Blake Wilson

Blake Wilson, like Missy “Misdemeanor” Elliott, Douglas Wilder and Devante Swing is a native of the Commonwealth of Virginia. His interest in history began with visits to Civil War battlefieds and a childhood obsession with President Kennedy's assassination. When not fuming over popup rowhouse additions (renovations), admiring formstone or searching for Shady Groove's On the Move live album, he is on yet another walking tour of Frederick Douglass' Cedar Hill. Since Blake is a student at Howard University, it is fitting to quote the Notorious B.I.G. because… "May see me in D.C. at Howard Homecoming..."

Showing 5 posts of 5

How a Maryland Crime Shaped a Presidential Election

In 1987, a convicted murderer from Massachusetts was apprehended in Prince George's County after a short police chase. His arrest would set off a chain of events that would become the hot button issue of the 1988 presidential campaign.
May 1, 2019
- Maryland
By Blake Wilson
Art as Protest: Angelina Weld Grimké's "Rachel"

In 1915, The Birth of a Nation was a controversial blockbuster and a D.C. schoolteacher, Angelina Weld Grimké, was a writer unafraid to use her art as form of protest. This is the story of "Rachel," an acclaimed anti-lynching play written in Washington, D.C.
April 2, 2019
- Washington, D.C.
By Blake Wilson
When the Baltimore Sun was Washington's Most Visible Newspaper

Back in 1887, the Baltimore Sun was looking for a bold way to celebrate its 50th anniversary and to declare itself one of the nation's premiere newspapers. What better way to do that than with the first skyscraper in the nation's capital?
March 8, 2019
- Washington, D.C.
- Maryland
By Blake Wilson
The Curious Case of the ABA's Washington Caps

For one season the American Basketball Association set up shop in the Nation's Capital, as the defending league champion — and star player Rick Barry — moved from Oakland to D.C. But almost as soon as the Washington Caps arrived in 1969, they were gone. So why didn't D.C.'s team last?
February 21, 2019
By Blake Wilson
Fighting for D.C.'s Homeless: Mitch Snyder and CCNV

“Anyone who thinks anyone is on the streets by choice is saying that out of a bed; a warm, comfortable home with a roof over their heads, money in their pocket and food in their stomachs.” - Mitch Snyder
Faced with a growing homeless crisis, the Reagan administration made a surprising policy decision in 1983. Vacant federal buildings became available to “local governments and charitable organizations” for use as emergency shelters at a “cost basis.” The properties included thousands of HUD and Department of Defense owned structures across the country, and one particularly notable building in the shadow of the United States Capitol. But while the new policy seemed to be a step forward, Mitch Snyder's fight for D.C.'s homeless was just beginning.
February 4, 2019
- Washington, D.C.
By Blake Wilson