Busboys and Poets Books Celebrates BLACK BROADWAY with Briana Thomas
Date and Time
Oct 7, 2021 6:00 pm
Location
14th & V
2021 14th St NW, Washington, District of Columbia, 20009
Oct 7, 2021 6:00 pm
14th & V
Busboys and Poets Books presents BLACK BROADWAY IN WASHINGTON, D.C. by Briana Thomas Join us for an in-person presentation and conversation with author Briana Thomas to find out more about the U Street corridor and what Black Broadway really means here in the District.
BLACK BROADWAY IN WASHINGTON, D.C. brings us back to the early days of Black community here in the District on what we now call the Greater U Street. From the days of emancipation and building community on U Street when there was none found elsewhere in the city for Black Americans, to the Long, Hot Summer of 1967 and the 1968 riot, all the way up to what many local Washingtonians remember about the crack epidemic and the subsequent gentrification of various neighborhoods. Come hear about these events and more from local historian and journalist Briana Thomas, in the very area that was known as Black Broadway. This event is free and open to all, accessible through our Facebook and Youtube pages (@busboysandpoets).
Please RSVP if you are joining us in person or are interested in purchasing a signed book with shipping (limited to those tuning in via livestream)
The program will begin at 6 PM with an introduction from Busboys and Poets Books Director of Operations, Lori Barrientos Sanchez, before we get right into it with Briana to hear more about the great history of Black Broadway. There will be time for Q&A with the audience before the end of the program, as well as the opportunity to purchase a copy of BLACK BROADWAY IN WASHINGTON, D.C. for Briana to sign the night of!
BLACK BROADWAY IN WASHINGTON, D.C.: Before chain coffee shops and luxury high-rises, before even the beginning of desegregation and the 1968 riots, Washington's Greater U Street was known as Black Broadway. From the early 1900s into the 1950s, African Americans plagued by Jim Crow laws in other parts of town were free to own businesses here and built what was often described as a city within a city. Local author and journalist Briana A. Thomas narrates U Street's rich and unique history, from the early triumph of emancipation to the days of civil rights pioneer Mary Church Terrell and music giant Duke Ellington, through the recent struggles of gentrification.
Briana Thomas has been published in Washingtonian Magazine, the historic Afro-American newspaper, and the Washington Post throughout her journalism career. Briana earned a Master of Journalism degree from the University of Maryland–College Park and a Bachelor of Arts degree in English and communications from Greensboro College. She is the co-pastor of a Maryland-based multisite church Open Bible Ministries.
