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Maryland
The Burning of Paper, Not Children: A Look at the Catonsville Nine

The Burning of Paper, Not Children: A Look at the Catonsville Nine

06/29/2022 in Maryland by Jenna Furtado

In 1968, nine members of the Catholic Faith entered a Selective Services office in the sleepy town of Catonsville, Maryland. They grabbed hundreds of draft files from the office and took them to the parking lot below, where they burned the files with homemade napalm. These people, known as the Catonsville Nine, represented one small part of the Catholic Left movement, yet became known nationwide for their action and commitment to their beliefs. 

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DC
"We Want 504!"

"We Want 504!"

10/12/2021 in DC by Dominique Mickiewicz

When anti-discrimination legislation was delayed for four years, activists occupied Federal buildings in protest, placing Washington at the heart of the rising disability rights movement.

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DC
The Capitol Crawl

The Capitol Crawl

09/16/2021 in DC by Dominique Mickiewicz

When Congressional delay jeopardized the Americans with Disabilities Act, protesters responded with a powerful demonstration on the Capitol steps.

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DC
Bet on Gallaudet

Bet on Gallaudet

07/21/2021 in DC by Dominique Mickiewicz

Against the backdrop of the city, Gallaudet University students, faculty, and alumni transformed their campus protest into a national fight for civil rights, refusing to accept anything less than a “Deaf President Now.” 

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DC
The Longest Walk's Final Destination

The Longest Walk's Final Destination

10/23/2020 in DC by Charlotte Muth

In July of 1978, thousands of Native American demonstrators arrived in the capital to protest eleven pieces of legislation, and raise awareness about issues faced by Indigenous peoples. This was the end of a 3,000 mile journey known as the Longest Walk.

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DC
"If the government won’t stop the war, we’ll stop the government": May Day Protests of 1971

"If the government won’t stop the war, we’ll stop the government": May Day Protests of 1971

07/18/2017 in DC by Lindsay Dillon

Those who travelled into the District in the early part of May could enjoy a rock concert, good food, and plenty of protesting. In May 1971, the culmination of months of anti-Vietnam protesting took hold of D.C., when thousands of young Americans attempted to block traffic, execute sit-ins, and make their voices heard.

 

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DC
A Thwarted Protest at the Soviet Embassy

A Thwarted Protest at the Soviet Embassy

10/19/2016 in DC by Max Lee

On Aug. 24, 1973, about 20 D.C. Jewish school children gathered around the Soviet Embassy holding onto basketballs. It was around noon, and they were getting ready to bounce the balls just loud enough for Soviet officials to hear. But they weren't there to play; they were there to stage a political protest.

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DC
Marion Barry Leads Bus Boycott

Marion Barry Leads Bus Boycott

10/23/2015 in DC by Jamila Jordan

The price of public transportation in D.C. is rising and people are angry. Although this statement could accurately describe the present time, let’s turn back the clock to 1965.

D.C. Transit had just announced plans to raise bus fares and one man wasn’t having it. This man was Marion Barry, who would go on to become mayor of D.C., serving four terms. But Barry wasn’t mayor yet. He was a relatively new resident in D.C., having moved here to open up a local chapter of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC). Barry saw the bus company’s raised rates as a direct hit to low income people in the District, who were mostly African American.

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DC
"The Whitest Huddle of Any Team in the League"

"The Whitest Huddle of Any Team in the League"

08/14/2015 in DC by Benjamin Shaw

By 1952, every team in the National Football League had African-American players... except one. Washington Redskins (now Commanders) team founder and owner George Preston Marshall refused to integrate and dragged his feet for ten more years until his hand was forced.

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Maryland
Remembering the Summer of 1960 at Glen Echo

Remembering the Summer of 1960 at Glen Echo

06/29/2015 in Maryland by Jenna Goff

You might not immediately associate roller coasters with racial equality, but more than three years before Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s March on Washington, Maryland’s Glen Echo Park was a focal point of the Civil Rights Movement. It made sense: since its opening in 1899, Glen Echo had been the premier amusement park for white Washingtonians. The park featured a number of modern roller coasters, a miniature railway, a Ferris wheel, an amphitheater, a pool: everything and more that other parks provided.

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