Screening & Discussion: "Barry Farm: Community, Land and Justice in Washington, DC"

September 20, 2022

Join the Bertelsmann Foundation and the NYU in DC community for a virtual screening and panel discussion on, Barry Farm: Community, Land & Justice in Washington, DC. This is a Bertelsmann Foundation and DC Legacy Project Film directed by Sabiyha Prince and Samuel George, who took part in the post-film conversation. Joining them on this panel was NYU DC's Academic Fellow and Part-Time Lecturer, Vicky Kiechel.

Take a left off of the Anacostia Freeway on to Firth Sterling Ave in Southeast DC–what do you see? You see empty fields. You see shiny new buildings just breaking ground. Construction equipment. Sweeping views of the capital. As one community member states in this film, if you are a developer, you see a gold mine. But these empty fields hold powerful memories. Enslaved people once worked this land. Later, during Reconstruction, formerly enslaved individuals purchased it, and built one of DC’s first thriving Black communities.

Here, the city constructed a sprawling public housing complex in the 1940s, beloved by insiders, if notorious to outsiders. Here, the movement for Welfare Rights took shape. Here, the Junkyard Bandhoned its chops on homemade instruments before putting a turbocharge into the city’s Go-Go music. Here, residents lived in the Barry Farms Dwellings up until 2019, when the final community members were removed for the redevelopment.

This documentary film, a collaboration between the Bertelsmann Foundation and the DC Legacy Project, tells a story of a journey for community, land, and for justice. It is a story of Barry Farm, but it is also a story of Washington, DC. And, in the cycles of place and displacement, it is a story of the United States of America.

This webinar was open to everyone. Registration was required in order to attend this webinar, and the panel portion of this program was recorded.

YOUTUBE MEDIA

SaPFwAv9en8

Sam George

Vicky Kiechel

Sabiyha Prince

Samuel George, Global Markets and Digital Advisor, Bertelsmann Foundation; Director, "Go-Go City: Displacement & Protest in Washington, DC," "Out to Vote: A Story of Redemption, A Story of Democracy," "Local 1196: A Steelworkers Strike," "Barry Farm: Community, Land, and Justice in Washington, DC"

Samuel George is the Bertelsmann Foundation’s Global Markets and Digital Advisor. Since joining Bertelsmann Foundation in 2012, his work has focused on economics, politics, the digital revolution, and daily life with a specific emphasis on where these issues intersect.

His multimedia approach features documentary film, animated video, and written analysis. Samuel’s documentaries bring viewers up close and personal to people and communities facing the challenges and opportunities of the 21st century, offering candid perspectives that allow viewers to draw their own conclusions. Samuel’s written work has also sought to highlight global crossroads. His publications investigate the global impact of the digital revolution, arguing that a successful digital transition requires an inclusive conversation. This work builds upon previous research that contextualized trends in emerging markets, while underscoring the importance of international economics to the transatlantic community.

Samuel is from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and holds a master’s degree in international politics and economics from Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) in Washington. He is currently completing a PhD at that same institution.

Vicky Kiechel, Academic Fellow and Part-Time Lecturer, NYU Washington, DC

Victoria Kiechel has 20 years of professional experience in architecture, education, and sustainable design. A practicing architect, she works for the Cadmus Group, Inc., an environmental consultancy, and is a faculty member of the Global Environmental Politics Program, the School of International Service, American University (AU), in Washington, DC. In 2010, she was the inaugural recipient of AU’s Most Innovative Green Teacher of the Year award. At Cadmus, Vicky has worked for the US Green Building Council to develop and support the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Rating Systems; advises the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) ENERGY STAR commercial and industrial branch; leads consulting and review teams for buildings seeking LEED certification; and manages sustainability initiatives for clients as diverse as the Smithsonian Institution and state and local governments. Her architectural design work focuses on small-to-medium scale residential and institutional projects. For the Washington, DC Capitol Hill School Libraries Project, she designed the library for Maury Elementary School.

Sabiyha Prince, Ph.D., Urban Anthropologist; Artist

Sabiyha Prince is an urban anthropologist and artist who researches and writes about African American life and culture. A DC-native, her books include Constructing Belonging, African Americans and Gentrification in Washington, DC and Capital Dilemma; co-edited with Derek Hyra. Her paintings have been exhibited at The Anacostia Arts Center, The Hill Center, Zenith Gallery, and through The Petworth Artist’s Collaborative. Her media appearances include MSNBC, NPR, Al Jazeera English, WOL, WPFW, and WYPR. Today Dr. Prince directs AnthroDocs, a qualitative research firm founded to problem-solve and promote social justice through anthropological data-gathering methods.