CARECEN Co-director Joaquin Dominguez Parada in the original Mt. Pleasant St. office, 1982.
City Councilmember Frank Smith and first-time homebuyers celebrate the opening of Nehemiah housing, 1994.
But from despair grew hope. Dozens of commu- nity-based arts, social services, and political orga- nizations developed. Over time new immigrants, attracted to the affordable rents, found shelter in the neighborhood and built strong communities. Drummers and soccer players found a home in Meridian Hill Park, which also became known as Malcolm X Park. Four decades after the 1968 riots, shoppers once again crowd 14th Street. A Metrorail station connects the neighborhood to the rest of the city. New residents join old in the cultural convergence that marks today’s Columbia Heights. And the neighborhood still spreads over the hill, com- manding the city below.
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