ByGeorge!
January 2009

GW Students Preserve D.C.’s African American History, Culture


The GW Williams House is home to nine residents who share a passion for exploring their African American heritage and strengthening ties with African Americans on campus and in the local community. Front row, left to right: Andre Smith and Tiffany Green. Back row, left to right: Kelcey Abney, Nikki Lane, Amanda Roach, and Gabrielle Bass.

By Julia Parmley

The nine students who live in the GW Williams House are exploring firsthand Washington’s unique African American heritage and strengthening ties with African Americans on campus and in the greater community.

Named after George Washington Williams, a 19th-century black politician, minister, historian, and war veteran, the townhouse in Scholar’s Village on 22nd Street is home to students interested in continuing and sharing Williams’ study of African American history and culture in D.C. Current residents of the living and learning cohort and student organization include seniors Nikki Lane, Brittney Thomas, Tiffany Green, Gabrielle Bass, and Patrice Cunningham; juniors Shaterra Lee, Kelcey Abney, and Amanda Roach; and sophomore Andre Smith.

Bernard Demczuk, assistant vice president for District of Columbia affairs, has served as house faculty adviser since its inception in 2003.

“The students in the GW Williams House receive monthly experiential learning opportunities on the rich and extensive African American history and culture that permeate D.C.,” says Dr. Demczuk. “These learning opportunities include lectures, tours, local cuisine, classic black cinema, music, and the city’s historic environment that for over 100 years has been an African American mecca centered in and around the Shaw community and Howard University.”

In addition, Thomas, house student coordinator, says that the Living and Learning Cohort strives to act as a forum for the GW and local community to discuss subjects facing African Americans and to foster a sense of community for African Americans on campus. “We educate ourselves and others through discussions and events about African American community and legacy in D.C.,” she adds.

Under the direction of Thomas and Lane, house vice-coordinator, the group has organized numerous events over the past year, including a tour of the U Street Corridor, a historically African American district, on “U Street Day”; tours of the GW campus and a sleepover for local under¬privileged children on “Anacostia Day”; and an annual fall “Back to School BBQ” for GW students. As house historian, Abney maintains the house’s archives, taking photographs and recording notes of activities as needed.

The Living and Learning Cohort was the brainchild of former student Stephen Harris, B.S. ’06, who wanted to forge a sense of community on campus for those interested in African American issues. The five-bedroom house officially opened its doors in 2003 with Harris and former GW students Paul Kendrick B.A. ’05, M.P.A. ’07; Christian Washington, B.A. ’05; and Omar Woodard, B.A. ’05, M.P.A. ’07, a GW Board of Trustees member. Past residents include three presidential administrative fellows, seven Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Award winners, and presidents of the GW Student Association and the GW chapters of the Black Student Union and the NAACP.

“When I visited the house my freshman year I realized it was more than just a home; it was a place where I could develop as a leader,” says Thomas. “People who come into the house without leadership experience are leaders when they leave.”

Both Thomas and Lane say they have forged special bonds with their housemates and plan to stay in touch with them after graduation.

“The house is where I’ve met my closest friends, who’ve become my family,” says Lane. “I couldn’t imagine living anywhere else on campus. This place has my heart.”

 


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