TUES 10/19: WISH/Affordable Housing Archive Opening @ MLK Library
Parisa Norouzi
REMINDER! Hope to see you there!
Empower DC Invites You to the Grand Opening of the
Washington Innercity Self Help (WISH) Public Archives
A Leader in Affordable Housing, 1978-2003
Tuesday, October 19th, 2010
Martin Luther King, Jr., Memorial Library
901 G St. NW (Gallery Place Metro)
Washingtoniana Division (3rd Floor)
Archives training: 4:00-5:30 PM
Learn about the contents of the archives and how to use it in your affordable housing related research
Archives opening celebration: 6:00-8:00 PM
Featuring discussion and sharing from former WISH staff and members, and short film screening
Refreshments will be served!
WISH worked for the empowerment of low-income communities in Washington D.C. from 1978 to 2003. Among its accomplishments was the building of at least 15 limited-equity affordable housing cooperatives. Help commemorate the history of this important organization.
Made possible through support from the Humanities Council of Washington, DC
For more information or to RSVP contact Linda Leaks at Empower DC, (202) 234-9119 or Li...@empowerdc.org
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October 13, 2010
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Public Archives of Washington Innercity Self Help (W.I.S.H.) Opens at MLK Library
A Leader in Affordable Housing, 1978-2003
On Tuesday, October 19th, 2010, District residents will gather in the Washingtoniana Division of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Library to celebrate the opening of the public archives of Washington Innercity Self Help, or WISH. WISH was founded in 1978 by 40 churches who came together a decade after the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. and the ensuing riots to create an organization designed to lift the voices of those most impacted by social issues.
Over the years, WISH took on many different challenges, all geared towards helping low-income residents gain power over their lives, neighborhoods, and city. WISH represents an important chapter in the history of social movements in Washington, DC, stemming from the civil rights movement and intertwined with local movements for self-determination. WISH also played a major role in housing struggles in the District – struggles that continue to this day. During DC’s first wave of gentrification in the 1980’s, WISH assisted tenants with purchasing their buildings and forming affordable housing cooperatives, leading the creation of dozens of co-ops, many in Columbia Heights. WISH led the organizing effort around the Southern Homes and Gardens Cooperative in Ward7, one of only two public housing developments nationally that was converted into affordable cooperative homeownership. Decidedly a movement building organization, WISH staff shared their gifts by helping start the first tenant-owned housing cooperatives in post-Apartheid South Africa.
Access to the history of WISH’s work will be of immense value to housing activists, scholars, and other District residents interested in learning from our city’s past. The archives grand opening is the culmination of a year-long project of cataloging thousands of papers, brochures, flyers, photographs, and videocassettes that document the work of WISH. The materials were held by the grassroots organization Empower DC, which was founded by two former WISH employees, and the organization is donating the collection to the Washingtoniana Division in order to make them available to the public.
“WISH was such an important force in the struggles undertaken by low-income people in this city through the ‘80s and ‘90s, especially in their fight against displacement,” said Parisa Norouzi, Executive Director of Empower DC. “As we continue these struggles today, it’s crucial to understand the history of where this city has been – and the major accomplishments that regular people have been able to achieve, working together.”
A training on using the WISH archives will run from 4:00 to 5:30 PM on Tuesday, October 19th. The archives opening celebration will take place later that evening, from 6:00 to 8:00 PM. All events will take place in the Washingtoniana Division of the Martin Luther King, Jr., Memorial Library, 901 G Street NW, 3rd Floor (Gallery Place Metro). Refreshments will be served. Space for the training is limited, so please RSVP to Amanda Huron (below) if you are planning to attend this portion of the evening.
This project was made possible by a grant from the Humanities Council of Washington, DC. For more information, please contact Amanda Huron, at 202-246-0112 or amanda...@gmail.com, or Linda Leaks at (202) 234-9119 or Li...@EmpowerDC.org.
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Parisa B. Norouzi
Executive Director
Empower DC
1419 V St, NW
Washington, DC 20009
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