Shaw in Northwest Washington in Washington, District of Columbia — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
Grief Turns to Anger
Lift Every Voice
— Georgia Ave./Pleasant Plains Heritage Trail —
Photographed By Devry Becker Jones (CC0), October 22, 2020
Thursday Evening, April 4, 1968. The news that the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., has been assassinated in Memphis makes its way like lightning through the city. Nearby at 14th and U Streets — once the cultural heart of DC's African American community and a bustling area where hundreds change buses and shop — faces register first shock and then anger. People demand that businesses close out of respect for Dr. King. Then individuals begin breaking windows, looting some places, burning others. The violence spreads along U Street to this intersection, where, over the next three days, almost every white-owned business on Seventh between S Street and Florida Avenue is destroyed.
A United Planning Organization leader tells the Washington Post that day, “Black Americans feel more divided from white Americans than at any time in this century.”
The 1968 riots were, in large part, a response to inequities in housing, jobs, and schools, and to the city's neglect of black neighborhoods. “We're burning the rats and roaches along with everything else,” proclaimed a youngster who had just set fire to a store here on Seventh Street. The rubble and crime left behind scarred this Neighborhood for years, and those who once enjoyed its restaurants and clubs stayed away. While officials and activists worked on rebuilding plans almost immediately — a playground opened in summer 1969 where Waxie Maxie's had stood at 1836 Seventh Street, across Seventh close to T Street — it would take many long years and the 1991 opening of this Metro station to make substantial progress.
Erected by Cultural Tourism DC. (Marker Number 1.)
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Industry & Commerce. In addition, it is included in the Georgia Avenue / Pleasant Plains Heritage Trail series list. A significant historical date for this entry is April 4, 1862.
Location. 38° 54.854′ N, 77° 1.31′ W. Marker is in Northwest Washington in Washington, District of Columbia. It is in Shaw. Marker is at the intersection of 7th Street Northwest and S Street Northwest, on the right when traveling north on 7th Street Northwest. Marker is at the Shaw/Howard University Metro Station. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1805 7th Street Northwest, Washington DC 20001, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. The Howard Theatre Walk of Fame (within shouting distance of this marker); a different marker also named The Howard Theatre Walk of Fame (about 500 feet away, measured in a direct line); Cecilia Penny Scott (about 500 feet away); Dunbar Theater / Southern Aid Society
Photographed By Devry Becker Jones (CC0), October 22, 2020
Photographed By Devry Becker Jones (CC0), October 22, 2020
Credits. This page was last revised on January 30, 2023. It was originally submitted on June 29, 2015, by Allen C. Browne of Silver Spring, Maryland. This page has been viewed 509 times since then and 15 times this year. Last updated on March 7, 2019, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on October 23, 2020, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. 4, 5, 6. submitted on June 29, 2015, by Allen C. Browne of Silver Spring, Maryland. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.