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Our Commemorate DC project seeks to increase commemoration of Black Washingtonians and other leaders of color in all wards through collaboration with local partners. Over two years, the program has generated concepts for six commemorative works designed by local artists that honor DC heroes and causes.
What We Achieved Together This Year
This year, the program worked with communities in Wards 5 and 8 to honor local history and uplift community voices in each ward. Together with local DC artists, residents, and partners, we advanced two commemorative work applications, delivered two concept design packages, and developed a proposed installation plan for all six commemorative works that the agency has completed thus far. We also built strategies for public support and identified potential funding sources to continue the work. Community input shaped every step, with four workshops, eight community events, and countless stories informing the creative direction.
Creative Collaborations and Impact
Partners including AECOM, engagement firm Brick & Story, and Main Street organization DC Squared brought critical design expertise and community-centered practices. Local artist teams Nabeeh Bilal and Candice Taylor from CreativeJunkFood and Nessar Jahanbin and Eddie Harris with Treehouse Dreamer created the commemorative work designs. The two finalized design concepts honor Sterling A. Brown and Calvin and Wilhelmina Rolark, spotlighting remembrance as an essential part of public life. More than 100 residents, artists, and organizations contributed their perspectives.
Public design workshops for commemorative works honoring Wilhelmina and Calvin Rolark (left, at Sycamore and Oak) and Sterling Brown (right, at Bryant St. Market)
What's Next
We are committed to moving this vision beyond the design phase. In the coming months, we will continue refining design ideas, documenting stories, and exploring new funding and partnership opportunities. Our interagency coalition, including the Commission on the Arts and Humanities, will connect with other District agency creatives to expand collaboration. Most importantly, we’ll share opportunities for community members and organizations to lead or support future commemorative projects, helping remembrance in DC to grow more inclusive and enduring.
Learn more and stay engaged.
Rendering of "Sterling Allen Brown Memorial Park," proposed for a site at Rhode Island Avenue & Brentwood Road NE, designed by Nessar Jahanbin and Eddie Harris
Rendering of a park entitled "The Great Ward 8 and its Pillars, Calvin & Wilhelmina Rolark," proposed for a site at Martin Luther King, Jr. Avenue & Alabama Avenue SE, designed by Nabi Bilal and Candice Taylor of CreativeJunkFood
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