Term Paper on "Washington, D.C. Race in Community"

Term Paper 8 pages (2035 words) Sources: 1+

[EXCERPT] . . . .

Washington, D.C.

Race in Community

Washington, D.C. And the Maryland area are one of the most diverse sections of the United States, equaling and/or surpassing most major metropolitan cities in terms of ethnicity, education, community services, museums, and cultural facilities.

Of course Washington, D.C. is the capital of the United States, the D.C. standing for the District of Columbia which is the federal district containing the city of Washington, named after George Washington, military leader of the American Revolution and the first President of the nation (Washington). The city of Washington and the District of Columbia are coextensive and governed by a single municipal government, thus for all practical purposes they are considered to be the same entity (Washington). Historically called the Federal City, the District of Columbia was founded in 1790 and is a federal district as specified by the U.S. Constitution with limited local rule (Washington). The District is ruled "in all cases whatsoever" by the U.S. Congress, while going without representation in that body (Washington). The land that forms the original District came from the neighboring states of Virginia and Maryland (Washington). The area south of the Potomac River was returned to Virginia in 1847 and is now incorporated into Arlington County and the City of Alexandria (Washington). The term "District of Columbia" uses an old poetic name for the United States, Columbia, which has otherwise fallen out of common use since the early twentieth century (Washington).

Washington, D.C. contains all three branches of the United States Federal Government, and is the headquarters of the majority of federal agencies, as well as headquarters for the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, and the Organization of American States, along with numerous other national and international institutions (Washington). Thus, the city is often the focal point of massive political demonstrations and protests, especially on the National Mall (Washington). This city is also home to numerous national landmarks, museums, and sports teams, making it a popular destination for tourists and a very interesting area in which to live (Washington).

According to the 2003 U.S. Census Bureau, the population of the District of Columbia is approximately 563,384, while the Greater Washington, D.C. metropolitan area which includes the District and part of Maryland, Virginia and West Virginia, has a population surpassing 4.7 million (Washington). If Washington, D.C. was a state, it would rank last in area behind Rhode Island, 50th in population ahead of Wyoming, and 36th in Gross State Product, ahead of 15 states (Washington).

The population of the District peaked in 1950, when it recorded a record population of 802,178 people, ranking the city as the ninth largest in the country, ahead of Boston and behind Saint Louis (Washington). Then the population declined during the following decades mirroring the migration following World War II of many of the nation's older urban centers to the suburban outlying areas (Washington).

In 1974, Walter Washington became the first African-American elected mayor of the District, followed by another African-American, Marion Barry in 1978, who was arrested for illegal drug use in an Federal Bureau of Investigation sting operation in 1990 and served six-month in jail (Washington). His successor was Sharon Pratt Kelly, the first African-American woman to lead a city of this size and importance in the United States (Washington).

Another African-American, Anthony A. Williams, began serving as the fourth Mayor of the District of Columbia on January 4, 1999, 25 years after the city was granted Home Rule in 1974, and in 2003, he began serving his second term which extends through 2006 (Anthony). Basically half of the thirteen city council members are African-Americans and the other half white (City).

In 2004, the Montreal Expos officially related to Washington for the 2005 season, and are now named the Washington Nationals, despite opposition from Orioles owner Peter Angelos (Washington). Moreover, there has recently been a very public debate between the city council and Major League Baseball concerning the building plan for a new stadium in Southeast D.C., which will be called the Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium, commonly known as RFK Stadium, due to open in 2008 (Washington). Other major teams include the Washington Redskins Football, Washington Wizards Basketball, Washington Mystics Women's Basketball, Washington Capitals Ice Hockey, and the D.C. United Soccer Major League Soccer (Washington).

