Racism In The DC Area

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The DC area is far more systemically racist than it’s ever been in the past.

More than during segregation?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm a transplant to DC, and have asked - "Where are the poor white neighborhoods?" Silence...
Where are the poor black neighborhoods?

Since you're a transplant you should do some of your own homework instead of randomly asking people about this.

[Anonymous]

First thing I thought of was Barry's comments about having to get rid of the Asians in Ward 8:

"We got to do something about these Asians coming in and opening up businesses and dirty shops," Barry said after winning the Democratic Primary for his Ward 8 City Council seat Tuesday night, according to a video posted by NBC 4 in Washington. "They ought to go. I'm going to say that right now. But we need African-American businesspeople to be able to take their places, too."

https://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2012/04/former-d-c-mayor-marion-barry-says-asians-dirty-shops-ought-to-go

It's an open secret that there are certain types of racism that people can be completely open about and it gets tolerated here.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Despite the widely held notion of the DC Metro Area being liberal and progressive, are there traces of racism and hate bubbling under the surface? I have lived a sheltered life born and raised in North Potomac, a wealthy suburb, so I am genuinely clueless of how things really go in this place outside of my little bubble. I have taken an interest in the topic of race relations throughout America as of late, and it has really shaken me out of my sheltered slumber of how things really work in parts of America in the modern day. I for one was genuinely shocked when I learned that segregation was rife in MoCo before the 1960s, and that there were instances of cross burnings and vandalism of Black homes around the DC area when they started moving into White areas after desegregation. For POCs on this forum (especially Black Americans), have you ever experienced overt racism around the DC area? how deep does the rot truly go? I am also interested in learning more about the history of segregation and the Black experience in MoCo during the Jim Crow Era, as it seems they have tried to brush this dark chapter under the rug and it is very hard to find info regarding this on the internet. I fear these instances are only scratching a surface a tad bit.

Growing up in Mt Rainier, my family wasn't allowed to join the local private pool because of our race. PG Pool was explicit that Blacks were not allowed. Today, my cousins can't join for the same reason, it's just implicit.

Did your cousins put their names on the wait list? Check the web site.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am a black mom and I got divorced about 5 years ago. It was virtually impossible for me to get a rental. My husband got the house in Colonial Village and I wanted to start fresh. I looked all over NE and Upper NW. No one would rent to me and my teenage black sons. I was literally denied a rental b/c it was taken, only for it to be available the next day.

When I finally found a place in Brookland, I have to show my salary (which at the time was over $250k, divorce settlement funds, retirement account info, etc).

The people before me (white guys) trashed the place. Literally trashed it. When I left, I had the carpets cleaned, floors polished and the entire house painted inside - all because I did not want another mom discriminated against like I was.

If you have solid examples of this treatment, you certainly should seek appropriate redress.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:First thing I thought of was Barry's comments about having to get rid of the Asians in Ward 8:

"We got to do something about these Asians coming in and opening up businesses and dirty shops," Barry said after winning the Democratic Primary for his Ward 8 City Council seat Tuesday night, according to a video posted by NBC 4 in Washington. "They ought to go. I'm going to say that right now. But we need African-American businesspeople to be able to take their places, too."

https://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2012/04/former-d-c-mayor-marion-barry-says-asians-dirty-shops-ought-to-go

It's an open secret that there are certain types of racism that people can be completely open about and it gets tolerated here.

Speaking of Marion Barry. I remember a time when Councilman Lightfoot was going to run against him but decided not to because he had too much white support.

That being said, I also remember a time when the football team refused to integrate and when people in Georgetown and Palisades refused to send their kids to public school.

Both of those things being said, I also remember a time when everybody, regardless of their skin color, came together to celebrate a bunch of hogs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:That being said, I also remember a time when the football team refused to integrate and when people in Georgetown and Palisades refused to send their kids to public school.

The Redskins integrated in 1962. Barry said those things in 2012.

This is a good example of how a certain kind of racism is tolerated here. We have someone in modern times making an extremely racist comment, and someone says, "Yeah, but look how 50 years before that the football team was the last one to integrate!"

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Despite the widely held notion of the DC Metro Area being liberal and progressive, are there traces of racism and hate bubbling under the surface? I have lived a sheltered life born and raised in North Potomac, a wealthy suburb, so I am genuinely clueless of how things really go in this place outside of my little bubble. I have taken an interest in the topic of race relations throughout America as of late, and it has really shaken me out of my sheltered slumber of how things really work in parts of America in the modern day. I for one was genuinely shocked when I learned that segregation was rife in MoCo before the 1960s, and that there were instances of cross burnings and vandalism of Black homes around the DC area when they started moving into White areas after desegregation. For POCs on this forum (especially Black Americans), have you ever experienced overt racism around the DC area? how deep does the rot truly go? I am also interested in learning more about the history of segregation and the Black experience in MoCo during the Jim Crow Era, as it seems they have tried to brush this dark chapter under the rug and it is very hard to find info regarding this on the internet. I fear these instances are only scratching a surface a tad bit.

Growing up in Mt Rainier, my family wasn't allowed to join the local private pool because of our race. PG Pool was explicit that Blacks were not allowed. Today, my cousins can't join for the same reason, it's just implicit.

Did your cousins put their names on the wait list? Check the web site.

No, because my family never felt comfortable even considering after the humiliating way we were denied back in the day.

