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In 1894, a Gallaudet University quarterback named Paul Hubbard noticed the opposing team was reading his signed play calls from across the field. His solution was simple: gather his teammates into a circle. That circle became the football huddle, used on every level of American football ever since, in stadiums that seat 100,000 people.
Hubbard's story is one of dozens in District Vibes/American Pride, a citywide exhibition opening June 3 at the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library. The exhibit, which opens as the country prepares to celebrate its 250th anniversary, documents the impact D.C. residents have had on the country.
"District Vibes/American Pride highlights how profoundly District residents have shaped the American story," said Richard Reyes-Gavilan, Executive Director of DC Public Library. "From music and art to science and innovation, these local contributions have had a national impact. By extending the exhibition to a library in every ward, we’re giving residents across the city a chance to see themselves reflected in the country's history."
The exhibit has three thematic areas that move from the founding of the city to its living present. In the western section, visitors will find fraternity jackets and other artifacts representing Divine Nine organizations and original works by D.C. artists Gene Davis and Alma Thomas, alongside a 1954 copy of the Negro History Bulletin. The publication was created by Carter G. Woodson who also founded the Association for the Study of African American Life and History on 9th Street NW, which eventually gave the country Black History Month.
The music section traces a sound. Marvin Gaye was a Cardozo High School student before he became a global figure. His What's Going On vinyl anchors a section that also includes John Philip Sousa, who grew up near the Navy Yard and exported the American marching band tradition from the District outward. Link Wray developed the power chord in local clubs. Van McCoy, wrote "The Hustle." Chuck Brown built Go-Go, the only music genre in American history to emerge from and remain entirely native to one city. A DC jukebox will let visitors hear what they are reading about.
The southern section covers rights won and wrongs exposed. Dr. Charles Drew, a Dunbar High School graduate, built the world's first large-scale blood banks. Judith Heumann led a federal building sit-in that secured civil rights protections for people with disabilities nationwide. A first-edition "Nixon Resigns" Washington Post front page closes the section.
Beyond the MLK Library, the exhibition extends to Anacostia, Benning, Chevy Chase, Lamond Riggs, Mt. Pleasant, Southwest, and Woodridge Libraries. Public events include a pinewood derby race under the MLK loggia, a disco party, and of course, summer concerts, along with Art All Night, one of the Library's signature programs.
District Vibes/American Pride will be on display through the summer of 2026 during regular Library hours. The exhibit is funded in part by the Institute of Museum and Library Services and the DC Public Library Foundation. This DC Public Library series is a partnership with the DC250 Committee to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.
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