At long last, the National Park Service, Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH), and the National Park Foundation have announced the opening date for the Carter G. Woodson Home National Historic Site on Ninth Street. The effort to preserve the home and workplace of Dr. Woodson, the “Father of African American history,” dates back over a quarter of a century.
The opening starts on Friday, November 6, with a special invitation-only celebration at Shiloh Baptist Church, 1500 Ninth Street NW, honoring Dr. Woodson’s enduring legacy. Following the ceremony, guests will be invited to tour the new visitor center and Dr. Woodson’s home. On Saturday, November 7, the Woodson Home site will be open to the public, with tours available from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., starting at Shiloh. The opening of the historic site is a major accomplishment of the Park Service and the Shaw neighborhood.
African American Civil War Museum Reopens
There was also a widely anticipated reopening, September 30, of the African American Civil War Museum. The museum, which has been a respected landmark since 1999, had been closed for four years as it moved into its new home in the historic Archibald Grimke School building on Vermont Avenue NW. The museum’s director, Frank Smith, Jr., led the opening ceremony in front of a crowd of about 100 people. Ward 1 Councilmember Brianne Nadeau remarked that the museum’s reopening countered the effort of people in the federal government to diminish the prominence of African American history in the nation’s life. The renovated museum includes a new statue of Abraham Lincoln signing the Emancipation Declaration outside and an exhibit covering the experiences of the ancestors of former first lady Michelle Obama in the Civil War. The museum plans to hold its annual reading of the list of U.S. Colored Troop war veterans at the African American Civil War Memorial on November 11.
Pho Viet Shaw holds Grand Opening
Shaw’s newest restaurant, Pho Viet WDC, held its grand opening on Friday, September 18 at 1521 11th Street NW. People in the neighborhood had been looking forward to the second location of the 17-year-old Columbia Heights restaurant, which the Washington Post declared “serves the best bowl of pho in town.” Ceremonies started in the morning with a group of Buddhist priests blessing the restaurant to ensure good luck. A lion dance by the Ninth Generation Hung Fut Masters and a ribbon cutting also helped provide a propitious opening. Welcoming remarks were made by Alexander Padro and Gretchen Wharton of Shaw Main Streets, Ben DeGuzman, director of the Mayor’s Office on Asian and Pacific Islander Affairs, Rosemary Suggs-Evans of the Department of Small and Local Business Development and Aparna Raj, Democratic nominee for the Ward 1 Council seat in this fall’s election. Pho Viet WDC owners Minh Chau and Nina Nguyen then expressed their hopes for their new restaurant and its role in the Shaw community. Pho Viet WDC offers a long list of pho, noodle, rice and grilled dishes, along with an extensive list of exotic fruit smoothies.
Causa’s Carlos Delgado Declared One of the Best New Chefs
Carlos Delgado of Blagden Alley’s Causa restaurant has been selected by Food and Wine magazine as one of the Best New Chefs in the nation. Delgado joins a class of only 14 chefs at 10 of the nation’s outstanding restaurants this year. Food and Wine says that his work “transports diners to the distinct regions of Peru through the ingredients and dishes inextricable from their identities. Bold, yes, but necessary for a chef with a restless brain and a marrow-deep calling to make the rest of the world understand the beauty of the country that raised him.”
New Endeavors Presents Awards
Shaw nonprofit New Endeavors by Women (NEW) held its annual Moving Out of Homelessness dinner fundraiser on the night of September 24th at the True Reformer Building on U Street. The organization presented a number of awards at the event, including the Advocacy Award, given to DC Councilmember Brooke Pinto. Pinto serves as the chairperson of the Committee on the Judiciary and Public Safety, which oversees the Office of Victim Services and Justice Grants. That agency helps NEW provide housing and resources to unhoused women and their children who have been victims of crime. The Councilmember also represents Ward 2, where two of NEW’s housing programs and main offices are located.
The recipient of the New Light Alumna Award, honoring the dedication, healing, and focus that are required to achieve independence after facing the loss and hardship that come with homelessness, was La’Tisha Edwards. After experiencing great loss and instability, Edwards found a safe haven for herself and her children at Rachael’s Women’s Center, the program that NEW took over in 2015 and has since become Kathy’s House, serving women 55 and over. She stayed at NEW until 2019, when she was able to move into her own place. Edwards has worked as an in-house barista for a DC law firm for over a decade.
The Mary Popit Partner in Caring Award honoree was Iris Drayton-Spann, former NEW board chair and longtime champion of the organization. She has served as a mentor to members of NEW’s staff and board.
McKinsey & Company and their Women’s Network received the Volunteer Service Award. The network’s members have been consistent volunteers, offering workshops on topics like resume writing and confidence building and providing fun, engaging activities for NEW residents.
