Join Humanities DC , grantees and partners including the DC Office of Planning/Historic Preservation Office at the annual DC Community Heritage Project Showcase and Symposium, Tuesday, December 5 from 6:30-8:30 pm at the Charles Sumner School Museum and Archives (1201 17th St. NW; Farragut North Metro). The program is free and open to the public. Attendees should register online at https://dcchpshowcase2018.eventbrite.com.

DC has always been a city of change. The history of our neighborhoods has been written and rewritten by generations of residents who create and contribute to our vibrant communities. The DC Community Heritage Project (DCCHP) showcase is an annual event held during the first week of December. The DCCHP empowers DC residents to tell their stories, preserve their memory, and prepare us for the next chapter.

Grant projects funded in 2017 are:

• “Preserving the Heritage of our Civil War Forts” – The Alliance to Preserve the Civil War Defenses of Washington
• “Belonging” – The Seafarers Yacht Club,” – The Double Nickels Theatre Company
• “9 Lives of the Blue Castle” – The Richard Wright Public Charter School for Journalism and Media Art
• “Heritage of Rhode Island Ave NE and its surrounding neighborhoods” – The Friends of Rhode Island Ave NE’s Heritage Project
• “Choose your story, learn your history: Self-guided LGBT History Tours in Dupont Circle” – Rainbow History Project
• “Archival Project” – James Reese Europe American Legion Post 5
• “Urban Agriculture in Central Northeast: The Trailblazers” – DC Greens
• St. Anthony of Padua’s Photo Archives Exhibit, “1892 to 2017: Immigration and Integration,” – St. Anthony of Padua’s Photo Archives Exhibit
• The eight groups of community historians will display new, innovative projects aimed at preserving the history of Washington, DC’s neighborhoods, landmarks, and culture. Following the display portion of the evening, John Suau, the Executive Director of the Historical Society of Washington, D.C., will deliver the keynote address. The program will culminate in a question and answer session with all of the project directors.

Each project was supported by a small grant from the DC Community Heritage Project, a partnership of the DC Historic Preservation Office and HumanitiesDC. For over ten years, the DCCHP has supported local residents and organizations in their efforts to document and preserve the history of the neighborhoods in which they live. The grant program is funded in part by the U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service Historic Preservation Grant Fund grant funds, administered by the District of Columbia’s Historic Preservation Office.