Porchtales

Casilda Luna is a dedicated advocate for the voiceless in the Latino community who has committed herself to helping and mentoring others. Yet, she is still unknown. In an exclusive interview, Casilda discusses her upbringing, her move to the States, and how she became a trailblazer for the Latino community. Porchtales? Tell a friend about it! Make sure you’re subscribed so you can know about futur...

There is a common misconception the Latino community started in the 1980s. Afro-Latine experience in the DMV is often ignored and intentionally excluded from its history. Manuel and Angeley aim to complicate that narrative in a riveting conversation about anti-blackness, youth, and why these stereotypes continue to plague our community. Did you enjoy this episode of Our Black Mosaic hosted by Huma...

At the end of Lanier, there is a park that began as wilderness that was walked by Native Americans. Then it was farmed, and later became home to two burial grounds. In the 1960’s, neighbors took control of the land and made a park. We go to the park in this episode- to Walter Pierce Park. Did you enjoy this episode of Lanier hosted by HumanitiesDC Presents Porchtales? Tell a friend about it! Make...

A kid on a bike can go places and discover a neighborhood. Pedaling slow and pushing fast, they have perfect balance and the thrill of floating free down a steep hill known as “Snake Hill.” They feel free and in control. Katie Davis shares stories of a Fix-a-Bicycle summer camp that started on Lanier in July 2000. Did you enjoy this episode of Lanier hosted by HumanitiesDC Presents Porchtales? Tel...

People know who causes trouble on their block. Who goes to jail or prison. Some criminals though return to the scene of their crimes to try to undo. We follow the story of Bobby, as he tries to make things right by coaching a little league baseball team in Adams Morgan. Did you enjoy this episode of Lanier hosted by HumanitiesDC Presents Porchtales? Tell a friend about it! Make sure you’re subscri...

A lot of people just walked by the man on his porch. Turns out that John, the porch sitter, was the thread that kept his block together. Neighbors called him the Mayor of Adams Morgan, and they knew he wouldn’t let things get out of hand on his street. Meet this unexpected hero. Did you enjoy this episode of Lanier hosted by HumanitiesDC Presents Porchtales? Tell a friend about it! Make sure you’r...

Katie Davis takes us on a walk she has taken hundreds of times. Down Lanier Place to a corner store in Adams Morgan. It’s been called Wayne’s, Mattie’s and the Kim’s and each era has different stories. Katie Davis collects history on the street she grew up on in Washington D.C.-- the street she still lives on. It's a familiar walk, and yet one that constantly brings new revelations and lessons.  D...

What becomes of a life of Black freedom activism? In this final episode of the series, Sister Koko recounts the resolution of the firearm charges against her, details ongoing FBI surveillance, and explains her trajectory from SNCC and the Black Panther Party to Pan African and anti-Apartheid activism. Along the way, she supports the Wilmington 10, builds a friendship with Miriam Makeba, becomes a...

As the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., sparked rebellions across the US, Sister Koko describes her experience of the uprising in DC and how King’s death personally affected her.  She explains the underlying entrenched and long-standing systems of racial oppression, especially poverty, that fueled the outpouring of violence and destruction in April of 1968. She takes us through the st...

What was happening in the rest of the world as Dorothy Jean McQueen reinvented herself as Sister Koko, and how did it affect her? Prof. D. Boose explores how entwined rising anxieties over the spread of nuclear weapons, poverty, and the Vietnam war, were with the ever-increasing Black Freedom activism in the mid-1960s.  Listen as Sister Koko explains how these international and national events had...

How did Dorothy Jean McQueen become Sister Koko? Explore her memories with Prof. D. Boose as she reflects on being a student at Howard University amidst the March on Washington and organizing for Freedom Summer.  They’ll talk about 1960s era racism and segregation and new community efforts to fight it, especially in protests against discrimination in travel. Hear how these developments encouraged...

Who is Sister Koko? What roles has she played in Black freedom struggles? Why do many people–even in DC–not know about her? Join Prof. D. Boose as we meet Sister Koko, learn about events during her childhood in Newport News, Virginia, that began her community organizing work, and start to explore her experiences as a Black freedom fighter and what we risk losing if her stories disappear.  Please b...

"The Disappearing of Sister Koko with Prof. D. Boose” is a collaboration between HumanitiesDC’s Porchtales and DC historian and podcaster Prof. D. Boose.  Through stories shared by local resident Sister Koko, we’ll explore the city’s rich history of activism and civic engagement and its connection to international Black Freedom struggles. Sister Koko is a Black activist radical and elder who has d...