The current wave of redevelopment enveloping Southwest DC makes us wonder what kind of community ours will become in future years, but for many older Southwest residents who remember life in “old Southwest,” that question takes on a different meaning. Whether our residency here is longstanding or more recent, we could all benefit from understanding what life was like before the late 1950s.
On Thursday, March 5 at 6:30 p.m., there will be a special viewing of “Southwest Remembered: A Story of Urban Renewal” at Westminster Church, 400 I St. SW. On hand to comment on the film and expand on this remarkable story will be two long-time Southwest residents: writer and urban specialist Neal Peirce, one of the organizing leaders of the Southwest Neighborhood Assembly; and Gottlieb Simon, executive director of the DC Office of Advisory Neighborhood Commissions and former executive director of ANC 2D before Southwest became part of Ward 6. We are also pleased to welcome Mr. Arnold Pryor, a Southwest native who lived through many of these changes and long-time member of Zion Baptist Church, one of the great institutions of the old neighborhood. All have extensive personal experience with urban renewal in Southwest and its legacy and, along with all residents, anticipate what is yet to come.
Please join us for this important conversation. Refreshments will be provided by the Thelma D. Jones Breast Cancer Fund. For more information, call Rev. Brian Hamilton at (202) 641-8220.
By: Rev. Brian Hamilton