[Anonymous]

It cuts both ways. A cashier will be noticeably friendly to a black customer and then inexplicably rude to me (white). I see this frequently. And before you jump on me, I am always polite, say hello and how are you, etc and I continue to be polite even when an employee is rude.

[Anonymous]

I know Black men who go running downtown, in very obvious running gear and have white women and or couples grasp purses, pull one another closer etc. when they see the runner approach. So they tried wearing the brightest most obnoxious colored gear and the same thing happened. It’s frustrating/sad/disgusting that you have to think, could my loved one be another Ahmaud Arbery?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm a transplant to DC, and have asked - "Where are the poor white neighborhoods?" Silence...
Where are the poor black neighborhoods?

What's your point?

If DC isn't racist, why are there no "poor(er)" white neighborhoods, but brown(er) people live in "southeast" or are gentrified out to the 'burbs?
Almost any other major city has working/middle class folks (and neighborhoods) of all stripes, but surprisingly DC doesn't have an arguably "poor" white neighborhood. Hmmm, I wonder why...

That's my point. Care to respond?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm a transplant to DC, and have asked - "Where are the poor white neighborhoods?" Silence...
Where are the poor black neighborhoods?

What's your point?

If DC isn't racist, why are there no "poor(er)" white neighborhoods, but brown(er) people live in "southeast" or are gentrified out to the 'burbs?
Almost any other major city has working/middle class folks (and neighborhoods) of all stripes, but surprisingly DC doesn't have an arguably "poor" white neighborhood. Hmmm, I wonder why...

That's my point. Care to respond?

- Short version: When the DC Public Schools, neighborhoods, and public facilities like swimming pools became open to Blacks, many middle and working class whites moved to the suburbs— many of which had previously been relatively rural areas. DC than became a majority Black city, with wealthier white neighborhoods west of the park. When white people began to move back to DC, few if any of them were/ are “poor”. DC is a relatively small city, with a lot of federal property. DC doesn’t have an arguably “poor” white neighborhood because the poorer whites moved to Virginia and MD.

That’s a quick and therefore overgeneralized explanation of relatively recent DC history. Make of it what you will. DP
A shorter version is that the poorer whites fled — due to their own racism and available opportunities, while the wealthier whites either fled or maintained their wealthier, whiter enclaves west of the park .

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm a transplant to DC, and have asked - "Where are the poor white neighborhoods?" Silence...
Where are the poor black neighborhoods?

What's your point?

If DC isn't racist, why are there no "poor(er)" white neighborhoods, but brown(er) people live in "southeast" or are gentrified out to the 'burbs?
Almost any other major city has working/middle class folks (and neighborhoods) of all stripes, but surprisingly DC doesn't have an arguably "poor" white neighborhood. Hmmm, I wonder why...

That's my point. Care to respond?

- Short version: When the DC Public Schools, neighborhoods, and public facilities like swimming pools became open to Blacks, many middle and working class whites moved to the suburbs— many of which had previously been relatively rural areas. DC than became a majority Black city, with wealthier white neighborhoods west of the park. When white people began to move back to DC, few if any of them were/ are “poor”. DC is a relatively small city, with a lot of federal property. DC doesn’t have an arguably “poor” white neighborhood because the poorer whites moved to Virginia and MD.

That’s a quick and therefore overgeneralized explanation of relatively recent DC history. Make of it what you will. DP
A shorter version is that the poorer whites fled — due to their own racism and available opportunities, while the wealthier whites either fled or maintained their wealthier, whiter enclaves west of the park .

^This.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It cuts both ways. A cashier will be noticeably friendly to a black customer and then inexplicably rude to me (white). I see this frequently. And before you jump on me, I am always polite, say hello and how are you, etc and I continue to be polite even when an employee is rude.

I know for a fact that some of the black student cafeteria service employees at certain colleges in this area have a wink wink understanding that they will not charge another black student for a meal.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Despite the widely held notion of the DC Metro Area being liberal and progressive, are there traces of racism and hate bubbling under the surface? I have lived a sheltered life born and raised in North Potomac, a wealthy suburb, so I am genuinely clueless of how things really go in this place outside of my little bubble. I have taken an interest in the topic of race relations throughout America as of late, and it has really shaken me out of my sheltered slumber of how things really work in parts of America in the modern day. I for one was genuinely shocked when I learned that segregation was rife in MoCo before the 1960s, and that there were instances of cross burnings and vandalism of Black homes around the DC area when they started moving into White areas after desegregation. For POCs on this forum (especially Black Americans), have you ever experienced overt racism around the DC area? how deep does the rot truly go? I am also interested in learning more about the history of segregation and the Black experience in MoCo during the Jim Crow Era, as it seems they have tried to brush this dark chapter under the rug and it is very hard to find info regarding this on the internet. I fear these instances are only scratching a surface a tad bit.

Growing up in Mt Rainier, my family wasn't allowed to join the local private pool because of our race. PG Pool was explicit that Blacks were not allowed. Today, my cousins can't join for the same reason, it's just implicit.

Did your cousins put their names on the wait list? Check the web site.

No, because my family never felt comfortable even considering after the humiliating way we were denied back in the day.

At some point we all have to step out of our comfort zones a little in order to make any positive progress. White people have been mistreated in black spaces around here as well but that doesn’t mean that we should all segregate what point would there be to that?