacy
  • Guidelines