Washington is surrounded by the states of Virginia on its southwest side and a small part of its northwest, and Maryland on its southeast and northeast sides and most of its northwest (Washington). It interrupts those states' common border, which is the Potomac River both upstream and downstream from the District, while the Potomac River itself is controlled by the State of Maryland and the District of Columbia (Washington). The physical geography of the District is similar to that of most of Maryland (Washington). The District has three natural flowing bodies of water: the Potomac River, the Anacostia River, and Rock Creek, while the highest point is 410 feet above sea level at Tenleytown and the lowest point is one foot, which occurs upstream on the Potomac River (Washington). Geographical features include Theodore Roosevelt Island, Columbia Island, the Three Sisters, and Hains Point (Washington).

The racial makeup of the city is 60.01% African-American, 32.78% White, 2.66% Asian, 0.30% Native American, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 3.84% from other races, and 2.35% from two or more races, while 7.86% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race, with Salvadorans being the largest Hispanic group (Washington).

As of 2000, 83.2% of the District residents age 5 and older spoke English at home and 9.2% spoke Spanish (Washington). French is the third most spoken language at 1.8%, followed by African languages at 1.0% and Chinese at 0.5% (Washington). The median household income is roughly $40,000 while the median family income is about $46,000, however approximately 20% of the population live below the poverty line (Washington).

According to the 2001 American Religious Identification Survey, four out of five District residents are Christians, or basically 72%, broken down into 27% Catholic, 19% Baptist, and 26% some other form of Protestant (Washington). Thirteen percent stated having no religion, and minor religions included 4% Buddhist, 2% Muslim, and 1% Jewish (Washington). However, given that the District's population is roughly 60% African-American, and most African-Americans are Baptist or Methodist, then it is believed that Baptists and Methodists are under-sampled (Washington).

Washington has numerous national landmarks such as the National Mall which is open in the center of town and features monuments of many American leaders, and connects the White House and the Capitol buildings, with the Washington Monument in the center (Washington). Other landmarks include the Jefferson Memorial, Lincoln Memorial, Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial, National World War II Memorial, Korean War Veterans Memorial, Vietnam Veterans Memorial, and the Albert Einstein Memorial (Washington). It is also home to the world famous Smithsonian Institution, within which are numerous museums such as the National Air and Space Museum, National Museum of American History, National Museum of the American Indian, National Museum of Natural History, National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian American Art Museum, and the National Zoo, to name a few (Washington). Moreover, there are numerous other museums throughout the city (Washington). The city is also home to the Library of Congress and the National Archives, which houses notable documents such as the Declaration of Independence and the United States Constitution (Washington). Furthermore, the District area is home to a myriad of colleges and universities, including Georgetown University, Walden University, and George Washington University, as well as medical, nursing, and business schools (Education).

There are at least a dozen major newspapers headquartered in the District including the Washington Post and the Washington Business Journal (News). The daily Washington Times and the free weekly Washington City Paper also have substantial readership in the District, and in 2005 the Washington Examiner debuted (Washington). Then there is the weekly Washington Blade that focuses on gay issues, and the Washington Informer on African-American issues (Washington). Most city neighborhoods have their own small papers such as the Dupont Current for Dupont Circle, Georgetown Current for Georgetown, In-Towner for Dupont Circle, Logan Circle, & Adams Morgan, Northwest Current for the Upper Northwest, the Voice of the Hill and the Hill Rag for Capitol Hill, and East of the River for Anacostia (Washington). Moreover, there are dozens and dozens of radio stations that catering to every major format, such as rock, country, jazz, religion, etc. (Radio). And several stations including XM Satellite Radio and National Public Radio are headquartered in Washington, and The Voice of America, the U.S. government's international broadcasting service, is also headquartered here (Washington).

And there are roughly fourteen local television stations, excluding cable network stations (Television). There are several cable television networks that are headquartered in the Washington area including C-SPAN on Capitol Hill, Black Entertainment Television (BET) in Northeast Washington, and Discovery Communications in Silver Spring, Maryland (Washington). Major national broadcasters and cable outlets including NBC, ABC, CBS, Fox, and CNN also maintain a significant presence in Washington, as do those from around… READ MORE

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