Legacy: Civil Rights at 60 Story Booth Pop Up
A DC Arts Commission and HumanitiesDC Partnership
During the closing reception for Legacy: Civil Rights at 60, in the evening of March 1st, 2024 in our 200 I (eye) St. SE Gallery, CAH partnered with HumanitiesDC’s Oral History Collaborative to host a story booth pop up.
Over the course of the night, oral historians sat down with attendees to capture short form stories of civic actions over the last six decades since the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Here were some of the questions that participants were asked:
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Tell us about yourself and your earliest memory of civic action?
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Tell us about a significant protest experience that you participated. Paint a vivid picture of where you were, who you were with, and what cause you were supporting or acting against
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As the nation’s capital, DC has always been a hub for protest and direct action. What does it mean to you to live in this region, and participate in this legacy? Tell us a DC specific civic action story you remember best
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Think back on a civic action you took part in – can you share a happy or sweet moment? Can you share a difficult moment?
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When you think toward the future of civil rights, what comes to mind? What issues or questions can you imagine will shape the next generation of active citizens?
The resulting collection of stories demonstrates the range of issues that matter to us yesterday, today, and tomorrow.
Listen to their stories below. What stories of civic action come to mind for you?
AARON MYERS
Aaron Myers is Executive Director of the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities. In addition to his extensive background in the arts, Myers is known for his advocacy for social justice and community engagement. He has served as a community organizer and principle organizer of the DMV Music Stakeholders, a grassroots effort to center relief and resources for members of the music community impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic as well as the Executive Committee of the DC Branch of the NAACP.
Brittney "Sankofa" Barbour
Brittney "Sankofa" Barbour is a filmmaker and video artist from Washington DC. She currently resides in the Marshall Heights neighborhood in Southeast. This is where her grandmother settled after moving here from Durham, NC in the early 1960s. Brittney is currently a CAH Fellowship Grantee.
Denise Wright, PhD
Denise Wright, PhD., received her Doctorate in Psychology and taught at Howard University for over 10 years. She co-authored a book called the Osiris Papers with Dr. Raymond Winbush (Morgan State). The book serves as a sequel to the Isis Papers authored by the iconic writer and scholar, Dr. Frances Cress Welsing. She was also a 3 term ANC Commissioner and has advocated for persons dealing with housing equity and environmental justice. Dr Wright is also a film photographer, using Black & White imagery to highlight stark contrasts of cultural nuances among people of African descent.
Fabiola R. Delgado
Fabiola R. Delgado is an independent curator and creative consultant. A former Human Rights lawyer and political asylum seeker from Venezuela, she strives for justice through projects that challenge narratives and recenter neglected perspectives. She's a US RAO National Leaders of Color Fellow, and has worked with the likes of the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, National Museum of American History, National Museum of Asian Art, Anacostia Community Museum, Washington Project for the Arts, Times Square Arts, the Brooklyn Museum, Museum of Food and Drink, S.O.U.R.C.E. Studio, and The FUNDRED Project with renowned artist, Mel Chin.
Gail Rebhan
Gail Rebhan is a Washington, D.C. based photographer and Professor Emerita of Photography at Northern Virginia Community College. Her works, which often configure photographs and text in series, examine gender, aging, race, ethnicity and the built environment. The book, Gail Rebhan, About Time was published in conjunction with her 2023 retrospective at the American University Museum. To see her artwork go to gailrebhan.com
John-Miles Lewis
John-Miles Lewis is the son of Congressman John Miles. He is an activist and public speaker.
John Nelson
Kasse Andrews-Weller
Roderick Turner
Visual artist Roderick Turner was born in Providence, RI, and currently, residing in Washington, DC. He attended Prince George’s Community College, MD, where he received an Associate’s Degree in Fine Arts, and at the University of the District of Columbia where he received his Bachelors of Art. In addition, Turner has travel abroad in his independent studies to places as: France, Monaco, and Italy. In 1995, he joined the National Gallery of Art Copyist Program. In addition, he has had one-man shows and several group exhibitions in the eastern United State, including Chattahoochee Valley Art Museum, LaGrange, GA, Agora Gallery, New York, Smithsonian Anacostia Museum, Washington DC, African American Museum, Philadelphia, and John A.Wilson Building, Washington DC. His work is represented by the Foundry Gallery in NW Washington DC. Turner has served as a panelist for the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanity (DCCAH), Anacostia Museum, and American Dreams. He has painted public murals ( interior and exterior), since 1988 throughout the District of Columbia, most notably: Barry Farms Recreation Center, SE Washington DC, and the New Saint Elizabeth’s Hospital, SE Washington DC. Turner has been the recipient of various honors and awards including: Arts and Fellowship Grant 2023, FY 2022 Arts and Fellowship Program(DCCAH), Commission for Kimball Elementary in 2019, Public Art Building Communities Grant (PABC) in 2008, Lila Wallace Reader’s Digest International Artist Grant 1993.
Sally Canzoneri
Sally Canzoneri’s art has been shown and won awards in numerous local and national exhibitions. These include solo shows at the Art League Gallery, the Hill Center, in Touchstone Gallery’s Spotlight Art Series, and at Glen Echo Galleries. A number of her pieces have are in the the DC Commission on Arts & Humanities Art Bank collection and the commission has awarded her several Arts and Humanities Fellows grants. Canzoneri’s work is also in private collections and in the Montgomery County Contemporary Works on Paper Collection. Canzoneri has studied with internationally recognized book artists and has taken courses in photography, picture book illustration, digital books, and printmaking. She received a B.A. from Bennington College, an M.U.P. and a J.D. from the University of Illinois, and has been a city planner and a government attorney. Canzoneri grew up in rural Vermont; then lived in Minnesota and Illinois before moving to DC.
Todd Shurn
Todd Shurn is a professor in the Computer Science department at Howard University.