NAACP Headquarters to Relocate to Nation’s Capital

This publish was initially printed on Afro

By DaQuan Lawrence

The headquarters of the Nationwide Affiliation for the Development of Coloured Individuals (NAACP) headquarters will transfer from Baltimore to Washington, D.C. The historic group can be housed on the grounds of the Frank D. Reeves Heart of Municipal Affairs (Reeves Heart) within the historic U Road Hall of the nation’s capital. 

The Reeves Heart can be utterly demolished and building on the brand new challenge is about to start in 2025.

The transfer was introduced after D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser made plans to redevelop the Reeves Heart website with the Workplace of the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Financial Improvement (DMPED). When the workforce introduced  Reeves CMC Enterprise because the developer on June 8, it  marked  one  of  the  largest  Fairness Request For Proposal (RFPs) awarded by the District so far.

“As we welcome the NAACP to D.C., we’re being intentional about redeveloping this website in order that it meets the wants of our residents and strikes us towards a extra equitable future,” mentioned Mayor Bowser.

Launched in 2020 by Mayor Bowser, Fairness RFP’s search to boost racial fairness and make D.C.  extra inclusive by rising entry to growth alternatives for organizations which can be owned or majority managed by Black and Brown entrepreneurs. 

The challenge will honor the legacy to icons reminiscent of Frank D. Reeves and Mayor Marion Barry, with hopes of preserving the legacy of Black Broadway. Situated on the intersection of 14th and U Road Northwest, the   Reeves Heart is a crossroad of tradition that traditionally has been deeply linked to Black historical past and civil rights activism.

Through the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, the intersection was important to Black Washingtonians, and served as house to greater than 300 Black-owned companies, reminiscent of banks, motels and theaters.

“The Reeves Heart is symbolic of D.C.’s resilience, and as we make our comeback – this is a chance to double down on our dedication making our prosperity extra inclusive and preserving the historical past and tradition of our neighborhood,” mentioned Mayor Bowser.

The NAACP is simply as excited to name the District house, carrying its struggle for social justice for African Individuals into the twenty first century, the fashionable mission of the group is “to make sure  the  political,  instructional, social and  financial equality of rights of all individuals and to remove race-based discrimination.” 

The group’s founders embody Ida B. Wells, Mary Church Terrell and W.E.B. DuBois, and previous leaders embody Medgar Evers, Thurgood Marshall, Roy Wilkins and Julian Bond.

“[This moment] marks yet one more pivotal step in the direction of preserving the deep, traditionally Black roots of the U Road hall,” mentioned NAACP President and CEO Derrick Johnson. “The NAACP is deeply appreciative of the laborious work and considerate consideration that Mayor Bowser and her workforce have dedicated to this challenge.”

The District is particularly partnering with the NAACP to relocate its headquarters in commemoration of Franklin D. Reeves, lawyer and civil rights activist who, whereas working for the NAACP, was a part of the workforce that formed Brown v. Board of Training, the breakthrough case that led to segregated colleges being unconstitutional and mandated college desegregation across the nation.

Along with offering a everlasting house and headquarters for NAACP, the brand new website will present 322 residential rental items of housing, with 30 p.c reserved for inexpensive dwelling items for D.C. households making at or under the Median Household Earnings (MFI).

Moreover, the  Reeves CMC challenge will characteristic a brand new Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater and College, the Viva College of Dance, the Washington Jazz Arts Institute, a Dave Chappelle Comedy Membership and a restaurant by Meals Community star chef, Carla Corridor. 

The challenge can even function a relocation website for the Christian Tabernacle Youngster Improvement Heart, which helps kids achieve the talents they should thrive utilizing an authentic curriculum. 

“As we proceed to echo the calls of Black America within the halls of energy, headquartering our places of work inside our nation’s capital will enable us to additional our mission of affecting change on the problems that matter most to our neighborhood,” mentioned Johnson. “We’re inspired by this partnership and are excited to name U Road house.”

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