All Souls Housing Corp Webinar. Displacement in DC: Meridian Hill and Park Morton
Learn about the historic development and displacement around Meridian Hill/Malcolm X Park. We will hear from Mara Cherkasky, historian, researcher, and co-founder of Prologue DC, followed by William Jordan, a local activist and advocate for Park Morton, an affordable housing community in DC that is currently resisting displacement during their community’s redevelopment. Meridian Hill Park, also known as Malcolm X Park, was built between 1912 and 1936. These 12 acres have witnessed countless concerts, festivals, and other events, including a Sunday afternoon drum circle, still going strong after 40-some years in the upper park. The development of the park, however, came at a human cost. Mara will present a story map that documents the approximately 40 families, all but one of them African American, who lost their homes for the park’s construction, mostly through condemnation under the government’s power of eminent domain.