Lift Every Voice

— Georgia Ave./Pleasant Plains Heritage Trail —

Caribbean immigrants discovered this stretch of Georgia Avenue in the 1940s, bringing island culture along with jerk chicken, curry, and coco bread. Many, like Eric Williams, who later led Trinidad and Tobago to independence in 1962, came to study or teach at Howard University. Others came seeking better jobs. the 2000 Census showed that Caribbean-born residents formed DC's second-largest immigrant group.

For English-speaking immigrants from the former British West Indies, transition to DC life was relatively easy. They held tightly to their traditions, opening businesses and organizing an annual festival on Georgia Avenue. Behind you on this block Mike and Rita's opened in 1974, specializing in roti, (curried meat and potatoes wrapped in flaky dough). Across the street, at the corner of Lamont, Brown's Bakery opened in 1980, serving patties and spice buns. At that time, there were almost three dozen West Indian establishments along this stretch. Georgia Avenue Day and Carnival parades have featured spectacular costumes, calypso music, and dancing.

On Morton Street, to your right, is where the DC Housing Authority built the Park-Morton public housing complex in the early 1960s. The complex housed African Americans whose homes in Southwest DC were demolished during urban renewal to make way for modern apartments and offices.

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