"Echoes of Bondage: Adams Morgan's Journey from Slavery to Freedom"

Welcome to "Echoes of Bondage: Adams Morgan's Journey from Slavery to Freedom"!

Step back in time to an Adams Morgan before the modern era - a world without running water, electricity, or refrigeration. In the shadow of the nation's capital, slavery was the foundation upon which nearly every aspect of life was built. We will meet up near the Adams Morgan Free Speech Kiosk just in front of Truist Bank on the NW corner of 18th and Columbia Road. The easy walk tour starts at 5:30pm and lasts from 1.5 - 2 hours

Our journey begins with maps reconstructing the earliest communities adjacent to water sources. Along Rock Creek, the rhythmic churning of flour mills, grating of plaster grinders, buzz of lumber mills, and clang of iron forges once filled the air. These industries, powered by the waters of Rock Creek and enslaved labor, fed the growing appetite of Washington D.C.

As we walk, the ghosts of the past whisper their stories. We'll stand on the grounds of Kalorama Park, once John Little's 56-acre estate. By 1860, 17 enslaved African Americans toiled here, their lives bound to Little's prosperity. Among them was Hortense Prout, whose daring escape attempt in 1861 earned this site its place on the National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom.

Our path leads to Walter Pierce Park, hallowed ground that served as the final resting place for thousands of free and formerly enslaved African Americans. Here, we'll contemplate the lives of those who fought for freedom and dignity in a world that denied them both.

But emancipation didn't end the story. Slavery's brutal legacy cast a long shadow over Adams Morgan and beyond. We'll explore how the post-Civil War convict leasing system became slavery by another name, focusing on Joel Hurt, co-founder of what would become SunTrust Bank (now part of Truist Bank).

Hurt built his empire on the backs of leased convicts, paying wardens to brutalize prisoners and denying them medical care. His story serves as a stark reminder of how slavery's echoes reverberated long after the Civil War, shaping institutions that still stand today. We'll discuss the evolution of Truist Bank, now one of the top 10 commercial banks in the United States, and its legacy of financing efforts to gerrymandered Districts in order to lock in politicians who support regulations or deregulations that benefit their bank and the banking industry.

As we walk, we'll grapple with segregation's legacy, from whites-only schools and parks to banking redlining that shaped the neighborhood's development. We'll examine how banks, with roots tracing back to men like Hurt, perpetuated racial inequality through discriminatory lending practices.

This tour is more than a history lesson; it's a journey through Adams Morgan's soul. We'll celebrate the resilience of those who fought for freedom and honor the ongoing struggle for equality. By confronting this complex past, we gain a deeper understanding of the forces shaping our present and the work needed to build a truly just future.

Join us as we walk in the footsteps of the enslaved, the freed, and those who dared to dream of a better tomorrow. Together, we'll explore how bondage's echoes still resonate in Adams Morgan's streets, challenging us to confront uncomfortable truths and inspiring us to work towards a more equitable world.

Like most neighborhoods in Washington, Adams Morgan has several outstanding features that help focus on understanding a history once dominated by institutionalized enslavement and racism. Beginning with the first colonial rebels escaping English-enforced indentured servitude and settling on the fertile lands - displacing Native populations. And you will will hear all. If you read this far you might still be interested. I'm doing the same one the following day but that filled up. So this is for those who missed that deadline. All are welcome and free.

Host or Publisher Eddie Becker