Black Excellence — Past, Present and Future — in D.C. and Georgetown
By • February 12, 2025 0 469
In this issue, with Black History Month in mind, The Georgetowner proudly calls its readers’ attention to a Georgetown University history professor’s new book and upcoming 50th anniversary events at Duke Ellington School of the Arts.
“Rhythms of Resistance and Resilience: How Black Washingtonians Used Music and Sports in the Fight for Equality” is the latest book from Dr. Maurice Jackson, a Georgetown University history professor specializing in African American life, the Atlantic world and jazz music. Published by Georgetown University Press on Feb. 3, the book explores how arts and athletics have served as catalysts for community building and changemaking in Washington, D.C.
Courtesy Georgetown University Press.
Jackson’s book is divided into two halves — one dedicated to music and the other to sports. Within the first half, Jackson honors the work of musical titans like Duke Ellington, while simultaneously illuminating and amplifying the contributions of lesser-known Black musicians who shaped Washington into the city we know today.
Just to scratch the surface of the record, Jackson tells the stories of jazz singer and pianist Shirley Horn, who worked with Miles Davis; saxophonist Buck Hill, whose likeness is immortalized in a 70-foot-tall mural on 14th Street; Harriet Gibbs Marshall, founder of the Washington Conservatory of Music and School of Expression; and James Reese Europe, who launched a professional and social organization for Black musicians called the Clef Club.
Considering the extent of his present entanglement with the world of academia, learning that Jackson did not enjoy the world of higher education as an undergraduate might come as a surprise.
“I just didn’t care for college when I first went off, and I dropped out,” he said in an interview with The Georgetowner. “I went to work in shipyards and factories, but I always read.” That childhood-forged love of literature was an anchor point for his passion for learning. Eventually, he returned to complete his B.A. at Antioch College, and, after having children, he attended graduate school.
Jackson also cites his racial identity as something that sparked his interest in studying history. “Well, I’m an African American man in America, so every day for me is history,” he said.
His ties to the D.C. community are strong. He is a double-Hoya, having acquired two Georgetown University history degrees, an M.A. and a Ph.D. He served as the first chair of the D.C. Commission on African American Affairs, from 2013 to 2016, and was inducted into the Washington, D.C. Hall of Fame in 2009. Further, he and his wife Laura Ginsburg raised their children, Lena and Miles, in the District, with Lena attending National Cathedral School and Miles attending St. Albans School.
Jackson described being “amazed,” when he first came to D.C. in the late 1970s, at how athletics and music “brought together Black and white people in the streets who never mingled before.” After witnessing the unique unifying force of sports and music firsthand, he and his wife knew they wanted both to play an important role in their children’s lives. As a result, their family became involved with the Jelleff Community Center Boys & Girls Club and the DC Youth Orchestra.
“In our home, as my wife Laura and I raised our now-grown children, Lena and Miles, we insisted, with little resistance, that their schoolwork had to be balanced with music and sports,” Jackson writes in “Rhythms of Resistance and Resilience.” “We saw how both outlets enhanced their lives and how they enhanced ours too.”
“Rhythms of Resistance and Resilience” is available for purchase on the Georgetown University Press website, press.georgetown.edu.
Art prints of DESA’s campus created by Ana Gonzalez-Galvan.
The 50th anniversary of Duke Ellington School of the Arts has us in a sentimental mood! Though the school officially celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2024, festivities will span the 2024-25 academic year.
First up: a black-tie gala in the Ellington Theatre, 3500 R St. NW, from 6 to 9 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 22, hosted by alum Lamman Rucker. All proceeds from the gala will help Duke Ellington students pursue their artistic passions by covering the costs for educational field trips, industry-standard equipment across all departments and master classes taught by professional creatives.
After collaborating to create Workshops for Careers in the Arts in 1968, African American activists and arts enthusiasts Alvan “Mike” Malone and Peggy Cooper Cafritz teamed up again in 1974 to co-found Duke Ellington School of the Arts — named to honor the world-renowned, Washington-born jazz legend who passed away in May of that year. Cafritz was a beloved philanthropist and patron of the arts while Malone was a seasoned choreographer and theater director.
A collaborative quilt made by Duke Ellington students based on “Tar Beach,” a children’s book by Faith Ringgold.
Fifty years after its founding, the school’s core mission remains the same: to provide talented young artists with an opportunity to cultivate their creativity and receive a top-notch education without financial barriers. The only public school of its kind in the District of Columbia, DESA’s dual curriculum encompasses conventional college preparation alongside a premier fine-arts education. At Duke Ellington, students can study dance, film, theater, museum studies, music and the visual arts, among other specializations.
Following the 50th anniversary gala, the celebration will continue this spring with two inaugural arts festivals: the Duke Ellington Jazz Festival and the DESA Film Festival. Though the date for the film festival was not available at press time, the jazz festival will take place on Saturday, May 3.
Ellington students recently paid homage to the work of artist and children’s book author Faith Ringgold — specifically her book “Tar Beach” — through “I Can Fly,” a gallery exhibition that showcased the talents of students across artistic disciplines. DESA seniors Yakob Tesfaye and Charity Burton organized “I Can Fly” entirely by themselves, embodying the same leadership, initiative and reverence for the arts that Malone and Cafritz demonstrated upon DESA’s founding.
Another senior involved in bringing “I Can Fly” to life was Ana Gonzalez-Galvan. A visual artist talented far beyond her years, Gonzalez-Galvan displayed a myriad of her paintings in the exhibition, each of which possesses a level of technical detail and emotional depth sure to take your breath away.
Yakob Tesfaye stands next to his painting, “Martha,” inspired by the activism of his late aunt Martha Mebhratu in Ethiopia.
“My mom says that in the ultrasound she saw me holding a crayon,” Gonzalez-Galvan said in an interview with The Georgetowner.
One art piece featured in the gallery was a tapestry decorated with portraits of Malone, Cafritz, Ellington and Ringgold in each corner. Several students collaborated with Gonzalez-Galvan to bring the piece to life by painting their own square along the patchwork. Two quotes frame the tapestry: one from Ellington — “All I do is dream, all the time” — and one from Ringgold — “I can fly! Yes, I can fly.”
When asked what attending a school like Duke Ellington means to her, Gonzalez-Galvan responded by echoing Ringgold and Ellington.
“I think this is a school where everyone dreams and everyone is pushed so they can fly,” Gonzalez-Galvan said. “It’s a school that allows a lot of kids to say what they want to say and helps them really hone in on who they want to be with their art.”
