D.C. has long been considered the original Chocolate City, a place where Black residents would find streets paved with gold.  Hear sociolinguist Dr. Jessi Grieser trace this Black history and zero in on ways that residents of historic Anacostia use language as a means to push back against gentrification. Exploring results from 34 interviews conducted in the 2010s, Dr. Grieser shares how those residents talk about white in-migration, Black opportunity and the physicality of the neighborhood. Anacostians pushed back against cultural narratives that would suggest Southeast is in need of repair and assistance, and instead, lay claim to Anacostia, Southeast, and in turn all of D.C. as “Black Space.”

Dr. Jessi Grieser is an Assistant Professor at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. Currently, her research focuses on the use of African American English (AAE) in expressions of the intersectional identities of race, place and social class. She received her Ph.D. in Sociolinguistics from Georgetown University. For additional information on Dr. Grieser’s new book, The Black Side of the River, click here.

Members: Free | Non-members: Free

Note: This program will be held LIVE at Tudor Place and  virtually.

In-Person Registration Link: Click here. You will be sent health & safety guidelines via email one day before the event.

Virtual Registration Link: Click here. You will be sent instructions on how to access the virtual event one day before the event.