Existing comment:
1967:
Washingtonians take another step toward self-government.
President Johnson replaces the three District Commissioners with an appointed mayor and Council.
President Johnson apppoints [sic] Walter Washington as DC mayor.
Plans for Regional transportation system move forward.
The Washington Metropolitan Area Transportation Authority (WMATA) is established.
Grassroots organizations build a community power base.
Youth Pride Inc. is founded to engage youths from low-income families in a federally funded cleanup program. It soon expands its activities to include job training.
Local DC artists reach a national audience.
Roberta Flack is "discovered" by the popular music world at Mr. Henry's, the Capitol Hill bar where she drew rave reviews.
1968:
Washington hosts the Poor People' March and Resurrection City.
Disadvantaged people and rights activists from around DC and the nation build Resurrection City, an encampment on the Mall.
District churches and civil rights groups provide support for Resurrection City.
Washington moves closer to home rule.
Residents of DC hold their first local election in nearly a century -- for School Board.
Two public colleges open in the District.
Federal City College, a center of educational innovation, also holds classes in rented quarters around downtown DC.
Washington Technical Institute trains students in trades and semiprofessional skills at locations around the city.
Public transportation gains visibility.
The Washington Metropolitan Transit Authority (WMATA) presents its map for a 98-mile regional Metro system.
Innovative new companies strengthen DC's reputation as a theater town.
The integrated, community-based Back Alley Theater in founded.
1969:
Regional transit moves closer to becoming a reality.
WMATA formally breaks ground for Metro at Judiciary Square.
Washington welcomes new voices.
DC's first gay newspaper, the Gay Blade, begins publication.
1970:
Women, gays, and members of new communities demand equality.
The DC Council holds the first ever hearings on the status of Hispanics in the District.
Feminists from George Washington University march for equal rights.
Washington welcomes new voices.
DC becomes a center of the AfriCOBRA Arts Movement with the arrival of Jeff Donaldson as the head of Howard University's Art Department.
Working out of his studio, known as "The Workshop," artist Lou Sovall collaborates with area artists to create posters geared towards community causes. |