“If you look at what multiculturalism is under one city, it is a rich diversity of what a city can be, but we have to ensure that this does not lead to polarization in our city yet again.”
– Mayor Vincent Gray
Our aim is to bring people in D.C. together to address our collective problems and end destructive conflict. To do this, we’re promoting dialogue between incoming and native Washington, D.C., residents in order to transform divided neighborhoods into “one neighborhood” with residents working together toward collective goals.
We’ll be training graduate students in facilitation along with education about the history of specific neighborhoods. These facilitators will work with existing community leaders to convene and lead a dialogue focused on the reality of D.C.’s changing atmosphere.
Washington, D.C., has been an important location for the cultural evolution of early American leaders, including immigrants and African Americans. After slavery was abolished in 1862, African American immigrants found work in the Navy Yards and among a host of black businesses, arts, and culture on U Street, known at that time as “Black Broadway.”
However, the city has seen conflict around the racial and ethnic diversity of its population. Incidents extend as far back as 1831 when the Nat Turner Rebellion sparked anger and fear among white Navy Yard workers, which prompted them to strike back at their black counterparts. During World War II, when the population of D.C. reached its peak, the increased interaction among people of different races caused fighting in areas that were new to integration. A well-known example of this type of conflict is the violence and aftermath of the 1968 race riots that shook the city, changing the landscape of D.C. neighborhoods for decades to come.
Although most of our projects are international, we have successfully utilized the common ground approach to address domestic conflicts, including some local to D.C. The One Neighborhood program will be designed to cultivate understanding between new and lifelong residents of neighborhoods in D.C. by exploring the historical significance of particular neighborhoods and discussing what steps can be taken to promote a stronger relationship between old and new residents.