Photo Friday: Vermont Avenue, NW, Gateway to the Future, Washington, DC USA

2017.04.12 DC People and Places 02295
“”Whoever you are, wherever you’re from, we stand together as neighbors”- districtoflove.org” 2017.04.12 DC People and Places 02295 (View on Flickr.com)

This week’s photograph was taken at the corner of Vermont Avenue, NW and U Street, in Washington, DC (of course), in front of the African American Civil War Memorial (@AfroAmCivilWar) In 2017. The sign identifies the significance of this location in United States history.

This happened on this corner in 1941:

Rally Against DC Police Brutality on U Street: 1941
Rally Against DC Police Brutality on U Street: 1941 (View on Flickr.com)

…and for the next 76 years several of the most significant civil rights movements of our time were conducted or were born in this vicinity, including the African American and LGBTQ communities. Last year I wrote a blog series about several of them, which you can access here.

As a person fascinated with the total health of a population and optimism for the future, my perspective this street is one of the most special in the United States.

Every year its neighbors (who have previously included Walt Whitman and Abraham Lincoln), get together to keep it beautiful,so that it can continue to host the future.

If you happen to be in Washington, DC and would like to contribute with the spirits and the ancestors, feel free.

More photos of 2017 below.

Ted Eytan, MD