More learning about the future, at the Annual Conference on DC History #DCHistcon #dc1968

While Washington, DC is cited by its mayor as the most inclusive city in the world, it didn’t always used to be that way. Understanding where we came from is the best way to know where we’re going.

Part of the reason I’m in Washington, DC is because there’s more learning per square millimeter than in any other place I’ve been.

D.C. Riot scenes in area of 14th-7th Sts. N.W., Washington, D.C. (Library of Congress @librarycongress)

The scholarship I observed during the conference (@DCHistcon), put on by the Historical Society of Washington, DC (@DCHistory) was so impressive. I learned that many of the accounts of what happened in 1968 that are shared today come from the perspective of journalists rather than historians or citizens – big difference in point of view. And I learned that there’s a lot more to 1968 than riots. I actually sort of had a sixth sense about that, because I exist in Washington during some of the most profound civil rights movements of our time, while there’s still a society around it and them, modulating, nurturing the future.

The examples are everywhere, like here, where you can find a rainbow flag next to an American flag flying over U street Northwest, the streets where so many other minorities were persecuted before.

I also found out about the many image archives that exist in our nation’s capital, most not digitized, some stewarded with more resources than others. I may never be seen outdoors again 🙂 .

And along the way, I saw Abraham Lincoln’s future, embedded throughout the New York Avenue Presbyterian Church (@NYAPCdc).

The future doesn’t happen by itself, it has to start somewhere, and it’s usually here, in the capital of a world learning to love better. Enjoy the photos. Follow the DC 1968 project for a year of memories of the 50th anniversary of 1968.