DCHA Honors Langston Day ...

DCHA Honors Langston Day with Latest Rebuilding Our Communities Block Party

Langston Terrace residents and neighbors hopped on moon bounces and danced to live music during the latest DCHA Rebuilding Our Communities Block Party on Saturday, Aug. 17.

The latest block party, hosted by the DC Housing Authority in partnership with the DC Deputy Mayor for Public Safety and Justice and DC Dept. of Parks and Recreation, coincided with the annual Langston Day celebration, which honored 86 years of the Langston Terrace community.

Opened in 1938 as Langston Terrace Dwellings, the property's name honors John Mercer Langston (1829-1897) who was an abolitionist, the founder of Howard University Law School, and the first black Congressman from Virginia.

At Langston Terrace's family-friendly event, attendees could get their face painted and meet their favorites characters from games and television shows, like Bluey and Super Mario. When the late summer sun became too hot, kids cooled off in the foam pit or with a trip down the water slide.

And the Block Party also included giveaways! DCHA staff went door-to-door to deliver more than 300 bags of free groceries to every resident family. Donated by StatDC Global, groceries included rice, pasta and tomato sauce, canned vegetables, breakfast cereals, juice boxes, fruit cups and more pantry staples.

Along with food vendors like The Angry Jerk and ANR Catering, nearly 50 service providers were in attendance, offering resources and information on education and workforce development programs; job opportunities; and other services available for youth, seniors, and families in the District. The service providers included nonprofits, academic institutions, private employers, and DC government agencies.

The Aug. 17 block party was one of several free block parties hosted by DCHA throughout the summer. In addition to the block parties, the Rebuilding Our Communities event series also includes property-specific cookouts and other festivities.

Stay tuned as DCHA will host more Rebuilding Our Communities Block Parties throughout the rest of the summer and into the fall.

DCHA is grateful for the service providers who helped make this event possible:

Howard University, Office of Corporate Relations | C3 Cares | Brotha's Huddle | Peace for DC | Y Not Youth | Academy of Hope | Adult Public Charter School | Life Enhancement Services LLC | DC Department Of Employment Services | DC Tutoring and Mentoring Initiative | Unity Health Care | The Love More Movement | DC Commission on Poverty | Drug Enforcement Administration | So Others Might Eat | DC Office of Neighborhood Safety and Engagement | Capital Youth Empowerment Program | DC Office on Aging and Community Living | Homeland Security and Emergency Management | DC Office of Unified Communications | DC Office of the Ombudsman for Public Education | DC Department of Human Services | Hands on Hearts | DC Office of the Tenant Advocate | DC Department of Behavioral Health | DC Department of Aging and Community Living | Alliance of Concerned Black Men | University Legal Services | University of the District of Columbia | WMATA | GOOD Projects | The Nationals Baseball Club | InnerCity Collaborative | Capital Youth Empowerment Program | George Washington University | NCHCW - National Center for Housing & Child Welfare | Capitol Riverfront BID | United Planning Organization (UPO) | Prestige Healthcare Resources | Momma's Safe Haven | Edgewood Brookland Collaborative | Capital Bikeshare | goDCgo | Living Classrooms Foundation | DC Central Kitchen | DC Public Library (DCPL) | Hidn TrezHER, Inc. | United Healthcare | Campaign to Reduce Lead Exposure and Asthma | Everyone Home DC | Black Girl Health Foundation