Boundary Stones | WETA's Washington DC Local History Website

Muhammad Ali in 1967 (World Journal Tribune photo by Ira Rosenberg, Library of Congress)

Muhammad Ali's Speech at Howard University, 1967

At Howard University in 1967, Muhammad Ali delivered a defiant, electrifying speech—melding sharp critique of the Vietnam War, a fierce defense of his refusal to be drafted, and an unapologetic call for Black pride that echoed across the nation.

40 Years Before Rosa Parks, D.C.'s Barbara Pope Challenged Segregation on Public Transportation

Though Rosa Parks may be the face of peaceful resistance to segregation on public transportation, she was not the first to adopt the strategy. Claudette Colvin, Ellen Harris, Maggie Lena Walker, Ida B...
Frederick Douglass’s Son Charles Pioneered Black Baseball in D.C.

Washington, DC, has a rich baseball history stretching back over 160 years. But long before the Nationals and Senators of Major League Baseball and the Negro leagues’ Homestead Grays won over legions...
During the Civil War, Roosevelt Island Was Home to Black Troops and a Freedman’s Camp

While it’s known today for its forested hiking trails and outdoor memorial to America’s 26th president, Theodore Roosevelt Island played a prominent role in Washington, DC’s Civil War history. In 1863...

Police officer escorts five young African American men out of the Alexandria, VA Library on August 21, 1939.

Black History Month

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Funk and the Chocolate City: How George Clinton and Parliament Funkadelic Left a Mark on DC

Funk band Parliament-Funkadelic has been in a long-term relationship with their African American fans from Washington, D.C. since the early 1970s. The message of Black freedom and empowerment inherent to funk music resonated with activists in the District who had fought for (and won) Home Rule, among other major political and social victories in recent years. In 1975, P-Funk released the album Chocolate City, an ode to the people of Washington, D.C.
July 2, 2024
- Washington, D.C.
By Kira Quintin
Did the Underground Railroad Run Through Georgetown?

The Underground Railroad has deeper ties to the Washington DC area than many know. Escaped slaves are believed to have used the burial vault at Mount Zion Cemetery in Georgetown as a hiding place during their journey to freedom.
February 16, 2024
- Washington, D.C.
By Sarah Kim
Tennis's Original Sister Act: Margaret and Roumania Peters

Decades before Venus and Serena Williams dominated women’s tennis on the WTA tour, the Peters Sisters — Margaret Peters, a.k.a. “Pete", and Roumania Peters, a.k.a. “Repeat” — from Georgetown, were unstoppable champions in the all-black American Tennis Association.
July 13, 2017
- Washington, D.C.
By Lila Spitz

Watch & Learn

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How a D.C. Civil Rights Activist Fought Racism with Rodents

In the 1960s, Julius Hobson used a new tactic to fight racial inequality: rat relocation rallies.
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The 1939 Alexandria Library Sit In Opened a New Front in the Civil Rights Movement

Libraries had not been a big part of the civil rights movement but that changed in Alexandria, VA.
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A Black Arlington Neighborhood was Destroyed to Build the Pentagon

To build the Pentagon, the Black community of East Arlington was razed with 30 day's notice.

Explosion on the Potomac

Shortly after the USS Princeton departs Alexandria for a demonstration, a cannon aboard the ship explodes, killing the Secretary of State and Secretary of War.

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