I was at CW Woodward High School skipping gym class when the announcement came in on April 4, 1968. I had seen King preach at the Washington Cathedral less than a year before, and remember sitting in library and going numb. It was horrifying but also, living in the DC area, pretty scary. Sure enough, the riots broke out a few days later and changed the city of Washington forever. Most of the white owned businesses moved out to the burbs, and the result was economically devastating for the nations capitol. DC, with the exception of Georgetown, pretty much became off limits to us white kids in Rockville. It also changed the music scene as well. The scene changed from 14th and I Sts and clubs like Rands and The Rocket Room, to upper Wisconsin Ave. and places like The Rabbits Foot and The Keg, and Georgetown. Most of us had parents that still worked in the city for the guvment, so that also added to the tension. Long term results were mixed. For a loooooong time, everything changed when your crossed the D.C. line. Im happy to report that in recent years, the city and todays younger generation has made tremendous progress in eradicating a lot of those barriers. Ive heard that neighborhoods like the notorious area around 14th and T are actually trendy, and that the music scene is thriving. How very cool. On a personal level, as a result of the riots and business relocation, I got my first job working at a Waxie Maxies Record store, and here I am. Ive always found alot of hope in this next song, from the genius of Curtis Mayfield, Dig it deep, yall: https://youtube/watch?v=uLMRzDFMvEo
Posted on: Mon, 19 Jan 2015 21:43:07 +0000
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